I’M IN MAJOR BUSINESS NOW!!

TLDR: See meme.

Recap: I clear out overgrown graves in my local cemetery.

Link: Just digging in a graveyard – an ordinary thing that ordinary people do…

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I have some majorly exciting news!!!

I met with the mayor of Easthampton yesterday to talk about getting an official letter of permission to do what I was doing in the graveyard. I already had verbal permission. However, after 17 graves, I felt like I needed to talk to the mayor as a protocol.

I showed her my posts about the graves, and explained my method and stance:

• I don’t do anything that can’t be undone

• I don’t touch graves that are older than 1950

• I only wash off the fresh mud and dirt with water and a soft-bristle brush

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Y’all, she LOVED it!! She told me that she was definitely going to write a letter of approval – but wanted to let the parks and recreation folks know as well (something about a graveyard committee that I don’t quite understand).

She’s also going to contact the local veteran’s association so they can help me out if I need it. I was especially grateful for this, because I don’t understand any of the abbreviations on the veterans graves.

She ALSO wants to make me a member of the graveyard committee in our city!!!

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And the coolest part? I asked her if she knew where I could find an official grave preservationist so they and I could go to the graveyard together and maybe make some of them more legible.

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SHE SAID SHE WOULD LOOK INTO THAT RIGHT AWAY!!! I’M GONNA FREE MORE OVERGROWN GRAVES, AND MAKE THE 19TH CENTURY GRAVES MORE VISIBLE!!!!

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There is so much more, but I would be writing a novel at that point. I also told her about the ant problem, and she said she’d get city maintenance on that one. Everything is going to take 10 – 14 days to get settled, so I decided to hold off on freeing up any fresh graves until all of the bureaucratic stuff is taken care of.

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In the meantime, I am working on doing a little science post about lichen, and the effects of various chemicals on porous rocks. I’m having a difficult time, because I am struggling to find natural stone with enough lichen on it to be visible on my phone’s camera.

If anyone wants to come look for lichen with me, by all means, you are welcome to do so! (Did I use that phrase correctly?)

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That’s the update! So much exciting stuff!!

Me and the mayor!!! THIS PARTY IS JUST GETTING STARTED!!!!