All She Wrote

 There's the... nib.

STURM und DRUNG ... actually .......
 
Back in the days when, PENMANSHIP was a Course taught in Elementary School, it became apparent rather quickly that I was doom'd only to be decypher'd by Teachers and Pharmacists ....... Even tho' most of my writing is done on a Computer, anymore ... I still keep copious and detail'd Notes in a Spiral Notebook, and go thru a dozen Spiral Notebooks in a year ... One would think that seventy years of practice would have me artistically producing my missive, long since ... (where is she by the way???) Hand writing the Tetragrammation of Hebrew, with proper placement of Nikkud, is without lilt or flourish(either of which is accomplished only in voice inflexion) and is rather simple and angular, in most applications ... Not great Training for Cursive Script ... But writing really is great for making Grocery Lists, and giving specific instructions ... Now, if only one could spell .......

TRAGIC! It is such a pleasure to open my mail box and find among the junk a letter, handwritten in joined-up writing, even a holiday postcard, handwriting is so .... personal. Maybe it's just me but a man who pulls a fountain pen from his inside pocket notches up at least 10 points on my scorecard. My pen has an italic bib to make me slow down - my ubiquitous Biro scrawls are legible only to myself. Ah, Yes Ivan - the spiral bound notebooks. I have heaps of them, too, recent ones contain phrases generated by your good self. Manuscripts, the older the better get me really excited. I have go at doing calligraphy and did a short course on handwriting analysis, which was fascinating. Did you all have school desks with an inkwell and learn to write with a scratchy-nibbed dip-in pen?

When  I  saw  today's  topic,  I  pulled  out  my  mother's  high  school  scrapbook.   There  proudly  displayed  was  a  pin  with  a  blue  ribbon,   given  to  her  for  1st  place  in  the  Palmer  Method  contest.   Of  course  she  also  was  first  in  her  class  for  proficency  in taking  shorthand  as  well  as  in  typing  (with  those  manual  clunkers  that  had  messy  ribbons,  before  the  days  of  spellcheck  &  correctotype).  There  was  nothing  like  the  knowledge  that  one  would  be  soon  seeking  employment  during  the  Great  Depression  to  sharpen  one's  motivation  to  succeed  at  job  searching.   Now  I  get  the  depressing  task  of  opening  mail  from  new  paralegal  &  law  school  graduates,  the  typical  cover  letter  accompanied  by  a  curriculum  vitae.   I  wonder  if  these  individuals  ever  had  anyone  proofread  their  drafts?   Incoherent  sentences,  poor organizational  skills,  misspellings,  and  heck  if  I  ever  find  one  where  the  author  correctly  uses  the  subjunctive  then  I  will  truly  be  amazed..... 

How to dismantle the education system in 8  easy pices.  First stop teaching handwriting and replace  it with typing. Second eliminate the spelling  curriculum, as all computers have spellcheck.  Knock out grammar, there's an ap for that. Math is obselete when you can use a calculator or type conversion, algorhythms, algebra, etc.  into a search engine.  Replace reading and phonics with Your Baby Can Read and computer programs that talk to you.  Take out gym.  Who cares if the kids become fat bullies?  As for Art, give them fingerpaints and call it a day.   Music, can be  elliminated.  Oh, wait, we already did that.  As for Science, well , Mr.Wizard, Bill Nye and the mentos/pepsi experiment are all on You Tube.  Geography is obselete with the inclusion of Google Maps on your phone and navigational devices in your vechicle. History?  Come on its old news!
 
And if you want to teach truth in education, ditch the licensed, certified teachers with their advanced degrees and put the latest version of HAL in every classroom.        
 
 

When I went to Chinese school the teachers would tell us that correct formation of letters and penmanship was an important element in how people judged your intelligence.  Today's American fiifth graders have  the  shakey scrawl of someone taking notes on the downward slope of a rollercoaster.

- After my first day of elementary school I told my father and brother all about my great big desk that was nailed to the floor.  I was so impressed that it had "a little hole to look through." 
Ink wells were replaced with ballpoint pens, a distinct advantage for the left handed.
  
 Perhaps we should go back to having ink wells and try teaching the Palmer Method as Calligraphy in an afterschool art program.

