Once upon a time, I was a tiny little speck – just a newbie blogger – struggling to find my way through the abyss of the blogosphere. Still to this day, I’m amazed at how small one can feel as a personal blogger.
I felt feel quite small indeed.
I trudge my way through each post with the bravery of a cornstalk peeking through the white snow after a winter storm.
I’m tickled with joy when a nugget from one of my posts gets noticed along the beaten path to being a personal blogger.
Over the years, my webs of thoughts have dripped onto the pages and were frozen in time.
I face each blank white page on the screen with courage and determination to write something,
anything,
just to get it done.
I’ve found blogging ruts strike when least expected. Those squirrelly moments where I’ve gone off track and need someone or something to pull me out of it can catch me off-guard. A good samaritan blog follower will share a comment that makes me smile to pull me out of those ruts. We both go our separate ways knowing our paths may or may not cross again.
When I get really stuck in a self-spinning rut, it can be a challenge to free myself from the hold of the rut. Sometimes I need a push from someone else to change directions. That’s why reading other personal blogs helps me too.
It’s there that I reflect and I look for the open white space of a better turnaround path. I aim for a clearer path the next time I write a post.
And the rest is history? Right?
Nope, not so fast, it’s not black and white, it’s more in the gray-and-white zone to be a personal blogger.
Hold on, wait for a second, there’s more to my story.
Whenever you are creating beauty around you, you are restoring your own soul.
Alice Walker
I’ve learned one trick to lean on like a dear friend that helps me tremendously. Squirrelly thoughts can be a friend to a personal blogger stuck in a rut.
Before writing a blog post, I learned a secret about myself and how to run with my squirrelly thoughts.
I don’t let my early low-tailing morning thoughts of mine scamper away.
I pause to capture what I can of them in cursive handwriting in a notebook while sitting in the chair in the corner of my office.
No computer time first, nope. Just a cup of coffee by my side. In my hand are a pencil and a spiral notebook. I let my thoughts flow onto the page, in a real stream-of-consciousness style. It’s a no-judgment session of handwriting that clears my head.
Do you remember cursive handwriting? And practicing it? I do, and when I was out of practice, three pages of it is a lot of handwriting.
As a child, I remember practicing cursive handwriting for hours. I actually loved it as I came up with my own format, combining printing and cursive.
My mom was my role model, her handwriting and calligraphy were inspirational to me. I still have the very last sentence she wrote to me before dementia took away her ability to write. The little scrap of paper reminds me of how beautiful her handwriting was. My heart goes out to those who’ve had strokes and can’t use their hands to write anymore. Overcoming any obstacle that a stroke may cause is commendable.
The skill of cursive handwriting interests me. It takes a hands-on approach to a whole different level when my hand hugs the pencil and the other the notepad as I lay the gray pencil lead down on the paper to form each letter and word.
I’m captivated.
In the middle of the night, I have so many rattling thoughts scampering through my brain. I have a hard time making sense of them in the first signs of morning light. They are far from clever, except in my dreams. There they always are.
Art is not in the eye of the beholder…it’s in the soul of the artist.
Seth Godin
What’s a girl like me to do with all those semi-colorful thoughts that I know will flit away as the day goes on?
I don’t let them slip away without capturing some onto the 3-morning pages. Unlike a lucky snapshot, my scribbles are without all the perfection of nature’s beauty.
Since I’ve adopted revived the practice of writing 3-morning handwritten pages, recommended by Julia Cameron, it has helped me to clear my head and helped my hand-to-eye coordination stay a little bit on the sharper side as I age.
At the beginning of the year, I felt as though my penmanship was looking rusty and a bit more like the writing of kids nowadays. Illegible, IMHO. I wonder if all the screen time they have has affected their ability to write cursive. Or is it even required as a lesson to learn in school anymore? I still write out checks to pay some bills, is that a lost art now too? I spend more time typing on the computer for work than I do writing on paper.
Working with the morning pages, we begin to sort through the differences between our real feelings, which are often secret, and our official feelings, those on the record for public display.
Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
It was hard for me to get back into the groove at first. My hand shook like a squirrel’s tail by the end of the 3rd page.
