I have about 1,000 pieces in my model horse collection. They reside upstairs in my office (except for a display case in the living room where my chinas reside) and I love that, when I am grading papers or writing, I can pause, look around, and see my ponies.
Most, though, are unnamed. Only my original carpet herd and the models I take to shows are named. The reason? I have a difficult time coming up with names.
Last March, Craig and I drove out to Colorado to visit our daughter Sarah and her family. It's a long trip, and as I was watching the scenery go by, the name of a town on a road sign caught my eye. "What a great name for a model horse!" I thought, and I grabbed my phone, opened the Notes app, and wrote it down.
Soon I had a lengthy list forming.
The names of towns and counties also inspired some other ideas, such as games I like to play that might work (Skip-bo) and flowers (Jonquil). And since that March trip, I have been adding to what has become an ongoing list whenever I see a word that might work.
It makes me smile as I can trace some of the recent trips to Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida that I have made via the names of the towns and cities that appear on the list.
Street names work well, too. The last seven on the list are street names in my son's neighborhood in St. Augustine, Florida.
It's a lengthy list now, but I have not named that first model since starting it. The next model show I will be attending is GLC (Great Lakes Congress) in October; I'll pull it up then and put it to use.
