Thursday 16 October 2008

Wild in the Woods!

Tom: After Sen-Chan's big day yesterday, I get to go first today! It's been grey and drizzly for the last couple of days, but I wanted to tell you about my awesome walk in the woods with Pie on Tuesday.

The leaves are falling fast, so it's like running on a wonderfully deep pile carpet.



Pie and I like to explore every nook and cranny. I am a lot better than she is about sticking close to #1, but she was pretty good this time. So, there we were, trotting along, when we suddenly "got the crazies" and started chasing each other around. #1 and Ms. A were leaping to one side, and then the other, to avoid us. We were going so fast that we were just a blur!




Let me tell you, we were POOPED at the end of it!!



But we had so much fun!


Sen-Chan: I was still on a bit of a cloud after yesterday's celebrations and exciting news, and then I got a message from my lovely girlfriend Isis, asking me to tell her what my name actually means. Well, I blushed when I read that she thought "Sen" was for Sensual and "Chan" for Champion." I am red to start with but I was quite crimson! That is so very sweet of you, Isis!



So...my name. Actually, Sen is short for SENGIKUMARU, with the "Chan" being an affective suffix in Japanese. I would call Isis "Isis-Chan" for example. As for Sengikumaru, it means "One Thousand Chrysanthemums in Bloom". Pretty poetic, isn't it? It was the childhood name of an illegitimate son of a Japanese emperor in the late 14th century. He went on to become a great, but very unusual, Zen Monk, under the name of IKKYU. And you may remember that the "one who came before" was called Ikkyu. So now you know everything!

Oh, and in case you're wondering where all this Japanese stuff keeps coming from... #1 lived in Japan for 20 years, so it's like a second home to her.

12 comments:

  1. My goodness, exactly how many languages does #1 speak anyway?? I just read about your new sister you're going to get. I'll admit I suspected and was looking on your Uncle U's blog. I can't wait for you to meet her!!

    Kaze

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tom, you can run like the wind!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh thank you for the explanation of your name Sweety, but I still think my explanation is a good one even if it does make your lovely red furs glow crimson! Careful there or Uncle U and #1'll think you've turned into a genetic Red Aby! ;)

    My name comes from the Egyptian goddess Isis, who symbolizes rebirth and remains one of the most familiar images of empowered but utter femininity (oh yer that's me!) The goddess Isis was the first daughter of Geb, god of the Earth, and Nut, the goddess of the Overarching Sky. Isis was born on the first day between the first years of creation, and was adored by her human followers. So appropriate for me as I was born just prior to the start of the New Year and am utterly adorable! :)

    Unlike the other Egyptian goddesses, the goddess Isis spent time among her people. So apt for an Abyssinian as they we very people oriented cats! :)

    Purrs and kitty kisses,
    Isis
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, Sen-Chan. You have a very beautiful name. Thank you for explaining it for all of us. I was named Hero, because my family found me in the city, Angro do Heroismo (bay of heroism). Is there a story behind Tom's name?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mom would like an 8x10 glossy of that first photo, Tom!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi guys!
    I had to ask my mom why I'm called Siena, because it's not exactly a very nordic name (being an Norwegian Forest Cat and so on) and she came up with that story: While she was studying for an exam on Machiavelli who was Florentine, she always came across the rival city of Siena (uhm, is that spelled with two "n" in English?) and she liked the sound of it. Then she met me and it turned out that I had those coloured spots of fur, almost like the earthen colour siena. I was called Swantje at that time & my mom didn't like that name too much. Seeing that the change wouldn't be that rough, she named me Siena (middlename Snowflake). And that's the whole story... :)
    Tom, I loved your blurry pictures! I would be running along, trust me!
    Purrs, Siena

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ehem, in case you wanted to know... ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful pix of the dogs! I just love fall!

    Kisses
    Addie

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wowies what a sexy backyard you guyz haves to explore n play in!
    And Sen-chan, we loved the story of your name, although #1 lived in Japan, it does not automatically mean that they would know such things, so you are lucky to have a #1 who is into such things :)

    V-V

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your name has such a beautiful meaning...one thousand chrysanthemums in bloom. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sen Chan your name is a story, #1 turned it to a poem.
    An other set of beautifull pictures
    ViVi & AB

    ReplyDelete
  12. We love hearing stories about names! My name is simple, "Abby Normal." When Ms. C and Mr. R rescued me from the SPCA, that was what my name-card said (ok, it just said "Abby"), so it stuck.

    Stygia is named after the word stygian because she is a black cat. Associated with darkness, Hades, the river Styx, and such. Also, Mr. R enjoys the decadent vocabulary of H.P. Lovecraft, and he likes to describe things as "stygian."

    Purrs,
    Abby & Stygia

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting our blog! We love getting comments.