Today’s tip for better living: Check the artist’s portfolio.
mental health
Will Kurt Cobain Ever Have Peace?
A little late to the party, but I just found this story regarding the supposed theft of Curt Cobain’s ashes at the first of June.
From Rolling Stone:
The majority of Cobain’s ashes were spread at a New York Buddhist temple and in Washington’s Wishkah River. Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love said she kept a small amount (as well as a lock of his hair) for herself and was storing the ashes in a pink bear-shaped handbag that was hidden in the wardrobe closet of her Hollywood home. She believes the bag was taken by a former friend.
This isn’t the first time Love has had something of her husband stolen: In March, Love alleged that thieves used Cobain’s social security number to steal several million dollars from his estate. In both cases, Love believes she knows who is responsible for the theft.
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.
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.
Confessions of a Small Business Owner Pt. 4
The red buds are peaking this week, and it smells sooo good outdoors. The Urn Garden is downwind of two monster lilac bushes that are so fragrant.
And that my friends is the problem. Or is it? There’s no separation between work and home. It’s getting better, but when you cross the threshold at my place, you immediately enter our World Headquarters. My messy desk and file cabinet, work and living space all rolled into one, it’s the first site you see when you hit the door. It’s aesthetics really, and can easily be solved. Lots of people would ignore the clutter and crossover just for the opportunity to work from home, but there has to be a more attractive and productive answer, to partition it off somehow, I feel inspiration coming.
Listen to Your Gut: Spoke with a colleague today who worked for a funeral supply company and had taken on a line of the Chinese caskets. She really wanted me to take on a territory and help move the product, she’s good at what she does, works hard, and it could be a “great opportunity”. A nice addition to my business. When someone says “Great Opportunity” my radar goes off. Call me lazy, but I didn’t want to travel, and I’ve got my own challenges with distribution without adding the bulk of crated caskets to the mix. Not to mention the YEARS it would take to establish relationships with the funeral homes that were locked up in long-term dealings with their suppliers. If ever there was a breakthrough….I just couldn’t see it.
Today she informed me that after a year or two of that back breaking business, she’s moved on to what she’s really good at. Selling pre-need.
Another Revelation: Since I left my old job four years ago, the position has turned over three times! Makes you think…was I nuts to stay there eleven years? Nah.