Morning Edition had a two-part series about the Funeral Industry today, and it made a few good points about dealing with a funeral home after a loved one dies.
They specifically mention the website Parting, which is trying to make funeral costs available online. The Funeral Industry does its best to get people into their doors before they disclose pricing, at which time few people are inclined to leave and start over, even if the prices seem high. They also mention the Funeral Consumers Alliance, which I am a member of through our local organization (Funeral Consumers Society of Colorado).
My only piece of advice when planning a funeral/memorial service/wake etc is this. The wife/husband/child/parent should NEVER make these visits alone. It’s easy to be overwhelmed at these visits, and you should have someone with you who is of clear mind about the deceased’s wishes, and can be an advocate for them as well as you. And if you do get overwhelmed, you can leave and come back another day. Any funeral home that isn’t alright with that is one you should walk away from anyway.
In a land somewhat far away (Italy). It’s been the best three years of my life. 
In a land somewhat far away (Italy). It’s been the best three years of my life.
So back in college, I played RPGs, mostly versions of D&D. The DMs I played for had a couple of homebrew systems that they had put together, and we switched off between three campaigns on Friday nights. During this time the tradition of drawing invitations for the participants started (and I don’t exactly know who did). I wish that I had started collecting these works of art sooner, but I didn’t. When folks started to graduate, only one of the DMs was local enough to continue to lead a campaign. Dave H continued to draw invites for us as we changed systems and got new characters, moved on to new types of gaming and returned to old favorites.
Though I have my own personal favorites, Dave’s work was always a great joy to receive in my mailbox (both at school and later when I moved into my apartment). It’s a part of Dave’s life that not many people see him employ today. So I’m going to start a project to scan and put them up for others to enjoy. Today’s invite isn’t the first I have or the last or the most intricate (though the horses mane is quite expressive). It’s just one that I like a lot. 
And get away from this wet stuff!
With my fridge magnets! I must live here.
