Mrs. Teabody Greets the Day

~  from Shakespeare's"Winter's Tale" Act 2 Scene 1 HERMIONE:  " What wisdom stirs amongst you? Come, sir, now       I am for you again: pray you, sit by us.  And tell 's a tale.   MAMILLIUS:  Merry or sad shall't be?   HERMIONE:  As merry as you will.   MAMILLIUS:  A sad tale's best for winter: I have one  o f sprites and goblins.   HERMIONE:  Let's have that, good sir.       Come on, sit down: come on, and do your best       To fright me with your sprites; you're powerful at it.   MAMILLIUS:  There was a man--   HERMIONE:  Nay, come, sit down; then on.   MAMILLIUS:  Dwelt by a churchyard: I will tell it softly;       Yond crickets shall not hear it.   HERMIONE:  Come on, then,       And give't me in mine ear.  " Good Morning, Gentle Reader, from this snowy, ice-encased mountain retreat where everyone's bundled up in robes and socks against the chill air, kept that way by the ever vigilant  and thrifty Mr. Teabody. Ho

“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”   Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol Good Morning, Gentle Reader where at this early hour, all is quite dark. The Christmas tree lights sparkle and each window holds a glimmering light, and the house is redolent of pine boughs and cloves, and a wonderful sense of expectancy hangs in the air. Mrs. Teabody has said time and time again that Christmas is the very best season of all, and what is the best season of all without many smiles? Without much laughter? Mister Teabody is what was often referred to in another time as a card: a person who attracts attention by his wit. Mister Teabody  has the ability to put a smile on Mrs. Teabody's face at least a dozen times a day in at least half a dozen different ways. An E-mail  will ping its arrival on Mrs. Teabody's computer and  upon opening it, she will  find a  laugh-out-loud-worthy cartoon or  video Mr. Teabody wished to share. When

This column is not written in the voice of Mrs. Teabody. Like many of you I have wrestled with the elements of yesterday's mass murder in Connecticut, and I have a few thoughts of my own. I welcome you to add comments. First of all, examine your heart and ask yourself how differently you would feel now about the killer if he had been black. Take it a step further and imagine how your fellow Americans may have reacted had that been the case. This is merely food for thought-- something that crossed my mind. Next, let's talk about personality disorders . It should go without saying that ANYONE who kills another human being is not sane. An adult white male armed himself with semi-automatic weapons and  systematically slaughtered completely helpless children. He is a murderer, and his "personality disorder" is that he did not revere or respect the right of his fellow humans to live, including his own mother. Why did he feel that way? Thou shalt not kill   is univer

Could this be the right car? Greetings, Gentle Readers, on this balmy December morning, and if the forecast changes today's wardrobe selection, just know that this is, after all, December and the lower temps will return soon enough.  Yesterday was a grand day for "putting up" outdoor lights and  if the resulting overall effect at Chez Teabody leaves a lot to be desired, and if  the experience has placed a bit of a  strain on the Teabodys' usual conviviality, one simply chalks this up to necessity. Chez Teabody should not put on a face of dour disregard for this festive season. Mon Dieu! Mrs. Teabody thanks all gentle readers for their seasonal displays. Much appreciated. Good news for all you tea lovers! The tea ship has sailed into the Tickle Your Fancy harbor so do plan to visit soon to scoop up all the new teas. First of all, there are the tried and true Earl Greys and rooibos teas but the shelves are also newly filled with ambrosial delights suc

Good Morning from Chez Teabody where Mrs. Teabody sits admiring the barren woods of Meadow Grounds Mountain pasted against a background of pale blue mountains from her little perch in the east window. A few telltale crumbs are all that remain of a lovely buttery, ethereal  croissant purchased yesterday at the closing note of a truly memorable day-long visit in NYC with Mrs. Teabody's youngest sister, Lady Shumleywinks. In celebration of Lady Shumleywinks'  special birthday, Mrs. Teabody had purchased tickets to  "War Horse", that stunningly beautiful, award-winning play at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in the Lincoln Center. And that is where Mrs. Teabody fell in love with a horse . . . Mrs. Teabody cries easily. At this stage of life there is little point in holding back positive emotions, and she made no attempt to restrain her feelings from the first sight of the foal getting his legs in the imaginary pasture field of pre-WWI Devon England. His ears twitc

