Daughter Christina and son Peter went with me to Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma last month. Jon will be buried there next to his parents and his sister — Peter is pointing to the spot. I expect to wind up there as well, when I’m good and ready. Jon and I will be in illustrious company at Cypress Lawn. Newspaper notables Charles de Young, William Randolph Hearst and Lincoln Steffens are there. So are baseball greats Lefty O’Doul and Willie McCovey. Photos by Barbara Newhall
The kids and I drove over to Colma last month to pick out a gravesite for Jon. And one for me. Jon’s spot looked good. It was right next to his sister. As for me — there was a dandelion growing on my grave.
It was a tenacious weed, built to last, splayed out flat, and insinuating itself among the blades of the neighboring grass, out of reach of the mower.
It was a tough guy, that dandelion. It wasn’t going anywhere.
I liked it.
With a little luck the dandelion will be there many years hence, when the cemetery folks come around with their shovels to dig a hole for me.
Next to Jon. Underneath a dandelion.
Here’s the dandelion growing on my grave site. Under the right conditions, by some estimates, a dandelion can live up to thirteen years. If that’s the case, I’d like to outlive this particular weed. But if I don’t, it will be good, if humble, company in the ground over there in Colma.
This is what a dandelion looks like when not flattened by a cemetery lawn mower. I discovered this one growing — planted? — in a front yard in Piedmont, a diverse neighborhood garden-wise, where blousy floribunda roses drop their petals up the street from starchy birds of paradise.
My website’s WordPress format does not embrace wildness. Not at all. It wants me to say OK to every comment that comes its way. So all comments sit waiting to be “moderated” until I can find a minute to check them out and “approve” them. Every once in a while a bizarre comment from someone I don’t know appears and I send it off to comment heaven. Meanwhile, I love hearing from readers, whether I know them or not, especially lately without Jon to chat with whenever a stray thought pops into my mind.
This is also a tribute to your bravery. You are marching into your future, through an emotional time and even doing research on dandelions’ life expectancy. Admirable!
Thank you, Liz. Writing and looking up stuff like how long a dandelion can live are nice distractions. They keep me from thinking too hard about the far-off future. Short term future is easier to imagine as it looks like it includes a visit to the grandchildren!
Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.
Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.
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It is a tribute to your wild side. Embrace it.
My comment is awaiting moderation??????? Is wild immoderate? Embrace?
My website’s WordPress format does not embrace wildness. Not at all. It wants me to say OK to every comment that comes its way. So all comments sit waiting to be “moderated” until I can find a minute to check them out and “approve” them. Every once in a while a bizarre comment from someone I don’t know appears and I send it off to comment heaven. Meanwhile, I love hearing from readers, whether I know them or not, especially lately without Jon to chat with whenever a stray thought pops into my mind.
Good to know at least one person thinks I’ve got a wild side. xxoo
This is also a tribute to your bravery. You are marching into your future, through an emotional time and even doing research on dandelions’ life expectancy. Admirable!
Thank you, Liz. Writing and looking up stuff like how long a dandelion can live are nice distractions. They keep me from thinking too hard about the far-off future. Short term future is easier to imagine as it looks like it includes a visit to the grandchildren!