Cemetery Time

We've survived the first long holiday of the warm season and are moving on toward the official first day of summer. Friday morning we took Mom to the cemeteries – it was a gorgeous, calm morning. The cemeteries were pretty quiet that morning, but we were trying to get ahead of Saturday's rain forecast.

Last week really wasn't the best week I've ever had. As the week went by, I knew I wasn't feeling right. I knew there was something “funky” going on where I had a couple of teeth pulled the beginning of the month. So I started my Friday seeing the dentist. Such an enjoyable way to start a holiday weekend!

After making sure there were no bone chips or tooth fragments left to cause problems, the dentist decided I had a “gum boil”. Now, I've never heard of this before. Neither has anyone else I've run into. I was always under the impression that boils were extremely painful. This growth, though, was at its worst uncomfortable, kind of like a bruise. I wish that had been the case with the removal!

Once again, the dentist came at me with a syringe – and I absolutely hate needles. For me that's the worst part of the entire procedure. My right side numbed up, and he went in. It was quick and easy, and I was feeling better by the end of the day. But I hate that numb feeling – and I have a tendency to start feeling itchy spots when the medicine starts wearing off. It's a very disconcerting feeling....this intense itching, and you're still numb enough that you can't feel yourself scratching.

At any rate, the dentist finished up with me in good time and we were able to get started on our cemetery rounds. It's always a bit melancholy to put out the Memorial Day wreaths for the family members. All the grandparents except my maternal grandmother have been gone for many, many years – and once I do the math, I realize it's been 21 years since she was with us. I'm trying to grasp the reality that it's been nearly 48 years since I lost my grandfathers.

My paternal grandmother passed away in 1973, Dad's youngest brother in 1976, Dad in 1992, and the middle brother in 1993. I make a point of passing by a childhood friend's grave and saying hello when we're at Ebenezer Cemetery – and face the realization that he's been gone nearly 21 years. More recent losses are two of my first cousins, who passed away two and four years ago. I think it gets harder when the losses are in your own generation.

Braden Cemetery is always so interesting to visit. It's in what's known as the “Tater Hills” of Coloma – at the top of a long, narrow, winding road. Going west from the cemetery is a dirt road that's no longer used – but back in the day, when Dad was a kid, it was a shortcut from our community to Coloma. And the family story goes that Dad and his brothers would get out of the wagon at the cemetery, at the top of that long hill, because they refused to ride down the hill in the wagon. They opted to walk down.....and I can't say I blame them! I know that road is in better shape now than it was in the 1920's and 1930's, and I'm none too fond of going down it in the car.

The Tater Hills are covered with tall trees, so coming to the top of that hill and finding a serene old cemetery nestled at the top can be a bit of a surprise. It's so pretty up there. Dad's family going back a couple of generations are buried there – his grandparents, an aunt and her husband, two of their children and a couple of grandchildren, an uncle, and other shirttail relatives are up there. Some of our close friends and neighbors are also up there, as well as the couple who lived up the hill from us.

Braden Cemetery is a beautiful place to visit......in the daytime. One of my first cousins is buried there, and his sister-in-law put a couple of decorative solar lights next to his headstone. She suggested to her sister that she should drive up there some night and make sure the solar lights were working. I don't think it took long for my cousin's wife to inform her sister that was NOT someplace she intended to go at night! And I can't say I blame her.