Why don't they mow the grass more often?
Pleasant View Cemetery is a pioneer or historic cemetery from the time of the rural cemetery movement.  It is not a lawn cemetery.  That means that many of the monuments were installed prior to the age of mechanized lawn mowing.  You may notice that most of the old marble columns are perched on tall sandstone bases, with their inscriptions near the top.  The expectation was that much of the time tall grass would be growing around the lower part of the monument.  Because those old sandstone bases are so vulnerable to blades and string trimmers, we try to keep lawn mowing to an "as needed" basis, mostly around major holidays or scheduled services. 

Monument Cleaning and Care
Many families make care of their monuments a regular part of family life. 
Even once every few years can make a big difference.  Here are a few pointers to keep in mind.

	Almost all of our monuments are made from either marble or granite, with sandstone, granite, or concrete bases and foundations.  Most monuments prior to 1910 are marble. Around that time cutting technology improved and granite became the monument of choice because it is much harder and more durable.  Here's how to recognize them:
	←  Marble	Granite   →

Marble usually starts out white or light gray, but over time turns darker or nearly black due to lichen growth.  You can usually still see the "marbling" that gives it the name. Marble columns are usually on a sandstone base.  The sandstone is especially fragile. Marble and sandstone are very porous and wear easily.

Granite is usually speckled, comes in many colors, and can be polished to a high gloss.  This one is a rose-colored high gloss monument and plinth sitting on a gray, rough-finished granite base.  Sometimes the base is concrete. Granite is much harder than marble, but metal implements will still scratch or chip it.

What to Bring
     - A garden knife or other non-motorized edging tool to cut the sod back from around the monument
     - A broom or whisk broom to sweep off monuments
     - Small scrub brush or toothbrush to clean out engravings
     - Sharpened wooden (not metal) sticks to clean out engravings
     - Water and rags to wipe and polish granite
     - If your monument has inverted flower containers you may need a screwdriver or similar implement to
        help pry them up if they are stuck

Granite monument with concrete apron nearly covered by sod	Engraving in need of cleaning

·         Monument Cleaning
    Keeping the sod from swallowing everything is one of the biggest challenges in the Northwest, so bring something to cut any sod back from the concrete aprons that surround most granite monuments.  Use small brushes or toothbrushes to clean moss and debris out of engravings.  Sharpened wood dowels or other wooden sticks also work well, but never use metal or wire implements that can scratch the stone.  Since there is no water at the cemetery, having a spray bottle of plain water and some rags often comes in handy. Using soaps or chemicals is NOT recommended because older stones, especially the marble ones, can be very porous and will suck impurities or chemicals in like a sponge, causing damage later.  Planning a cleaning party?  Let me know and I will pop up and do a brief training demo if I am available. Charlotte
 

·          Use Extra Caution with Older Stones     
     Most monuments before 1910 were made of marble, which is much softer and more fragile than granite.  Since any cleaning (even falling raindrops) removes some material, these stones should only be cleaned once every few years.  All the marble at Pleasant View was cleaned in 2014 so it should not need major attention for several years.  Work should only be done in cool, preferably damp weather.  Use plenty of plain water, scrub gently working from the bottom up, and rinse thoroughly.  The bases of these monuments are usually made of sandstone, which is even more fragile than the marble.  Scrubbing sandstone is never a good idea and motorized equipment like string trimmers often does permanent damage. Just remove grass and weeds by hand if you need to. If you want to know more about using D2 on marble, give me a call for a demo.  
 

·         Take Care of Yourself
     We have made some headway in evicting the California ground squirrels though we still struggle with the voles.  Much of the ground is still uneven and has leftover holes, so watch your step.  We have a few monuments that are waiting to be secured and could be tippy, so remind kids not to climb or lean on any monuments.   We have tried to eradicate the poison oak when we find it in the cemetery, but there is still a lot of it in the woods around the cemetery, so keep that in mind if you have kids or pets that wander.  And speaking of those pets, be sure to pick up after them!