#HisAndHearsePress
This Monday is brought to you by coffee and cats
☕️ 🐈⬛
#HisAndHearsePress #Monday #MondayMorning #MondayMotivation #MondayMood #MondayVibes #Coffee #Dunkin #CatsAndCoffee #WritersLife
Happy Caturday from the His & Hearse Hissers! They look hungry…
🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛ 🐈⬛
#HisAndHearsePress #Caturday #CaturdayMorning #CaturdayVibes #CaturdayEveryDay #WorkingFromHomeProblems #WriterProblems #Mood #Catstodon #CatsOfMastodon #Cats #Kittens
Well, that’s my weekend booked!
(see what I did there) 📚
I’ve been obsessed with the early Eddie Flynn books but I couldn’t find the rest of the series in the USA. I found them at Blackwell’s Books in the UK instead. The slow boat finally arrived in Los Angeles and I can’t wait to dig in!
#HisAndHearsePress #SteveCavanagh #SteveCavanaghBooks #EddieFlynn #EddieFlynnSeries #BookRecs #Bookstodon #AmReading #Thriller #LegalThriller #CrimeFiction #Bookwyrm
#FuneralFactFriday: Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
Born May 28, 1738 (Saintes, France)
Died March 26 1814 (not executed)
Buried: Pere Lachaise Cemetery
Many assume that Monsieur Guillotin invented the guillotine. He did not!
He was actually a physician who OPPOSED the death penalty. Executions at that time were gruesome and prolonged: axes and swords (reserved for nobility) often took several blows, hanging (for commoners) relied on lengthy asphyxiation rather than instantly breaking the neck, and it was highly unpleasant to be boiled, dismembered, broken on a Catherine Wheel, or burned at the stake. His attempts to abolish capital punishment failed, so he instead proposed a more humane method: fast and painless decapitation by simple mechanism.
Guillotin wrote a six point proposal to encourage a fairer system (it also discouraged crowds from hungrily watching public executions by making them boring):
1) All punishments for the same class of crime shall be the same, regardless of the criminal (i.e., there would be no privilege for the nobility)
2) When the death sentence is applied, it will be by decapitation, carried out by a machine
3) The family of the guilty party will not suffer any legal discrimination
4) It will be illegal to anyone to reproach the guilty party's family about his/her punishment
5) The property of the convicted shall not be confiscated
6) The bodies of those executed shall be returned to the family if so requested
His proposals were accepted, becoming law in 1792. The beheading device was invented by the King's physician (Antoine Louis) and a German engineer (Tobias Schmidt). Use of the guillotine in France continued until its abolition in 1981, with the last execution having been performed in 1977.
A letter published in 1795 cast doubt on the effectiveness of the guillotine. It claimed that victims survived for several minutes after being beheaded, though the only evidence is anecdotal & not supported by medical science. Unfortunately, Guillotin suffered knowing that rumor & regretted sharing his name with the device.
#HisAndHearsePress #Guillotine #History #FrenchRevolution #Execution #CapitalPunishment #Beheading #FunFact
My 7 year old dashed into my room to ask, "what are those things called that chop people's heads off???"
I told her "guillotine."
After she ran off, I heard a distant "hey Alexa!" and made a mental note to follow up.
Turns out she asked Alexa what a guillotine looked like so she could build one.
At school.
During 1st grade art class.
🫠
#HisAndHearsePress #Guillotine #Wednesday #WednesdayAddams #TheAddamsFamily #MomLife #KidsAreWeird #ThatsMyKid #Weirdo
Mother’s Day isn’t a joyous occasion for all. It’s ok to be sad today, or a mix of conflicting emotions.
Here’s to those who have lost mothers or children, those who were unable to have children, those with complicated relationships with their mother or their children. 🥀 You’re all valid today.
#HisAndHearsePress #MothersDay #UnhappyMothersDay #Bittersweet #Grief #Loss #GriefAndLoss #Infertility #ChildLoss
To all the moms, mommies, mamas, adoptive moms, stepmoms, aunties, grandmas, fur moms, nurturers, and moms at heart - happy Mother’s Day 💐
#HisAndHearsePress #MothersDay #HappyMothersDay #Mom #Momma #Mommy #Mama #Stepmom #AdoptiveMom #Auntie #Grandma #Mother #FurMom #MomAtHeart
Roomba + Kitten: The internet was created for this. Happy #Caturday!
#HisAndHearsePress #Cats #Kittens #CatsOfMastodon KittensOfMastodon #Roomba #RoombaCat #RoombaCats #Chocobo #ChocoboRacing #ChocoboRace #FinalFantasyMusic
#WordyWednesday: Half Couch vs Full Couch Casket
Most American caskets are half couch. What does that mean?
A half couch casket has a two-piece lid. The top half opens to reveal the deceased’s face and torso while the lower half remains closed to conceal the legs.
These caskets open on the left (it’s just the industry standard, likely because we tend to approach the casket and touch the person with our right hand while turned slightly toward their face; it just works better this way). The inside of the foot end of the casket is often “unfinished,” meaning that it’s spartan rather than upholstered in pleated fabric. We can’t spontaneously decide to reverse a body in a casket, but we can custom order a casket built to open in the opposite direction (like if the right side of a person is too disfigured for viewing).
Note: even though YOU only see the top lid open, rest assured that WE can open both lids to get the body inside. Once the body is nicely tucked in, we close the lower lid.
A full couch casket has a one-piece lid to showcase the entire body, head to toe. They’re uncommon, typically only seen in certain parts of the country. Some include an inner leg covering and/or a foot pillow. Funeral directors must accommodate a few details differently: standard casket flower sprays can only be placed on top when it’s fully closed (or a long simple garland is draped along the hinge panel inside), and similarly, the flag cannot be draped unless the lid is fully closed. Half couch caskets allow flower sprays or a pleated flag to be draped over the closed foot panel during viewing.
Either way, please bring pants for your loved one. Whether we can see their legs or not, they ought to be properly dressed. Full couch caskets expose the feet too, which is rough for us when the feet are swollen. Putting shoes on is really hard! It’s also tricky to keep the feet together rather than splaying out (this is a better reason to tie shoelaces together rather than making the zombie apocalypse funnier).
Which would you prefer? Full or half couch?
#HisAndHearsePress #Casket #Coffin #FullCouch #HalfCouch #Funeral #MortuaryScience #Vocab #Vocabulary #Caskets
The perfect way to combine National Banana Day AND National Cat Lady Day: kittens with “banana for scale!”
Shout out to all the other cat ladies (and cat not-ladies) on this perfect holiday. May the paws be with you. 🍌🐈⬛
#HisAndHearsePress #NationalBananaDay #NationalCatLadyDay #BananaDay #CatLadyDay #Banana #BananaForScale #CatLady #CatLadyLife #CrazyCatLady #CatsOfMastodon #KittensOfMastodon #Catstodon #Caturday #CaturdayEveryday
🖤🌶️ Spicy Book Recs!
Caveat: I am not typically a romance reader, but I took one for the team due to the nature of these books.
And wow. I was pleasantly surprised!
Megan Montgomery’s Last Responders series consists of Morgue To Love (focusing on a medical examiner and a homicide detective) and the soon-to-be-released Undertaking Love (featuring the medical examiner’s brother and her best friend, both of whom are morticians). There’s a third book in the works about their other bestie, a forensic anthropologist.
First… these are FULL stories with actual plots and great characters. They’re not just vehicles to get two characters together. Megan weaves in so many (ACCURATE) details about what it’s like to work in death care. I connected with so many of their experiences, from feeling called out as a rookie funeral director attending conferences in cheap suits to the extreme burnout of perfectly handling horrible situations day after day. Bonus: Megan adds in conversations about up and coming green funeral options like water cremation!
As I said before, I’m not romance reader. I didn’t mind these books at all though since there was plenty of other material to keep me enthralled. The hot and bother-y parts are indeed hot and bother-y, but they’re not eye rolling or weird. FYI the spice level is pretty high, and the second book strays into some very non-vanilla territory.
I received an advance copy of the second book so I could do some fact checking, but rest assured that I’m promoting these of my own free will. I thoroughly enjoyed these two books and am early awaiting the third!
⚰️ Morgue To Love
Medical Examiner + Homicide Detective
(these characters reminded me of the tv show Bones and includes neurodivergence)
Available now at https://amzn.to/3okC1R0
⚰️Undertaking Love
Rival funeral director/embalmers, enemies to lovers (Reminds me of Six Feet Under + 50 Shades. It touches on the personal struggles many morticians face, plus it features cool green funeral options.)