There is nothing like a beautifully handwritten note from someone.  I still think it's inappropriate to send an email as a "thank you" and yet................with the onset of age, and many years of the one write system of bookkeeping behind me, I have to admit that typing is easier than writing out a long missive.  And you can correct it far more easily.  It's just that I hate to see one more of the old ways go.  Having said all that, there are some really beautiful fonts from which to pick.
 
Shouldn't we also address spelling?  The texting generation uses shortcuts for most words and may not really be able to spell them at all.

I do believe that the school system is intent on creating a society of sheep who no longer have to, or want to for that matter, think. While each new system does have it's skills to be learned, why must the old be discarded?
 
I'm so against calculators for math in the early grades; the discipline of learning to write teaches more than writing; appreciation of music and art is something I've cherished my whole life.  Coming from a family who did not appreciate it, school was the only place to have that world opened up to me.  So sad that there will be children who do not get these things.  Children with wonderful minds who will not be taught to open them up to the world and to think.

Does anybody know why a child who is learning to manipulate a pen needs to stick their tongue out one side of their mouth to aid concentration? It's cute to see.

There is new research showing that handwriting improves brain function.   An article in the Wall Street Journal (October 5, 2010 How Handwriting Trains the Brain) explains not only  how handwriting is beneficial for children but also for everyone.  I have always found that I think on paper more clearly when I write something out versus typing it.

Beware!  The techno-barbarians are at the gate!  My daughter (new BA cum laude) tells me that they ceased teaching grammar after eighth grade.  And now handwriting is to slide away.  My handwriting was atrocious, and some years ago I started teaching myself calligraphy (square nibbed pen and the works).  That has changed my style of cursive so it is a combination of the calligraphy and the old Palmer Method.  A handwritten note from me may be my cursive or calligraphy, but it is legible.  And how many places do we handwrite things?  Notes to yourself whilst on the telephone or in a meeting, a shopping list, all sorts of things require handwriting.  We seem determined to turn the newest generation into illiterate barbarians.  Oh yes, while my daughter writes well and thinks well, her grammar is not always precise.  And by the way, doing away with blue book exams means that students will no longer be required to think, only to regurgitate.  A blue book exam is where you must analyze a course's contents and perhaps give forth with some original thought.

hello, waysidelynne.

Hazel- Its a gross motor skill thing.  They are trying to direct their hand and eyes to work together and in trying to focus these muscles they loose control in other areas and  the tongue gets in on the act.  It goes away as soon as they build muscle memory.  Something similar happens to adults on the dancefloor, but its just not as cute.   Go watch a wedding video and see what I mean.  

Handwritting does improve the brain because it forces you to train your hand to do something new and your eye to discriminate minute details in lines, curves and titels. 

I love quality paper & a good weighted pen to take notes & write notes.
 
One would think with the huge Harry Potter following that kids would want to write with quill pens.
 
What is up with public schools?!  It is a sad day indeed for our educational system; we pay a ridiculous amount of school tax here in SE Georgia & for what?  Most can't pass a literacy test.  I'm all for private tutors; either that or put those wooden rulers back in the teachers' hands

Four ways to build up public education, reduce class size, get back to basics (old school)  standards based curriculums for every subject ( including handwriting ), stop linking  standardized test scores to teacher evaluations and make parents accountable by inviting them to be a part of their child's learning through PTA/school community activities.  When we leave decisions about education to politicans and business people they do more than trim the fat from the budget, they throw critical thinking out of the classroom.     

My mother had a beautifully elegant script.  I practiced by tracing over hers and eventually I did have a beautfiul script, as well.  Unfortunately, these days when I write a note I'm dashing it off to make sure it gets done and the elegance suffers.  Those who say writing it out by hand helps form thoughts are absolutely correct--again why sometimes my letters or notes don't look so pretty--my thoughts got all tungled up.   Too many years of having to print too many daily notes in succession to parents also took it's toll.  Orthography is a very beautiful art and needs fine tools.....I need to get my fountain pens cleaned and checked and perhaps a new nib or two and then I'll be in business again.  And as someone mentioned--fine paper stock.......  Now you know why Levenger's keeps sending me their catalogs!   Years ago I bought a fountain pen from no other but J Peterman himself through his catalog.....unfortutnately it was not the right pen for me--they really have to fit--like clothes and shoes, if they don't, you don't use them.  I've since lost that pen, but safeguard my Waterman and my Parker.  No Mont Blanc for me--too obviously ostentatious:  look at me, I'm an expensive pen!.   It makes me almost cry to think of the death of beautful handwriting.  Just looking at beautifully written words makes them more memorable and, of course, personal.