Everybody, grab a pencil and write: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
But now…on page 2 of my morning scribbles yesterday, I slowed my thoughts down to capture each letter as I wrote. I think I’m doing legibly well, what do you think?
So that’s how my squirrelly thoughts helped me to create a post yet again. I may seem a bit nuts while in and out of my writing ruts. That’s okay, I’ve made up my own style – to me, that’s what personal blogging is all about.
Post Inspiration: Linda G. Hills’ Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just Jot January Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 14th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “once upon a time.” Start your post with “Once upon a time,” then write whatever comes to you, whether it be fact or fiction. Have fun! And Terri Webster Schrandt’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge Gray and White. A special mention of thanks to Ally at The Spectacled Bean for the rattling ideas and to John at The Sound of One Hand Typing, his stroke hasn’t stopped him from writing every day – they are both inspirational to me.
PS – What do you think of our cute squirrel visitor who seemed captivated by my camera in the window? The female cardinal has claimed the new window bird feeder. She likes to pose for my camera too. Do you enjoy handwriting in cursive? Did you dot your i’s with circles or solid dots when you were young? What do you love about writing as a personal blogger? Or if you aren’t a blogger, what draws you to a personal blog that you follow?
Thank you, Shelley, for sharing your winter whites and grays with us this week! That second cornstalk pic looks like a bear walking upright, LOL! How cool that you practice your longhand writing every day. I’m always surprised at how much I write things down with pen and paper. Like you mentioned, my once precise cursive also morphed long a ago into a mix of print and cursive.
Thanks for hosting the white and gray challenge and for checking out my post. LOL – yes, now that you mention it, it does look like a bear! 🐻
I’m glad I’m not the only one who has had their cursive writing morph into something other than what we were taught years ago. I suppose the journalist and teacher in you have seen many different types of handwriting over the years. ✏📝🖊
I saw a few scribbles in my teaching days, but most everything was typed, thank goodness!
😂😁
A great post, Shelley! I love all of the critter photos. Mrs. Cardinal is so cute as is Mr. Squirrel! I had no idea that bunnies poop in threes. Cursive? I think my name is the only thing I use cursive for. The computer has taken away my ability to write cursive and I doubt that I’m the only one. Stay warm up there. ☺️
I totally love this post. How you’ve sequed into and out of the rut and the colour and shared bits of real authentic you. So glad I followed the link and I hope I am one of those random comments that makes you feel good about being a blogger
, one with beautiful writing.
Hi Bernie, thank you so much for your words of encouragement. I’m glad you stopped by to read my post and that you shared a comment that made me smile! 😍🤗
Thanks, John! I thought you’d enjoy the critter photos. You must’ve seen animals like them in MI. I was surprised at the 3s too. No wonder Copper liked going out in the yard to snack on the bunny treats!
Your John Hancock signature, eh? You play a lot with your camera and your editing, you’re keeping your brain active that way.
Thanks for the warm wishes – it’s a balmy and sunny 33 degrees! It feels so nice to sit by the window in the sun.
Oh yes, the same critters. Oh Copper, no! I need to get out and shoot more often these days…
Once the rain stops, you’ll be out taking photos again!
Yes, I tend to stay home when it rains because I don’t want my pristine 7 year old truck to get filthy! I know, that’s silly… ☺️😎😂😬
That’s a sparkling goal, and one that you can choose to easily keep!!! 😁😎🤩
☺️👍🏻
Shelley, I enjoyed this bit of penmanship, the photos, and your lovely thoughts. Isn’t it interesting that kids don’t learn how to write in cursive anymore? I type so much, I must confess that my own handwriting has changed drastically over the years. 💙
Hi Colleen, thank you for your words of encouragement. I’m touched!
It is sad that the art of cursive isn’t taught. I do remember kids when I was growing up that never really enjoyed cursive and simple kept printing instead.
I type a lot too, and it’s a good thing, I’d need a really large eraser for all the times I use the backspace 🤣
I enjoyed seeing all the poems created for the picture prompt shared by Terri. I appreciate those who are gifted in writing poems.
