Summer Vacation!

I came across this one in my hometown's newspaper while I was on vacation last month...

An Oldie But A Goodie

I came across this one from over a year ago. I was driving through Brighton, MI, and boy, was I glad I had my camera!

I Love the Supermarket...

...especially the produce section. It boggles the mind...

Happy 4th of July!!

I've finally gotten around to filing my pictures in their photo albums from the last, gulp, 12 months. When I got to the 4th of July photos from 2008, I came across a hidden treasure... I love my hometown...

Another trip to the grocery store

My favorite place to find the "good stuff!"

The sign was hanging above the products. Of course, THIS is what it SHOULD have looked like...

Oh boy...

Happy Father's Day!

Another great find in last week's newspaper from my hometown. They never fail to provide me with wonderful examples.

And by the way, what's up with the quotation marks????

A visit to the produce section

Grocery stores are among my favorite places to witness Apostrophe Abuse. I found this one earlier today at one of my neighborhood stores. Interestingly, this sign was next to one that was appropriately punctuated "Bananas." I would like to know what the avocados have that the bananas don't...

The latest

I had to travel 350 miles to find this one, but it's well worth it. And I know for a fact that this agency has more than one employee...Wow.

Seriously????

I came across this news story a few months ago. All I can do is shake my head. And engage in a good, hearty laugh! {sigh}....

http://news.aol.com/article/city-stops-using-apostrophes/323881

Somewhat unrelated, but...

Okay, Okay. So there's no apostrophe abuse here. It was just too darn funny to pass up!!

Nearly Two Years of Examples...

Playing catch-up... two years of memories.

Please! Please!! Make it stop!!!

I have a variety of pet peeves in my life. Making it into the top three is an all-too-common form of disregard for the English language commonly referred to as "Apostrophe Abuse." I am amazed at how many apostrophes are carelessly drawn in places they shouldn't be, or how many I am not seeing in places where they clearly should be. And while seeing these shameful errors printed in newspapers, magazines, and on public and professional signs provides me a chance to laugh histerically for a period of time, though it is also enough to make me want to carry a bottle of whiteout and a black magic marker with me at all times. And perhaps a copy of The Elements of Style for the creator of the error.

Where does all of my amusement of, and my occasional slight hostility toward, abuse of the beloved apostrophe come from? Some would argue that my 30 years of having a high school English teacher for a mother would tend to make me more prone to proper grammar and better knowledge of the English language. Perhaps. But my mother can continue to explain to me the proper usage of the words "lie" and "lay" until she is blue in the face. I'll still never remember how to use them correctly. I contend that my appreciation for the apostrophe and its proper (and improper) usage comes from paying attention to things I was taught before I was old enough to drive a car. And from having what I consider to be a pretty darn good sense of humor.

After collecting a few examples over the years of apostrophe abuse, and, sadly, letting too many other examples go unphotographed, never to be seen or fully appreciated again, I decided to start this blog. This way, I can share these abuses, as well as the amusement that comes along with them, with others. Hopefully there are at least a few people out there who can appreciate them as much as I do. And maybe, just maybe, together, we can end the vicious cycle of apostrophe abuse, one bottle of whiteout at a time.