Some families like to scatter ashes from way up high, this lady is releasing a keepsake amount of cremated ashes from the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Or this undisclosed location:

We prefer to keep it on the down low, whether spreading ashes on the ground or over the water:

U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Gabriel Hernandez

If you plan to spread the ashes on the ground, a shallow trench or groove can be dug in the soil or sand where the ashes can be placed. This process can be personalized by drawing out the person’s name or a heart shaped trench. Add candles or luminaries around the trench to create a spiritual ambiance and can be later used as a keepsake for those that attend.  Wildflower seeds and  tree plantings are another way to personalize the event. At the end of the ceremony, participants can either rake over the remains in the trench, or have the water from the ocean sweep the remains out to sea while family and friends join hands and remember the individual’s life.

The most common method of scattering ashes is known as “casting” , which is basically tossing the ashes into the wind.  Let’s talk about the WIND.  Consider wind direction and try to cast down to prevent “blow-back”.  The dense nature of human ashes combined with a fine powder forms a whitish-gray cloud when it becomes airborne.

Some families want to release the ashes all at once, and others want to spread the ashes as a group, each member taking a turn scattering the remains.

This family opted to split the ashes in individual envelopes, some DIY-ers use paper cups.   Your family funeral director can make this process much easier if you need assistance or have questions regarding this process.

Scattering tubes and biodegradable scattering urns are also available.

We’ve talked with several families that are planning an ash scattering ceremony that centers around a golf theme. Some plan to spread a portion of the ashes on the golf course or have a memorial service at the club house.

For easy scattering, our scattering tube simplifies the process and the urn is completely biodegradable and safe for in-cabin air travel.

Sometimes they want to divide a small portion of ash between family members and want a golf-themed keepsake urn.Families that want a full-size adult urn for the funeral or memorial service, or for placement in a vault, or cemetery niche, our airbrushed golf urn is a popular choice.

Thank you for letting us serve you.

Courtesy of: Advertising is Good for You

Early on, the Jackson family stated that MJ absolutely would not be cremated.  Now,  rumors are swirling that the family is considering cremation and scattering Michael’s ashes at Neverland to avoid California red tape concerning previous plans for burial at the ranch.

We’ve marked down many of our urns in answer to our clients who are googling “cheap urns“.   We have several pages of discount urns and urn specials, including our metal urns with secure threaded lids, as well as the popular biodegradable Shell Urn, designed for scattering ashes over water.

Any questions? Please call for personal service.

Thank you for letting us serve you.

In an age of “in lieu of flowers” we shouldn’t forget the power of flowers for a grieving family. Especially this time of year, the sensory impact of live flowers can actually add a healing element to the memorial service. With cremation and the trend of simplicity in funeral services the floral aspect is often overlooked.

Wreaths are an excellent choice for a ceremony where the urn will be present or families that plan to spread the ashes.

One of our families is planning a memorial service to be held on a cruise. The widower cleared it with the cruise line and explained that they’d like to scatter the ashes at sea. No problem, the urn just needs to be biodegradable.

The Journey biodegradable urn will work perfectly for a sea burial.

Thank you Princess Cruise Line for the referral.

Greetings!

In social settings, when asked what it is we do for a living, we simply state that we have a website called urngarden.com and toss it back. Despite our enthusiasm for the service we provide, sometimes the reaction is that we sell Amway. Nobody wants it.

How about the guy in Oklahoma City that sells skulls? Skulls Unlimited bills itself as the world’s leading supplier of osteological specimens. He has a storage unit full of human skulls, most imported from China. Started as a home based business, he boiled skulls on his stove.

Or the White Ladies who have started a business that would spread the cremated remains of clients over western Montana’s publicly owned wild mountain peaks and flower-studded meadows.

For $390 the White Ladies will scatter the ashes and provide a ceremony, a photograph, journal notes and Global Positioning System coordinates of the final resting place. Ten percent of the cost would be donated to groups who work to protect wild lands.

But the Forest Service has long had a firm policy against commercial scattering, said Gordon Schofield, the group leader for land use here in Region I. If ashes are scattered “the land takes on a sacredness, and people want to put up a marker or a plaque,” Mr. Schofield said, then they oppose activities they do not see as compatible with the site as a resting place.

Don’t ask. Don’t Tell.

But this is a bad day at work:

Perhaps you’ve experienced that sinking feeling when a single keystroke accidentally destroys hours of work. Now imagine wiping out a disk drive containing an account worth $38 billion.

That’s what happened to a computer technician reformatting a disk drive at the Alaska Department of Revenue. While doing routine maintenance work, the technician accidentally deleted applicant information for an oil-funded account — one of Alaska residents’ biggest perks — and mistakenly reformatted the backup drive, as well.

There was still hope, until the department discovered its third line of defense had failed: backup tapes were unreadable.

“Nobody panicked, but we instantly went into planning for the worst-case scenario,” said Permanent Fund Dividend Division Director Amy Skow. The computer foul-up last July would end up costing the department more than $200,000.

Over the next few days, as the department, the division and consultants from Microsoft Corp. and Dell Inc. labored to retrieve the data, it became obvious the worst-case scenario was at hand.

The ultimate back up: The paper trail.

Last October and November, the department met its obligation to the public. A majority of the estimated 600,000 payments for last year’s $1,106.96 individual dividends went out on schedule, including those for 28,000 applicants who were still under review when the computer disaster struck.

Easter Week Tattoo:

Today’s tip for better living: Get a really good foot massage!