What a strange sight among the graves of Cill Mhic Dhuach, a man in a hazmat suit power cleaning a tombstone with the precision of a dental hygienist.

Perhaps the cleaning is required as part of some study where researchers need unrestricted access to the stone surface. Perhaps it is part of some tourist beautification program. Or perhaps a family is paying respect by up keeping the grave of an ancestor.

Ultimately, lichens and their associated bio-communities will be the ultimate protectors of the stones and the stories they hold. I hope that to protect the past, the graveyard shift ultimately becomes a thing of the past.