More Wreath!

I dislike the "More Cowbell!" skit from Saturday Night Live and also dislike the mass ringing of cowbells at Ironman Wisconsin because, well, noise. I have cowbell on the brain right now because my husband has taken up cyclocross (an obstacle-course bike race for crazy people), and I've been told I need to buy my own cowbell to cheer racers on. Cyclocross crowds aren't as big as Ironman crowds, so there were fewer cowbells to annoy me. But should I add to the cacophony? I'm not sure I can.

I saw a meme today that said, "Some people have an inner child, but I have an inner old woman who just wants everyone to be quiet."

More Wreath! That's a rallying cry I can get behind.

Wreaths are, after all, very quiet.

And pretty. Like this one.

The wreath is from A Wreath for All Seasons (Papertrey). The sentiment is from I don't know where. I chose it because of the rounded serifs on the letters. They echo the round berries on the wreath nicely, and they add some whimsy to the card that brings energy into the design.

Note that I was careful to position the holes in the wreath image so I could put the banner across it without totally covering up any of the berries. I like how the two rhinestones peek out from under the edge of the banner.

And now I'd like to comment on the current state of English education. When I taught 20 years ago, college freshman writers mostly struggled to come up with thesis statements and sufficient paragraph development to write well-crafted essays. They also committed a horrifying number of grammar errors.

Today, however, students have a surprisingly good grasp of how to develop a thesis statement and organize an essay, but they can't write concise, clear sentences to save their lives, and they still commit a horrifying number of grammar errors (especially sentence boundary problems, which are major errors, people!). I'm revising my syllabus to take this shift in student needs into account.

This shift, however, is a huge improvement. High-school English teachers need to keep doing whatever they are doing, but for the love of little green apples, please, please, please teach also students to avoid fragments, comma splices, and run-on sentences. Oy vey!

And while you're at it, promote the Oxford comma because well-placed commas win lawsuits.

Thank you for listening.

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and gratitude,
Susan

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey and some other company I can't remember
ink: Versamagic tea leaves, Hero Arts red royal
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: rhinestones, craft foam