Somehow, It's Funny that Way

[Zeedman]

My cursive penmanship used to be fairly good. During my time in the Military, I was away from home a lot, and writing letters constantly - always in cursive. But when I retired & moved home permanently, there was no reason to use cursive, other than for signatures. At work, all hand-written documentation was printed; all of my garden records were printed as well, and any written compositions were typed out on the computer. So I've mostly forgotten cursive now... what you don't use, you lose. DW kept a few of my first letters to her, my old writing style looks foreign to me now.

Exactly my feelings about cursive. I only used it for writing letters... and after years away from home in the military, I never wanted to write another letter for as long as I lived. Everything at work, and in my records at home, is printed; and of course, everything on the computer or cell is typed. The only thing I still use cursive for is my signature - and that is so far removed from the penmanship I once had, that I could be mistaken for a doctor.

And @paiyaan8 , welcome to The Easy Garden! Please feel free to make a post in "new member introduction", so that everyone has a chance to say hello. This is a friendly bunch, you'll like it here.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Exactly my feelings about cursive. I only used it for writing letters... and after years away from home in the military, I never wanted to write another letter for as long as I lived. Everything at work, and in my records at home, is printed; and of course, everything on the computer or cell is typed. The only thing I still use cursive for is my signature - and that is so far removed from the penmanship I once had, that I could be mistaken for a doctor.

My cursive has always sucked, not the least because I'm left handed and when I was learning, they didn't really have the resources to correctly teach left-handers how to do it without smudging everything they wrote with the side of their hand.

Not that my printing has ever been much better. I typed all of my homework assignments I could since around sixth grade (and bear in mind this, means about the very early 90's, when computers or even word processors were still a pretty new thing (I was even worse at using a typewriter than writing, since they basically only gave us a month to learn that. I STILL basically hunt and peck when I type)). And I don't know HOW many exams I lost major points on because the teacher couldn't read what I wrote, or I ran out of space or time (to write legibly, I usually write big, and there is only so much space they give you on the paper. And to write slowly, which eats up time.)

I shudder to think how I would have done when being able to write "in a fair hand" (clearly, legibly AND attractively) was an actual job skill.

 

[flowerbug]

my writing is often described as chicken scratches. as a young person in school i was disciplined for being unable to do it how i was shown. they didn't understand dyslexia then. i type much better and you can read it a lot clearer than almost anything i could write by hand. i did learn cursive but it was with much cursing - i'm not sure i could write it easily now but i think i can remember most of the lower case letters, the capitals would be a challenge... i'd have to look those up...

i should also note that i was probably supposed to be left handed but forced to be right handed. when others move left i often move the other direction and at times walking down sidewalks with other people coming at me it's not easy for me to remember to go the right direction. luckily for driving i don't have this issue at all...

 

[digitS']

 

[digitS']

 

[flowerbug]

View attachment 54316

they haven't found the lever under the lid edge trick. it works so well and is very funny to show off to someone who's never seen it done before.

 

[digitS']

What are you using for a lever, @flowerbug ?

I rummage around in my kitchen drawers and wonder often how long it has been since I have used the punch for opening a can of evaporated milk or something. Or, when was the last time a cap had to be popped off a bottle instead of being twisted on threads.

Shucks. It's even a little surprising to have glass containers to open in this plastic age.

Steve, remembering the olde days - having a beer

 

[flowerbug]

What are you using for a lever, @flowerbug ?

anything works that you can use, a thin knife, a screwdriver, the can opener turner thingy, any bit of strong enough something... if you can use it to pry or twist it enough to pop the seal. that's all you have to do is break the seal. works so much easier than trying to twist something off (with the seal intact). it's all about surface area...

can opener i'd like someday (there's four pry/lever surfaces there and a bar):

this is the one i have which works great (note it also has pry and lever surfaces (the one on the right) ):

this is the kind that Mom likes (but it doesn't have so many uses):

 

[ducks4you]

We use to have this packed when we did CW reenacting. Small, but mighty.

 

[Zeedman]

an opener i'd like someday (there's four pry/lever surfaces there and a bar):

That's pretty close to the bottle opener I use, when I'm not in the mood for a wrestling match (and the bottle opener also works well on canning lids). Sometimes the inverted bang on the counter works too.