frozen ground

I heard from family that Central Texas was quite balmy this weekend, a perfect time and place to work in the garden.

I don't ever remember a time in Texas when the ground became frozen, although I suppose it did. I can only remember once when the rivers or lake in Waco froze, and that was only for a few days.

I learned about frozen ground firsthand in DC. The Methodists of Georgetown (Dumbarton and Mount Zion) own a cemetary that is right next to the Gilded Age/20th century cemetary called Oak Park. This fancy cemetary has the remains of Katharine Graham, former owner of the Washington Post (she lived across the street) as well as a 19th century poet who coined the words "laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone" or something to that effect.

But the Methodist cemetary next door is mostly unmarked and is now more of a park than a cemetary. However, it has a red brick building that can be seen by drivers in winter on Rock Creek Parkway driving through the middle of the park.

This small brick shed was a holding place for bodies during winter when the ground was frozen. It also was a station on the Underground Railroad as slaves moved up from Virginia going north through Maryland to the free states.