In Gratitude for a Wonderful Life If life is a pie, Mine is four-fifths done But there's filling left And the crust still crumbs. If life is a ball game, The eighth inning's near But the best batter's up And the outcome's unclear. If life is a rainbow, The way's going down But it's so much easier And gold's on the ground. If life is a card game, The aces are played But left in my hand Are the queen and her knave. If life is a water glass, Mine's more than half full Surprisingly clear Refreshingly cool. Life is what you make it; Your outlook is key Let no one say ever Life was wasted on me.

Good Morning, Gentle Reader.  'twas quite a snuggly night last night, and the Teabodys are ever so appreciative of their restored electrical power, having been denied its comfort and joy for sixteen hours  because of Sandy . As usual, Mrs. Teabody has risen a bit before the rosy-fingered dawn, and this brisk Hallowe'en  requires that one don both socks and a robe.  Do bundle up! According to Mr. Wikipedia, the word Hallowe'en was first used in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All Hallows' Even ('evening'), that is, the night before All Hallows' Day. Hallowe'en is also thought to have been influenced by the Christian holy days of All Saints' Day (also known as All Hallows, Hallowmas or Hallowtide) on November 1 and All Souls' Day on November 2. By the end of the 12th century they had become holy days of obligation across Europe and involved such traditions as ringing bells for the souls in purgatory. "Souling&q

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.  ~Albert Camus Bbbbbuuuuurrrrrr, Gentle Reader. Today promises to be a proper fall day, do you not agree? A crescent moon hangs silver in an ebony sky just outside Mrs. Teabody's window, and everywhere inside Mrs. Teabody can see "tender" green plants large and small which the  pajama-clad Teabodys bore indoors some time after nine last night after seeing a crawler on the television predicting morning temperatures in the 20's. Mon Dieu! Lose the Volkswagen-sized ferns? Noooooooo! Sacrifice the ancient rhododendron or dracena to Jack Frost's withering touch? No. No. No. Mrs. Teabody strongly suspects small life forms will begin to emerge from each and every one of these rescued plants at daybreak. Spiders mostly. Shudder. The plants, however, have been saved. Mrs. Teabody is enjoying a nice cuppa Bombay chai which is a perfect compliment to a crisp and promise-crammed fall morning. Mrs. Teabody loves thi

Tuesday, September 18 Good Morning, Gentle Reader. Did the cooler temperatures and whirling weather give you a pleasant slumber last night? There is something delicious about being snugly abed while the elements cavort outside. Much preferable to being inside a motor car with two sisters  making their way home from a two-night stay at Caesar's on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City on a high speed highway in torrential rain sandwiched by eighteen-wheeled behemoths . Much. But to the heart of the matter. Arriving in Atlantic City at Caesar's at 2:00 P.M., Mrs. Teabody, the Duchess Tilly and Lady Anne were pleased when "Johana" called them to her line and delivered the delightful news that the three had been given a mini-suite on the twentieth floor in the Ocean Tower. The numbering system for the Ocean Tower baffles most folks going from 1-2-3 to 7800-8200, etc. No matter as the room card directed the party to the 8200 floor and just a few steps along the brilliantl

