{"id":1527,"date":"2026-03-04T08:20:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T07:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silken.windhound.com\/starcastlehounds\/?page_id=1527"},"modified":"2026-09-10T00:04:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T22:04:35","slug":"the-name-book","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ericka.templweb.com\/starcastlehounds\/kennel-starcastle-hounds\/personal-reflections\/the-name-book\/","title":{"rendered":"The Name Book"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


Once upon a time\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

In the very earliest days of the breed, Keely Collins<\/strong> created the first Silken Windhound e-group on the platform then known as E-Groups. Keely owned a male called Mystic Caravan\u2019s Merlin The Magician<\/strong> \u2013 a so-called long-haired Whippet, originally from Claybrook kennel, but renamed by Keely herself.

Keely also ran a New Age\u2013oriented website, very likely under the name Mystic Caravan<\/em>. Among the items she sold were handcrafted leather works.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One of them was this book cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the time \u2013 around the year 2000 \u2013 it was outrageously expensive. Roughly the equivalent of 1,000 SEK. But I could not resist. It was a book: a blank notebook, bound in embossed leather, its pages completely empty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I gave it to my mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she passed away several years later, she had never written in it. But inside was a small handwritten note that read:
\u201cThe longest journey is the journey inward.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My mother was a seeker. And I believe she knew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After her death, I felt that the book had to be used for something special. Not simply as a notebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It became my Name Book<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I hear, see, or think of a word that could work as a puppy name, I write it down in the book. Often it leads to more names in the same spirit \u2013 a theme slowly taking shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes there are many names, sometimes only a few. Some suit bitches only, others males.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a litter is born, and I know the number of puppies, their sexes and colours, I return to the Name Book to see whether one of the themes fits that particular litter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One is that many names are never used \u2013 there simply are not enough puppies in that litter.

The other is that the book now contains so many names and themes that even if I were given another lifetime, I would never manage to use them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, I continue<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Whenever a good word appears \u2013 in conversation, in a book, or in passing \u2013 it is written down. The Name Book is still being filled. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not finished. <\/em>
But considering that I have most likely bred my last litter, it may never again be used.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

by the pen<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Susann Stjernborg<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silken Windhounds since 1998<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My Name Book.
\nWhenever I hear, see, or think of a word that could work as a puppy name, I write it down in the book. Often it leads to more names in the same spirit \u2013 a theme slowly taking shape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1529,"parent":1288,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"longpage-signature","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","slim_seo":{"title":"The Name Book","description":"My Name Book. Whenever I hear, see, or think of a word that could work as a puppy name, I write it down in the book. Often it leads to more names in the same sp"},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1527","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/mlvpf61vi6vj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/ericka.templweb.com\/starcastlehounds\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Namnboken-2-300px.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ericka.templweb.com\/starcastlehounds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ericka.templweb.com\/starcastlehounds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ericka.templweb.com\/starcastlehounds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ericka.templweb.com\/starcastlehounds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ericka.templweb.com\/starcastlehounds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1527"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/ericka.templweb.com\/starcastlehounds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7204,"href":"https:\/\/ericka.templweb.com\/starcastlehounds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1527\/revisions\/7204"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ericka.templweb.com\/starcastlehounds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ericka.templweb.com\/starcastlehounds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ericka.templweb.com\/starcastlehounds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}