Thanks so much, Shelley. We write most syllabic poetry and everyone can write it. If you’d ever like to join in you’re always welcome. We all learn and practice together. I really enjoyed Terri’s photo challenge. I look forward to seeing you again.
Thank you for the warm invitation to join in on the fun. If everyone can write syllabic poetry, then maybe I could! 🤔 I look forward to seeing you again too!!!
That’s so lovely, Shelley. You’re always welcome. 🧡
😁
I think you’re well aware of my fondness for squirrel photos. I love those little guys. I remember being taught cursive writing, but I’m not sure I can say I ever learned it. Sooner or later, those random ideas find a way of surfacing in your blog. When the do, we’ll be here to read them. I like the photos today, including the bunny poop.
Oh, yes, the squirrel photos you capture indicate how much you enjoy seeing them. I couldn’t resist the bunny poop. It’s everywhere this year.
As I’m reading your #2 book, I wondered if you hand wrote any of the 3 books or if you did it all on a computer?
Yes, our random thoughts do find a way to our blogs. I have many that simply stay in my notebook though. LOL.
Thank you, I’m glad you’re here to read whatever ramblings I get around to sharing. I appreciate you and your comments.
I had handwritten notes about the timeline and where things needed to change. I would also print out sections and rewrite them by hand. The one thing you can’t do on a computer is draw lines and arrows and add your thoughts off to the side at odd angles.
Keep the random, and not so random thoughts coming. Yours is an authentic blog, and that a very good thing.
Ah, yes, the computer doesn’t do those things as well as pen/marker to paper does! Did you save some of those drafts for historical treasures for Faith to find someday? 😉
Thank you for your encouragement, Dan, I truly appreciate it!
I didn’t save them. By the time I was ready for a new sheet of paper, there were a few passwords written on there, too. I do have the Post-it Note laden drafts from her and my brother. I’ll let her decide what to do with those.
Your comments make my brain jump into Billy’s house and the computer/data gathering room! 😉
Haha. He probably has a record of everything. 😏
Yes, I bet he does!
Fabulous set of photos, Shelley.
Thank you, Cathy! I enjoyed your photos too.
My photo of the spider web was far enough away from me and my camera so I didn’t get bit like you did. I’d like to think my spider was frozen solid 😉 🤣
😂😂
I just love the photo of the two beautiful fluffy kitties looking out through the glass together!💕❤️ ..and the squirrel is super cute too!
Thank you, Lisa. I was happy to have my camera at that moment. We have a picture of them when they were just kittens doing the same thing. They’re sisters and I love seeing them share their space so well.
Yes, that squirrel was a charmer. 🙂
I’m SO impressed with your hummingbird photos – I’ve never been able to see them in action building their nest like you captured. WOW!
I had two sister cats and they loved each other. I had them for over 19 years! ❤️😢 And thanks regarding the hummer! I didn’t realize that is what she was doing until I looked at the photos afterwards! I take pictures and ask questions later 😊
Aw, that’s sweet and sad at the same time. Ours are 13 years old. I had my childhood cat for 19 years too. It’s hard to say goodbye to our furry friends.
Ah…that’s a cool discovery and philosophy. I notice those things too, especially when I’m trying so hard to focus on one part of the photo op. 😎🤩😁
Hello there. I still write in cursive now and then. My handwriting, though, has deteriorated a lot over the years. It was fine when I was young. These days it’s a scrawl.
Hi Neil! Thanks for stopping by to share your thoughts. I’m touched knowing that you, the First Place Winner of WPs If You Look Deeply, There’s A Slight Chance You’ll Find Something Of Worth And Interest Here competition for 2022 stopped by.
Your book idea sounds good to me, the paying in prunes might stall out the efforts though! 😉😁
Great post, and I agree that writing in cursive takes more time for the thoughts to flow
Hi Alice, it’s great to hear from you! Thank you for stopping by and for sharing your thoughts.
Do your grandkids write in cursive? I need to ask my niece’s kids if they do or not? I always see them with tablets/screens so I don’t know if they write or not?
