Katie Crane

Everyone stayed awake to watch a sports game but I stayed awake to finish a bad book so I can force my friend to read it

I think my neighbourhood is mostly older families but we've definitely gone down in trick or treaters over the years. Last year we had 0! Maybe I should buy full size bars for the few kids that come next year

I had 2 and they got handfuls of candy each

Told a ghost story and talked about cemeteries on the radio tonight and now my parents want me to give them a tour of my favourite local cemetery

A slate tombstone in the fenced in churchyard at St Luke's Anglican Church in Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. The top features a winged skull. There is staying on the gravestone which makes it difficult to read, but it says: Here lies buried The body of William Hobson Son of Mr William Hobson & Mrs Elizabeth Hobson who Departed this life July ye 20 1767 Aged 10 months There are guidelines carved into the stone to keep the letters in a straight line. There is also some damage to the lower left side of the gravestone. It doesn't affect the inscription but it does look like a chunk has been chipped off the stone.

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 31 - Memento Mori

I can't believe October is over already!

We don't have a lot of typical Memento Mori symbols in Newfoundland, but there are some if you know where to look. This winged skull is in St Luke's Anglican Churchyard, Placentia, NL.

If it's 2003 I am sneaking into Calio's to watch improv despite being underage and then getting a ride back to my friend's house in his shitbox car that only has one working door and falling asleep in his bed watching anime we rented from Timemasters. And life will be good.

People were cleaning the graves when we went. It was the day the spirits of children were supposed to visit so there were a lot of families scrubbing graves and there were mariachi bands playing!

They discourage them because people think it hinders clean up. But in Mexico, the tradition is for families to clean the graves during Dia de Muertos (more than what Catholics do for flower service I think) and I guess that minimizes how much maintenance has to be done the rest of the year

A poinsettia growing in Panteón Xoco, CDMX

Marigolds, also known as cempasúchil, in pots on a grave in Panteón Xoco, CDMX during Dia de Muertos

That's a flowerbed planted on a grave but there were lots of plants otherwise! Especially marigolds because they are related to Dia de Muertos but we also saw some also poinsettias!

A grave in Panteón Xoco, CDMX during Dia de Muertos. This grave has an overgrown flowerbed in front and an awning that has been decorated in a mixture of black and white paper jack o'lanterns and colourful papel picado garlands, as well as paper cempasúchil (marigold) flowers. There is a small altar at the back with a statue of Mary and some small vases holding more flowers

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 30 - Colour

I think I used this last year but I'll use it again this year. There's no way to describe the colour and sound and life and joy and grief in a Mexican cemetery during Dia de Muertos that will ever do it justice.

Pantéon Xoco, CDMX

I was going to say I'd be shocked if they allowed 2 of the 3 to happen after denying Allison Coffin a few years ago but I guess stranger things have happened

Has that been decided? Last I saw they'd just requested them. They've denied recounts with lower vote differences in the past than 2 of the 3 that the Liberals want recounted this time

A gravestone in the Howff in Dundee, Scotland. It reads: To The memory Of James Chalmers Bookseller Dundee Born 1782 died 1853 _ Originator of the adhesive postage stamp Which saved the penny postage scheme of 1840 From collapse Rendering it an unqualified success And which has since been adopted Throughout the postal systems of the World _ This memorial is erected by his son Patrick Chalmers Wimbledon 1888.

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 29 - Occupation

James Chalmers, bookseller in Dundee, Scotland. Also inventor of the adhesive postage stamp.

The Howff, Dundee, Scotland

A gravestone in the shape of a broken column, symbolizing a life cut short. This gravestone is for Patrick Tasker, a Freemason and businessman originally from Scotland but who lived and died in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador just short of his 37th birthday in 1860. The inscription is diffucult to read due to missing letters and weathering.

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Day 28 - Column

This broken column is for Patrick Tasker, an influential man who died just short of his 37th birthday. An educational fund in his honour started by the Masons continues today, 164 years later.

