Ashes

My wife knows that when I pass away, I'd like to be cremated. Still don't know what to do with the ashes, maybe they could be recycled as fertilizer for our little backyard garden.

And speaking of ashes and recycling, a crematorium in Manchester, England, is taking the "green" concept of recycling another step: they want to use the heat generated by cremating bodies to light the funeral home chapel and provide heat for the mourners.

Several local religious authorities have already given the idea their stamp of approval, saying it is a "final act of generosity" and a "way for the dead to provide comfort to the living."

And you thought I was kidding.

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An elderly woman from Brooklyn decided to prepare her will and wanted to get some advice from her rabbi. She told him she had two final requests, if he agreed they would be kosher and acceptable to the faith.

First, she wanted to be cremated. The rabbi agreed this was acceptable.

Second, she wanted her ashes to be scattered throughout Bloomingdales.

"Bloomingdales!" the rabbi exclaimed. "Why Bloomingdales?"

"That way," explained the woman, "I'll be sure that my daughters will come to visit at least twice a week."

[first seen in AndyChap's The_Funnies]

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This is an anniversary weekend, of a sort. First, I passed the century mark of posts at my blog. Now, recently they've all been "Mark's Musings" that I've sent to my list, though on occasion I have added a picture that I didn't include in the post, but there's some pretty interesting stuff in the earlier archived blog entries, too. Secondly, Sunday marks the day I moved to the Flint, Michigan area, 28 years ago. I thought I was moving here to find work and get married. Turned out I was, but only with a different job and to a different woman. They've both been very very good to me.

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WEB SITE of the WEEK: This one may only appeal to computer nerds like myself, but there is some really cool stuff at the Think Geek website, and if you go to their Clearance Sale page at http://www.thinkgeek.com/clearance/?cpg=cj, you'll find some pretty cool stuff at some pretty reasonable prices. One of my favorites is the battery recharger that you plug into your USB, and it's under ten bucks.

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WORDS for YOUR WEEKEND: "But people just walk on and live in disillusion, satisfied with their confusion, leaving death as their conclusion to life. I guess they just don't understand the situation, death was meant to be elation, and life is but a revelation of love." (Gary Driskell, my college roommate, from a song we wrote together. Gary is currently employed as a songwriter in Nashville)