They always use tablets but my Granddaughter said that some of her teachers still use pen and paper assignments
Thanks for answering my question. I see the things you do with your grandkids on IG, they are fortunate to get to take adventures and discover outside fun to balance out all the screentime involved in school.
When you said tablet that made me remember finding my mom’s childhood ‘tablet’ in one of her boxes. Remember those little chalkboards? I wonder what she’d think of the new tablets. 🤔
I enjoy writing in cursive but find it difficult to do now. Long story, won’t elaborate. Hoping that you continue to write a personal blog, perhaps answer Maggie’s questions? We all make blogging into what we need it to be.
Hi Ally! Sorry to hear it is difficult for you to write in cursive. The difficulty has not affected your ability write creative and thought-provoking posts on your blog!
Thank you for the encouragement for blogging efforts. Maggie’s questions…I just read your post and am linking it here so I remember to go back and answer the questions. As I read your answers, I nodded a lot. Yes, Ally does do that!
https://thespectacledbean.com/2023/01/13/because-i-please-im-answering-maggies-blogging-survey-questions/
How lovely that you still have that note from your mother. What a treasure!
Sometime, long ago, I developed a distinctive printing style and stopped writing in cursive. I know some people bemoan the fact that many young people have lost the “art” of writing in cursive, but I’m pretty sure they’ll be just fine.
Your kitties look so cute together… two peas in a pod.
Hi Janis, yes, I adore that little note. I can still remember her face and expression when she handed the paper back to me. She smiled and was proud of her efforts. And it was her way of thanking me for helping her with her struggles with dementia.
I hope the kids will be fine. I sometimes think it’s unfair that they haven’t had the torture of all the practice like I had growing up. 🤣 I’ve seen some very horrible handwriting on applications I process at work. If they can’t write legible enough their direct deposits tend to not make it to the bank on payday. 😉
Oh, yes, our kitties are two peas in a pod. They get along for the most part. Sisterly love. 😍🥰
Thanks for thinking of those of us who can’t write longhand because of a stroke. I’ve tried writing left-handed, and that skill takes a lot more skill than I can muster up…
You’re welcome, John. I remain impressed that you’ve found workarounds that keep you writing daily. I can’t write left-handed either, I should maybe try to do that every day too…! 🤔😉
When I was in third grade, I broke my arm. In those days, the cast started at the palm and ran all the way to just below the armpit. The only way I could write was left-handed. I actually got pretty good at it. I should have kept it up…
Wow, that’s a big cast! You were more impressionable as a third grader and your brain was still forming, so it might have been a habit to nurture. You’ve done extremely well with finding an alternative to left-hand writing.
Now I keep thinking…should I practice writing with my left hand? Hmm… 🤔
Writing in cursive is much quicker for me than printing. However, after years of professions where accurate note taking in interviews is vital, I have developed my own form of shorthand and terrible handwriting. Good luck reading it sometimes!
Perhaps I should start practicing too! After all, this skill we once considered vital is becoming a lost art.
Hi Brandi, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’ve taken many interview notes too over the years. And minutes for meetings, so I know what you’re talking about for ‘shorthand’ and scribbles that only I know what they meant! 🤣
I’ve been trying to notice if my sleep affects my handwriting in my morning notes, also trying to see if my ability to type changes based on sleep as well. But…that’s another post perhaps! 😉
Sleep affects everything I do so I’m sure typing and writing aren’t exempt. I used to be a newspaper reporter. In my current job I take minutes and still get to interview people for stories sometimes. Even when not in a hurry, I notice my handwriting is worse now than ever before. So many ideas to jot down, so little time!
Yes, the magic of a good night sleep…I wish I could say I get a great night of sleep every night, but that is NOT the case! 😏😫
That’s cool that you’ve found a way to keep up with the notetaking. The 3 pages/day has helped my writing improve, or, maybe not improve so much as being able to write faster and still be legible. Yes, I agree – there are so many ideas, if I wasn’t embarrassed, I’d share a photo of my post-it-note idea piles!! LOL!!!!
