On a bright cheery afternoon last week we went to the Mount Bethel cemetery in Columbia PA to look up and visit some relatives. This place was founded in 1720, and although some find graveyards macabre, they are such a commentary on the human condition in times past.
Styles have really changed. This cemetery contains no lasered photographs on monuments. All are hand carved.
Many, many of these memorials are for teens or younger children. As I walked, the sense of longing, sadness and love was palpable.
These towers and obelisks are so different from what we'd have today. There is much ornate carving, but many of the stones are sandstone, easily worn away within 100 - 150 years.
only daughter and first-born son...
We forget how lucky we are to have so many deadly childhood diseases irradicated or manageable today. That isn't a statement for OR against innoculations - it is simply an observation. Imagine the terror parents felt the instant a child ran a fever.
I could imagine a loved one running their hand over the flowers on this monument, or sitting upon the front part, which is fashioned like a small bed, or chaise lounge.
Although the families of these people are mostly gone themselves, we can still mourn with them as we pass. Notice the "m's" on the stone below... they resemble the willow tree motif that is often used.
On the base of the pedastal at the foot of this stone, "we love you still".
This gentleman was a poet, writer, and it would seem from the writings on all four sides of his obelisk, much loved by the community as well as his family.
No explanation needed....
This celtic cross was about 10 feet tall.
So much of the carving was gone from the stone that it was unreadable.
No age given. No years. Just "our boy".
This one held me for a long time. Mary was 9. Her parents are nearby, and she is the only child with them.
For some reason, this struck me as if to say, "hey! wait a minute, I have something more to say..."
This long row of tablet style graves and those like this used to terrify me as a child, as I assumed that the body was above ground. It was just another style of monument.
An angel watches over.
Again, I chuckled at this tiny obelisk. In the tradition and style of the soaring 10, 12, and 25 foot giants in the nearby background, this perfect little stone was for a child.
A wee lamb nestled in beside a tree stump. One of my favorite styles, but worn almost beyond recognition.
This little lamb will also wear away before too long. It is only from 1922 - relatively new in gravestone years.
This celtic cross was about 10 feet tall.
So much of the carving was gone from the stone that it was unreadable.
No age given. No years. Just "our boy".
This one held me for a long time. Mary was 9. Her parents are nearby, and she is the only child with them.
For some reason, this struck me as if to say, "hey! wait a minute, I have something more to say..."
This long row of tablet style graves and those like this used to terrify me as a child, as I assumed that the body was above ground. It was just another style of monument.
An angel watches over.
Again, I chuckled at this tiny obelisk. In the tradition and style of the soaring 10, 12, and 25 foot giants in the nearby background, this perfect little stone was for a child.
A wee lamb nestled in beside a tree stump. One of my favorite styles, but worn almost beyond recognition.
This little lamb will also wear away before too long. It is only from 1922 - relatively new in gravestone years.
So we walked, and we mourned, and we laughed. In some instances, we nearly cried. I suppose that in many cases, the only trace that these people existed is these stones. Now we have photographs, paperwork, and so many "footprints". But for these people, it is just the stone.
Now the beauty of every bud, berry, bean, and blossom is even more apparent. Our brother also has a long history of photo manipulation with different computer programs, and he's toying with some small business ideas he can do from home. We are really happy to see him excited about something, btw.
This clear yellow is spectacular. Sometimes the maple out back glows this particular color into my sunporch, and it changes my mood. This year the weather wasn't right. So the larger shot of this might become a screensaver.
For some reason mushrooms are just so darned cute sometimes. I don't forage or identify them, I just look at them and enjoy the way they look.
Looking up through the trees, this struck me as an amazing vision. All the colors and the sky, and the size of the trees, it took my breath away.
The churchyard at the Mount Hope church. I'm thinking that at dusk on a foggy night, this could be pretty darned spooky.
Eeyore in the flesh! This is a very young little burro. S/he headed over to the fence right away, and I hurried away so that there would be no electric fence accident to repay the friendliness.
We sat on a little one lane bridge while I snapped this out the window, with my siblings squawking about oncoming traffic.
Still some firey leaves across a new crop of soybeans.
One of the larger farms in our part of the county, just over the crest on the other side of a field. 
The perfectly kept farms in our area are rolling it in for the season. Many have re-sown the fields with winter crops, and the rest will lay fallow until spring. Almost all of them are incredibly well kept and neat as a pin. Considering all of the equipment and mess that farming requires, it is nothing short of amazing.
I had to pull over and take a picture of this yard that we passed(and also a soybean field beside it) that was just covered with these mushrooms. They do not look friendly. Cool looking, though.
There were these llamas on the one hillside as we drove along. We were treated to lots and lots of sweet animals while we were out... including a little red steer that had managed to get loose and was just having a good old time eating whatever the heck he wanted in a meadow. Miniature horses were at the one farm, sheep, goats, and lots of horses and cows were out today, along with the usual chickens, ducks, and geese. The swans were missing from their usual place in the pond, however.
The girls waded across a swampy area to get to this patch. They were having a great time. I don't think I've taken Lisa along on any of our foraging tours. It seems that was a shame that we'll have to work on fixing!
They were even both willing to try a groundcherry!
They believe that it is easier for the souls of the deceased to communicate with us on this day. The graves of loved ones are decorated with flowers, pictures of the Virgin Mary, and favorite foods of the deceased. Skeletons and skulls are also common symbols of The Day of the Dead. Altars of a similar nature can also be made at home. People often celebrate right on the graves, eating, drinking, and sharing stories and memories of their loved ones late into the night. What a novel idea for our culture which is obsessed with avoiding death by all means possible, worships youth, and chooses to go “under the knife” in hopes of fooling Mother Nature.
The herb of Dia De Los Muertos would definitely be the marigold - usually calendula. 
Graves are lavished with it. The people of Mexico believe that marigolds attract the souls of the departed. 
Pan de Muerto
There are over 750 sages, most of them ornamental, but the culinary sages are among the most useful of herbs. During the Middle Ages sage began to be used as a preservative due to it's antibacterial properties, and therefore found its way into the kitchen. The earliest recipes used sage with meat for its' ability to break down fats.
Pineapple Sage. 
This is one variety that I must include in my herb garden each year. The leaf has a lovely pineapple fragrance and flavor, and in late summer it sends up beautiful bright red flower spikes. Pineapple sage is a tender perennial so you will need to take cuttings in the fall, or start with a new plant each spring. If you grow this plant, try cutting some leaves, chop them fine, and mix with cream cheese. This makes a delicious spread for summertime breads such as zucchini. Use the spread for tea sandwiches, topped with a blossom. Press some of the blossoms for note cards or decorative papers. 