PREORDER for release on April 25 at https://amzn.to/3omXLvD
#HisAndHearsePress #MeganMontgomery #BookRecs #BookRecommendations #SpicyBooks #RomanceBooks #MortuaryScience
Toe beans! How am I supposed to work with these distracting peets in the way???
#HisAndHearsePress #ToeBeans #ToeBeanTuesday #PeetsAndBeans #Cat #Kitten #CatsOfMastodon #KittensOfMastodon #Catstodon #Caturday #CaturdayEveryday HomeOffice #ICantWorkLikeThis
🦇 Hey all you bat fans! It’s International Bat Appreciation Day. Besides symbolizing death and rebirth, they also do us a solid by eating the worst creatures on earth (mosquitoes) and helping other pollinators like bees and butterflies. They’re not horrible! They’re vital for maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Plus they’re goth AF, in case that’s why you’re here. 🦇
#HisAndHearsePress #BatAppreciationDay #BatDay #Bats #BatsOfInstagram #BatFan #BatsAreCool #GothAF #DeathSymbol #DeathAndRebirth #DeathPositive
#MondayMourning: Workplace Grief
Do you spend more time with your coworkers than your own family? Sometimes we establish close bonds with our colleagues. At the very least, their mood and performance have a direct impact on our own. What happens when a coworker experiences a loss and throws the workplace into upheaval?
Here are a few things to consider.
- Don't judge the severity of a loss based on degree of kinship. As in, don't expect them to bounce back quickly because it was "just" a cousin or "just" a former spouse. You don't know how close they may have been or what responsibilities are now theirs.
- Family Leave and PTO are woefully insufficient for someone to handle the affairs AND recover from grief. Really, four days off is supposed to cut it? Grief experts recommend a MINIMUM of 20 days. Unfortunately some people are forced back to work way before they're ready, either because their time off is gone or their bills are piling up. They may have to pay out of pocket for funeral expenses or suddenly have their household income reduced by half.
- Adjust your expectations. Just because someone is physically present at work doesn't mean they're mentally present. Exhaustion, stress, the inability to focus, and a wide range of emotions will interfere with their performance. Obviously! They might hyper focus for a while to keep busy, only to break under the workload as their brain fog renders them useless. Coworkers should strive to understand that it isn't a personal failing, and that picking up the slack without resentment is the greatest kindness they can offer.
- Offer support while respecting privacy. Avoid empty offers ("if there's anything I can do, let me know") and empty platitudes ("I know how you feel... he's in a better place.") Instead of asking, "how are you doing?" ask "how is today?" Give them an opportunity to talk and just listen. Find out what they want you to say to others ("she had a loss in the family and will return calls next week.")
#HisAndHearsePress #Grief #Coworkers #Workplace #WorkplaceCulture #WorkFriends #WorkSpouse #FamilyLeave #WorkplaceGrief
💀Help solve this mystery!
Twenty five years ago, a small cardboard box was found on the side of a road in Norcross, Georgia. It held the partial skeletal remains of two children.
A note on the box read, “attention police, my bones were legally exhumed from South Georgia, please return them to their proper repose.”
The Gwinnett County Medical Examiner analyzed the bones and determined them to belong to a baby around one year old and a teenager between 12-15 years old. Oddly, the two are not related to each other.
The box also contained fragments of casket hardware. They were dated to somewhere between the 1900s and 1940s, which is consistent with the age of the bones. The children were likely buried sometime within that period.
Unfortunately, they were unable to identify the children, so they’ve been kept at the ME’s office pending new information and technological advances.
That day may soon be here! Gwinnett County ME has partnered with Othman Labs to perform extensive genetic genealogy tests on the remains and establish family trees. Hopefully they’ll be able to identify relatives and discover someone who will name and claim these poor children.
Here’s where YOU come in.
There is little funding for pursuing cold cases like these. Gwinnett County ME has resorted to crowdfunding in order to pay the private lab for their supplies & research.
Are you able to contribute? Each child needs about $7500 raised to conduct the necessary investigations. Even a small amount donated gets them closer to being named & laid to rest.
If you’re unable to contribute financially, will you at least help spread the word? SHARE with folks in the funeral profession, true crime aficionados, supporters of children’s causes, or anyone else you think might be touched by this case.
Every body deserves a name.
Every body deserves to rest in peace.
Donate here:
https://dnasolves.com/articles/norcross-baby-doe-1987/
https://dnasolves.com/articles/norcross-teen-doe-1987/
News coverage:
https://bit.ly/43DqNas
https://bit.ly/3oj1iev
#HisAndHearsePress #DNASolves #Crowdfunding #ColdCase #TrueCrime #SkeletalRemains #Norcross #GwinnettCounty #MedicalExaminer #Forensics
Life is wasted on the living.
- Douglas Adams
#HisAndHearsePress #DouglasAdams #DouglasAdamsQuote #HHGTTG #H2G2 #TheRestaurantAtTheEndOfTheUniverse #DontPanic #Cemetery #Graveyard #Sunset #AIArt #Funeral #MondayMood #MondayMotivation #PhotoMonday
Today is one of the least fun holidays, National Healthcare Decisions Day. Ugh, right?
Legal paperwork and healthcare jargon are boring and often unnecessarily complex. They also force us to consider circumstances that we’d rather not think about. It’s uncomfortable and depressing.
However . . .
Establishing your preferences NOW, plus recording them legally and discussing with them your family, will save your behind if you get hit by a truck tomorrow. You’ll get the treatments you want while avoiding confusion and second guessing among your next of kin. This is equally important whether you’re temporarily incapacitated or actively dying.
Do you want to be kept on life support? Until when?
Do you want comfort care?
Do you want a “do not resuscitate” order?
Are there any other treatments you’d decline?
Do you want to donate organs or tissue? Do you have any restrictions on what your donate?
Another important point: is your LEGAL NEXT OF KIN a jerk? You can assign these decision making powers to someone else who will respect your wishes. Doing this paperwork properly allows you to legally bypass dysfunctional family members in the next of kin chain.
Choose someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf if/when you are incapacitated or dead. It helps if they’re local to you, are capable of making decisions under stress, and are willing to advocate for you based on YOUR beliefs rather than theirs.
The same person (or different people) can be authorized to make financial and funeral decisions too.
Find out what the laws are in your state. There’s probably a cookie-cutter type form online (healthcare directive or medical power of attorney) which you can tweak to suit your needs. It you can afford it, get some basic legal advice to make sure you’ve covered all your bases.
I have some links and general info about protecting your end of life decisions here:
https://www.louisepachella.com/blog/rightsvsrites
Don’t wait until it’s too late!
#HisAndHearsePress #HealthcareDecisionsDay #NationalHealthcareDecisionsDay #ProtectYourRights #HealthcareDirective #MedicalPowerOfAttorney #PowerOfAttorney #DPOA #HealthcareAgent #Death #Funeral
Parlours are tricky places.
Might be ice cream, might be funerals.
- Sarah J@Trisarahjtops
#HisAndHearsePress #FuneralParlor #FuneralParlour #IceCreamParlor #IceCreamParlour #IceCream #YouScream #Funeral #Mortuary #SillySunday
National Titanic Remembrance Day 🚢🪦
It’s been 111 years since the Titanic sunk on April 15, 1912. Of the approximately 2240 passengers and crew on board, over 1500 died that day.
The White Star Line chartered four ships to help retrieve bodies of victims: the Mackay-Bennett, CS Minia, CGS Montmagny, and SS Algerine. They only managed to recover about 330 bodies, about 23% of the number who died.
The recovery ships were loaded with undertakers, embalming supplies, coffins, ice, canvas bags, and iron bars. First Class victims were embalmed and stored in coffins. Second and Third Class victims were embalmed (while they still had supplies), then wrapped in canvas. Crew members were put on ice. Some victims were misidentified as being from a higher class: in moments of desperation, they pillaged the abandoned First Class cabins for warm clothing.
Bodies that were unidentifiable, either from disfigurement or decomposition, were buried at sea in canvas shrouds weighted with iron bars. Others were buried at sea simply due to the shortage of embalming chemicals, as there were rules against bringing unembalmed bodies ashore (the rule was temporarily waived shortly after). Clergy conducted brief services for these unfortunates before casting them back into the water. Most were lower class or crew members, as the First Class were given preferential treatment. It was justified since they were “wealthy men with large estates to be settled.”
Of the 330 or so bodies recovered, 119 were buried at sea. The rest were taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The VIP bodies went to the local undertaker’s parlor. Everyone else went to the temporary morgue at the Mayflower Curling Rink. Bodies were embalmed in a screened area (a woman embalmed the deceased women and children), then placed on platforms for identification. One undertaker collapsed in shock as he discovered the body of his own uncle among the dead.