On the bright side, handwritten letters, notes, recipes and journal entries will be easily read by persons whether or not they are able to produce more than a cursive signature until all of the sand has run out.
Brighter still, if schools fail after having taught reading, there has never been a time with richer opportunities for the autodidact.
Quite seriously, how should teacher performance be evaluated?

All of our kids treasure one handwritten recipe from a grandmother they never met.

Just more "dumbing down" of America . . .

A world without handwritten letters, notes, invitations, etc. would certainly dull down life. One of the finest things in life to me and something I do indulge in is fine handmade papers from around the world. I have a collection started about 50 years ago. I always knew that I would create something using this collection and finally, have two projects I am working on. This fine collection of paper is going to become two different hand-made coffee table books.
Most are already pre-sold and will be going to collectors of hand made books. I have hired three wonderful folks, whose penmanship is renowned, to handwrite the content, which is then reprinted on the handmade papers.
How sad a world it will be when handwriting is no longer a skill.
My thesis in school was solar flares - C.M.E.s or Coronal Mass Ejections. These are the super flares emitted from the sun, many that project toward the earth.
They hit the earth's magnetic field causing the aurora borealis or Northern Lights.
In 1859 one massive CME struck, causing all telegraph equipment in the US and Europe to go down. Since there was only telegraphs as electrical equipment, that is all that was damaged.
If a major CME were to strike today, it could cause all sats, powergrids, etc. to shut down for possibly months or, in rural areas, several years. That would mean no computers, no web, no typing unless you own a manual typewriter, (which I do), and one would be left with handwriting as our only form of written communication.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_TzIUlaQok

Not that this is the only reason we should be teaching the skill of handwriting. It is indeed a sad world that such a skill and art would be thought of as useless in today's daily life.

Texting has become the young folks standard way of conversing amongst friends. They are quite happy to not look into each other's eyes and in fact, as one young lady explained, it is so much easier to have friends that you don't have to connect with in person. Send in the clones, there ought to be clones...

Any gems of hand written notes? e.g. "Your dinner is in the dog."?

Recently I received three  handwritten thank you notes.  One from a seven year old child, for a Communion gift , written on construction paper and one on fromal stationary written by her mother.  I could see the concentration and effort in the child's carefully drawn letter.  Her mother's serene personality came through in her elegant script.  The third note was the acknowledgement of a wedding gift.  I was so impressed that someone actually wrote back rather than send a mass e-mail.
 
I know that people still treasure birthday and Christmas cards with handwritten messages.  Years from now, the next generation will not find a stack of love letters tied in ribbon in the back of the closet.  They will delete love e-mails in a moment of dissappointed rage or error. 

I curse those who seek to crush the curvaceous cursive for once again our uniqueness is being tossed out for sameness-the Tommy T Scribble Scrabble for the Times New Roman font. One's handwriting; good, bad or sloppy is distinctive just like a gap in the teeth or a prominent nose or bow legs or freckles on the butt. The old timers who couldn't write still had their personal "mark". Do we not see that being able to express your identity with a little flair is as personal a touch as an ascot tie, jodhpurs, or a certain cowboy in NYC strolling down the sidewalk in a duster?
 
Please teach kids how to read, write, and think before you hand them a device that can't handle rain, heat, a short fall or a little sand, a power outage or a "bug" implanted by some idiot who has nothing  better to do. Me- I am surrounded by stitcky notes that contain important info but also and equally important as Miss Marple would say "mindless scribbling".  Ideas in various stages of development that sometimes get scrapped and make great fodder for my version of the skyhook as I hit a 3 pointer in the old File 13 and say "attaboy". I do like that flashlight app though.

My father made me practice what he called "lettering" every day. I had the best colored pencil collection of anyone. I grew to love it and calligraphy was a hobby. My cursive, however, well..sucked. Finally, in boarding school an upperclassman had cursive that sort of resembled lettering al a Palmer method and I spent my entire sophomore year copying her handwriting til it became my own. Today all that remains is my signature which is still an exact copy of Lorna Larson's handwriting. I never stopped being thrilled when my father would pick something up (like a list) and say "Who did this lettering? its good."

