Steph sorry Covid ruined your get together.

And to be honest, I get a little grumpy with your boys putting you through the wringer.

Things are vastly better with the elder. He is 30 now and showing more responsibility. He even came and dog/cats sat while I went to FL for a week. And the house was cleaner when I came back than when I left! Mostly because they vacuumed, which I hate. He is door-dashing and loves it for the flexibility of schedule and not having to deal with a boss. For the fist time I feel he would be okay if something happened to us, and that is huge. His younger brother, things are worse than ever. Not even a text for Mother's or Father's Day. Sucks, but I just have to be patient at this point. I just give him a text when there is some major family event, like illness or births, or something he should know so he can't claim no one tells him anything. There is just no reason, so I give up looking for one, and just hope he gets a clue at some point.

My much more creative friends, I need inspiration. I need to name my Otter Lake house. Many of the places here have names. The regional word is always camp. "I am up to camp this weekend." The names often include the word camp, otter, or the owner's name. Things like Otter Bliss, Laura's Lodge, Camp Comfort, that type of thing. Note I like Otter Bliss, but not committed to it. A very rough graphic is here - [link] I would pay an artist friend of mine to improve it and paint it.

Laura, I think your link is missing www.

I need to name my Otter Lake house

Otter Cottage on the Lake
Camp Why I Otter
Otterly Divine
Camp Woulda Shoulda Otter
Villa Otterly Ridiculous
Mistake By The Lake
Emmett Otter's Jug-Band Cabin
Voyage to Otter Space
Grand Theft Otter
OtterBiography
The Ottermatic Abode

I need inspiration. I need to name my Otter Lake house.

I don't have suggestions but in case any of this provides inspiration:

My family's original cabin up in Canada is Home Base (the Goldman's down the beach next door is First Base but that's as far as the baseball theme went*). The little cabin next to the big house is Duz & Grum's because it belonged to my mom's grandparents after they built it to let their kids and grandkids take over Home Base. Every single cousin in my generation (who never knew Duz or Grum) grew up hearing the name as "Dozen Grums" and none of us EVER had the balls to ask what a Grum was and why the house was named after twelve of them.

Our neighbors on the other side have Netathca Lodge, which sounds like a First Nations word but is actually made of the original generation's mom and three daughters' names (NETtie, Agnes, THeresa, CAtharine). Down the beach a ways Pamaqua follows a similar convention (Pa, Ma, 4 kids).

The cabin we don't own anymore is called The Three Bears because it looks like exactly what you would expect a log cabin in the middle of the woods to look like. It's like, unfairly adorable and picturesque.

My parent's current cabin is The Palms because that's my dad's sense of humor. The new cabin they are building on that property is No. Beach because it is north of The Palms and it does not have a beach.

*Ironically the Goldman's cabin actually IS right next to first base of the baseball diamond in the field next to their house, but my family's cabin is through the woods in the opposite direction and is older, so I honestly have no idea how we got that name.

And Steph, I am so sorry that asshole Covid ruined your vacation. I think the last (and only) time I've eaten a Filet-o-Fish was in 1999 when I went to a McDonald's in Delhi, and didn't want a Maharajah Mac (like a Big Mac but made with lamb).

Timelies all!

Ugh. Mr. S just wouldn't go to sleep last night. Finally fell asleep around midnight, and was up at 7. Most of the day was fine, and did well at the restaurant we took Gary's mom to for her birthday. Suddenly, while we were driving home he started kicking my seat, pulling my hair and took his seatbelt off. A couple blocks from home Gary pulled over and he and Mr. S walked the rest of the way while I drove. I just don't understand this kid sometimes.

Thank you, David. I have some time to ruminate before we get the sign made. I'll add them to the list.

Love the history, Jess. We have a lot of family contractions here too. My parents called their camp LaJoMaNo for the 4 kids, Laura, John, Mary, and Norene. Of course my 3 siblings were never called by their given names, John was Jim (initials for John Ira Miller), Mary was Judi (Mary Judith) and Norene was Mona (Dad called her Desdemona before she was born but she was named Norene for my aunts Norma and Irene). I was the only one called by my name.

Laura, I think your link is missing www.

Added, although it works for me either way.

My sister advised me not to discuss this family history with my kids, but I think I need to so they have a context and history to understand where they came from, and what to look out for.

If you have a therapist you're working with on the regular, I'd run your thoughts around this past them and see what they say: they aren't going to be horrified, they're a neutral third party who's sworn to confidentiality, and they'd be a good resource for what would be an appropriate level of detail to share.

Speaking for me (and Ken, in a chat window giving permission to share), having context for existing mental health issues - and family backstory that made some of them worse - put a lot of the eldest child thoughts of "I should have managed this situation better" to bed, with a story and cookies and a warm blanket. I was 11 when it all went to hell; I survived it, but I wish those lessons had been taught to me in a gentler way, and I certainly want that for your children.