59 bodies were claimed by their families. 150 were buried in three Halifax cemeteries, including 42 who remain unidentified.
#HisAndHearsePress #Titanic #NationalTitanicRemembranceDay #Funeral #History #Embalming #DisasterManagement #MortuaryScience
#FuneralFactFriday: Full Body Casket Burial at Sea
🛥️ ⚰️ 💦
Did you know you don’t have to be cremated to get thrown in the ocean???
Full bodies can be buried at sea in caskets! It’s not limited to folks serving in the Navy or other military branches. Anyone can do it (not like Dexter, please hire a legit funeral director who knows how to do it properly).
There are a few requirements. If a casket is used, it needs to be stainless steel and have all the plastic inside removed. Twenty holes (2” diameter) are drilled through the casket to facilitate flooding and air venting. The casket must be secured shut with six durable stainless steel bands, chains, or natural fiber rope. Sand or concrete weights are added (no lead) to help the casket sink and stay put. Ultimately it’ll turn into a reef.
If a casket is not used, the EPA recommends a weighted biodegradable shroud. You may also toss flowers or floral wreaths into the water with the body, as long as all materials are decomposable.
A private boat is hired to take the casket, funeral director, and a few guests out to sea. They must travel at least 3 nautical miles from shore and release the casket into water a minimum of 600’ deep. If the boat regularly performs burials at sea, they might have a platform with rollers to get the casket out into the water with a push and a sploosh. A final yeet into the deep.
No special permission is required, short of filing standard paperwork like a death certificate and disposition permit. The EPA must be notified within 30 days. If it does happen to be performed by the military, there’s no family present to witness. It’s just handled on a regularly scheduled deployment.
Would you be interested in a full body burial at sea???
#HisAndHearsePress #FunFacts #FunFactFriday #Funeral #Burial #BurialAtSea #Ocean #Casket #DidYouKnow #MortuaryScience #FuneralService #FuneralDirector #Yeet
“Lest we forget,
a morgue is also a community center.”
- Ocean Vuong, Time Is a Mother
(From a DVAN book review: “In his sophomore poetry collection, Time is a Mother, Ocean Vuong meditates on how we think about death as individuals and as a community, and how we shoulder the weight of intergenerational trauma. Vuong reframes death and mourning as lonely processes into something communal.”)
#HisAndHearsePress #OceanVuong #TimeIsAMother #DVAN #Poetry #Quote #GriefQuotes #LiteraryQuotes #Grief #Funeral #Morgue #DeathPositive
#WordyWednesday: Ossilegium ☠️
A noun meaning the act of collecting bones for placement in an ossuary after the rest of the body has decomposed. FYI, an ossuary is a building or structure to house bones or cremated remains. (I’ll do one of these on ossuaries later!)
The collected bones may be stored in individual boxes, small niches, or arranged into magnificent displays with many other skeletons.
Many cultures performed this as a means of conserving burial space. Ancient Greeks even collected bones from funeral pyres and washed them with wine and oil before placing them in urns.
Pronounced oss-ih-LEE-gee-um.
Not to be confused with the metal band by the same name 🤘🏻
#HisAndHearsePress #Ossilegium #Ossuary #Skeleton #Bones #Crypt #Cemetery #Decomposition #MortuaryScience #Vocab #Vocabulary #WordOfTheDay
“Don’t cry because it’s over,
smile because it happened.”
- Dr. Seuss
#HisAndHearsePress #DrSeuss #DrSeussQuotes #Quotes #GriefQuotes #Funeral #Cemetery #DeathPositive #AI #AIArt #AIArtwork
Today is National Living Donor Day! You don’t have to be dead to give away bits and pieces!
Living donors can give kidneys, a segment of liver, a lobe of lung, a portion of pancreas, or a length of intestine. They can also use tissue like skin from tummy tucks, bones from hip/knee replacements, bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, placenta, amniotic membrane, and of course, BLOOD.
Learn more about living donation at DonateLife.net
#HisAndHearsePress #DonateLife #DoneVida #LivingDonorDay #DonateLifeMonth #OrganDonation #TissueDonation #OrganDonationAwareness #TissueDonationAwareness
#AmReading: All the Living and the Dead:
From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work
By Hayley Campbell
Real talk: I was hesitant when I first saw this book because I knew it had the potential to sensationalize or demonize the funeral profession. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Hayley interviewed exceptional people and portrayed them accurately. Phew!
She didn’t shy away from the graphic nature of each person’s occupation, but she also kept it within a professional context. I appreciate her efforts to shine a light on the workers people prefer to ignore and prove that we’re compassionate and empathetic rather than a flock of vultures (fun fact: it’s actually called a “wake” of vultures).
As a funeral director and embalmer, I highly recommend this book. Everyone ought to know a bit about what happens behind closed doors before passing a broad judgement based on stereotypes.
FYI, this book covers the duties of workers in the USA and UK. Practices and laws vary by location. Here’s the book’s blurb:
“A deeply compelling exploration of the death industry and the people―morticians, detectives, crime scene cleaners, embalmers, executioners―who work in it and what led them there.
We are surrounded by death. It is in our news, our nursery rhymes, our true-crime podcasts. Yet from a young age, we are told that death is something to be feared. How are we supposed to know what we’re so afraid of, when we are never given the chance to look?
Fueled by a childhood fascination with death, journalist Hayley Campbell searches for answers in the people who make a living by working with the dead. Along the way, she encounters mass fatality investigators, embalmers, and a former executioner who is responsible for ending sixty-two lives. She meets gravediggers who have already dug their own graves, visits a cryonics facility in Michigan, goes for late-night Chinese with a homicide detective, and questions a man whose job it is to make crime scenes disappear.”
https://bookshop.org/shop/hisandhearsepress
#HisAndHearsePress #BookRecommendations #BookRecs #Bookstodon #Bookwyrm #Nonfiction #DeathPositive #Funeral #Mortician #DeathCare #DeathProfessional #HayleyCampbell
Remember me.
As solid as an oak.
Remember me.
Sweet as a new blossom.
Remember me.
Each day protecting you.
Remember me.
Keeping you securely in my branches.
Remember me.
When the wind rustles my leaves.
Remember me.
Because I am with you.
- Unknown
#HisAndHearsePress #ThickTrunkTuesday #Mosstodon #Memorial #Poem #Trees #Skull #AI #AIArt #AIArtwork
Yes. Yes, you should bring pants.
Just because a casket lid is usually closed on the foot end doesn’t mean you can’t see or that nosy people won’t poke around and look. Also, think about how embarrassing it’ll be for your loved one as they attend ghost parties with no bottoms. Shameful.
On that note, there are no requirement about what dead people have to wear in their caskets. You want to be dressed in a suit? Fine. Pajamas? That’s okay too. Superhero costume? You do you! All we ask is that it fits reasonably well (though we can improvise with a few alterations) and that it covers anything that needs covering (autopsy incision, trauma etc). When in doubt, go for something long sleeved and high necked. Make your wishes known to your family!
#HisAndHearsePress #Funeral #Mortuary #Casket #Coffin #PatrickStewart #Meme #GhostOutfit #MortuaryScience #DeathPositive #YouDoYou
Today is National Encourage A Young Author Day!
Do you know a young storyteller? Give them some tools and validation! Give them a special notebook or journal (pro tip: tell them they’re actually allowed to write in it, even though real writers simply horde them). Promote a love of reading, because reading a variety of material hones their writerly instincts.
I still remember a number of people from my childhood that encouraged my writing. I won first place in my entire school district during fifth grade and placed second in the district in third grade. Teachers always gave me space to write freely. A guidance counselor in high school promised she’d look for my name in print someday. Mom instilled a love of reading (and we still chat about our latest reads today). Who knows where I’d be today if I hadn’t had so many supporters along the way?
In case you can’t read the tiny print in my pic, here it is: “Outstanding Student Author Recognition Program, District Winner - First Place”
“We wish to present this certificate for excellence in developing a plot line, language usage, style and proper mechanics while producing a book for this program. We hope that this is only the first of many such excellent endeavors to be crafted by this aspiring young author. Presented this sixteenth day of May, 1995.”
#HisAndHearsePress #NationalEncourageAYoungWriterDay #EncourageAYoungWriterDay #Writer #Author #WritingCommunity #WritingAward #WritersCommunity #YoungWriters #WritersWorkshop #StudentAuthor #Bookstodon #Bookwyrm
I signed up for a new subscription box! This is my first #CatLadyBox and the theme is Feral & Fabulous. Here are some of my former-ferals modeling. Cat Lady Box also donates to cat rescues, so yay!