Have a happy jotting down ideas day! 🙂
Haha. I have those post-it note collections too! I’m going to organize and do something with them…. Someday…..;)
I’m actually going to bed early tonight because sleep has been a greater issue than normal lately. I actually assured my pillow this morning that I would come back asap. Haha!
I’m glad this exercise is helping you!
I’m going to introduce my post-it note pile to my shredder this weekend (after reading all of them to see if there are any good nuggets or if I can remember why I wrote them in the first place 😂🤔).
Aw, I hope you got a better night of sleep. I did the same thing and was finally able to get some quality sleep.
Thank you for your encouragement!
I hate it when I find a post-it with an idea that I’m sure meant a lot at some point in my life. The question is – what did it mean?
Best wishes with this project and have a great Friday!!
I do that same thing with many of my post-it notes, even ones hanging on my monitor that I see daily. 🤣😂
Thanks, I hope you had a great Friday too!
Well done on writing morning pages, Shelley! I think this is a wonderful practice–for blogging and living! I’m excited that next year I will have my morning to myself. No more driving the boys to and from school. They will have a bus! I plan to write morning pages and be much more diligent about my writing practice. Thank you for the inspiration, and your penmanship is very nice! To answer your question, the public school kids near us no longer learn cursive. My boys did, in Catholic school. Though they only use it when they’re forced. The write so much on their Chromebook for school.
Hi Rebecca, thank you so much for the words of encouragement. I bet you are excited for the extra morning time you’ll have. I remember that time in life, enjoying every quiet moment. I’m sure you’ll use that time to fine-tune your creative writing!! 🥰😍
My girls learned cursive in Catholic school too – they both have beautiful penmanship still to this day. One is a left-handed and the other right-handed and each one has their own unique style.
So…do the kids learn about typing skills instead? Meaning proper placement of their hands and skill tests to make sure they’re typing correctly without looking at the keyboard? I learned that in high school, and am glad for it. Mr. never did have that class and he can type quite fast, but I cringe when I watch his hand placement 🤣😉
I like to write in cursive as my printing is not all that hot, but I write so seldom anymore – at least when I wrote checks and wrote out envelopes to mail the checks, that was a little bit of writing, but now when I wrote out my four or five Christmas cards, I always make a mistake, just don’t write out anything in longhand anymore. I like how you write though – practice makes perfect and we used to have special notebooks when we were kids to ensure our letters were formed perfectly.
I follow Jocelyn Anderson on Facebook – she has beautiful bird photos and she takes stills as well as videos on her iPhone of birds she feeds from her hand outside in a big Metropark. She has one female Cardinal she really likes and she calls it “The Queen” as it hops along the split-rail fence, launches into Jocelyn’s hand and parks herself there, just munching away on the seeds in her outstretched hands. I wish I could do that some day.
I liked all the photos Shelley, but my favorites were that big squirrel contentedly munching and throwing you a look over his shoulder and the beautiful female Cardinal. People always go on about the male Cardinal, never the female – why not? But you have – look at that tuft!
Hi Linda, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Ah, yes, those notebooks that helped us write perfectly. I LOVED them :-).
Yes, I follow her too – I’m amazed at her videos that she catches on her i-phone. WOW. I think I saw that “The Queen” photo recently. Do you have a park near you in MI that lets people feed the birds like that? Doesn’t she live in MI? I could see you doing that.
Thank you for the feedback. I just knew you’d love the squirrel photo. I agree, the female Cardinal is beautiful. I love the pop of colors she does have. And the tuft was a nice touch in her pose. She’s been coming back daily and is plumping up nicely 😉
We practiced all the time in elementary school and we’d get graded on “completing the letter properly” – I remember that.
I followed Jocelyn on Twitter for years, but got a ton of other birders into my Twitter feed, even though I didn’t follow them, so I stopped and went to Facebook. I am amazed how they gravitate to her hand, even the heavy Red-Bellied Woodpeckers. Yes, she just did “the Queen” video of her the other day. I like her still shots and all the videos she shoots with her iPhone. She does live in Michigan and goes to Kensington Metropark which is in Oakland County – I am in Wayne County. I would like to visit there at the Nature Center. She says people have been feeding the birds out of their hand for years. I would like to try that with the Chickadees. This morning I didn’t take the camera as we had rain until around 8:00 a.m. and didn’t want to use the camera in the still damp weather, but I fed the critters under the tree and had a Downy Woodpecker and about five Chickadees blitzing around. They are very wary of me though and will just fly away if I stay there too long. The Cardinals are wary too – the Jays are not intimidated by me at all.
