What is my fascination with 1905? There has to be something I believe. Whenever I see it on a building or in a company brochure or hear someone mention it, I pause...my ears perk up and I am wrapped up in the moment. 1905. Red Wing Shoe was started in 1905. So was St. Kate's. It's true I worked at one and went to school at the other long before I knew that fact -- 1905. There are other things but I can't really recall them now. I used to think I'd write a story about me and my house in 1920...but maybe its 1905 I seek? when we ripped up (I use we loosely here, it was realy Tim) the old flooring during the big kitchen renovation (see Sorin's Bluff blog for that story!), we found some old papers from 1900. In Swedish, German and English. Papers from St. Paul, MN. Some pieces were just crumbling. Others were full articles. Must've used them as padding between subflooring and whatever else was there...did they have linoleum in 1900? Anyway, I kept some and someday I'll put them in a shadow box on the wall over where we found them.
Other writer's are here -- very serious about their craft. Most know each other from the Hamline MFA program...some as they've been coming every summer for 7-8 years! People of all ages. One woman, Lennon, is also a St. Katie! She and I also discovered we were poverty kids. Traded recipes we made up to use commodities and government stores. I like her. She says she only wears dresses. She has the most brilliant orange hair (coventing is my best sin -- I practice it the most!) and some lovely tatoos. One reminds me of a 1940's pin-up -- full skirt and swirling as dancing and long curvy hair. Two tatoos have people's names on them. Her last name is Sundance. I like that name.
If I were to pick a name for myself (other than what I was given that is) I wonder whatt it would be? Would I be able to fit another name? Would I be comfortable as a Sally? Betsy? Perhaps Catherine? Would it be a "regal" name (Veronica! Elizabeth!) or something small town -- Jane, Ruth, Sue, Linda, Brenda, Betsy? Something more exotic perhaps? Angelina. Sophia. Gwendolyn. Meagan. Carolina. Southern? Anna Rose? Jenny Lee? Lou Ann? Maybe I'd pick one of those non-gender names: Madison, Carter, Sydney, Monroe, Kris, Jesse. Or super feminine? Lauralyn, Jennifer Rebecca, Cynthia, Irene, or Rose or Hyacinth or Daisy? Maybe I would lean towards hippie chick names since I grew up in the late 60s/70s -- Moonbeam, Dancer, Swirly, Peace, Hope, Faith and Charity (well, a crossover for the religous names I suppose). Maybe something native -- She who sings like a coyote? Woman who falls down? Lost child (I am forever getting lost) Snowlover, Winter woman. Old Crone (I actually like Old Crone -- for a different blog).
So many choices. So many names. And I haven't even touched the hybrids (Tashamia - Tasha and Mia, Sutrine - Sue and Catherine, Prilys - Priscilla and Marlys?) or a myriad of names. I guess that is why there are so many "1000 baby name" books with very few cross-overs (Johns and Mary's aside).
So what name would I choose? How long would it take me to adapt to it? I'm 48 and fairly comfortable with Penny. In fact, I look like a Penny. Did I grow into that look or was it something I was born with? A Penny-persona? I guess I'll never know. Every now and then I think I'll try on a new name...just to spice things up you know.
So, until next time, this is Hopeful Woman signing off! Good night, Gracie.
In today's class, we were given 3 15 minute writing assignments -- to dump our thoughts/memories on assigned topics. One of the three I chose was "experience with an object" and I thought of this old, battered stretch-limo of a piano reposing in a huge hall in our residence dorm. The features are priceless...and misleading. This battered old beast filled the room and spilled out onto the lawns, the halls and around corners whenever it was played. The music was amazing -- the tone true and perfect in pitch. I took some photos to continue to inspire me on this work as well as to post to this blog. 
