Cemetery Gossip

Most people find the volunteering in a cemetery business off putting. Perhaps its the whole "dead people in the ground" bit that makes people nervous. But what you have to realize is that those stones not only mark where a person's final location is, but a treasure trove of genealogical information. It shows who they were, sometimes that they did, and who they were related to. In addition, it shows how they were remembered and treasured by their loved ones.

It's a shame how many of the small cemeteries around rural NY are often neglected and disappear into nature. Often it will take a group of volunteers to clear out areas to find where stones are, identify who was buried there, and get information out to people.

Having spent several dozen hours mowing and trimming around gravestones, there's a lot of work to be done to preserve the memory of loved ones.

Interestingly enough, sometimes a cemetery plot was the only land a family owned. They'd go on a day off and have a picnic in said plot.

The Basics

I truly love teaching. It's a great way to pass on valuable information to the next generation of voters. It's vitally important that we work together to produce citizens that work hard in their community. I will often tell my students "Once you stop caring about your neighbor, society goes down the drain" We'll see if any of it sticks once they graduate.

To that end, I volunteer on an Emergency Squad as an EMT. I feel very strongly about volunteering in my community and this is my fifth year as an EMT in my hometown and my seventh year in Emergency Medical Services. I'm honored to be a part of an organization that does a lot of background work to help people.

Oh the whole, the students that I work with are a great bunch of kids. Most of them think I'm off my rocker for loving history. But hey, if they pay attention enough to think I'm nuts, something must be sinking in!

The latest notable comment from one of my seventh graders was "When you grow up, you should be a cook"

Which brings me to one of my other passions, food. Cooking and baking analogies often make their way into lessons in school, but what can I say - we all eat! From scones, to roasts, to cupcakes, my small kitchen produces some yummy dishes. If only I could learn to cook for small groups!