Alicia 🍉 LadyTaphos

This one was so satisfying to clean yesterday, and it looks AMAZING. Granite almost always provides instant gratification, but unless it's a paid job, I don't usually spend a lot of time scrubbing the pitch, or the rough edges of the stone. I prefer to allow the product to do most of the work for me, and let the biological growth fade away on its own. #gravestone #cemetery #granite #cleaning #beforeandafter

Bettie (born abt. 1836) and Martha (born abt. 1838) were sisters. They lived most of their lives as paupers, residing for a time at the local poorhouse, neither of them learning to read or write. It seems that each sister had a son out of wedlock. Bettie's son William married a young woman named Alice, and she is also buried in this plot. Perhaps you remember seeing her stone before? #cemetery #gravestone #cleaning @Alicia 🍉 LadyTaphos

To anyone who has messaged or commented to check on me, thank you for doing that. I am sorry if I did not respond. A symptom of my PTSD is isolating when I'm in emotionally negative situations. Dealing with that on top of already trying to navigate life with very weird and undeveloped social skills, and sometimes I just don't know how to respond. And the more time passes, the harder it becomes for me to say something too. Being embroiled in family court again made me afraid to share any part of myself or anything I was doing on social media, especially since he was trying to use anything I shared anywhere against me however he could. So I figured if I didn't share much, there was not much to worry about. But honestly, creating content was the last thing on my mind anyway. More than two years later, and even though there are still many loose ends to tie up in the courtroom, my spirit is finally starting to settle, and my confidence is lifted. Continuing to stay silent and isolated is the last bit of control this nightmare has over me. And so through a lot of counseling and self-reflection, I have come to realize just how unique my experience is, and by sharing it, I believe it's possible that I could help other parents going through it and create some real changes in the family court system. But y'all, I want you to know that this little country girl finally faced all of her fears after realizing no one else in the world could help her, and she represented herself, exposed a horribly corrupt custody evaluator, and handled all of her business courageously. I wish the girl she was a decade ago could see who she is today. And in closing, I have to say this: I am so very very sorry if any of the unhealed parts of myself ever spilled onto you. I was truly doing the best I could. I ask you for forgiveness, and I thank you immensely for your grace and understanding. 🫶🏻🍉

Especially on warm sunny days, stones might "blush" when D2 Biological Solution is applied to the surface. Don't panic! This is perfectly normal, and it will eventually fade away. These are the first two stones I have filmed in a while, and they should look completely different in just a few months time. I can't wait! It felt great to get back out there again. #cemetery #gravestone #cleaning #bedfordva #hello #imback

Scrubbing is never necessary, but there are times it should be avoided altogether. Melissa is my distant cousin (2nd cousin 5 times removed to be exact). She never married or had any children of her own, and her will left her entire estate to be divided amongst her nieces and nephews. #cemetery #cleaning #gravestone #beforeandafter #sprayandwalkaway #patience

Such a pretty stone for someone who I like to imagine was a very pretty girl. At only 16 years old, Virginia married her 2nd cousin, Floyd. Their paternal grandfathers were brothers. They never had children, and Virginia passed away six months shy of her 21st birthday. The inscription reads: "God needed one more angel. Amidst his shining band. And so he bent with loving smile. And clasped our darlings hand." #cemetery #cleaning #gravestone #beforeandafter