The sound of progress is deafening. Construction resumes. Heavy equipment and two days of early morning jackhammer. Dirtsister gets a little edgy. So we stroll. Here’s a visual of our morning troll through the garden….

Looking out the window, any window:

As Memorial Day looms, we’ll honor the memory of the student who died about this time time a couple of years ago. After school, barely off the parking lot. Tragedy.

Name this plant. Growing wild near a creek. I’d like to know. Wanted to catch it before it faded away…very fragrant.

And then these little buggers, harmless but annoying. We hate to spray, but we have engaged in chemical warfare. They just keep breeding.

Someday, we’ll learn how to wrap text around the images.

Sales calls: Quick note to aspiring sales weasels out there. We love to hear the promises of increased business (15%!) and appreciate your tenacity and product knowledge. But aggressively hammering and insulting me won’t work today. We just met! I like a subtler approach. Now get off my phone!

Customer Service note: Nobody likes to deal with insurance, unless you are an insurance agent. Today we called Blue Cross Blue Shield Anthem to get the low down on a confusing letter that we received. Dialed up the customer service number, a couple of rings, pre-recorded greeting in English and Spanish, then Gwen picked up, a live articulate customer service rep answered and hopefully resolved problem. All done in a couple of minutes and I was dreading the call.

Today feels lucky! Hats off to the insurance company for making that adjustment.

Today’s tip: Purify. I recommend sweating profusely, if you don’t do it regularly. Whether you are physically exerting yourself or sitting in a sauna, get sweaty this week. And drink some water.

We’re fascinated with all things Dubai.The sandlords, construction frenzy, the concept of “guest workers“, The World real estate development, the artificiality, the MONEY.Dubai is a place where you can buy anything in the world except a decent book. Hot and cold running amenities and a running tab of heart-stopping expense.

Business Week says:

“Dubai, A Muslim country, stands out for its tolerance toward other religions. Unlike somber Iran and Saudi Arabia, Dubai allows alcohol consumption and turns a blind eye to a relatively unfettered nightclub scene.”

Unless you have an Israeli passport, sorry, no entry to Dubai!

Or this:

“I was evicted from my building a year ago by Rocky Real estate not because of making trouble but because I was guilty of being bachelor.Later on searching for apartments in Dubai , I noticed similar scene in many places. You goto a building with vacant apartment , watchman comes out with a big attitude and while he is pulling keys of vacant apartment he will ask you if you are bachelor, if yes , he would not even reply back . He would simply turn around and go back to his room.Not difficult to figure out … Dubai is big racist place and from my humble experience I figured following priorities:

1) Royalty
2) West Europe / American couples
3) Locals
4) European bachelors
5) Camels
6) Asian couples
7) Dogs
Jews
9) Asian Bachelors

Dirtsister couldn’t take the heat in Dubai. You know it’s hot when your sneaks blow out on the beach…and it ain’t even summer yet.

Interesting blogs on the subject.

And comment posted on blog mentioned above:

Nickname: Dubai-UAE

Review: I am proud to be from UAE. Our country was established just 36 years ago, and see what we have accomplished so far. Tolerance toward others is the true message of Islam. God bless UAE and Dubai.

Love the clovers on Rosie’s dress, looks lucky!

Saw my first Hummingbird this week. I’ve been waiting.

Garden Report: Lovely, productive weekend, put some fresh cat litter down in my flower beds….. here’s ONE of the poopers.

Clematis, iris and peonies in bloom.

Sunday, breakfast with my tribe. Someday, I plan to start a category called “Adventures with Etta Mae.” That’s another post for another time.

The pressure is on to complete household tasks before intern returns for duty. Seems we work better under pressure. Stuff Reduction Program continues.

The glass artist known as Terry Bloodworth finally came through with some beautiful keepsakes that we’ll add to the collection. Worth the wait.

That’s all the time today. Enjoy the week!

Today’s tip for better living: Get around, get off, get away, get ahead, and get together!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Here’s to you Mom!

Busy in the garden. SRP (stuff reduction program) in full swing.  An ongoing project since 2001. From collectors to minimalists, we’re evolving here in the garden.

