We're still around!

OMG, ya'll!  250 days!

What have we been up to around Maple Grove Cemetery? 
A whole lotta nothing, that's what!
I'm been jotting down ideas as they come to me in a notebook, but there's no active planning / building / collecting or anything going on.  I have an idea for a new, kind of big headstone, but it's not happening until it gets much warmer out.

Chuck has just been hanging out, being a couch potato so he went outside for a while today.

I'm sure the neighbors are not fazed about anything that happens in our yard.
A skeleton in a tuxedo & a cat on a leash?  No biggie.

Saying hi to Randy thru the window....

Ahhh, such a lovely dead rose!

This tree looks a lot spookier at night!

Don't judge my fall leaves still hanging in the front door!


Snow angels!

For the moment, there are patches of non-snow in the yard.

I put this on Instagram, but never posted here.
On February 4, the World's Best Cemetery Inspector crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Here Jack is in 2008 - the first "official" cemetery set up.
He was just over 4 years old.

We learned long ago that Jack had heart disease, so the vet was just keeping an eye on him. 
When he started coughing, around Halloween-time, I changed his food thinking he was disagreeing with the grain free food that had been given to us. He seemed better for a while.

 I took him to the vet around Thanksgiving because his paws were swollen and that's when he started 2 different kinds of heart meds and water pills.  He actually went downhill pretty quickly, losing over 10 pounds in 2 months.   That first weekend in February, the husband & I watched him wobble out in the yard, with labored breathing and talked about calling the vet first thing Monday morning - either for help or to do the merciful.  

I never got a chance to.   

He went on his own shortly after 6am Monday, February 4.  

This year, there will most definitely be a void.  He's been my stupervisor since day 1!

Always underfoot during builds & painting & setting up. 

I've been trying to think of how I can do a memorial type thing for him and I may have just had an idea.... very simple in theory, but it'll be tough to do (crying!)

 
Look at the difference between the end of September (above) and end of January (below).

Rest In Peace, Sweet Jack-A-Poo!

Tranquil Cemetery, Hot Springs AR

Stop #2 on the Arkansas-at-Christmastime tour is Tranquil Cemetery.  

I looked around online and didn't find anything that stood out in regards to interesting people or happenings (while I looked up some of the names, I didn't research ALL of the 200 or so burials, either)  It was a surprisingly large cemetery for so few interments. 

 Most of the stones had dates from the mid 1900s, except for a couple families that were from the late 1800s.  Gilliam, Higdon (the cemetery is located on Higdon Ferry Rd) and Harter.

This cement flower pot was neat.
I believe it says Hot Springs on it.

 I took this only because the family I work for is named Hare.

 


The footstone of Harvey Andrew Grant - unfortunate initials!

 Mattie Grant's homemade stone
Feb 24, 1868 - May 1, 1953

 Robert Eugene Grant
April 27, 1865 - Dec 9, 1933

I pulled that vine off after I took the picture. 

 







 




This stone stood out, as it was on top of the hill in the back of the cemetery.

This was interesting.  There's only one "Linda" listed in FindAGrave and her last name is different and she only has a birth date on her stone.  So I can't see this being a footstone with a maiden name on it. 

 
The Gilliam plot was all the way in the back, too. 

 A nice bench.

I'm not sure why this gave was placed here, when there was plenty of room in front of that row of stones.


 













 This was Shannon's footstone - it's Spanish for Beautiful.

 I didn't see a headstone for Buster. 
Maybe someone's pet?

I wasn't sure if I was even able to get INTO this cemetery.  There was a chain with a lock on it on the gate.  But as I looked closer, yes, there was a lock but the other end of the chain was not attached to anything!  It was just wrapped around the gate / fence.  I always make sure to close all gates the way I found them when I leave a cemetery.