Minnewaska Musings

By Paul Gremmels

     I thought it was appropriate to be standing in a cemetery on Halloween. It wasn’t spooky or scary, except that it looked like we would be driving home in a white-out blizzard.

     “How does that look?” My wife hollered over the wind driven snow.

     “Great!” I hollered back, not looking, but instead cocking my hood covered head into the wind and snow.

     “You’re not even looking!”

     I looked, just as an angry gust of wind unfurled the decorative oak garland from around the pumpkin that was in the metal standard, next to my parent’s grave. The garland hung in the air for just a moment, seeming to circle the grave, then, an even more powerful gust flung it up into the lower branches of a nearby pine tree. I thought I could hear my late father laughing. The garland was just out of reach so I went to the edge of a nearby cattail slough and broke off a branch from a willow clump. As I walked back up the small incline to the cemetery, I was more than a little concerned about how deep the snow had become. In short order I was able to snag the garland back out of the pine tree and we secured it to the standard with some twine.

     “Looks good. Let’s go.” I said as I turned to leave. 

     Having started the day with beautiful weather, I had on flat-soled shoes and promptly slipped and fell into the snow next to the headstone. I once again heard my father’s laughter swirling in the wind. I looked up to see my wife laughing so hard that no sound came out. The type of laughter where a person is bent over, wide mouthed, silent and pointing. Happy Halloween!

     We were younger back then and had just begun decorating the graves of our loved ones, all of whom enjoyed Halloween. It is a holiday held during the time of year where we could have eighty degree days or in the case of our procrastinated cemetery decorating, a foot of snow and sub-zero temperatures. This helps to make it a good holiday to mark time by. Most everyone can remember the costumes they wore as a child and in some cases, the ones they wore as an adult. We can also differentiate between certain Halloweens by the blizzards and conversely hot weather. You just never know.   

     Last week, my wife and I were back at the cemetery, once again decorating with pumpkins, squash, native grasses, painted milkweed and oak garland. The weather was beautiful, easily into the seventies. I was overdressed and pulled off my hoodie. I tilted my head back, closed my eyes and let the sun shine on my face. I recalled the difference from that long ago snowstorm. I listened to the light breeze move through the pine boughs and thought of how the wind back then was so strong that it threw the garland up into their branches. 

     “Remember that time decorating in a blizzard?” My wife startled me out of my thoughts.

     “Yes.” I responded, not opening my eyes. “I remember you laughing and pointing.”      

We both laughed and laughed. Maybe it’s one of the best things to do while standing in a cemetery.  

Paul Gremmels is a freelance writer, essayist and a columnist. He lives with his wife, Ann, in rural Pope County.  His column is published in the Pope County Tribune on the last week of each month.  He welcomes and responds to all correspondence. He can be contacted at:
gremmels@runestone.net