So little time to write! This morning, at least. We are off soon for another fun visit with friends, and I still haven’t had a chance to write about our marvelous visit with the Edmisten clan, who (amazing, this!!) drove four hours to meet us in Kansas the other day. Four hours. Each way. I mean, really. A. MAZE. ING.
And then there are all the stories and snippets from the trip, the ones too long to type into a PDA. Soon, soon. (I am promising myself. Must chronicle travels or else explode into teeny tiny bits of untold tales. Story shrapnel?)
Of course I’ll be forever in Alice’s debt (again) for taking notes on all the things I babbled into my wireless headset on the drive. She is the best kind of friend, the kind who not only doesn’t MIND if you interrupt her on the phone to maniacally shriek LOOK LOOK GIRLS A BURROWING OWL ON THE FENCEPOST OH RATS YOU MISSED IT!!!!! I’m sorry, Alice, you were saying?, she even writes down what you’re shrieking about. She also says far nicer things about me than I deserve, but you can just skip over those parts. She is totally biased, and we should all just be very frank about that. Whenever she uses words like "descriptive," "spontaneous," and "adventurous," you should substitute "longwinded," "flaky," and "nuts." Just so you know.
On a totally unrelated note (except that it’s about WRITING and see how cleverly I have tied it to the title of this post?), the Washington Post has an article today about cursive handwriting: how keyboarding is turning cursive into a dying art, and how many college applicants today can barely read cursive much less write a legible hand, and how there seems to be a link between cognitive development and cursive handwriting. Most of the homeschoolers I know do teach cursive (or, in my case, throw a cursive workbook at an eight-year-old girl and leave her alone with some gel pens, because all those swirls are ooh, so pretty!), so I was interested to read that few public schools spend much time on it nowadays.
All the readers of The Lilting House know I speak the truth no matter how you may protest! : )
I am interested in the article on cursive. Did you know that for Catholic high school entrance exams (at least her in NY), all the written work must be submitted in cursive, or they will not grade it?
Thanks for that link to the article on cursive. I am continually irritated when my children in first, third and fourth grade can turn in a report typed or handwriiten. (Of course all the kids, but mine, type them). When will they learn to perfect their handwriting, and who is typing for them? I quickly forwarded the article to my husband who is an administrator at their school, and in agreement with me on this- Thanks!
I was looking at some old Iowa tourism info, found this (http://www.lauraingallswilder.us/) and wondered if you would get a chance to visit a pioneer museum. I’m glad you did.
The West is the best for road trips. So says this old CO girl who is currently missing the mountains…
Melissa, you are my mom hero. I want to be just like you when I am a mom and shriek about owls. I don’t even know what a burrowing owl looks like (googling).
I wish I still lived in San Diego so I could get to meet you (if you didn’t think I was too weird, that is).
Oooh! Oooh! Go to Extraordinary Desserts! They have a website! It is the date place/ girl’s night out place to go in San Diego. Now they have a new location on Union St, but I’ve only tried the one on 5th. And the kids will love Balboa Park and all the museums and stuff to climb on! And Old Town, with the yummiest Mexican food and exhibits on the early San Diego settlement.
Okay, talk about long winded… there is a lot of scope for the imagination there, you and the gang will love it.