Burying our loved ones

[Valley Oak]

The funeral business is worse than a racket; it is a swindling business akin to the Cosa Nostra. They unscrupulously exploit our intense emotions of a dearly departed to yank out $10,000 or more by making us believe that the more money we line their pockets with, the more we are demonstrating our love, respect, and devotion to our deceased.

Enough! We need to rise up and stand against these funeral swindling operations. What is required to completely bypass funeral 'homes' and taking our loved ones and cremating them ourselves? How about a very public party with extended family and friends to celebrate their lives with cheers, not tears???

Or how about simply taking them and burying them under a large boulder, with no formaldehyde, which is HORRIBLE for the environment? A la natural? No chemicals, no nonsense?

How about it? Let's make this happen and let's stop being ripped off blind by these sharks who take advantage of us to become rich. They don't know or care about our loved ones, no matter how well rehearsed their spoken lines are, and they have A LOT of practice, believe me. That's how they make a "killing" at our expense. Greed and shamelessness know no bounds.

Furthermore, this practice of ripping people off blind is denigrating to our loved ones and to the rest of us well. If we really want to express love and appreciation to those who were closest to us, then we have a moral obligation to them and ourselves to completely avoid the funeral homes altogether.

[Thad]

Edward I appreciate you, I find myself weary of this world and no longer strident, and so to have posts that stimulate the thought for a response I thank you.

Here's a thought, in hospitals when someone has a do not resuscitate clause, someone could ask for an oxygen rich formula to be pumped through their veins instead of formaldehyde after they die, the thought is for rapid decomposition in an oxygen rich atmosphere aiming at the harvest of nutrients for plant life. Rather than go for the fire you can let the fire's of biology at the body and afterwards you can have a memorial garden of whatever the size the soil mix is to provide a very nice bed for things to grow in. And should pot ever become legal, you can grow a pot plant in Dolores's remains and when you wanted to remember you could take a hit off Dolores and have a nice remembrance. Holographic memorials optional

The funeral business is worse than a racket; it is a swindling business akin to the Cosa Nostra. ...

[Valley Oak]

Thank you, Marc!

I'm going to write in my will that my survivors do to my cadaver what you described, and that then they should "plant" me in the garden, perhaps with a Valley Oak seedling. I like the romantic imagery of being reincarnated into a long living, native oak tree.

Edward I appreciate you, I find myself weary of this world and no longer strident, and so to have posts that stimulate the thought for a response I thank you.

Here's a thought, in hospitals when someone has a do not resuscitate clause, someone could ask for an oxygen rich formula to be pumped through their veins instead of formaldehyde after they die, the thought is for rapid decomposition in an oxygen rich atmosphere aiming at the harvest of nutrients for plant life...

[wisewomn]

Lovely thought, Edward. However, the way things are going, you'd probably get bulldozed to make way for another winery. :-)

Thank you, Marc!

I'm going to write in my will that my survivors do to my cadaver what you described, and that then they should "plant" me in the garden, perhaps with a Valley Oak seedling. I like the romantic imagery of being reincarnated into a long living, native oak tree.

[Thad]

I left out the word terrarium because I didn't know a better word so bulldozers are no worry's

Lovely thought, Edward. However, the way things are going, you'd probably get bulldozed to make way for another winery. :-)

[meherc]

I'm very thrifty and pretty immune to sales talks and guilt inducing tactics by funeral directors, even in the throes of grief-always opted for a cardboard box and cremation. Ashes go in the garden. But, practically speaking, how would you be able to dig a hole big enough to bury a full grown person in your back yard? I have trouble even digging deep enough to bury a pet rat.
Isn't there an organization in Sonoma County that helps people take care of their dead themselves? I remember someone named Sally Strawberry (or Raspberry, something like that ) was one of the organizers and believe the urn gallery has info on them.7889

[Barry]

...Isn't there an organization in Sonoma County that helps people take care of their dead themselves?...

Perhaps you are thinking of Final Passages.

[jbox]

Thank you, Marc!

I'm going to write in my will that my survivors do to my cadaver what you described, and that then they should "plant" me in the garden, perhaps with a Valley Oak seedling. I like the romantic imagery of being reincarnated into a long living, native oak tree.

My mother has asked to be cremated and I will take her ashes to be scattered at a little stream in Red Mountain Basin in the High Sierra at 10,400 ft. I can't think of a lovlier way to go and to honor her and the mountains she loved. I'm going to have somebody do the same for me. Better than embalming or made into compost I think...