Two tall, deep green, fluffy trees flank the Ayre family vault in the General Protestant Cemetery in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Both trees and the vault are surrounded by a decorative iron fence

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 27 - Tree

I'm not sure what trees these are surrounding the Ayre vault in the General Protestant Cemetery in St John's, NL but they are stunning and stand out among the other old growth trees in the cemetery

The General Protestant Cemetery in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in autumn. There are several large trees some of which have yellow leaves and some of which have bare branches. There is a sea of yellow and orange leaves on the ground around the graves.

The General Protestant Cemetery in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in autumn. There are several large trees including one with beautiful yellow leaves which is sheltering several graves

The General Protestant Cemetery in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador in autumn. There are several large trees some of which have yellow leaves and some of which have bare branches. There is a sea of yellow and orange leaves on the ground around the graves.

Today was the @talkdeath.bsky.social Cemetery Scavenger Hunt and I had a lot of fun running around in the cemetery (but I don't think I won)

Tonight is the second of our October movies: the original Halloween! What is a more iconic villain than Michael Myers?

It's one of the few Stephen King books I haven't read. The film is pretty dark but I got a lot of analogies with what is currently happening in the US and that made it even more dark

Man. The Long Walk is *bleak*. Good. But bleak.

YouTube video by planD플랜디 연휴에도 혼자 일하는 자취일상. 배홍동 육회 칼빔면. 창덕궁 약다방, 일할때 먹는 쉬운 요리들. 재도전 하는 베이킹

When I inevitably wake up around 3am I put this YouTubers videos on with low/no volume and just watch her cook and sew until I get drowsy

youtu.be/gJSFaBymDas?...

The figure of an angle on top of a gravestone in the General Protestant Cemetery in St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. She holds on broken hand in the air, her wings behind her, and a star on her head. The gravestone inscription reads: Mother In memory of Emily Milley Wife of W. J. Bartlett Died Dec 29, 1931 Aged 62 Years The epitaph is diffucult to read due to some of the leaded letters being missing

A close up of the angel

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 26 - Figure

I've always loved this angel with a star on her head in the General Protestant Cemetery in St John's, NL

12 carved pumpkins on a stair case. From top to bottom, left to right: Classic Jack o'lantern face, K-Pop Demon Hunter cat, K-Pop Demon Hunter bird (forgive me I don't know their names) Cthulhu, another K-Pop Demon Hunter cat that is slightly different from the first in a hard to explain way Tiny classic Jack o'lantern face, Calcifer from the cover of the book Howl's Moving Castle, a horse A skeleton cameo with a ponytail, a fish bowl Dr Doom, a Jack o'lantern face with crocheted pieces over the eyes

3 pumpkins on a table. One is carved to look like One Punch Man, and the other two have plastic eyes and mouths stuck into the pumpkins giving them wild and crazy faces

A cake made to look like a ouija board with a tiny cookie planchette

Year 11! We had one newbie and many familiar faces. My mom wanted to make a cake for the party for the first time, too!

Leftover cemetery decorations behind a fence in the crypt of one of the chapels in Arnos Vale Cemetery in Bristol, England

One of the signs at the exhibit in Arnos Vale. It says: People visiting cemeteries are often traumatized following the death of a loved one. This message is simple but getting it out there is challenging to say the least. Do we choose fake because they last forever? If so, at what cost? And where do exactly do they 'last forever'? Maybe because they are cheap? But it's cheap the best for our environment? Will fake, plastic, forever Flowers have meant more to your loved one than a natural, biodegradable arrangement? By making beautiful decorations, using natural materials we enhance the grave without damage 2-hour surroundings. By introducing ways to minimize negative environmental effect, rejecting plastic flowers, containers and balloons, we can choose a natural, biodegradable, 'kind to the planet' alternative. By joining one of our seasonal workshops people of all ages and abilities can join us in creating beautiful, natural, memorials not only for a loved ones but for our planet