Good Morning, Gentle Reader! Are you basking in the fall-like temperatures that greet the day? Fall has its share of naysayers, of course, but many folks of Mrs. Teabody's acquaintance profess a fondness for wearing sweaters, for reading under the warmth of an afghan or comforter, and for lighting that first fire in the fireplace. Perhaps cooler climes will end the tyranny of this new wave of hostile insects bent on baffling physicians from Bangor to San Clemente. One surely hopes. Are you an on-line shopper, Gentle Reader? If you are, perhaps you are familiar with amazon.com? Mrs. Teabody is overly fond of books, and with a profound dearth of bookstores in these woods, she has been most delighted at the effortlessness of purchasing various and sundry things from amazon.com. Perhaps you have noticed that more and more companies are connecting their online ordering through this efficient service. Why, just this very week Mrs. Teabody purchased wallpaper border and merchandi

If you are reading this Gentle Reader, you have, doubtless, survived the "wild and whirling" weather of yesterday and are looking forward to this last little week of August. Only five days remain. Had Mrs. Teabody's niece not spoken of the upcoming Labor Day weekend, Mrs. Teabody may have allowed the traditional farewell to summer to come and go without so much as a passing mention of a wienie roast or corn boil. Information is power. Plan accordingly. The Teabodys made their semi-annual buying trip to NYC last week and chose to accommodate themselves for two nights in the moderately rarified air of Lexington Avenue at the InterContinental Barclay  on the block adjacent to the Waldorf-Astoria. Within the general area one can also find The Benjamin and an enigmatic Marriott so the location is not altogether as remote as it may initially seem when one is out scavenging for a decent cuppa before seven ayem. An extremely professional young man named Norman was happy to answ

Time flies when you're having a good time. ~ English proverb Good Morning, Gentle Reader. The clock but new struck five and in just a very little while, the Teabodys will climb inside their ancient motor car and hurtle toward the train station where they will board a trusty Amtrak tube which will deliver them to New York City's Penn Station to begin their three-day sojourn inspecting the wares of the world's cleverest artisans! In spite of a nagging discomfort from an "itis" from which Mrs. Teabody hopes to recover, the Teabodys will do their best to bring home a host of treasures to line the walls of Tickle Your Fancy. Just for you. On Thursday, Mrs. Teabody wished to commemorate the first day of SECOND year she would not be attending "inservice" day prior to the first day of school. What could be more fitting than to spend time with another teacher who was just as delighted not to be  sitting inside some dreary central meeting room listening

"If you're blue and you don't know where to go to, Why don't you go where fashion sits?  Puttin' on the Ritz." ~ Irving Berlin Good Morning from Meadow Grounds Mountain where the cool ambient air reminds everyone that August is the month during which Summer scampers into acceleration  mode. Best catch it before it's gone, Gentle Reader! Mrs. Teabody  returned yesterday from a week's odyssey with two of her siblings, the Duchess Tilly and Lady Anne, and she is prepared to regale you with stories from the road, as it were, and the odyssey begins in Cleveland. Whilst the dauntless, imperious voice of the Global Positioning Device droned along, Lady Anne chanted contradictory advice from MapQuest, and yours truly silently gazed upon an actual Atlas map - -do any of you remember maps? - -  the driver, Duchess Tilly, simply aimed the motor car in the direction of the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Cleveland, and in less time than it takes to butter a

If you don't like where you are, change your geography. ~ Tom Stull, circa 1968 Good Morning  Gentle Readers across cyberspace as Time gives everyone its first Sunday in August. Besides being the eighth month of the year, August is the final month of summer in the United States, and the word itself has meaning including the following from  Mrs. Miriam Webster:  August - adj. Inspiring awe or admiration; majestic: the august presence of the monarch.  Venerable for reasons of age or high rank. For many, the new school year fast approaches; for others August means annual vacation. The flipping of the calendar to August puts everyone on notice: summer is fading fast; time to turn thoughts into action. Such thoughts spurred Lord and Lady D. into action in hosting a fete of largish proportions and Mr. and Mrs. Teabody were happy to venture forth as Lord and Lady D's estate contains masses of rolling green farmland tucked away behind trees and features the most divine l