Sally

What does a sweet little girl pick for a "treat" at Cracker Barrel?? A slithering snake of course! ElizaJane's prize snake has been her constant companion ever since. Our new wooden green snake even attended church with us on Sunday.

When we announced to our children in August of 2003 that we were expecting, Haven, who was then just barely four years old, looked me straight in the eye, and proclaimed with all the conviction that a four year old can possibly muster

"It's gonna be a sista, and her name will be Sally".

It was as if she had a premonition of some kind, a vision of sorts. She was so sure, and believed what she said with much passion. I couldn't for the life of me think of any place she would have heard that name. We didn't know any Sally's, we hadn't read about any Sally's, we hadn't seen any movies with any Sally's. She stuck to her guns throughout the pregnancy, and called my plump belly Sally. She was right, on February of 2004 her baby sista was born, but her name sadely, wasn't Sally! I thought about Sally, and sometimes I wonder now why I was so adamantly against that name, but I was, and we named her ElizaJane instead. Haven didn't seem to mind,... but ever since that day we announced the immanent arrival of a new sibling, Haven has named every doll, stuffed animal, beany baby, loved and cherished toy, Sally! She has slowly branched out to names like Sally Hope, Sally Lou, Beth Sally, but almost always Sally. ElizaJane has followed in the steps of her older sista, and her precious tenderlings are also Sally...Sally the platypus, Sally the penguin, all manner of babies named Sally, of every size, shape, and color, but this is the first time that there has ever been a slithering snake named Sally, the one and only.