Mrs. Teabody Greets the Day

O,  To  be in England Now that April 's there, And whoever wakes in England Sees, some morning, unaware, That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf          5 Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf, While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough In England—now! ~ Robert Browning Good Morning, Gentle Reader! There is just the faintest tinge of light in the Eastern sky, but Mrs. Teabody is feeling somewhat confident that the planned perambulation with Lady Glass and Duchess Ming at seven ayem will, indeed,  take place as the outdoors temperature already stands at a reasonable fifty-four degrees. Just two mornings ago it was below freezing. Today by noon it may soar to eighty degrees. Mon Dieu!  What is there to say about April? Truly. It seems harshly judgmental to say that April has clearly lost her mind, but what else can one think, Gentle Reader? Mrs. Teabody has lived ever so long and she cannot recall any previous time when her snow boots sat directly beside h

"When you ain't got nothin', you got nothin' to lose." ~ Dylan Good Morning, Gentle Reader. Here on Mrs. Teabody's mountain, all is enshrouded in fog, and like her fellow sufferers, Mrs Teabody is engaged in the most unattractive process of emptying her noggin of the launched battle of her sinuses, tissue box and wastebasket at the ready. A piping hot cuppa Bon Jour is making the process marginally less hideous. But today is not the day to discuss how tragically unseemly the battle with pollen can be. No. Today Mrs. Teabody wishes to share with you the details of her latest misadventure which begins and ends with a cellular phone. One assumes you have a cellular phone, Gentle Reader? Of course you do. No one can escape its ubiquity. Perhaps yours is one kept for road emergencies or, perhaps, at the spectrum's opposite end, yours is one that behaves as an assistant, holding all manner of precious data or as  a singular friend, offering up

Good Morning, Gentle Reader! Perhaps you have been awake long enough to have a wander outside and  have a look to the heavens quite spectacular with stars?  A beautiful sight, indeed. As Mrs. Teabody stepped outside the front door of Chez Teabody, she saw the Big Dipper directly over her head, the bottom of the dipper almost parallel with the doorway. Some comfort in this and in the slightly cooler temperature. Some. Mrs. Teabody genuinely misses a traditional spring and frets about it. That said, the new purple, magenta and white tulips dotting the rose border along with the lettucy leaves of six coral bells and the Japanese maple showing off her fine new set of leaves are all sights to warm anybody's heart this morning-- Mrs. Teabody's included. Here are examples of Creme Brulee And Key Lime Pie This combination of colors makes for a really pretty statement in the garden so do keep a look our for them, Gentle Reader. Today, Mrs. Teabody will be going to work. She w

Good Morning from the side of Meadow Grounds Mountain where the Morning Chorus is already under way even though the sky is just now showing signs of light. Is there any other time of the year so rife with promise as spring, Gentle Reader? Is there any other time of the year that is so enchanting? No, there is not. Just when your heart had fallen into despair over fallen magnolia blossoms and faded cherries, the woods are suddenly teeming with service berry and red bud trees, and is there anything prettier? Mrs. Teabody places the red bud tree very close to the top of her list of things worth driving some distance to see, and she believes she knows most places where an abundance of magenta lighting up a gray landscape can be found, none closer than a quick pop along Route 16 where the residents just above the village must have happy hearts indeed to indulge their senses with such profusion. The Teabodys love to visit Buck Run Nursery located just across the Tuscarora Mountain ne

Fie on’t! O fie! ’tis an unweeded garden, That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature Possess it merely. ~ HAMLET Good Morning!   Hola! Bon Jour! And all the other phrases one wishes to hear for greeting the day, Gentle Reader.  Mrs. Teabody trusts the night's slumber was rejuvenating. Both Mr. Teabody and the Duchess Ming seemed to be having especially spirited dialogues with Mr. Sandman  forcing Mrs. Teabody from the bedchamber well before the appointed time but not to worry. A day rife with physical activity tending an "unweeded garden," followed by a long sudsing and a nice cuppa had  Mrs. Teabody abed yesterday evening long before a conventional hour, and she is sleep-sated. At Chez Teabody the southern-most side of the house looks out upon the wildest segment of the property, deliberately kept that way for the barrier  to the neighboring property provided by trees, honeysuckle, grapevines and brambles.  However, there is a thirty-foot  swath bet

Good Morrow, Gentle Reader. As the hour is quite early, the window to Mrs. Teabody's left  offers no promise of morning, but one assumes the day will dawn, and it shall be one that gentle readers will not want to miss. Mrs. Teabody hopes many hours pass between her writing this missive   and your reading of it. Today is Sunday, the first day of April, the day traditionally known as "April Fools' Day." As Mr. Wikipedia writes:  "April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries in the Northern Hemisphere on April 1 every year. In the Southern Hemisphere it is celebrated six months later, on October 1. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness. The day is marked by the commission of good-humoured or otherwise funny jokes, hoaxes, and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, teach