I’d write something about Memorial Day, but that presumes you need to be reminded. I’ll raise a glass for yours. Raise a glass for mine. They’re all ours, in the end.
Confessions
Ghost Bike Memorials
Supposedly, this is the first Ghost Bike, memorializing an accident on Holly Hills Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri in 2003. It was created by Patrick Van Der Tuin who saw a cyclist hit by a car. A few days later, he and his friends locked up several bikes at locations where he knew cars had collided with cyclists.
A Ghostbike is a junker bike that has been painted stark white and affixed to the site where a cyclist has been hit or killed by a car driver. Ghostbikes are intended to be memorials for the fallen and reminders to everyone to SHARE THE ROAD with one another. Since that first memorial in St. Louis, the meme has spread nationwide.
I’ve never seen one here in the Ozarks, and I hope I never do. But in densely populated areas like St. Louis, Portland, and New York City there seems to be more Ghost Bike sightings.
Check out this wild ride!
Today’s Tip: Ride Safe and Share the Road!
Secrets in the Garden
A glorious weekend, wrapped up in sunshine, baseball, skaters, flowers and a few surprises.
This morning, while strolling about the garden, I noticed that my compost barrel was missing. Compost on the ground, and the barrel? Gone. It’s a mystery.
Earlier this week: Clean up on aisle two. Who spilled the molasses?
Rocky got a hair cut. He was a shaggy mess. Before:
After:
So handsome! The following day, I took him to the vet for dental work, a cleaning supposedly. When I picked him up, the vet greeted me with a bag full of bloody teeth. 10 to be exact. Poor baby.
More baskets in the garden. My yard is so wrecked up this year, that the only digging I’m doing is in pots. Want color and a no fuss flower on your porch or patio? Pick up a pot of petunias. They are easy, hardy, fragrant, and fun!
And then finally, after 10 years here, I still jump when this neighbor comes to visit, but I work around him.
Define Combat Duty
Recently, on the undercover assignment I spoke to a lady who was shipping out for the Middle East. Air Force. Her job would be to deliver ammo. She confirmed that she’d packed the BODY ARMOUR and was familiar with the assignment.
Women in Combat? If you are female, working in a war zone, I believe you are on combat duty. Even if you are relaxing in the Green Zone.
Stay Safe.
Cheryl Thompson Morrow Pt. 2
More with Cheryl Thompson-Morrow of Thompson Funeral Home, Broadman, OH.
20 Years Later: “It’s been a good career choice, the initial transition was difficult, because many of the families insisted on working with my father, and weren’t accustomed to a female funeral director.
On Technology: “Technology has really freed our time up, in that in the old days, before we could forward calls, my dad would stay home all weekend to catch the phone.”
Cheryl is uncomfortable with casket retailing on the internet, and would like to educate her clients regarding funeral costs and the value of a funeral service. “I want to do more with our website, add educational content and market our services.”
On Cremation: “You know, when I started working at the funeral home, my dad had one urn, and it was in a dusty box. Unopened.” Despite being in a pretty traditional area, cremation is definitely on an upswing. “March’s services were all cremation.” Most of Thompson’s cremation families choose traditional viewing with casket rental at the funeral home. Cheryl usually discourages the scattering of ashes until a later date, to make sure the family is comfortable with the decision. It’s pretty mixed on families that choose burial, or to take the ashes home.
On Changes in the Industry: “Besides cremation, families are buying more keepsakes, and there’s more interest in pets.” It used to be that the funeral homes in our area were denomination specific, there’s more cross-over now. Besides more women in the funeral profession, I see a lot more women in the clergy. The other day, I realized that we were doing a service with a female funeral director, and two female funeral clergy…there was a time, that was unheard of!”
“We haven’t had a lot of requests for catering services or food.” Although, she did have a family from California that wanted to bring “snacks” in before the visitation, and wound up setting up a full buffet and bar. It was no problem she said, but the family took care of everything.
Cheryl sees funeral service as a life long career and says, “I’ll probably work until I die.” “My dad never got to retire, and in the my pre-kid days, I was at the funeral home ALL the time, even coming in on weekends I didn’t have to work, just to make sure everything was alright.” Cheryl and another funeral director trade weekends on call.
“Now, I realize life is too short! We have a cottage at the lake that’s only an hour away and I want to spend time with the kids, while they still want to!” Cheryl has two children, 11 and 12.