I have one child with beautiful writing and one child who should be a doctor in terms of his writing.

Spelling, I think one is born with or not. However, although I am kind of a stickler for grammar, etc even I in this texting world find myself typing pix and
msg and OMG! And although "Xmas" has been forbidden in the family it morphed into "C'mas"!

I thought JULIA's 5:53 was not only droll but quite astute. It seems to get back to our responsibilities at home to educate our children and grands. Speaking with my daughter about the film "The King's Speech" I said you know George VI was Queen Elizabeth's father and my daughter said "Of course I know who George VI is Mom, I'm your daughter." ahh...moments of satisfaction. Wish I could sign this for you so you could see my perfect Lorna Larson signature!! Good day everyone.

Village people,
Looking for a recipe with morel mushrooms. Went early this morning and found about 3 pounds of them. Would love to create a new dish with these fresh mushrooms. Open to any ideas.

Tommy- I'm with you.  This is just one more attempt to stifle creativity.
 
ChefDeb-Thanks.  Pre-cappuccino rambling is dicey.  

My brother is an accomplished businessman and he was always a good student. But spelling was never his thing.  Once when he was  about ten he wrote a thank you note to my aunt expressing his appreciation for the denim shirt she sent him.  However, he left  the   r out of   shirt. 
 
My aunt had a great sense of humor and kept the note until she died.  But after that my mother discouraged him from sending any correspondance until someone had a chance to proof read it. 

Write on, Villagers, write on!

WOW! I have just read some of the best reasons ever for being able to put pen to paper.  It made me realize how luck I was to have to sit upright, left hand at the top of the paper, paper tilted at a certain angle and now "begin the circles," said Miss Ericson, my third grade teacher.   
 
One day I had left a note for our sextent on the counter in the church kitchen.  Returning to the kitchen after doing some other task I heard a mom saying to her daughter, "Even though the person was in a hurry--it's just a note-- it's easy to read and looks so pretty.  This is why I tell you to practice your handwritting."  I was quite touched.  Thank you, Miss Ericson. 

waysidelynne et al- During porchtime this morning with the Misses, a gung ho 3rd grade teacher, we discussed her last in-service and this very issue. The clinical data yet again supports the need to be engaged and mentally stimulated which is why I write in longhand and do puzzles as often as possible. Once I saw a man using a calculator to play Blackjack and while creative laziness is an artform "out and out" dumbassity is ridonkulous.

Galigito, your point about Harry Potter fans is a good one. If I were a business person I would be drafting up an idea for mass marketing of quill and ink sets with parchment paper and Latin text to copy. There could even be a "mail an essay on your favorite spell" contest to teach them about Mail as this abandonment of cursive will be one more nail in the Post Office's coffin. How many people in the next generation will hand print a letter when the whole point of sending one by post was to "write" it in cursive?

I can't wait to tell my husband why his tongue sticks out when he's playing the guitar. I wonder what habit takes hit's place when he's simultaneously singing?

{{laughing}} "it's" place. Where's my Henry Higgins when I need him? Of course I need him all the time, and I don't want an app thank you very much. ;)

Tim Tam1958= Maybe it was Coach Adolph Rupp who had penmanship returned to the curriculum for the '70's and '80's kids.

JaxZ-Check for tics and a strange bouncing action of one knee (may look like its vibrating). 

Indiana's action peels away one more layer of the thin veneer of civilization.
 
Slowly, subtly, but oh-so-surely, it is happening all around us.  I stubbornly refuse to stop writing letters (in cursive), and still I gratefully receive them.  At seemingly every turn we lose more contact with other humans: Is it possible I am the last surviving soul never to have used an ATM? I like to do business with people, so in the bank go I. 
 
The loss of cursive, with its DISCIPLINE, bespeaks, in its own way, yet more of this disturbing trend.

Been some time since the village has experienced one of these Helen Hand-Basqutte days and how I love them.
The notion that, in some dark halls, some dark hall-persons are darkly contriving to create generations of semi-literate Americans the better to assure that we will be unable to get a car repaired, a clear X-ray taken, or trust that the egg salad has not sat out overnight, is nuts.
A reasoned look at current education operating on a fixed schedule with a variable or shrinking budget, suggests that typing skills are 99.999% more likely to lead to advanced education or gainful employment than even a beautiful hand.
We taught our kids to wash their hands and faces, brush their teeth, say please, thank you and to not pee in the pool.
Where does it say that we cannot teach them penmanship? I would...try.
If we don't, then, how important is it?  Eat your peas!


