<<but remind her that her email address begins with "cow." >> Hary, There's a reason for that. Long ago, I found a book on surnames in which it was stated that WICKMAN was an English name for a man who worked on a dairy farm. Reading along further, I also discovered that METCALF(e) (my wife's maiden name) was a name given to a man who lived near a dairy farm. I was struck by the coincidence and began to ponder if there isn't something to the idea of predestination. Thereafter, I dwelt on the cow as a theme for various acts of silliness. Among these was to choose the "handle," cownabor, for my e-mail and other enterprises. We now have a collection of bovine trivia, much to the Missus' consternation (she's not silly by nature). I did buy her a fine replica of a recumbent heifer in gilded Lenox china, but it didn't go very far to assuage her feelings. My childishness inspired our children and grandchildren to at least equal their sire in trivial frippery. I am now the proud possessor of a stuffed cow with a frame on its tummy into which I have inserted a photo of the young lady (a granddaughter) who presented me with it. I have a plastic cow that poops jelly beans when you force her to squat. I also have a beanie baby and a small assortment of other inanities. I found, in a small country store in the summer of 2001, a replica of a cow pie in chocolate. I brought it home and placed it on my bookshelf to smile about until I thought of some useful(?) purpose. At Halloween last year, when youngsters come to the door threatening to play a trick on us if we don't give them ransom in the form of candy or other acceptable snack food, a young lady of about 13 knocked and, when I discovered on going to the door that she was clothed head to foot in an excellent cow costume, I found a way to distract her while I dropped the chocolate joke into her satchel. They don't usually look at their swag until they get home to sort it out. I have only regretted that I could not be among the drapes in her living room when she came across the package in front of her parents or other companions. I laugh to think of it, but then, I react to my attempts to amuse others in that way as a rule. Stan ----- Original Message ----- From: "GARY RADCLIFFE" <glradcliffe@msn.com> To: <SURNAME-ORIGINS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2002 3:56 PM Subject: Re: [SURNAME-ORIGINS] METCALFE > The name was originally Medcalfe. > > You must apologize to your wife for me but remind her that her email > address begins with "cow." > > It's a strange world sometimes and you have proven it. > > Hary > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Stan Wickman > Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2002 9:49 AM > To: SURNAME-ORIGINS-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [SURNAME-ORIGINS] METCALFE > > Thanks Gary, > > My Missus will forever think of you as the messenger with the bad news. > > 8<) > > Stan > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "GARY RADCLIFFE" <glradcliffe@msn.com> > To: <SURNAME-ORIGINS-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2002 2:18 AM > Subject: [SURNAME-ORIGINS] METCALFE > > > > METCALFE -Mad or silly calf. Nickname for a silly person. > > > > > > ============================== > > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, > go to: > > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 >