Happy Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial beginning of summer!

Originally called Decoration Day, Monday's holiday honors all members of the armed forces who died while serving our nation. For many families, our tradition also includes visiting the graves of deceased parents and grandparents. 

Yesterday my husband Bill and I trekked to St. Mary's Cemetery in south Minneapolis. At least a decade has passed since we visited the cemetery where his paternal (Irish) grandparents are buried. We found the grass was encroaching; the gravestones were discolored and nearly unreadable. After digging around the edges of the stones, applying water & D2 Biological solution, carefully scrubbing with a nylon brush and rinsing several times, we left them in much-improved condition. 

Shown below are Before and After photos of the gravestones of Catherine (Quinn) Hickey  (1873-1948) and Patrick Hickey (1865-1940). The monuments probably look even better today after the moisture has dried.