From the sports desk: Badminton tournament has been cancelled, due to ongoing construction.

Looking out the window, the view isn’t bad…..(except for the random crack action….) Dirtsister has a full crew and heavy equipment on the property.  They’ll be here for a while.

Heating and Air guys showed up this morning. Top of the line unit…..$19,000.  For my little shack?  Uh, no.  Let’s move on down the list.

Coming Soon!  Energy efficient, climate controlled environment!  Refrigeration, one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century.
Enjoy the weekend!

Today’s Tip for better living: Call your Comfort-visor….and chill out!

Need to look in the mirror and do my affirmations.

Time is short, let’s talk about life.

Three Questions:

Has Oprah started her own religion?

Will she take over the world?

How do you keep cats out of the garden?

We’re not cat lovers, but we try to live in harmony with the cat family next door…all five of them. It’s a test when they use my flower beds as a litter box.

Spotted at Arts Fest: the only cat among all the dogs.

Also spotted was at first glance, an ugly baby. Then we realized it was a monkey. The realization didn’t kick in until we were well past and no time for pictures. Service Monkey perhaps? Where can I get one?

Egyptians revered cats, maybe dogs weren’t domesticated at that time? Our Bastet and the the bronze angel kitty urn does well with the cat crowd.

We don’t worship cats, but we do admire their hunting skills. And regarding dead mice, we are celebrating the cancellation of the Hamas children’s hate show.

We’ve got several projects pending and need to nail at least one. But first….some fresh air.

Today’s tip for better living: Let the cat out of the bag.

From the Dallas Morning News:

Here’s a new twist: a blood drive at a funeral home.

Some people are squeamish about giving blood anyway. Will they be any less squeamish about donating blood at a funeral home?

Colleague Kathy Goolsby passes on an announcement that Homestead Funeral Home in Grand Prairie is hosting a blood drive May 19 with Carter BloodCare.

Donors will receive a T-shirt and a chance to win a free night at the Gaylord resort in Grapevine or a weeklong cruise to Jamaica and Cozemel.

We have memories of a stay at the Gaylord in Grapevine. Dry county. Convention. Held hostage at the hotel. Stinky water. Jamaica or Cozemel sounds more enticing.

It’s all for a good cause, but my suspicious mind wonders…..does the funeral home get access to the names of the donors? Can donors expect solicitations for pre-need planning?

Three Beautiful things:

Clematis recovering from frost bite
Connecting with an old friend: Dirt by Donna
Cheeseburger, fries and thick banana shake.

Points of consternation:

Cats wrecking my flower beds
Ants
College Tuition

It’s a good life!

Doug at Funeralwire has a good article regarding the “old guard” in the funeral home industry, his observations:

“Seven years ago, while attending the Baltimore convention of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), I remember chatting with one of the nation’s top business advisors to funeral homes about how the profession had changed. This seasoned professional believes that many funeral-home owners have stumbled into something of a disconnect with their communities, due in large part to the difficult changes reshaping the industry, such as the rising cremation rate and declining profit margins. Some long-time owners, this adviser contends, have actually grown angry at their families for increasingly choosing cremation or other, less lucrative service options.

“I was skeptical back in 2000 when I first heard this theory … but since then, I have interviewed a dozen or two owners in their 60s and 70s who brazenly articulated this sort of anger toward the changing consumer – i.e., toward their own families. One can only hope that such attitudes will become more rare as funeral homes continue to transfer to the next generation of ownership.”

Of course, there are some consumers who just can’t be satisfied – whether it’s at a restaurant, car dealership or funeral home. A large percentage of the families aren’t chronic complainers. For many of them, just lodging a complaint makes it that much harder to come to terms with a recent loss; they wouldn’t do it unless they felt strongly that their family had been mistreated or their concerns ignored.

We’ve observed this anger with funeral directors in our area, and most do fall into the 60-70 year old age range. They are angry because many of the cremation families are wealthy, but don’t want to spend money on a “funeral”. They are angry because the church is so involved in the planning process. They are angry at the “un-churched” and seemingly lack of respect for the body and ceremony.