I liked your Cardinal – she is beautiful and that tuft gives her such a nice pose.
Ah, yes, the grading system on hand-writing. I always shook my head when they teacher’s hand-writing wasn’t as nice as mine ;-).
That would be so fun for you to visit that park. I would be cool for you to meet up with her there!! The Chickadees are so cute, they’ve been coming to our feeder too. I bet if you just keep going to that same spot often enough, they’d stop by and land on your hand too.
She’s a beauty alright. I hope she weathered the winter storm okay. I didn’t see her yesterday, but then again, I didn’t see many birds at all.
I can’t wait for spring!
It’s not close to me Shelley – I would like to go one day and almost decided to go during the early part of the pandemic when everyone stayed home but going to parks was allowed. To get there you have to take 696 a very busy expressway where people drive way over the speed limit – I’d wig out for sure. But, I will get there one day – I would like to watch her do this, though on her Facebook site she essentially tells people that the birds will go to anyone holding out their palm with seeds in it. I’d like that. The Chickadees are adorable. But I like the Jays and Cardinals too. We have Dark-Eyed Juncos this year and a resident Downy Woodpecker, all at the Park.
I wouldn’t like that expressway either!
I hope you get to see her someday. Until then, she shares lots of cool photos and videos.
I’m impressed with how you get the squirrels to come to you.
On my walk this morning, I was looking down so I wouldn’t trip on ice and there was a mouse sitting there staring up at me. He made both of us jump as he scampered away. You never know when a critter will appear!
She was supposed to visit the Wild Birds Unlimited that I follow – the former HVAC guy I had for several years and he/wife bought a WBU. I ordered peanuts and hummingbird feeders from him early in the pandemic and chatted with him at the Wildlife Refuge – he was giving a talk on building a birdhouse with kits you could guy at the store. They have some cool things in the store – he does FB videos of what he sells. We used to go to one years ago. My mom collect bird figurines and they used to have them in another WBU store.
They are so cute when they come running – I let them down today and will let them down tomorrow as well. Even if I would have shoveled today, it was still snowing a little tonight, so I’d have to shovel again.
Well, that would stop my heart for sure Shelley. Years ago I visited friends of the family in Puerto Rico and they had two bushes outside their apartment and the geckos or lizards lived in there and liked to run out of the bushes around your feet. Creepy and scary – there was no way to lave the apartment building except past these lizard-infested bushes.
Your comments are inspiring me to think about more bird houses this year. We love the bluebirds that stop by, but they do prefer houses on fences versus the trees we have in the yard. I’ll have to start researching after I get my taxes ready.
Aw, sorry you couldn’t get out for a walk. I hope you didn’t get too much snow. Your snow fall amounts are behind ours. I talked to my dad over the weekend and he has 24″-30″ of snow…yikes!
I’m right there with you!! Little critters that jump out from the bushes always scare me!
I think I can walk Tuesday morning – it was slick as we got a wintry mix Sunday overnight – my front door was iced shut until this afternoon. That is a lot of snow your dad has to contend with. They upped our total to possibly 7 inches, but said to wait until it got closer before thinking/worrying about it. Yes, a little mouse would do a number on me!
I hope you’re getting out to walk today (Tuesday). That’s a bummer about your door. We’ve had that happen to our garage doors once. We had to wait for the sun to melt them.
Stay safe and walk carefully!
Today was beautiful and I should have taken the camera to the Park but I wanted to ensure I got around to everybody since we’re now having snow every day and shovelable snow both weekend days. I decided to leave it at home and take snow pics on the weekend – we had enough snow for a few pics, but the paths were icy everywhere. Hate that. You walk carefully too Shelley – I’m only going out to shovel tomorrow.