Georgia ~
How nice to see you... as to the ATM? Yes, you are the last living human on earth.

Georgia---No ATMs for me, either!  Face to face, person to person!

ANDY:    WELL  PUT !!!  Dear Lady ... Extremely Well Put !!!!!!!
 
From the hidden Heart of the matter comes the proper perspective, that is obfuscated by the Glitz and the Glare of the Nouveau Crap at the surface, that we keep lying to ourselves about, and calling it, Progress ....... Letters of Introduction, Thank You Notes, Congratulatory Missives, and Celebrations ... Penned Respectfully and with Compassion, ... A clear cut indication that someone cared enough, had Respect enough ... Rachmones at its best ... To spend the moments of his life, writing feelings down on paper for/to another ....... Such a thing cold be written on a scrap of Brown Paper Grocery Bag, and it would be just as meaningful, maybe even moreso ... (I had such feelings about this that I couldn't wait to write and share them with you, so I grabbed the first thing I could find to write on, that I would not lose an idea ...) How marvelous for the Recipient to realize how much he Counts ??? And certainly devoid of the appearance of duty or contrivance ... Class, cannot be learnd .......
 
IDAHO:  Try slicing your Mortels in half, lengthwise ... then sautee' in a little Olive Oil and Butter, with a Quarter cup of a decent White ... in an Iron Skillet, orver a fire that is just under Medium ... When you have achieved the Texture that you want, remove the Mushrooms to a plate on the StoveTop, but no paper towels to drain on ... then in the same skillet, sautee' an appropriate amount of Crab Meat in the remaining Roux, adding a pinch of Sea Salt, and a one Teaspoon (a Double Pinch) of Coarse Ground Black Pepper, and keep the Crab moving gently(with a wooden spoon/spatula) until you realize the Texture, Color, and Smell that you desire ... Cut the fire off, and arrange your Mushroom halves on the plate side by side (three halves make a good presentation) now spoon the Crab Meat over the Mushrooms, going up from the stems, but not covering the tops ... and top the Crab with a dollop of Fresh Lime Curd, and garnish with a piece or two of Pimiento, and a sprinkle of Coarse Black Pepper ... Warm but not toasted French Bread with a healthy slap of Butter to push with, or toasted Rye Bread with a schmear of Cream Cheese, if you prefer ... On the side, serve Long Spears of fresh Asparagus, wrapped in Prosciutto and sautee'd in a different pan from the skillet, in Butter and White Wine, until just before the Prosciutto begins to crisp ... Serve with well chill'd Orvieto, or a five or six year old Pol Roger ...  If Crab is not your thing, change the Topping to paper-thin ribbons of crusty, smoked Brisket, topped with crumbles of Gorgonzola, and garnish with Black Olive Rings and a piece or two of Pimiento ... instead of Asparagus, serve a small bowl of Grape Tomatoes, laced with crumbles of Gorgonzola, a little Sea Salt n Black Pepper and a tiny bit of Olive Oil ... Change the Wine to the oldest Chianti you can find or a good Bardollino  ... chenge the Bread to Ciabatta if you wish, and put a Custard Dish of Olive Oil and Fresh squeezed Lime Juice on the table to dip the Bread into ...  Either is a great presentation for Morels , and you will need to alter the proportions according to the number of persons you wish to serve ...

 Helen-a

Idaho~ the mushrooms. Keep it simple. Cream sauce, a fistful of parsley and some garlic bread.

Ha! Just seen Ivan's idea -  sounds wonderful.

Georgia - Well met again.  I couldn"t have said it better. New Rule - One cannot board theSepia train without demononstrating that you can write a sentence that can be read by the conductor.and the first total stranger that happens to walk by.  'cos if you can't wrote in cursive, you wouldn't appreciate the trip anyway. I think I'll write a strongly worded letter to whoever thought that this was a good idea. peace out

that would be demonstrating, det demononstrating.... I write better than I type....I think

Getting straight to the point...... eliminating 'cursive' from education just plain sucks!