#HisAndHearsePress #CatLadyBoxDay #CatLady #Catstodon #CatsOfMastodon #CaturdayEveryday #Kittens #FeralCats #KittensOfMastodon #HissesGetKisses
#MondayMourning: Mourning Animals
You've heard of mourning doves (so-named because of their melancholic coo), but did you know there's also a mourning warbler (a bird that looks like it's wearing a mourning veil) and a mourning *GECKO* (their nightly vocalizations were once interpreted as mourning the lack of male mates in the entirely female species - true story)?!
That's not what we're talking about today though. We're talking about wild animals that grieve the loss of their herd/pack mates.
Scientists have long refused to consider whether animals grieve since it's assumed that grief requires an understanding of life and death. It's also easy to anthropomorphize animals, which is to say that we assign them human characteristics and emotions.
However, scientists are finally opening up to the idea. Innovations in testing and monitoring have revealed new information. Here are some behaviors they've observed in various species, specifically ones known for forming social bonds.
- Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises) often carry or push their dead in the water to keep them close or afloat, especially after the loss of a calf. It's awkward and tiring, going against self preservation instincts for no clear purpose.
- Elephants spend time visiting with and touching their dead. Touching allows them to investigate, but they also spend time standing around the body without touching. They return over time to visit the skeletal remains. A study has shown that elephants cry around dead bodies (they produce tears when they're stressed or excited), and their vocalizations change. They can also bury or cover bodies.
- Non-human primates (different types of monkeys) gather together, standing watch for days. Dead baby monkeys are carried and mothers scream. Some become depressed enough to stop eating, starving to death. Chimpanzees can check the body for signs of life, then clean debris from fur and use tools to clean teeth. Baboons have shown higher levels of stress hormones followed by increased grooming behaviors (which stimulates oxytocin to counteract it).
- Magpies bring grass to lay by the bodies of their dead.
- Giraffes have been seen nudging and guarding dead calves, not eating or drinking. They wrap their necks around each other, almost like a hug.
Some animal behavior is attributed to chemical shifts, causing ants and termites to bury their dead. Large groups of crows gather around carcasses, but it's more of an investigatory behavior than grief (a *murder investigation*, if you will). Rather than mourning, they're collecting information and identifying potential threats in the area.
It'll be interesting to see science evolve so we can discover how universal mourning really is!
#HisAndHearsePress #Grief #GriefAndLoss #Animals #AnimalGrief #Wildlife #Funeral #AnimalBehavior #Mourning
Back to work! Spring break is over, after approximately 487 days. Time to be productive again.
…after I finish this chocolate caramel latte. ☕️
#HisAndHearsePress #Monday #MondayMood #MondayMotivation #SpringBreakIsOver #BackToWork #PurpleFilter #HomeOffice #Coffee #Dunkin #ImSoTired
Happy Easter to those who celebrate. Best of luck to those whose children have consumed nothing but sugar today. 🥚🐇🍭🍫🍬😵💫
#HisAndHearsePress #Easter #EasterSunday #EasterBunny #EasterEggs #EggHunt #Cemetery #Graveyard #Funeral #DeathPositive
Am I late to the Barbie Party? It’s Spring Break over here and I’m up to my eyeballs in children and kittens. They go back to school on Monday (the kids, not the cats), so hopefully I’ll get back to posting regularly. Until then…
#HisAndHearsePress #ThisBarbieIs #Barbie #BarbieMovie #BarbieMeme #BarbieGenerator #StrangeAndUnusual #FuneralDirector #Embalmer #Mortician #Undertaker #DeathPositive
"I’ve learned that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes."
- Andy Rooney
( 📸 unknown, DM for credit)
#HisAndHearsePress #Quotes #AndyRooney #ToiletPaper #ToiletsWithThreateningAuras #DeathQuotes #FunnyQuotes #Funeral #DeathPositive #PottyHumor #SillySunday
“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.”
- Thomas Campbell
#HisAndHearsePress #Grief #GriefQuotes #GriefAndLoss #Death #Funeral #Cemetery #DeathPositive
Sometimes death casts a shadow over celebrations. It’s helpful to make a plan: how do you want to spend the special day?
The dread or anticipation of a birthday, anniversary, or holiday can be worse the the day itself. Decide in advance if you want to include the memory of your loved one or try to distract yourself from the loss. Think about whether you’d prefer to be alone, be with a few close people, or be surrounded by a crowd. Do you want to stay home, or go out? It’s okay to take a break from or even permanently change traditions. Don’t feel obligated to do things just because you*always* do it that way.
In time, you’ll learn how to balance grief with celebrating. Sometimes all you can do is laugh and make the best of a terrible situation, like the family who made a dumpster fire birthday cake. Read their full story here:
https://www.today.com/food/people/teen-dumpster-fire-cake-honors-moms-birthday-dad-death-rcna77450
#HisAndHearsePress #GriefAndLoss #Grief #HolidayGrief #BirthdayGrief #DumpsterFire #BirthdayCake #Funeral #DeathPositive #GrieveYourOwnWay
It’s International Transgender Day of Visibility 🏳️⚧️ The day is meant to recognize the existence and accomplishments of our trans community and bring attention to the violence, discrimination, and erosion of rights they’re suffering.
I want to remind people that rights need to be preserved in death as well as in life.
When a transgender or nonbinary person needs medical care, end of life care, and death care, it’s often left to their next of kin to make important decisions. What happens if the legal next of kin isn’t supportive or accepting?
It’s crucial to think about uncomfortable scenarios like this and organize legal documentation before it’s needed. A person can record their decisions and legally bypass family members in the next of kin chain. They can assign next of kin rights to someone who will respect their wishes and honor them properly, from using the correct name and pronouns to providing the preferred clothing and accessories.
Don’t wait until it’s too late.
Learn more here:
https://www.louisepachella.com/blog/rightsvsrites
#HisAndHearsePress #TDOV #TransDayOfVisibility #TransgenderDayOfVisibility #TransLivesMatter #YouAreEnough #TransRightsAreHumanRights #LGBTQ #LGBTQAlly #Funeral #DeathPositivity #ProtectYourRights
Anybody else remember this? About 10 years ago, J&D Foods offered this magnificent tribute to bacon lovers.
Known for their bacon flavored salt, soda, mayonnaise, lip balm, and lube (yes, lube), J&D commissioned an 18 gauge steel casket with a bacon themed design.
For the low, low price of $3000, you can get your own pork-wrapped forever box, AND they’ll even throw in a bacon scented air freshener! Yum 🥓
#HisAndHearsePress #Casket #Coffin #Funeral #Mortuary #Bacon #BaconLovers #BaconForever #JAndDFoods #JDFoods #BaconSalt #DeathPositive
#WordyWednesday: Gravity Embalming
An old-timey method of embalming that predates electricity but can still be used in a pinch today.
A large glass jar is suspended over the body with a hose leading to a large artery. Embalming fluid flows into the body at a very slow and steady rate.
Raising the height of the jar increases the pressure (approximately 0.43 pounds of pressure per foot of height above the injection site).
#HisAndHearsePress #Embalming #MortuaryScience #MortuarySchool #Embalmer #Undertaker #Mortician #FuneralDirector #Gravity
Aside from all the death/funeral related content I consume, I typically read about 100 novels a year. Some stand apart from the others and bear multiple rereadings and recommendations. These are three, united by a theme of righteous feminine rage. They even follow a path through womanhood:
Nightbitch - the childbearing years, standing up against societal expectations and raging against the patriarchy
Lessons In Chemistry - the working mom years, standing up against societal expectations and raging against the patriarchy
The Change - the post menopausal years, standing up against societal expectations and raging against the patriarchy
I’m so glad books like this exist. I’m grateful to authors who prove that we can break free from internalized misogyny and embrace our rage. It’s not unfeminine to be angry, and we can be powerful at age stage of life.
Special thanks to Kirsten Miller (for the book mail and the kind words), Rachel Yoder (for responding to my fangirling and expressing interest in my own work), and Bonnie Garmus (whom I have not yet reached out to but admire nonetheless). Write on!
#HisAndHearsePress #BookRecs #BookRecommendations #FeministBooks #Feminism #FeminineRage #AmReading #WomensLit #Fiction #NYTBestseller #WomenWriters #BookHaul #BookMail #Bookstodon #Bookwyrm #BonnieGarmus #LessonsInChemistry #RachelYoder #Nightbitch #KirstenMiller #TheChange
#FuneralFactFriday: The Bathroom Bermuda Triangle, aka the Triangle of Doom or the Triangle of Death 🚽 🛁
This is a phenomenon observed by EMTs, paramedics, and mortuary removal drivers in which a person (living or dead) manages to slip into the area between the toilet, bathtub, and wall while having a medical crisis.
