Goodbye Evel, you will be missed by the kids that grew up on your stunts, collected the action figures and even pretended to be you in female form on our bikes…..”Stacy and Tracy Knievel Stunt Riders” was a favorite game. Wild World of Sports featuring the latest jump (and crash) was must see t.v.
On Evel’s site, there is a picture of Evel and another one of our heros….Joey Chitwood. Our deepest sympathies to the Knievel family.
Pet owners who favor the larger breeds will often choose our hand-painted ceramic Wolf Urn. Earlier this week, an Akita owner requested this urn style.
The problem? The Wolf urn only comes in two sizes, a large 200 cubic inch and a small keepsake size. We offer a similar style pet urn featuring various breeds with a capacity for larger dogs 85-120 pounds, but the clients are sold on the wolf urn. Recently we added two affordable alloy style urns that will accommodate up to 85 pounds. But for dogs of this size, the choices are limited.
On a side note, a Greyhound owner mentioned that the Greyhound was the only breed of dog mentioned in the bible.
Well, I had to know more. Yes, it’s true the Greyhound is specifically mentioned in the bible, (Proverbs 30:29-31, King James Version):
There be three things which go well, yea,
Which are comely in going;
A lion, which is strongest among beasts and Turneth not away from any;
A greyhound;
A he-goat also.
It’s all in the translation: The Hebrew phrase translated as “greyhound” literally means “girt in the loins.” This probably was considered by translators the most appropriate English term to describe the ancestor of the greyhound. It also didn’t hurt that the Greyhound was popular with the sixteenth century court of King James. (Source: courtesy of http://www.agreyhoundswish.org/hist_bible.htm)
Biblical references to dogs are not favorable, certainly not admired and loved as in our culture.
Over the holiday weekend we caught an old favorite, “Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle” with Jennifer Jason Leigh as Dorthy Parker, and was reminded of the author’s tragic ending.
Four suicide attempts, no heirs, her will was simple: she left her literary estate to Dr. Martin Luther King. Parker was cremated and her ashes sat on a shelf at the crematory for six years.
A year after Dorthy’s death, Dr. King was assassinated and the Parker estate rolled over to the NAACP. Meanwhile, her ashes had been mailed to her attorney’s office where the box resided in a filing cabinet for 15 years.
In 1988, someone figured out that Mrs. Parker’s ashes were unclaimed, New York tabloids ran stories and readers sent in letters about what should be done with the dust. The NAACP stepped in and took the box and dedicated a memorial garden at the national headquarters in Baltimore, and finally interred the ashes there.
source: dorthyparker.com
It doesn’t happen often, thank goodness. But occasionally, we’ll get an order from a client who is new to the wonderment of the internets. They heard they could get a good deal, in this case…a sensitive purchase, like a cremation urn. Bargains abound, so they set up a juno account, go to the library and jump on the information superhighway.
Shop a little, make a purchase, give conflicting shipping information and then disappear into cyber space with no contact information.
In the interest of serving you, dear client, do you prefer shipment to Florida or New York? Help me out, could you swing by the library or hop on a computer at work and check your email? Maybe leave a phone number so I can call you?
We pride ourselves in a speedy turnaround, and our families appreciate this service. Most inexperienced computer users will call, and frankly, sometimes it’s faster to pick up the phone.
Two months later, client does a little detective work and rings me up. Purchase was paid for two months ago and they haven’t received the item.
Well that’s odd! Have you checked your email? No?
Still clueless.
Thank you for letting us serve you.
Greetings!
Our Anubis pet urn is back in stock after a brief absence. This funeral urn is a replica of a canopic jar and holds 90 cubic inches. Too bad these styles are not available in a size to handle adult remains, we get several requests for the larger capacity.
Dog lovers tend to favor this cremation urn style.
Early in Egyptian history, Anubis was a god of the dead. Anubis had three important functions. He supervised the embalming of bodies. He received the mummy into the tomb and performed the Opening of the Mouth ceremony and then conducted the soul in the Field of Celestial Offerings. Most importantly though, Anubis monitored the Scales of Truth to protect the dead from deception and eternal death.
The god of embalming is probably associated with the jackal due to the habits of jackals to lurk about tombs and graves. One of the reasons the early Egyptians sought to make their tombs more elaborate was to keep the bodies safe from the jackals lingering about the graves. It is only natural therefore that a god of mummification would be connected with them. By worshiping Anubis, the Egyptians hoped to invoke him to protect their deceased from jackals, and the natural decay that unprotected bodies endure.
Other styles in our Egyptian collection include Bastet, Horus, and Pharaoh funeral urns.
One of the experiments we conducted in the garden this year was the launch of our Egyptian Collection. We try not to be slaves to our own tastes, but admittedly we’re crazy for all things Egyptian (except for cobras and poison asps) and it seemed like a good fit.
The Bastet and Anubis canopic jar style pet urns have been a popular selection with our families and both styles been sold out for several weeks now. Bastet is now back in stock and appeals to the cat lovers. Makes sense because Bastet was the goddess of cats, fire, home, and pregnant women.
Bastet had a split personality and was both gentle and docile, but could quickly turn into an evil kitty and slaughter her enemies.
According to the Greek historian, Herodotus, festivals for Bastet were held in April and May at Bubastis. Boat-loads of men and women would sail the Nile shaking rattles and blowing horns, dancing, and disturbing the peace. Jeering at the crowds along the banks. When the Egyptians finally reached the festival destination, the party really got started! Kicking it off with sacrifices, massive wine consumption and the largest orgy in the Mediterranean. Herodotus said “more wine is consumed than during the whole of the rest of the year.” Good times!
In addition to Bastet and Anubis, other pet urn styles in the Egyptian collection include a Pharaoh and Horus version.
Shaking off the fog known as carbo loading and trying to stay focused for the end of the year push. We’re evaluating our mission and getting ready for the tax man. A whirlwind year, yet a slow and painful progress.
Found this little tidbit buried in the archives:
1. Guard your time. Make all your spare time positive.
2. Read more than you watch TV.
3. Make positive selections. This includes people who try to discourage you. Usually, they are miserable people who are jealous of your dedication.
So as we drift in and out of consciousness….Let’s focus on the matter at hand, like remembering to bring clean underthingies to the gym. Earlier this week I had to go commando and wear my sweaty bra home.
Stinky.
Watch the videos. “Only half as tedious as the regular news.“
The horn in my car is ultra sensitive. So I drive around randomly honking for no apparent reason. It usually happens when I’m deep in thought, and always surprises me! So it does serve a purpose, as sort of an alarm to wake up and tune in to the traffic. Driving home tonight I startled myself and a couple of pedestrians and decided to christen the Toyota, “Grey Goose”. It feels right.
A trying week and it’s only Tuesday. On a positive note we’re refining our motorcycle urn line. The set-up is a bit tedious with all the options available, but will benefit our clients, we’re getting more requests for the motorcycle tank cremation urns.
If you are looking for something special for the free spirit, take a look. Our motorcycle tank cremation urns are some of the best on the market for the money. Midwesterners tell me the motorcycle urn selections are hard to find in the some of the local markets. Here in SW Missouri I know of one funeral home that carries a very attractive tank urn, one style only and starts in the $700 range. The cool thing about the Urngarden motorcycle urns is that if you’ve got a custom paint connection, you can even buy the blank tanks and design your own personalized motorcycle memorial.
So I leave you with my mantra this week:
Wait in power of
knowing what is possible
Do not waiver
Remain Steady
Remain true to your
Goals and allow life
to carry you.
That which is
worthwhile is sometimes
created slowly.