One of the signs at the exhibit in Arnos Vale. It says: A sensitive topic which is often avoided. Our cemeteries are constantly littered with plastic waste. Over the year we have been monitoring the waste from our graveyards to see just how much of this can be avoided and to inform visitors of the sheer volume of waste which is negatively impacting our environment. There is a lack of education surrounding the use of objects used to commemorate the dead leaving our burial ground some of the most littered spaces to which we continue contributing. Without a thought for the environment, people are causing damage to our surroundings. Green floral foam, fake flowers and balloons will sit in landfill for hundreds of years. What is the alternative? Fresh flower bouquets without the plastic wrapping and flower food sachets, handmade arrangements which will not last as long but will be much more meaningful. Handmade wreaths, garlands and Bunting can be a joyous way to decorate a grave as an alternative to balloons with weights.

#31DaysOfGraves

Speaking of graveside ornaments, Arnos Vale Cemetery in Bristol, England had a wonderful and thoughtful exhibit in one of their two chapels when I was there last year about all the things that get left behind in cemeteries

10 pumpkins made of orange yarn with cinnamon stick stems are on a table. The pumpkins are connected by a string of twine

12 pumpkins made of orange yarn with cinnamon stick stems connected by a string of twine and hung in a doorway like a garland

A close up of 5 of the pumpkins

I made some pompom pumpkins for my pumpkin carving party tonight

A gravestone with a large floral arrangement on top, a smaller floral arrangement in front, a tea cup, a bingo dabber, a small angel figurine, and a pack of playing cards

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 25 - Graveside Ornament

I'm assuming the bingo dabber, the tea cup, and the pack of playing cards in front of this grave are for Minnie who seems like she really knew how to have a good time!

Tomorrow is year 11 of my annual pumpkin carving party! I can't wait! There will be pumpkins and hot apple cider (whisky optional) and my mom has decided she wants to make a cake!

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The caribou doesn't seem to match the rest of the grave so I wonder which local person saw the mention of the Great War and assumed Private Norman had been a member of the RNR and carved their own caribou?

A newspaper article from the Toronto Star - January 20th, 1917. It reads: Pte. W. C. Norman killed. Pte. Wm. C. Norman, who formerly lived at 1466 Dufferin street, is officially reported killed in action. He was a native of Newfoundland the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Norman, of Clark's Beach, Nfld. He was 25 years of age and unmarried, and was by trade a carpenter. He went overseas last May with a draft of the 83rd, and was only in the trenches about three weeks when killed.

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The interesting thing is that William C. Norman was never in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. He had been living in Toronto at the time and was enlisted as part of the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force and only served 3 weeks in the trenches before dying in a grenade accident

The gravestone of Sergeant Sidney George Burry in Greenspond, NL. At the top of the grave is the symbol of the Newfoundland Regiment which is a caribou. Below that the inscription reads: In fond Remembrance Of Sergt. Sidney George Burry Who was killed At Beaumont Hamel France July 1, 1916 Aged 32 years He is gone, but not Forgotten Never shall his Memory fade Oh how we would love To linger Around the place where he is laid. Erected by his family

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The official version looks more like this one on the grave of Sergeant Sidney George Burry in Greenspond, NL.

The gravestone of Robert J Norman and Private William C. Norman in Clarke's Beach, Newfoundland and Labrador. At the top is a hand pointing to a book. On the left page it says Asleep in Jesus. On the right page is a carved caribou replicating the official Newfoundland Regiment emblem. Below that it it reads: In Loving memory Of And then the grave is divided in half. The left half is for Robert J Norman and the right half is for Private William C Norman who was killed "in the Great War" in 1917. The rest of the gravestone is a bit difficult to read due to the angle

#31DaysOfGraves
Day 24 - Unique Animal

The caribou is the symbol of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. This is the only one I've seen that is clearly replicating the official emblem. I think it looks a bit like a sock puppet version.

Clarke's Beach, NL