People end up dying on or next to toilets due to a variety of reasons. They might feel that something is “off,” and head to the bathroom to see if their morning constitutional makes them feel better. Sometimes it’s a heart attack, aneurysm, or aortic dissection, often brought about by straining too hard or inadvertently using the Valsalva maneuver. Victims can trigger vasovagal syncope and pass out from the sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure. If they bonk their head or get wedged in an unnatural way, they can expire from a head injury or positional asphyxia. Others are lost to overdose or choking on vomit.
Due to the natural size constraints of most bathrooms, it’s extraordinarily difficult to extract an uncooperative person once they become wedged in that spot. To make matters worse, these situations usually involve blood or other body fluids. Medical situations like this often turn fatal since victims in distress aren’t usually discovered quickly enough, plus lifesaving measures are difficult to render if the person is tightly wedged or worse, laying unconscious in a way that blocks the bathroom door from opening.
Do your local medical and funeral professionals a favor: if you feel faint while on the throne, try and fall *away* from the Triangle.
#HisAndHearsePress #ToiletTime #PottyTalk #BermudaTriangle #BathroomBermudaTriangle #TriangleOfDeath #TriangleOfDoom #ToiletsWithThreateningAuras #Death #EMS #Paramedic #FirstCall #BathroomDesign
#AmReading: The Undertaker’s Assistant by Amanda Skenandore
Ooooh, historical fiction about a woman embalmer?! Yes please!
I rather enjoyed this book, particularly because the author did her homework. She referenced both current and historical embalming texts and visited with her local coroner for insight. She also employed sensitivity readers and referenced primary source documents written by Black people (specifically women, though they’re difficult to find) living in New Orleans or the South during that era.
““The dead can’t hurt you. Only the living can.” Effie Jones, a former slave who escaped to the Union side as a child, knows the truth of her words. Taken in by an army surgeon and his wife during the War, she learned to read and write, to tolerate the sight of blood and broken bodies—and to forget what is too painful to bear. Now a young freedwoman, she has returned south to New Orleans and earns her living as an embalmer, her steady hand and skillful incisions compensating for her white employer’s shortcomings.
Tall and serious, Effie keeps her distance from the other girls in her boarding house, holding tight to the satisfaction she finds in her work. But despite her reticence, two encounters—with a charismatic state legislator named Samson Greene, and a beautiful young Creole, Adeline—introduce her to new worlds of protests and activism, of soirees and social ambition. Effie decides to seek out the past she has blocked from her memory and try to trace her kin. As her hopes are tested by betrayal, and New Orleans grapples with violence and growing racial turmoil, Effie faces loss and heartache, but also a chance to finally find her place . . .”
Learn more at www.bookshop.org/shop/hisandhearsepress
#HisAndHearsePress #JustRead #TBRPile #Books #BookRecs #BookRecommendations #HistoricalFiction #ReconstructionEra #NewOrleans #Embalmer #Undertaker #MortuaryScience #Mortician #Bookstodon #Bookwyrm #AmandaSkenandore
Where did I disappear to all week?!
I haven’t posted in a few days because my kids got a “surprise” three days off school when their district went on strike. Instead of making it a mini vacation, we turned it into a learning experience.
I took the girls to walk the picket line all three days, despite pouring down rain on Day 1. They learned who we were supporting (contrary to assumptions, it wasn’t the teachers striking but the “invisible” school employees like bus drivers, custodians, aides, and cafeteria staff) and why (poverty wages with no increase to compensate for additional workload, plus general unfair labor practices).
We love our school and know how hard the support staff works. We believe what they’re asking for is fair. We’re glad we were able to show up and stand alongside them.
The girls learned some great lessons about unions and using their voices. They’re back at school today, and I’m back to posting my fun funeral stuff. Take a moment though and think about all of the invisible workers who keep the school running behind the scenes. They care about the kids too. They wouldn’t be suffering such low pay if they didn’t. 💜❤️
#HisAndHearsePress #LAUSD #Strike
#LAUSDStrike #United4LASchools #Solidarity #99Strong #UTLA #SEIU #SEIU99 #PicketLine
#Union #SupportSchoolStaff #FloridaMan
Condolence cards aren’t as popular as they used to be, but they’re still a nice, tangible piece of support that a grieving person can hold on to. It’s more real than a comment on a Facebook post because it shows you actually put forth some effort.
You can send cards later too. Many times, support is withdrawn after services have concluded. Consider sending a card weeks or months later to remind someone they’re still in your thoughts.
Oh, and I’m not 100% sure on the etiquette for sending a condolence card when you’re “the one who did it.” Any thoughts?
#HisAndHearsePress #Condolences #CondolenceCard #Sympathy #Funeral #GriefAndLoss #FuneralMemes #KidsSayTheDarndestThings
💀 Skulls!
“You probably don’t think much about skulls. So what’s the big deal about them? Well, every head of every person you’ve ever seen has a skull inside. And that includes you!”
This is a super cute kid’s book explaining that rather than being scary, skulls serve several very important purposes. Namely, they’re like a car seat for your brain and have holes for sounds, light, air, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Fun!
Skulls! by Blair Thornburgh
See it and other funerary type book recommendations at:
📚 https://bookshop.org/shop/hisandhearsepress
#HisAndHearsePress #Skulls #Bookstodon #Bookwyrm #BookRecommendations #BooksRecs #KidsBooks #DeathPositive #BodyPositive #KidLit #ChildrensBooks #StrangeAndUnusual #GothBooks
Sorry not sorry. My first job involved running Friday Night Magic tournaments at the Wizards of the Coast game store, and my second was essentially event planner for spontaneous family reunions (to borrow a phrase from a friend).
#HisAndHearsePress #Tragic #Gathering #MagicTheGathering #WOTC #WizardsOfTheCoast #Gamer #Nerd #FridayNightMagic #Funeral #SpontaneousFamilyReunion
#WordyWednesday: Reefer (no, not that kind) ❄️
AKA Cooler or Refrigerator
If a body needs to be held for a period of time and isn’t embalmed, it must be refrigerated to prevent decomposition. I mean, we’re going to decompose eventually, but the process needs to be paused for sanitation and funeral/viewing reasons.
Depending on the location, a mortuary might have a 1-2 person cooling chamber, or maybe a mid-size walk-in cooler with shelving or rolling tables. Some high volume facilities have larger capacities (40-50ish). Emergency situations like mass fatality disasters or hmmm, let’s see… pandemics! can necessitate the use of refrigerated truck trailers. They’re basically the same ones that keep your groceries fresh during transit and are referred to as reefers.
By the way, these are NOT freezers. The temperature is maintained between 36-39°F (that’s 2-4°C for you non-USians). This slows decomposition down to a crawl without creating ice crystals that damage tissues.
#HisAndHearsePress #Mortuary #MortuaryScience #Reefer #ReeferTrailer #Cooler #Refrigerator #HVAC #ColdStorage #Death
🦋On #LearnAboutButterfliesDay, let’s talk about why you shouldn’t do butterfly releases at funerals (or weddings, or any celebration).
At first glance, butterfly releases seem like a beautiful tribute with wonderful symbolism. They’re a lovely alternative to dove and balloon releases (ask me why you should avoid those too).
However… butterfly experts and conservationists unanimously agree that these releases are harmful and a long-lasting form of environmental pollution!
Butterflies are mass produced by breeders and shipped in flat little envelopes. Sometimes they’re put on ice to keep them dormant during transit. Many die on route, either from exposure or being crushed. The ones who survive emerge weak and disoriented. They’re suddenly in an unfamiliar environment, possibly in the wrong season or climate. They can’t find food. They may even be too weak to flutter away from the funeral they’re supposed to be “performing” at.
Mass production of monarchs also allows diseases to spread to native monarch populations. Crossbreeding of native and non-native species can have unexpected negative results. Releasing monarchs too far from their home inhibits their migratory instincts. All of this disrupts the ecological balance.
How heartbreaking would it be for your beautiful butterfly ceremony to actually contribute to the decline of the species?! And how disturbing would it be for your guests trying to release dead or dying butterflies?
For more information about harmful funeral tributes, and safer alternatives, check out my handy resource at https://www.louisepachella.com/blog/harmfulfuneraltributes
#HisAndHearsePress #NationalLearnAboutButterfliesDay #Butterfly #Butterflies #ButterflyRelease #Funeral #Tribute #Memorial
#MondayMourning: Stages of Grief - Expectations vs Reality
Most of us are aware of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's DABDA grief model (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance) and take it to mean "the stages of grief."
However... the stages are a collection of anecdotal experiences from dying people, NOT the people grieving!