Ye gods and little fishes.... If my credibility is determined by the plethera of typos and mistakes in the preceding paragraphs...... Then i have none left. Sorry 'bout that

And so generations to come (at least those "educated" before sane and sensible people put penmanship back into the curriculum there) will sign contracts, birth and marriage certificate applications, checks, and other legal documents with much more easily forgable print signatures.  Can you call it a signature if it is not done in cursive?
 
I have a feeling that it isn't the teachers who are behind the removal of penmanship from the curriculum, but administrators.
 
My cursive handwriting is a connection with my mother and my paternal grandmother. My personal style is a hybrid of Grandma's plump capital "B"s, and Mum's skinny "E"s that look more like dotless "I"s, still managing to make it clear that they are the fifth letter of the alphabet. 
 
If I have time to write leisurely, I write like Grandma, with a slight slant to the right; if in a hurry, like Mum, with a distinct lean to the right and the little flourishes that make the top of the lower case R disappear.
 
I learned to write cursive while my writing hand and wrist was immobilized in a plaster cast (I fell off the monkey-bars during recess), so all of the movement comes from the fingers, the elbow, and the shoulder.  I must turn the paper perpendicular to normal reading orientation because the cast caused me to write "out" and "away" from my body instead of from side to side.  It makes signing credit card slips very annoying!
 
But, for the most part, it is very legible, and I can take sheets of foolscap from my file cabinet and understand most of what I scribbled way back when I was in high school.
 
I admit that when I write my stories, I use the typewriter 99% of the time because my pen or pencil simply can't keep up with my thoughts when the muse is in full flow.  But there is something so incredibly satisfying to sit down with pen and ink (whether a quill, dip pen, fountain pen, ballpoint, or gel pen) and carefully enscribe words onto paper, making them especially your own by the shape of your penmanship. So I still do <i>write</i> some of my stories before turning them over to the word processor.
 
And, by the way, I did sit my children down at home to practice their writing because their schools weren't spending the time necessary to give them a legible hand.  Now my 17-year-old's high school teachers comment on how very nicely he writes. :)
 
I hope that everyone is doing well.  The last few weeks have been... interesting... for me, and, yes, that is the Chinese curse version of "interesting".  How very nice to come back to thesepiatrain and find the club car is full of friends and friends-to-be.
 

If at first you don't succeed, try, try......

The elemental sound of "the scratch of a nib" being drawn across a piece of paper that would capture your thoughts and feelings would be lost to future generations. And they wouldn't even know the missed it.

That makes three: Georgia, Carol and me.  My dog and I walk to the bank.  While I get whatever I need done she gets showered with attention and dog biskets.  She also makes sure she goes to the person who was helping me as soon as I'm done.  AND she is not the only dog that gets that treatment, but I think the only one that can jump up, put paws on the counter and look the teller in the eyes.   

Jalopkin,
Thank you so much for recipe. Off this afternoon to get some crabmeat. Sounds delicious. Will let you know how it goes.

The point of signatures was brought up. How will they teach that and what has happened to this world?

It seems that plastic has truly taken over. I watch, when I venture to cities, (try not to), and watch as people text, cell talk, use pencils to punch in letters and wonder if they have lost their ability to enjoy texture in touch.

After I read the topic and posted, I went to the little village of Stanley and to the bakery to purchase some fresh organic bread.

Looking around I was surprised to see how so many people were eating without looking at the food. Reading on a plastic Kindle while absently taking bites with no reaction to the taste, texting with one hand and sipping coffee as if it were...nothing.

Almost everyone was holding some piece of plastic something. Almost all the plastic gadgets nowadays have no texture to it. Smooth, tech, gray plastic.

I love touching all my handmade papers, nice textured cardstock, things that have some kind of real texture.

I predict that there will be a real pendulum swing away from the high tech to the retro. People will once again want beautiful writing implements, fabrics, papers, etc.

There is a group of young folks that are starting to dress in the Victorian era with a touch of punk added to it. They call it steam punk. I spoke with one at the bakery. Young girl in her twenties who said it is called steam punk because they shun modernization after steam power. They love the romance of ribbons, texture, gears, steam power, etc. She gave me some links to go to on the net and I did. They are quite a bunch. Maybe there is hope and my old leather luggage will be admired by future kids. Maybe things just go in circles and we can hope that this tech touch world is at end and a new way utilizing modernization will emerge. It not, I am very happy to be at the back half of it all.

