Final rest

So Denise's mom asked me to make an urn for my father-in-law's ashes. I did a little research--did you know you can Google "volume of crematory urns" and get a range of answers, based on size of the deceased? Turns out Del would fit in one of my medium cookie jars. Of course then there's the problem of what to paint on it. I thought about reproducing one of his photographs--there are thousands to choose from--but worried I couldn't do a good enough job. Painting his picture would just be creepy. I asked Mary if she had any preferences, but she said she trusted me, whatever I came up with would be fine.

They've lived for fifty years in a suburb of Milwaukee with big yards, lots of trees, and a surprising amount of wildlife. They'd watch through the picture windows, and report what they saw, so I decided to incorporate that view into the urn. On the front are the goldfinches that visit the birdbath by their front window; on back a cottontail rabbit and a doe and fawn that browse the back yard.

I delivered the jar when we visited earlier this month, carefully eased the in bag of cremains--fit perfectly--and it now holds pride of place in the living room. Mary's very happy with it, and I think Del would be too.