What to bring?

• Yourself and family members over 10
• Flowers according to the cemetery rules – available through a nearby florist that services that cemetery.
• Your concerns for the family to help them get through the time.

The Don’ts

• Don’t bring games for a kid to play during the service.
• Don’t read a book during any portion of the event.
• Don’t forget facial tissues and then borrow from someone else.
• Don’t forget to pickup a program, card or sign a visitors book for the funeral.

The Do’s

• Keep kids under 10 home and this is depending upon the relationship of the kid to the deceased.
• Bring a box of facial tissue for your immediate family to use so they don’t have to ask other people for some.

Photographers – No taking pictures during the funeral without the express permission of the deceased immediate family.

Also, visitation or open casket photos should also be taken only with permission of the deceased immediate family.  Sorry, you should ask before you take a picture.

Last thing – do not encourage people to drop dirt on the coffin unless the family starts it off.  Its up to them and the cemetery to decide upon.

Another post soon!

Would you believe Ephemera has!   Checkout the latest portion of the Virtual Museum of Victorian Era Ephemera – The Ohio Card Company New Sample Sheet

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Note – if you have decorations out for Christmas – you should collect them from your families plots now.  Come March 1st, many cemeteries may have already pitched them.

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St. Valentines day is approaching – the placing of flowers or cupid arrangements and that is appropriate.  Keep in mind the rules & regulations of the cemetery on these displays.  Some places do not allow certain types of displays or flowers.

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February is the month to write down epitaphs for ones family.  During your pre-planning – write your own witty lines or just leave it blank for another family member to do the honors.

If you have family buried in a nearby cemetery – visit and write down any witty ones you wish to keep to heart.

Best times for photographing a tombstone with a digital camera.

• Anytime between 10 am and 3:30 pm  Anywhere – except during a thunderstorm or blizzard.
• Keep in mind digital cameras may require tipping up or down to get the best shot of the tombstone itself.
• Point & Shoot Digital cameras are great – just keep in mind you should read the cameras instructions on getting the best quality settings setup.
• SLR & DSLR cameras recommending using zoom lenses for tombstone photography – why?  The best angle for an old tombstone shot is from a distance – due to the angle many of them are placed.

Remember to get permission to take photos and to also keep people out of the shot.

More soon.

So lets party for 2012 this week and tomorrow will be another post for Best Practices.

However, I have noticed that a few people have taken umbridge to this practice.  So I’ll just say this to those who hate it.

Many places do not have the funding to keep up the appearance which is considered the tradition of the place.  So events, fundraisers, volunteer groups and more are needed to help fill the void in the budget.

Until next week – Tombstone Biographer

Still looking for Halloween costume tips on the nite before.  Its still not too late!

• Wear makeup not a mask (Safety rules in many communities say this)
• Consider what you have on hand instead of buying things at the last minute.
• Do you have dance costume?  Or a dance practice outfit?  That could be easily a costume – add cats ears & tail and you’re a Cat.
• Do you have a Santa Suit?  Consider going as an elf if you left the beard & hat off.
• Do not worry about proper shoes for an age period based outfit – especially if you’re last minute costuming.  What you wear above your knees is what everyone looks at.
• Note the following type of costumes are so not in that its not even in some of the costume catalogs.
• Babies
• Vikings
• Cavemen
• However the following are in them alot
• Rock & Roll artists
• 1950-60′s Sock Hop
• Disco
• Medieval
• Gothic
• Victorian
• Steampunk
• Werewolf
• Vampire

So you see there are lots of potentials to think of – let your imagination soar.

Happy Halloween!

However, Halloween will be covered tomorrow in special best practices for safer Halloweens. 

Blogging for those that do it all the time and that can do it over time is a great art form.  However, at times events in ones life takes over and creates a time gap.  I’ve had way too many time gaps for this blog.

Thank you & please do continue to read this blog.

Writing these posts has been awesome just tiring when one is tired.  So, I am moving this blog into an abbreviated format.  Meaning – three postings a week with occasional surprise posts. 

Everyone wins with this arrangement.  I can get more work on the online museum done and you get all the posts that are fit for me to post. 

• Mondays – Best Practices or Monday Madness
• Only one of the following each week – Tombstone Chronicles, Wednesday Side Trips or Thursday Cemeteries
• Friday News
• With occasional, holiday notes and even a few extra stories for Halloween. 

It has been great fun writing everyday though.  Thank you fans for reading faithfully.  I just want to be able to uphold my end of the museum.

Okay this weekend a new gallery was posted at http://www.chilandra.com  – Enjoy!

The rock had seen better days - for as it stood more than 200 years or more.
It had seen alot of history in the making.

Indians in the area used this rock to help mark places on the campsite.
Then later, it was the scene of a murder or two and finally the awful likes of H.H. Holmes of the Chicago Death Castle fame.
When the park was created in the 1940's or early 1950's - the rocks were looked over and placed at strategic places to showcase a plaque or sign.

The current sign on it tells about how the Indians lived in the area and of the parks history.

It stands about 4 feet tall and is made of either bedrock or slate with jagged edges - though its climbable.
Why mention this rock?  The original campsite of the last Indian fight was centered around it and therefore apart of a scene from a battle.

Until Next week