Christmas at the Cemetery

It seems that the more time I spend at the cemetery, the more I think about the "why." When I ask people about "why do you visit the cemetery? why do you decorate according to the season/holiday?" they do not have an answer or are unwilling to share it.
Are the living trying to keep the dead in the here and now?
Are the living still struggling to let go?
If a child died 7 years ago, at the age of 6, do you leave toys for a 6 years old or a 13 year old?
Am I just too dense to see what is going on?

The images speak for themselves.

Miscellaneous

Gus continues his hunt for the evil squirrels. They are in the trees and run along the power lines. Sometimes they stop and swish their tails back and forth. I think and Gus thinks that they are doing it to taunt him.

 I continue to take Gus to the cemetery in the late afternoon. He can explore, chase lizards, some rabbits, and those elusive squirrels. He can do this in the safety of the enclosed space.  The cemetery shares a fence with a nature preserve on the south side. Right now there are 200-300 "turkey vultures" hanging out there. I was told that they migrate south this time of year. I took this later afternoon picture as a trial for a later attempt. As the sun is setting they hord or covey of vultures are gliding back and forth finding their tree. I simply urge Gus to keep moving. We don't want to provide them with a meal.

I will have a new cemetery entry Christmas in the Cemetery. I have started to see the decorations around the tombstones.Coming soon.

 I recently got a new camera that allows me to do closeups. This is a rosemary plant in bloom. I did not know that they knew how to do that.

 This one is the bloom of  a purple sweet potato vine.









As best that I could find, this is a succulent known as "paddle plant." The leaves are thick and green. When the plant is in full sun they get the red coloration. They grow easily and multiply well. I did not know they bloomed. This plant has the beginnings of the bloom.

In the photo below, the bloom shaft has begun to grow.





I have a plant with a riser that is about 4 feet tall.
This is what all the fuss is about. I am curious to see what comes next. Maybe these are the pods from outer space.

Finally the bloom from an aloe vera plant.

Wreaths

Almost a year ago, one of my nieces introduced me to the craft of making "deco-mesh ribbon wreaths." She had recently learned herself. I learned what she knew and the Christmas wreath I made I thought was great. A year later, my friend in San Antonio is also into the deco-mesh, but she has perfected the skills. I learned from her and redid the original wreath. The close-up above is part of that wreath. The new wreath is so much better. It is on the front side of the house. (below)

Passersby ask about it: where did I get it? can I make one for them? how much will I charge? I get the same reactions and questions about the decoration of the front door. (below)

However, the folks in this part of town are not about to spend $40 or $75 for a wreath. They want to barter down to less than $10. My friend in San Antonio sells hers at a base price of $40 and up depending on size and extra dodads that may be added.

The one below is one the east side of the house and it sits close to Santa. Except for the door, all have lights intertwined.

I made wreaths for my sister and my nieces as well, below.

The good thing about these is that they store as flat as possible and can then be pooffed up next year. The ribbon can be removed and saved, when you need to update or change colors. 

If you want to place a wreath order you know how to contact me.