I sit back and just watch this list a lot, but I decided to chime in this time--about Madison county. My philosophy is that I will do as much as I can do...but do it the best way possible. If you don't know me, I'm a junior high art teacher. I have a two-year-old daughter and am currently getting my masters in education degree. I have very little free time. I do what I can do. I am the only person working on cemeteries in Hendricks County. I work for free. No budget, no trustee money, nothing. My own supplies, my own time, my own sweat. And I know most of us on this list are the same way. We do what we do because it is important, and put so much time and energy into it without being compensated. I feel sick when I see all of the cemeteries in my county that are in danger of disappearing. However, I feel worse when I see a bad repair job. And I know that the Madison County folks disagree about what is bad, but after going to 110 cemeteries in my county this summer, I firmly believe that sticking stones in wet concrete is bad. I know that I learned that in workshops. But truly, I'm basing that decision on what I've seen. We really have seen the stones breaking at the concrete level! No, it doesn't happen on every stone, but there is a definite, undeniable trend. I'm not saying that what was done in Madison county was all bad; in fact, from what I hear, most of it was good. Lots of caring and saving of cemeteries. In my mind, though, anything worth doing is worth doing right. If that means spending extra hours and more of my own money, that's what I do. If it means not getting to as many cemeteries in a year, that's how it has to be. If it means doing the mowing and trimming myself to ensure the safety of stones I have restored, that's what I'll do. On those cemeteries that are really in danger, couldn't an option be to go find all the stones, but leave the stones unset until there is time and money to do it correctly? I do this in the cemeteries I use for field trips. I go in and find everything and then place the stones face down in their places until the kids come to repair and reset them. Sometimes it's a couple months. I talk to the mowers and tell them what's going on. I've never had any problems with them being hit. Also, to me, pouring a new slotted base for a broken one is not that time-consuming, especially once you're on a roll! And 20 years down the road, if we find out that that's not the best method, I'd much rather go pull it out of the mortar than try to chip off the concrete without harming the stone. Reversablity seems like it should be the primary concern. I usually shake my head and almost laugh when I read all of the arguments on this list. It's obvious that everyone is so passionate about what they do that we get carried away easily. I do think that most members of this list have been balancing their praise of Madison County with the urge to look into other methods. I just hope they can see that we respect their efforts and only mean to educate, not attack. ______________________________________________________ Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. http://store.yahoo.com/redcross-donate3/