This is the first year we've had tulips and ever the optimist, we didn't heed the meteorologists warning to cover our plants. Well, we got to enjoy them for a little while..... Tulips originated in what was once Persia, where they still grow wild. Their name comes from Turkish and Persian words for turban, tulepan and dulband, after the turban-like shape of the flower. Tulips fill the pages of Persian poetry, literature, and folklore. In today's Iran, this simple flower is pregnant with … [Read more...] about Red Tulips
funeral service
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
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 … [Read more...] about Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
It’s Fun to Barbecue
Greetings! Three Beautiful Things: The fragrance of Lilacs Final Four basketball Firing up the grill Regarding the grill: We collect vintage barbecue cookbooks and while perusing an old favorite from the sixties, on the inside cover, in tiny print was a mention that the cookbook was made possible by Falstaff, Anheuser Busch, and several meat councils. Not one logo anywhere. Not one product placement in the pictures and illustrations. Here's an example of blatant disregard for … [Read more...] about It’s Fun to Barbecue
For the Love of Poppies
Greetings! Sowed a little seed today and ran a mental checklist of all the frustrations we've been feeling this week....realized that almost all the consternation was self created. What to do. Hmmm. We love poppies, blood red oriental poppies. Ancient Egyptians placed garlands of poppies on mummies and the Greeks crowned their dead with the flower. Legend has it that in Europe, poppies sprang up on battlefields from the blood of slain soldiers. Poppies symbolize consolation, sleep, and … [Read more...] about For the Love of Poppies
Flying Free and Feather Crowns
Surreal seems to be where death services are going, even if only a small percentage make it into the extreme zone. "Some things done at memorial services or celebrations of life would absolutely mortify some traditional types of people," says Janet Riscuitti, director at Funeral Services Association of British Columbia. "There are no rules any more. A meaningful ceremony might be held on a beach and everyone will bring their surfboards." There are no rules...and that's why the funeral … [Read more...] about Flying Free and Feather Crowns