. [Q-R] Christmas Experience WFlem72706 via 12/25/2015, 2:15:09 AMWhy I woke up at 5:00am Christmas morning, when I could sleep in............well, I'm awake and might as well make the best of it. A few cups of coffee in my official Tim's cup, read the paper..........and then what? Lets see, Sue said, wake her at 10:00am, she stayed up late last night doing last minute wrapping, while I went to bed early, as usual, so I could read for a few hours. Here comes the sun, mmmmmmmmmmm no new snow and actually sunny at 6:15am. Dam, TV book is even crappie Christmas morning, info commercials, 'ya think today of all days, they could stop selling stuff.................. slice and dice, and bake it and forget it, blah blah, blah blah....................to early to call anyone, well..........nah, I guess I wont do that Christmas morning. Bet the computer is pretty well dead now also. The birds are having a good breakfast after filling all the feeders yesterday. Wonder if they know its Christmas??? Sure is dead looking out the front windows. No cars moving, no one walking or dogs walking people to do their early morning business mmmmmmmmm maybe they don't on Christmas?.......... Got three hours to kill........aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh scratch that thought, coffee shop ain't open today. Bet K-Mart is though, but I'm not going to go there. They never close, even on Christmas. Gee, nice sun for a change and normally I'd be in a cemetery. Why not? Got a little one less than a mile away, bet no one goes there on Christmas morning, or the whole day for that matter. Camera, gloves, boots, note pad, some extra Christmas decorations.....aahhhh why not, Sue wont miss a couple of her flowers............. Snow isn't to deep, not that cold and very little if any wind. Not bad, and close to home to. Hope Sue sees the note I left in case she gets up early. Talk about dead, no pun intended, no noise, no cars, no planes overhead, no talking, this has got to be the quietest cemetery I've ever been in. Pat, nope, take a bit more snow off, Patricia, died Aug 4, 1884, age 2 years. Here's a small reflective Christmas star for your stone Patricia. Merry Christmas. I wonder if she even knew what Christmas was? Two years, not much of a life.................... Allen Drake, died May 16, 1864, killed in action in Virginia. N.Y. Volunteers. age 17 Wonder if it was hand to hand combat?, a random shot?, maybe an exploding shell? Doubt he was married. Left no children and died for his country. OK, Allen, you get one of Sues flowers and a reflective Christmas star. I'll just bet if he saw this shiny star back then, he wouldn't be able to figure it out. Laura Washington, beloved mother of 19 children. Wow, she was an extra busy lady. 'Ya get a flower and a star also. Died Feb 2, 1843. Age 67, bet she was glad to get a rest from that crowd? Probably had a large log cabin, the amount of food to be prepared and clothing to wash all by hand, snotty noses, crying, mending, doctoring-Doctor Mom, bet she was one tired lady. Don't see any sign of a husband buried in the area................ Ooops, not the first time I've tripped over a real short marker. Henry Clark, sorry guy, you know I didn't mean it. Here, have a Christmas star. Age 7, "Gone but not forgotten," I don't see anything here for him, bet he has no family left. Unfortunately, now forgotten. Guess, we all will be forgotten at some time or another, after we've been dead many years. Well, that's life...............guess I cant use that comment here..................I guess, that's death then. These stones feel as cold during the winter as they do during the summer..............I think the marble ones are colder. I wonder...............nah, not the same as sticking your tongue on something metal, like a bridge to see if it freezes to it, man, what a thought, having your tongue frozen to a tomb stone...............bad idea..........but funny. I wonder if anyone ever did it? That kid startled me, of all places Christmas morning at 7:45am, what's that kid doing in here? He's not dressed to warm either. Coming right toward me. "Hi" he said. "Hi" back to him. " Do your parents know where you are?" , "Oh, I play here all the time" he said. " You do know what today is, don't you?" He just stood there and looked at me. " aren't you cold?" I said, "the way your dressed your going to catch a cold, for sure," 'My Mum always takes good care of me" he said, 'I'm sure she does, but bet she doesn't know your here?" "Yes she does" he said. "OK"..................." so whatcha' ask Santa for, for Christmas?" (Now I got a companion and I don't know what to do with him).........." I was hoping I'd get some new shoes for Christmas" he said. Gee, a kid that asked for something useful for a change...........I thought to my self.......LOL. "How about toys?" I said..............the kid has the cutest smile.................." my Pa made me a wooden gun last year" made? Pa?, darn, bet he's from a real poor family? "How old are you?" "Well, hold still so I can count all those fingers, seven eh" "And you just wander off by your self at 7?" "What's your name?" "Henry," he said. 'Well, Henry, its been nice talking to you and hope you make it home before you catch cold and before you scare your parents to death being missing, today of all days" 'Hey Henry, you want a ride home?" "You gota' big horse?" he said. "No Henry, no horse, just a car" (this kid watches to many Westerns, for sure") " A car?" he said, "look Henry if you live close by, I think you best be getting home, your parents will be getting up and looking for you, and I've got to get home before my Sue wakes up." 'Henry, I've got a silver dollar in my pocket, would you like it?" "Really?" "Sure, I always have some sort of strange change in my pocket, yep, good old large Ike dollar, here you go, have a nice Christmas" 'Henry, your hands must be frozen, 'ya dropped it" "Here 'ya go, hold on to it this time" 'Henry, put both hands out, you keep dropping it" , I know I got it in the kids hands this time, but it seemed to fall right through his hand" " Henry, would you pick it up this time, I've got a sore back" I don't believe I saw that............Henry reached for the coin and it passed right through his hands, I don't mean, between his fingers, I mean it went right through his hand. Cold chill.........I never get cold chills. "Henry, what's your last name?" "Clark " he said. "And where do you live", "right over there" he pointed. "You tripped on me" he said....................glad there's no flies this time of year, as I could have caught many, with my mouth open as wide as it must have been. Henry walked over to the little marker that I had tripped on, marked Henry Clark. It was like he was sinking. "Hey, mister, thanks for the shiny star and I hope you have a Merry Christmas" he said. He was gone, no marks in the snow, I hadn't noticed before, my foot prints in the snow, were the only ones. Do I tell Sue this when I get home? I think not..............I'll just keep it to myself. MERRY CHRISTMAS
-- Cemetery Reports