Wow, it sounds like MI is catching up on the snow storms. ❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄🥶🧊 Stay safe, Linda, the snow can wait, you’re well prepared to stay comfy in your cozy home!
I think Michigan wants to imitate Wisconsin now – please don’t do that. I only went out early this morning and didn’t go back out. It finally stopped snowing around 8:00 p.m. All those people whining about the lack of snow – pfft!
Shame on those people who wanted more snow!!!! UGH!
I agree – go up North is what I say!!
😍😍
What a clever way to overcome writing obstacles. I loved the pictures so much. The beautiful birds and cheeky squirrels. Thanks so much for sharing 😊
Hi LaShell, thank you so much for your words of encouragement and for stopping by here to see what’s happening in my little neck of the woods. I’m thankful our paths have crossed here in the blogosphere and that your post about your grandmother and your friend ended on a happy note!
Thank you so much Shelley! I love your blog and I’m excited to get to know you better ☺️
Thank you so much for your encouragement! I look forward to our paths crossing again!! 😍
I love the photos, but loved your thoughts on writing and penmanship. I’ve never been a fan of mine, but have had people compliment it..ha! I have wanted to get better, and have also wanted to practice hand lettering..getting creative with writing. It’s so hard when so much can be done on a keyboard, but there is something about physically writing.
Hi Kirstin, thank you so much for stopping by and for sharing your thoughts. If your penmanship is as beautiful as your photos, I’m sure that’s why compliments are well-deserved.
I agree, that darn keyboard makes it easy for us to let go of the physical pen and paper. I’m enjoying the morning routine of helping my penmanship stay revived. 🙂
I know what you mean about blogging ruts.
P.S. Those two cats are so beautiful 🙂
Thank you, I appreciate the encouragement! I also appreciate your post about small business, I can’t wait to check out that Etsy shop!!
PS – it’s nice to hear from you, thanks for stopping by!
I’m climbing up out of a lengthy rut myself, Shelley. Reading blogs like yours (particularly these subjects) is an important part of my prescription for recovery!
I write by hand all the time. Probably 95% of all of my published work was first written longhand. There are dozens of spiral-bound volumes tracing back about 20 years, and another dozen pocket-sized memo books. I carried a memo pad always for many years, and would jot down notes and observations whenever they occurred.
I’ve written for five blogs, some for 15 years or more, and penned two and-a-half fiction novels with a ball point pen. My handwritten drafts will look like script mark-ups after a re-read, with parenthetical options, interjections, scratch-outs and emotion cues. After that, I can transpose it to the digital realm, giving me another opportunity to edit, re-write and proof. As for the handwriting- well, when I’m writing for myself I am often quite careless. Being an artist, however, I pride myself on the neatness and beauty of my writing. I can print like a draftsman (I trained for that briefly before computers put a lot of “letterers” out of work!), and am always plying my best efforts when writing cursive to do work Franklin himself would be pleased with. (Though my friend the calligrapher puts me to shame!)
I didn’t realize writing by hand was such a vanishing art. Guess I’m showing my age. I should have suspected something when my 12-year-old granddaughter was so incredulous. She looked at me as if I were translating Sanskrit and marveled “You know how to read cursive?!”
Keep at it, and keep in touch.
Paz
Hi Paz, welcome back from your break. The poem you wrote is a beautiful comeback.
I’m thankful you stopped by to share your thoughts about the skills of handwriting. I’m very impressed by the volumes of handwriting you’ve done in your lifetime so far.
My FIL was a draftsman and I love looking at his penmanship. My youngest took letterpress in art school (I think that’s what it is called) she loved making homemade paper and then using the little press letters to form words on it. It’s nice they teach the crafts from the past, it’s sad they can be replaced so easily by new technology.
That’s so sweet about your granddaughter’s comment. If these youngins don’t know how to read it, how will the read historical binders full of treasures like you’ve saved over the years!?
Keep at it too, and keep in touch, I need reminders, so don’t be shy! 😉
I dot my i’s with tiny hearts still! I love your squirrels, your cardinals, your inspiration! Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts!
Aw, that’s so fun!! Thank you for stopping by to share your thoughts, 💞🥰😍