Kubler-Ross studied over 200 terminally ill patients, but amassed a collection of case studies rather than empirical evidence or systematic investigation. Newer studies don't really support her findings.
Still, we steadfastly cling to the prescribed grief journey and compare our own experiences to that example of normality. We crave direction and validation in times of emotional upheaval, and following a guideline gives us a lifeline. Otherwise, how do we know if we're grieving "right?"
In reality, the grief journey doesn't make linear stops. It's a mishmash of conflicting emotions, like a rollercoaster that sometimes goes forward, sometimes goes backward, and sometimes falls off the rails completely. Judging your experience by the metrics of societal expectations will lead you to believe that you're failing at grieving properly. Don't do that.
Instead, get to know the variety of emotions that may pass through you while you navigate your loss. Accept them as normal and valid, then let them go. If any particular feeling becomes overwhelming and you're unable to cope, you're allowed to ask for guidance, counseling, support groups etc.
No one's grief will be the same as yours, so don't compare! Grieve on your own timeline and whatever way suits your needs.
#HisAndHearsePress #Grief #StagesOfGrief #GriefAndLoss #Emotions #Death #MentalHealth #ElisabethKublerRoss #OnDeathAndDying #GriefTips #GriefSupport
Raise your hand if you need to celebrate National Napping Day (which is always the Monday after the awful, awful time change) 🥱😴
#HisAndHearsePress #DaylightSavings #DaylightSavingsSucks #INeedANap #Naptime #NationalNappingDay #BoneTired #DirtNap
💀 It’s National Funeral Director & Mortician Appreciation Day!!! 🥳
Death care is strenuous, stressful, demanding, and low paying. It’s often a thankless job, as grieving families are understandably focused on other things.
Take a moment today to consider what morticians face on a daily basis. Death, unfathomable grief, gruesome bodies, tales of devastation, broken families, long unpredictable hours, and generally the worst things you can imagine. Many of us burn out or resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms. It’s a calling though, and we can’t resist the drive to help those in need.
Has a funeral director helped you navigate through a loss? Send them a note to let them know they made an impact on your life. Though we certainly appreciate tips, lunches, and mementos, we don’t expect them. Sometimes the best reward is hearing that our work mattered.
I have a box full of thank you cards that help remind me of my purpose when days are tough. 🖤
#HisAndHearsePress #NationalFuneralDirectorAndMorticianRecognitionDay #FuneralDirector #Mortician #Embalmer #Undertaker #MortuaryScience #Funeral #FuneralService #FuneralProfession #ThankYou
On National “Get Over It” Day, you might be tempted to push yourself to get over your grief.
Don’t do that.
Societal expectations pressure us to return to normal ASAP, but it’s not realistic or helpful. Grief is, unfortunately, a journey with no finish line. You don’t get to “end” grief.
Does the death of a loved one continue to impact you for the rest of your life? Yes.
Does it help for you to pretend you’re “better,” ignoring your emotions and refusing further help and support? No.
Are there ways to make life livable again, despite continuing to feel the pain and loss? Yes.
If you’re grieving a loss and someone tells you (or even implies) that you should get over it, assume it’s meant with good intentions (they don’t want to see you suffering). Then take that sentiment and drop it in the trash. It’s not a healthy mindset.
Continue to grieve. Learn to live beside your loss.
#HisAndHearsePress #NationalGetOverItDay #GetOverIt #Death #Loss #Grief #GriefAndLoss #GriefSupport #GriefTips #BadAdvice
🥳 My kittens are three weeks old today! They’re starting to wrestle and play, so look forward to more exciting kittenish content in the near future.
Mama Jezebel (Belly) has adapted to her duties admirably. It’s so neat to watch instinct direct her actions. The babies have finally been named:
The spicy tabby: Ivan the Terrible
The dark tabby: Arfurr Conan Spoiled
The calico one: Cleocatra
The black one: Edgrrr Allan Purr
#HisAndHearsePress #CatsAndKittens #Cats #Kittens #NameMyCat #LiteraryNames #Literature #IvanTheTerrible #ArthurConanDoyle #EdgarAllanPoe #Cleopatra #Jezebel #CatsOfMastodon #KittensOfMastodon #Caturday #CaturdayEveryday #Bookwyrm #Bookstodon
#AmReading: I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
I finally made it through the library holds list to get this on audiobook (and yes, I did buy the eBook but audio is my jam). If you haven't heard anything other than the sensational title, this book is the powerful true story of a woman coming to terms with her mother's toxic behavior and the profound effect it had on her entire life.
Jennette McCurdy (also known as Sam from iCarly and Sam & Cat) was forced to live her mother's dream of acting. Jennette was unable to experience a normal childhood, being pushed into auditions, beauty regimens, talent training, and eventually eating disorders. Her mother manipulated and abused her for years.
When Jennette's mother died of cancer, she had to grapple with complicated grief. She loved her mother, but hated what her mother had put her through. One quote that stood out to me was:
“I take a longer look at the words on her headstone. Brave, kind, loyal, sweet, loving, graceful, strong, thoughtful, funny, genuine, hopeful, playful, insightful, and on and on… Was she, though? Was she any of those things? The words make me angry. I can’t look at them any longer. Why do we romanticize the dead? Why can’t we be honest about them?”
It's a great lesson to take away. You can both love and hate a person, and you certainly don't have to venerate an abuser after death. Not everyone deserves to be sainted. Kudos to Jennette for seeking treatment for her disorders and sharing her private and uncomfortable tale. I hope it helps readers who might be experiencing toxic relationships and complicated grief.
#HisAndHearsePress #BookRecs #JustFinishedReading #JennetteMcCurdy #ImGladMyMomDied #Memoir #ToxicRelationships #EatingDisorder #Grief #ComplicatedGrief #iCarly #SamAndCat
I’d put money on this 💀🐈⬛
#HisAndHearsePress #Comic #Death #GrimReaper #Cats #DeathAndCats #JennyJinya #Facts #Accurate
#MondayMourning: The Rainbow Bridge Poem
If you've ever had a pet, you're probably familiar with this poem. It's the go-to condolence for animal lovers. If you're not in the know, it's a poem that's been featured all the way from Dear Abby to every veterinarian's office ever. It describes animals "crossing the bridge" into a super awesome meadow. Their youth, health, and mobility are restored, and they spend their days romping about together. They're fantastically happy, but for one thing: they miss their person.
Eventually, a day comes when the pet sees a familiar figure in the distance. They break from the pack, running to tackle their person with vigor, then escort them across the bridge. Everybody cries.
For years, the poem has been credited as Anonymous or Unknown. Worse, several people have claimed authorship. A writer of pet cemetery books (no, not that Pet Sematery book) recently tracked down the original author. She was astonished to learn that her words had been famous for decades. She still has the first handwritten draft, completed after the family dog died in 1959.
Edna Clyne-Rekhy, an 82 year old artist and animal lover, lives in Scotland. She was only 19 when her dog, Major, died in her arms. Prompted by her deep grief, Edna's mother suggested she write down her feelings. Those words have brought comfort to millions of pet lovers ever since.
#HisAndHearsePress #RainbowBridge #TheRainbowBridge #CrossingTheRainbowBridge #PetLoss #PetGrief #GriefPoems #Veterinarian #EdnaClyneRekhy #OriginalAuthor
#TombstoneTuesday: Elijah Bond, inventor of the Ouija board
Green Mount Cemetery, Baltimore, Maryland
Born in Maryland in 1847, Elijah Bond was both a lawyer and a Confederate Army soldier. He also invented and patented several things (like a steam boiler), but he is best know for inventing the original Ouija board (patented in 1891).
When he died in 1921, he was buried in an unmarked grave. Many decades later, a paranormal enthusiast and Ouija board collector named Robert Murch spent 15 years searching for the lost inventor. He found the grave!
Through the efforts of many volunteers and donations, a fitting headstone was placed to recognize the achievement of the man below. The front of the monument bears the typical names and dates, but the backside is engraved with a replica of his infamous Ouija board. Goodbye!
#HisAndHearsePress #Cemetery #Graveyard #Monument #Memorial #Gravestone #ElijahBond #Ouija #OuijaBoard #History #Paranormal
I’m ready to spend the next four days glued to my computer! I’ll be attending (and presenting at) the Women In Publishing Summit. I’ve got all my schedules line up with workshops picked out, plus my speaker notes and a whole lot of snacks.
This is serious, people. I’m getting up at 6:00am every day! It’s well worth it though.
Are you attending? Let me know so we can network! Do you still have questions or need a ticket? Comment or message me for info.
My presentation is Wednesday, March 1 at 2:00 EST/11:00 PST. See you there!