Peter Lake ~
"And they wouldn't even know the missed it."

So said the last Sumerian to impress wedge-shaped reeds into soft clay and the last preparer of a primary feather quill pen... we have continued to communicate.
It'll be okay.

Talk about budget cuts. Leaving handwriting out of the curriculum reminds me of the 70's when Civics was cut from my school's curriculum. In the long run, the student is the one short changed by the system. Just as young adults are taking etiquette lessons to catch up on lessons deemed no longer needed or colleges adding ethics to their curriculum, handwriting, in my mind, will make a comeback. One needs it to sign the birthday cards at the very least. I worked for years to have hand writing that was both distinctive and pleasing to the eye.

Having lived in Indiana several times over the years, I have always been amazed by the state's dichotomy. I once had a woman tell me all Federal parks should be turned over to the farming community. This said as she stood on her two acre, manicured front yard! Between her yard and the twenty or so neighbors with the same front yard, I thought giving them to the farming community could end world hunger.

Do you think this will put Indiana in the same category as Louisiana when it comes to college applications?

Maybe we'll all become like Snow Flower of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and develop our own ways of "writing" to communicate....When writing is not available ways are found. 

Stoney, I'm so slow today I had to google "Helen Hand-Basqutte" before the punchline hit me with a steampunk shovel.......
{{rubbing bumps on head where clue-bird tried to land}}

I used to take my miniature horse into our local village bank when making transactions. They loved it, I loved it, the horse loved it (they gave him peppermint candy) and I know almost every employee. But it's truly difficult to find a place willing to give me cash, with or without the horse from actual people in airports or in various countries without a plastic card. On the plus side I would save incredible amounts of money. On the negative side, I would never be able to leave home without it.

If at first you don't succeed, go to Second .......
 
                                 or
 
If at first you don't succeed, get a Bigger Axe .......

Idaho--Everybody on their plastic--no sense of tactile enjoyment that can only be found by actually feeling different papers and surfaces, as well, as an incredible fear of being alone with their thoughts--or lack of them!  Honestly--most people are so caught up in their gadgets they've forgotten what a real bird sounds like--only ones on CD's, they're so busy having their facet to their screens they miss all the evanescent beauty around them--which is good food for thought---those things they're so afraid to be alone with.

Just received a letter from a woman, age 61, whose handwriting is excellent.

Just a reminder of what once was.

And, obviously, is slipping away.

LOTLOT.........................as far as education in America.........................it's all over but the shouting....................................

Stoney, you are probably 'write'. I'd be stretching the truth if i said i use pen and ink to do much more that write checks, sign contracts, or the occasional short note.

But as mob boss Pappa Yakavetta said as he slammed the phone down in the movie 'Boondock Saints"' 'all of this new age shite is taking all of the fun............out of the job'.

This saddens me but it isn't the hill i want to die on.....'write' or wrong.....right?

Now if pens had spell and grammar check, i would probably let my hounds of self-rightious indignation off the leash and loose them upon Indiana.

Be well

Now that I think about it, has any one literally written a book in the last decade or so?

Hi John and Stoney.  I've missed y'all; thank you for remembering me.  Out of the blue cardiac catherization followed by WEEKS of cardiac rehab have owned me. Over soon. 
 
I can't wait to boARD THESEPIA TRAIN AGAIN!! With all its delights. 

Peter Lake, now and then I do read about a book that has been written on yellow legal pads.

Now and then I also read about a book having been written on a typewriter.

But mostly I read about books being written on computers.

Some of us do still have use for fountain pens -- we collect them.

bebe!!!❤ You sound so close...... ;)

And in college I always felt relief at being handed a Blue Book rather than a mulitple choice or 'short answer' paper.  I figured I could probably "talk" my way into a closer approximation of what the prof was looking for----------and he could always read my penmanship!

Lotlot...that's it in a nut shell.

JAXXYJAX..........................that's because I am woman............................bwaaaaaaaaaahahaha.........................

GEORGIA.........................Glad to see you & glad you are feeling better!

Well if the day comes when there is no electriciy, no internet, and the satelites fall from the sky...... We who can still write shall become 'rock stars'

Scribal Misfits........ possible band name?