There are a couple of exceptions in this market with “progressive” funeral directors who are embracing the families wishes and rolling with the changes. Most of these funeral homes report a cremation rate of 30% and growing. Compared to CA, FL, and CO, that’s a small percentage. However, if a third of my business is coming from a certain segment and continues to increase, I pay attention.

And now a word from the Funeral Consumer Alliance:

“I hear many of the same complaints….and they come in daily. No, I’m not accusing the majority of the business of behaving in the ways you described in your article, but there are more complaints than anyone in the industry wants to admit. Indeed, they might not even hear about them – but FCA does. Some of the most common:

1. No GPL (general price list) given (23 years after the Funeral Rule went into effect).

2. Family pushed to buy a package, sometimes to the point of being lied to and told they had no choice (a common complaint from SCI customers, but it happens with indies, too).

3. Slippery pre-need salesmanship – “If you don’t buy your grave today, prices are doubling in three weeks” (another common corporate common-on).

4. Raising prices on services when the funeral home finds out the family is buying an outside casket (another Funeral Rule violation). Again, hats off to those funeral directors who wouldn’t dream of doing these things. I’m proud to know many of them. But it ain’t just 1 percent who are the bad apples, no matter how hard the associations want to argue that point. Until the percentage is that low, all of funeral service will suffer a black eye, deserved or not.

One important piece of advice I think you missed: Act within the law. Know the Funeral Rule. Know your state statutes. Training staff on handling complaints is good advice, but it’s closing the barn door after the horse is gone. The best cure is prevention.

My best,

Joshua Slocum
Executive Director Funeral Consumers Alliance

We had a bit of a block lately, staying on topic is difficult and depressing at times. So let’s give thanks with three beautiful things:

Spam Karma- nice tool for Word Press, work it!
Professional contractors- shout out to my boy CB, good work!
Western Swing-It’s fun!

The title of this post comes from this haunting story. Our hearts go out to the family, co-workers and community. By appearances, John Winter was living the dream, and it wasn’t enough. Suicide is a mystery. But so is day to day living.

Although we are not doctors, we have played one on t.v. We diagnosed and classified “Storm team” personalities as either “partly cloudy” or “partly sunny” personalities types.

Since it’s arts fest weekend, we’ll showcase our last collection of vintage mourning jewelry. This group features skulls, a popular theme in early English designs from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Death’s Head motif (skull) was still used on mourning rings in the 17th century. A ring presented after the execution of Charles I in 1649 shows a portrait of Charles I on one side and a skull and a crown on the other. Inside the inscription reads, “The glory of England has departed.”

The presentation of mourning rings was a status symbol in the 17th and 18th centuries. The wealthy specified the ring design and quantity to be made in their wills.

Samuel Pepys, English diarist and naval official (1633-1703) willed that 129 mourning rings be given away at his funeral.

Either he had a large family or a huge ego.

The NAACP held a symbolic funeral in Detroit 63 years ago for Jim Crow, the Associated Press reports. The civil rights organization will do the same this summer for the “N” word, the Rev. Wendell Anthony said Sunday. Anthony, president of the civil rights organization’s Detroit branch, said members and supporters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will conduct services and a “eulogy” for the racial slur. The mock funeral will be held during the NAACP national convention July 7-12 in Detroit, he said.

“We are committed to ending hate – word and talk,” Anthony said. “It doesn’t do anyone any good, whether it’s a journalist on TV or a rapper on the radio.” The announcement comes after a renewed discussion nationally about racial insensitivity, brought on by Don Imus’ derogatory comments about black members of the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. Imus didn’t use the “N” word in those comments, but was fired in early April by CBS Radio and NBC after major companies including General Motors pulled their advertising spots. “Now that corporate America has caught up, maybe something will happen,” Anthony said. “We have to stop investing in stuff that is killing us.”

Jim Crow was the systematic, mostly Southern practice of discrimination against and segregation of blacks from the end of post-Civil War reconstruction into the mid-20th century.

Today’s tip for better living: Expand your vocabulary.