#HisAndHearsePress #WomenInPublishing #WomenInPublishingSummit #WritersCommunity #Author #Writer #Authorpreneur #WomenOwnedBusiness #MortuaryScience
It’s me! Also, are you new around here? You might think everything I post is cat related. This is an exception to my usual programming due to the recent acquisition of a stray cat and her four kittens. Once I run out of cat content and cat puns, it’ll be strictly business again. ☠️🐈⬛
(haha yeah right, it’s always weird here)
#HisAndHearsePress #Death #Funeral #DeathPositive #Cats #Coffee #Weird #CrazyCatLady #CaturdayEveryday
#MondayMourning: How to Help Pets Grieve (because they do!)
Pets can grieve the loss of a human or furry friend. Sometimes it's because they miss their buddy, but they're also sensitive to disruptions in routine and pack dynamics. Watch for changes in personality, appetite, bathroom habits, grooming, vocalization, and sleep. Some pets get clingy while others withdraw. Some hide. Some search for their missing loved one.
Help guide your little companion through their grief journey with these tips:
- Maintain familiar routines and schedules when possible (meals, walks, playtime bedtime). Familiarity is comforting.
- Provide new treats and toys for mental stimulation and distraction. Explore a new place. Teach them a new trick. Try something different or challenging.
- Give extra attention and affection, but be careful not to reward or reinforce unwanted behavior. Ignore whining and pacing, but then lavish love and calmness on them when they're not acting out. Be cautious about punishing bad behavior (destruction, soiling), as it may create additional fear and anxiety.
- Your pet will pick up on your own grief and stress. Speak in a calm, happy voice to reassure them, even if you're sad. You might feel like pouring out your emotions on your pet to avoid unleashing them on others, but it's distressing to them. Watch what vibes you're putting out.
- If possible, let your pet see/smell their buddy's body to help them understand. If it's an animal friend in a euthanasia situation, ask your vet what they recommend. If it's a human friend, you might be able to make arrangements for the pet to visit the mortuary.
- Be patient while your pets establish a new pack hierarchy. Allow an adjustment period before introducing a new pet. In the meantime, give your pet extra attention or playdates with known animal buddies to alleviate isolation.
- While grief is unique with no set timeline, consult a vet about excessive or prolonged changes in behavior or appetite. They might have an underlying health condition, or may benefit from supplements or actual antidepressant medication.
#HisAndHearsePress #PetsAndGrief #GriefSupport #Dogs #Cats #Pets #Death #Grief
A special #Caturday treat for all: 🔊 turn your sound on for the best mews and squeals ever. The kittens are 9 days old today 🎉
#HisAndHearsePress #CaturdayEveryday #Cat #Cats #Kitten #Kittens #CatsOfMastodon #Catstodon #Meow #Purr #Squee #Adorable #StrayCat #AdoptDontShop #SpayAndNeuter #Video
“Don’t be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life.”
- Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting
#HisAndHearsePress #Quote #Quotes #LiteraryQuotes #Funeral #Death #Grief #TuckEverlasting #NatalieBabbitt #Bookwyrm #Bookstodon
The Belly Beans at five days old 😻
#HisAndHearsePress #Cat #Kitten #Kittens #CatsOfMastodon #Catstodon #Caturday #CaturdayEveryday #FreshKittens #Squee #AdoptDontShop #SpayAndNeuter
As an extremely mature and responsible adult (with a credit card), I’m taking my new cat ownership duties seriously. Very. Seriously.
Blood stained catnip flavored butcher knife?! What a time to be alive.
🥹🪓🔪💸
#HisAndHearsePress #Cat #CatToy #CatToys #GothCatLady #Squee #Catnip #CatnipToy #ButcherKnife #CatsOfMastodon #Catstodon #Caturday #CaturdayEveryday
“I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.”
- J.R.R. Tolkien
#HisAndHearsePress #GriefQuotes #GriefAndLoss #LiteraryQuotes #Tolkien #JRRTolkien #LOTR #ReturnOfTheKing #Funeral #Cry #TheRoadGoesEverOnAndOn
#Bookwyrm #Bookstodon
🔊 Sound on for adorable kitten squeals!
It’s #NationalLoveYourPetDay! To make up for my super sad post about kids grieving pet loss, here’s a fun video of Belly trying to get comfy (but accidentally laying on her kittens every time).
Note: no kittens were harmed during the filming of this video
#HisAndHearsePress #Cat #Kitten #StrayCat #CatsOfMastodon #Catstodon #Caturday #CaturdayEveryday #FreshKittens #Meow #Squee #AdoptDontShop #SpayAndNeuter
It’s #NationalLoveYourPetDay! Since my last post about kids and pet loss was super sad, here are FRESH KITTEN pics. The stray I took in (Belly) birthed these four babies in my bedroom four days ago, and they’re all doing very well. So cool.
#HisAndHearsePress #Cat #Kitten #Catstodon #CatsOfMastodon #CaturdayEveryday #Caturday #StrayCat #FreshKittens #PeetsAndBeans #ToeBeans #AdoptDontShop #SpayAndNeuter
🚨 Breaking News! If you’ve been following Kitten Watch 2023, we now have TWO kittens! There’s a black one and a calico one, and Belly is still purring away. Stay tuned 👀 🐈⬛ 🐈
#HisAndHearsePress #Cat #Kitten #LaborAndDelivery #Birth #KittenRescue #Catstodon #CatsOfMastodon #CaturdayEveryDay #EveryDayIsCaturday #KittensOfMastodon (art by the infamous The Oatmeal)
Forget all that informative and educational funeral stuff I post… who wants to see more pics of this dumpling of a cat?!? 🐈⬛
Follow me on my book writing journey that is getting sidetracked by ***Kitten Watch 2023***
(And yes, that is a meat blanket. A blanket that looks like a side of beef 🥩)
#HisAndHearsePress #Funeral #Embalming #AmWriting #Cat #KittenWatch #IShouldBeWriting #AdoptDontShop #SpayAndNeuter #MortuaryScience #Catstodon #CatsOfMastodon #Caturday #CaturdayEveryday #EveryDayIsCaturday
“Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.”
- Vicki Harrison
#HisAndHearsePress #WaterfallWednesday #Grief #GriefQuotes #Funeral #Cemetery #Graveyard #Water
(Okay, ONE more #ValentinesDay post and then I’m DONE)
This is our pet dinosaur, Krona Rex. We adopted him during 2020 and dressed him up for holidays to amuse ourselves and our neighbors. Eventually he got his photo in the New York Post and on a daytime tv news show.
I haven’t dressed him up in a while (it’s too cold outside and we have him blocked in with some cars), but hopefully I’ll get back into his costumes eventually. Enjoy this Valentines photo from a couple years ago!
You can see more of his shenanigans at www.KronaRex.com 🦖
#HisAndHearsePress #KronaRex #Valentines #Cupid #Dinosaur #TRex
February 14 isn't just Valentine's Day. It's also National Donor Day, which is an observance dedicated to spreading awareness and education about organ, eye and tissue donation.
I advocate for organ and tissue donation whenever I can, despite the extra work it causes for embalmers. It's worth it. A single donor has the potential to save or improve *75* lives!
The absence of an organ in your grave means the presence of life in another person. Learn more about how it works, plus dispel myths and misconceptions here: https://www.louisepachella.com/blog/seasonofgiving
USA readers, register as a donor here: https://www.donatelife.net/
#HisAndHearsePress #DonateLife #ShareTheLove #NationalDonorDay #OrganDonation #TissueDonation #ValentinesDay #Embalming #Funeral #DeathPositive
‼️ (Brief promo for writers) Today is the last day for the $50 off coupon! Tomorrow the price goes back to $147 (and tbh, it’s still a fantastic deal at that price)
Missed my post the first time around? Here’s a recap:
I was chosen as one of the speakers for the 2023 Women In Publishing Summit! I'm going to teach other writers how to portray death accurately, touching on topics like decomposition, autopsies, embalming, funerals, and methods of getting rid of a body - legally!
The Women In Publishing Summit is a 4 day online conference that attracts writers, publishers, editors, illustrators, marketers, designers, and coaches. This year will feature nearly 70 speakers presenting live webinars (which are recorded and made available to attendees) covering writing craft, editing, production, routes to publishing, children's books, marketing/social media, and how to grow a business around writing. It's for newbies and seasoned professionals alike.
One of the most popular features is networking. There will be multiple Coffee Chats between educational sessions, which are great ways for writers to meet service providers and writer friends.
Interested in attending? Here's the pertinent info:
- March 1-4, 2023
- Online, not in person
- Webinars are live but recorded (there are too many to see all at once, plus some are so packed with great material that it's helpful to watch them again)
- It's called Women In Publishing, but men may attend (the speakers are women)
- A full lineup of speakers and topics is available before signing up
- Early bird pricing is $147, from now until it increases to $197 on Feb. 26
- Get a $50 discount with the code 50OFFWIP23 until Feb. 15!!!
