Shopping

Yesterday I went shopping for a new tombstone. My original one was stolen from my family cemetery on Nov. 10, 2007. Here's what it looked like the spring before it was stolen:

And here's what it looked like on Nov. 11, 2007:

 I really should have replaced it before now. But I kept putting it off. . . .

When my first tombstone was stolen, an article by Mike Allen ran in the Roanoke Times. Mike's editor who approved the story was Dan Casey, who is now a doggone good investigative columnist. A couple of years ago, I promised Dan that when I bought a new tombstone, he could go along with me. He'd never been tombstone shopping before. But I kept putting it off. . . .

But yesterday, Dan and a photographer met me at Add A Touch Monuments in downtown Rocky Mount.

I arrived before they did, so I checked out the styles that were available. Those black stones were pretty flashy, and I was tempted by the one on the left.

But a black one wouldn't coordinate well with the other stones in the cemetery. I looked around at some others. I decided to get the same size I originally ordered. It's to the left in the front row below.

Before long, Dan and photographer Jeanna arrived and we got down to business. The price of the tombstone had gone up about $200 since 2005 when I ordered the first one.

I looked at a lot of designs. I was tempted by a rose design, but I'd already had roses put on my mother's tombstone. I looked at tulips. . . 

. . . and then decided to get one exactly like the original. After I signed the contract, and handed over a check, Dan and I revisted my cemetery. We also listened to a recording of the Internet radio show where I was interviewed about the theft.

For Dan's take on the story, as well as some background information, see Casey's story, "Now She Can Rest in Peace." 

I should have my replacement stone in a couple of months. When it arrives, I'll blog more about it.

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