My Mother: Then little Ulys ran to get the cat…
Me: You’re calling the dog Ulys now? What, is that short for Ulyssus?
My Mother: I suppose it might be. His last name is Stableson. I’ve named him Ulys Stapleton.
Me: Why does the dog have a last name?
My Mother: Because there was an attorney in Klamath Falls who was a real little annoying guy named Ulys Stableson. He’s named after him. Do you want to talk to dad?
Me: Sure. [To my father] What, have you named this dog Ulys?
My Father: Um…no.
Me: My mother told me you were calling him Ulys.
My Father: Most of the time I just call him Hank.
Me: But is his name Hank?
My Father: Well, if you look at him, most of the time you just want to say Frank. Some woman at the beech suggested Rocky; we could name him after Desi’s sister’s ex-boyfriend and call him “Rocky”.
Me: No. Call him “Ricky” after Eric the Viking.
My Father: I don’t think they ever called Eric the Viking “Ricky”.