- Signing up using my affiliate link gets me bonuses, though I would fully endorse this conference without incentives. It's ABSOLUTELY worth the money. The wealth of knowledge and connections = priceless.
For more info, plus the list of speakers/topics, here's my special link:
https://hisandhearsepress--writepublishsell.thrivecart.com/2023-wip-conference/
#HisAndHearsePress #WomenInPublishing #WomenInPublishingSummit #WIPSummit2023 #WritersCommunity #WritersConference #Writer #Author
“No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away.”
- Sir Terry Pratchett
#HisAndHearsePress #Quotes #GriefAndLoss #TerryPratchett #SirTerryPratchett #Legacy #MondayMotivation
(And now, a brief self-promo targeted towards writers)
Good news! I was chosen as one of the speakers for the 2023 Women In Publishing Summit! I'm going to teach other writers how to portray death accurately, touching on topics like decomposition, autopsies, embalming, funerals, and methods of getting rid of a body -- legally!
The Women In Publishing Summit is a four day online conference that attracts writers, publishers, editors, illustrators, marketers, designers, and coaches. This year will feature nearly 70 speakers presenting live webinars (which are recorded and made available to attendees) covering writing craft, editing, production, routes to publishing, children's books, marketing/social media, and how to grow a business around writing. It's for newbies and seasoned professionals alike.
One of the most popular features of the summit is networking. There will be multiple Coffee Chats between educational sessions, which are great ways for writers to meet service providers and writer friends. In fact, I met some of my favorite people at last year's summit! I owe so much to Women In Publishing and am so honored to give them my specialized knowledge in return.
Interested in attending? Here's the pertinent information:
- March 1-4, 2023
- Online, not in person
- Webinars are live but recorded (there are too many to see all at once, plus some are so packed with great material that it's helpful to watch them again)
- It's called Women In Publishing, but men may attend (the speakers are women)
- A full lineup of speakers and topics is available before signing up
- Early bird pricing is $147, from now until it increases to $197 on Feb. 26
- Get a $50 discount with the code 50OFFWIP23 until Feb. 15!!!
- Signing up using my affiliate link gets me bonuses, though I would fully endorse this conference without incentives. It's ABSOLUTELY worth the money. The wealth of knowledge and connections = priceless.
For more information, including the list of speakers/topics, here's my special link:
https://hisandhearsepress--writepublishsell.thrivecart.com/2023-wip-conference/
Questions? I'm happy to answer them. Also, please share this with anyone else who may benefit. Thanks!
#HisAndHearsePress #WomenInPublishing #WomenInPublishingSummit #WIPSummit2023 #WritersCommunity #WritersConference #Writer #Author
@lizzard here is a chonky harbor seal perched precariously on a boulder of indeterminate size (it’s partially submerged). He’s a whole mood.
#HisAndHearsePress #BoulderDay #FavoriteBoulder #LargeBoulder #SmallBoulder #LargeBoulderTheSizeOfASmallBoulder #Boulder #Chonk
It’s been a minute since I’ve been active on social media. I think I ended up in LaLaLand for a bit after the holidays and never made it back into a routine. The longer I stayed away, the harder it was to jump back in!
Help me get back on track: tell me what you’d like to learn about this year. What are your biggest funeral/death related questions?
#HisAndHearsePress #FuneralFacts #DeathPositive #Mortician #Undertaker #FuneralDirector #Embalmer #MortuarySchool #MortuaryScience #WritersCommunity #AuthorsSupportingAuthors
January Idea: Create a “joy jar” and write down the funny, happy, memorable experiences that happen throughout 2023. Big or small, trivial or monumental. You can add to the jar daily, weekly, or spontaneously, whatever suits you.
Next December 31st, empty the jar and read about the amazing year you had!
#HisAndHearsePress #JoyJar #Memories #NewYear #NewYearsEve #Remember #LoveNotesToYourself #January1 #December31
A reminder: if you don’t have a designated driver when you go out drinking, these three are always available. Party responsibly.
#HisAndHearsePress #Hearse #Ambulance #Police #Paramedics #Mortician #Alcohol #DesignatedDriver #PartyResponsibly #DrinkResponsibly #DontDrinkAndDrive #NewYears #NewYearsEve #HappyNewYear
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! And even if you don’t, you can still be creepy. 🎄💀
#HisAndHearsePress #Creepy #CreepyChristmas #Krampus #MerryChristmas #HappyChristmas #HappyHolidays #SeasonsGreetings #Morticia #Goth #GothAesthetic
#MondayMourning: Weeping Willow
Often found in cemeteries (planted or engraved on gravestones) and used to symbolize mourning. Their drooping branches evince sadness. Rain running down their leaves gives the appearance of crying.
They also represent adaptability and resilience. Their flexibility allows them to weather storms, and their hardiness helps them survive and regenerate. Also associated with resurrection, immortality, and life after death.
Note: There are additional interpretations of weeping willow symbolism. Asian cultures attach significance to the trees, and there are also a number of Biblical meanings. Tl;dr, weeping willows aren’t just for sadness and death!
#HisAndHearsePress #Symbolism #Cemetery #Gravestone #Engraving #WeepingWillow #Trees #Mourning #GriefAndLoss
But they were all of them deceived, for another platform was made. In the land of #Fediverse, in the dumpster fires of #BirdSite, the benevolent #JohnMastodon forged, in secret, a master instance to serve all others.
And into this instance, he poured his love, his toots, and his will to share free and open-source software.
One instance to bring them all and in the darkness, guide them.
#HisAndHearsePress #Mastodon #JoinMastodon #FreeJohnMastodon #WeAreAllJohnMastodon #IAmJohnMastodon #AIArt #LOTR #Nerd #Gargron #EugenRochko #TwitterMigration #Community
I found a historic photo of #JohnMastodon! Here he is leading the #TwitterRefugee flock during the Great #TwitterMigration of 2022. Such a hero.
#HisAndHearsePress #Mastodon #JoinMastodon #WeAreAllJohnMastodon #IAmJohnMastodon #AIArt #Welcome #BirdSite
It’s #Caturday! I started feeding a stray cat about a year ago and inadvertently collected these alternative cats as well. I love them all.
Believe it or not, these photos were taken together on the porch outside my bedroom. The opossums were watching the skunk and raccoon eat, and the raccoon was looking up at the opossums. I thought it was an internet myth that these creatures hung out together, but IT’S TRUE!
#HisAndHearsePress #Cat #Cats #Catstodon #CatsOfMastodon #TrashCat #TrashCats #Opossum #Skunk #Raccoon #TrashPanda #TrashBandit #AdoptDontShop #Wildlife #UrbanWildlife
My #Mastodon impressions so far:
I picture Bird Site as a massive (and inexplicably sticky) sports stadium in which millions of people are screaming and raging at each other despite ostensibly being on the same team.
Meanwhile.
Mastodon comes off as a quirky coffee shop, lined with bookshelves, fireplaces, and cozy nooks. People meander through and catch odd phrases that rise above the general murmur. “I love that thing too!” they say as they are welcomed into an open comfy chair and easily join in the conversation, as if they’d been there for decades. Everyone has a cat in their lap. 🐈
#HisAndHearsePress #Welcome #TwitterMigration #Newbie #ILikeItHere #WereAllNerds #BirdSite #Cat #Cats #Catstodon #CatsOfMastodon #CoffeeShopVibes #Introduction #Introductions #TwitterRefugee
#Photography #BlackAndWhite #Cadillac #Hearse #TRex #Dinosaur (by the way, his name is Krona Rex and we dress him up for holidays)
Looking to follow people with startlingly unusual content? That's me!
I'm a funeral director and embalmer turned writer and educator. I love teaching others about dead bodies and funerals, but in a light and easy to understand way. I want to help mitigate fear and stigma through open discussion. Ask me anything! (Bonus: if you're a writer, I can totally help set your scenes and ensure accuracy!)
I try to share themed posts like #MondayMourning, #WordyWednesday, and #FuneralFactFriday. I also love books, memes, cats, dogs, dinosaurs, trash cats, welding, and demolition derby driving.
So I'm a bit all over the place, but guaranteed to be one of the most interesting people around!
#HisAndHearsePress #FollowFriday #FollowBackFriday #NiceToMeetYou #Funeral #FuneralDirector #Embalmer #Mortician #MortuaryScience #DeathPositive #Author #Writer #WritingCommunity #Catstodon #Dogstodon #Bookstodon #Bookwyrm