I may never forgive Congress when they corrupted holidays to make three-day weekends.  One of the victims was Memorial Day.  As it was the custom, prior to the change, everyone went to the cemeteries on that day. Now, it is whenever you get around to do it, though unfortunately time has taken its toll and fewer people observe the original intent of the holiday.

However, I still follow tradition. Actually, it takes me several weeks to take care of everything.  One project that I am slowly working on is the polishing of headstones. It is slow and tedious but the final result is worth the effort.  During the St. Patrick’s Cemetery Tour I did a brief demo on the grave of Minnie Ramsey.  The technique is simple, a pumice stone and lots of elbow grease. One can spray the surface with water, but that is a messy procedure, and dissolves the pumice stone quickly. If you want to go the extra mile, once the grime is removed, spray with WD 40. Let it sit for awhile ten minutes or so, and then use a damp cloth to do the final cleaning. This removes any residue of the WD 40, which is necessary otherwise dust, etc would cling to the stone.

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