JaxZ - Write on! Dudette

Am I the only one asking as to why then even teach typing to these kids? Every device today seems to be a taouch screan & really you can only do the "hunt & Peck" typing accurately on them....    But then again my H.S. typing teacher, was a vodka drinking guy who cared less if we even showed up for class.... as you all can see form most of my posts he taught us all quite well.. LOL  

Wow! Had to unplug there for a bit, HUGE storm hit out of nowhere and it didn't just rain, the sky vomited. Never seen anything like it. =(:-0) Good time to check for leaks.......

Galgito ~ Me too!  I love quality paper,, note pads, something with a little weight to it and a good pen -- kids are missing out on that tactile feel, the accomplishment of creating something beautiful.

Hows 'bout The Flexible Nib and the Ink Wells......or Pelikan and the Roller Balls....or....

A vomting sky........ Now that is an image that will stick...... Depending on whatit ate that is..... ; )

Well I'd draw you a picture PL but my paper has turned to pulp and my quill is limp....

Final words of the day from me: I still miss the Poll and what Hazel calls the "side salads" Good night, thats all she wrote.

methinks JaxZ has been reading too much Dave Barry with her band name comment.....

Bebe- You hit the nail on the head!
 

It always seemed interesting that, as an altar-boy, my attendance was required not only at the baptism part of a baptism but straight through the paper work too.
That big, stern old Lutheran minister got everybody together, parents (they came as a set in those days with a shared surname), the baby and the oddly commercial sounding sponsors... and now, a word from...
The sacristy desk was bare save for the paperwork pertaining to the rite and it was all filled in after the fact using a tortoise-shell fountain pen which was then capped, placed in the center desk drawer and another pen was offered to the parents and Godparents for their signatures.
That having been done, the old tortoise-shell number was brought out, uncapped and he added his name.
The whole deal was blotted, they were given their copy in the form of a little booklet, I still have mine, and after what always seemed like about two hours of gratuitous chatter, I was excused to run like the wind home for Sunday dinner.
There was no way that that perfectly broken-in nib was going to be placed at risk. That's the kind of man he was.

After a frustrating day stepping on the Train to read the posts has brought everything back in to perspective.  The image of a vomiting sky has made a smile appear on this face for the first time in hours.  And Stoney - even tho I am not that old you're last post has me yearning for that little country church I was raised in with the same stern Lutheran (Missouri Synd of course) Pastor with the big oak desk & the fountain pen used to sign the Baptismal & just as important Confimation Certificates. Do you think they all were taught that as a class in the Seminary and given to them as graduation gifts?   
 

Carol, I'm a literary heathen, I've never read Dave Barry. Now I'll have to look him up to see what I said!

Stoney, the day's not complete without your memory portraits.

I liked the polls too. It was fun to be surprised if it tilted in an unexpected direction.

My Captain is come safely home from the The Emeral Isle. I must tuck him in. Sleep well thesepia.
xo

rings, I'm glad it made you smile!!
'night

JAX.......................If you're a literary heathen then I'm The Who's Tommy....................seriously..................

CAROL...........................you too?????? I thought I was the only one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel so much better now. And I bet we are not the only two.......................winkedy, wink, wink....................................

STONEY............................I have an old tortoiseshell fountain pen that belonged to my grandfather, but I need to send it to the Fountain Pen Hospital to have the cap repaired...................

At my in laws they have wireless..........................it's like my computer is on meth.........................it rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PL...................will we have groupies too? I want mine to be big of nose & full of lip...........................

CHEFD..........................goodnight my dear..................

Do they still make the cursive Q that looks like a fancy 2? The old cartridge pens picked the most inopportune times to begin leaking profusely on your paper and got on your shirt sleeve that you brushed across your face. Indelibly marked though not in scarlet. I used to get a quarter for penning forged excuse slips in HS. Handwriting experts were so cool in old episodes of Perry Mason.

My mom, a business ed teacher in high schools and business college made me practice those angled loops and all my letters til my handwriting looked just like the models. It still does.
 
Doing away with the instruction for handwriting is one of the many changes in the schools that makes me sad. Yes, sad. This topic is too depressing to talk about. It is indicative of so much more that is going wrong with our country.

Handrwriting eperts ....... I used to be able to tell who sent me something in the mail just by glancing at the envelope. Everybody has their own style, their own mark

rings90 ~
A new way of thinking about penmanship... yes, bet you're right.