The Lizard King and his Queen

Weekend Assignment #61: What is the most ridiculous name you've ever given a pet? Because, you know, once you've had a few, all the obvious names are taken, and I think most of us get a little slap-happy. "Ridiculous" could mean an absurd name, or a name in opposition to the pet's physical or character traits (i.e., calling a Great Dane "Tiny"), or something else that just points out that there's something goofy about your pet's title. The pet can be current or former, and -- since these are also a source of amusing names -- if you had a ridiculously named stuffed animal at any point in time, you can include that. Also, if you have a show dog or cat, their "formal" titles certainly belong in the ring.

Young. Footloose and fancy free. Living in a spacious flat in San Francisco in 1977. All that was missing from our lives was a pet. The rental agreement we signed was very specific about no pets allowed.

One day we happened to be cruising past a pet shop and noticed some small lizards for sale. They were brown anoles. They weren't too cuddly looking but they were cute in their own lizardly fashion and we thought they might help fill the pet void in our lives. Surely our landlord wouldn't object to them; heck, he didn't even have to know about them!

We purchased a pair of them and my husband who has a more fanciful nature than I suggested we name them Oberon and Titania after the fairy king and queen in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". We did exactly that and enjoyed their company for a time. We actually drove across the city to a shop which sold live crickets and bought them to feed these creatures on a regular basis. Believe it or not!

If those aren't two of the most ridiculous names for a couple of lizards, I don't know what are. Anyway, I much prefer the little siamese cat we have these days whose name is Finnegan...but that's another story.