Mrs. Teabody Greets the Day

Good Morning from the silent and placid Chez Teabody where the Christmas season is still much in evidence with glittering tree in the corner and fairy lights sparkling along the porch railing. Packages from friends and family nestle beneath the tree as testimony of Christmas fetes far and near and the memories of so many festive occasions  underscore the bounty of coming from a large family and being fortunate enough to have wonderful friends. Whether sitting around a table with friends making egg cartons into  Christmas ornaments, sitting  jam-packed and fun-filled, shoulder to shoulder with family in the ancestral home, sitting in front of a hundreds years old walk-in fireplace enjoying witty repartee with far-flung-home-for-Christmas friends, or sitting in one's own lit-only-by-the-Christmas-tree living room contemplating decades of Christmases past, this season has been delightful. Mrs. Teabody had a day at her little shop, Tickle Your Fancy , that began with a Kristy and en

Tickle Your Fancy Gifts and Tea Good Morning, Gentle Reader! Chez Teabody stands quiet enough that Mrs. Teabody can hear the Grandfather ticking away. The ebon night is punctuated with the bright glow of fairy lights strung along the railing outside  and the Christmas tree blazes away just over Mrs. Teabody's left shoulder. Within arm's reach sits a steaming cuppa Earl Grey Lavender and a good pair of  cotton socks and  soft flannel pajamas assure comfort on this chilly December 10, 2014--two weeks till Christmas Eve-- and Mrs. Teabody is taking this opportunity to urge you to find your Christmas Spirit by looking outside yourself and suggests a few ways of doing just that. First of all, lose that hard part of your heart that harbors dark thoughts about the commercialization of Christmas by others. Don't waste a single moment of your life worrying about how anyone else is celebrating Christmas the WRONG way: the inappropriate decorations, the mis-guided focus,

Salad Italian French Dip Hello, December! Last week found Mrs. Teabody  and Company back at the fabulous new and smoke-free Baltimore Horseshoe Gambling Emporium. Even the most critical of the gaming industry can find lots to love  about Horseshoe and among those are a number of restaurants including Guy Fieri's Baltimore Kitchen and Bar where Mrs. Teabody and Company dined just one week ago. Just like Johnny Sanchez, GFBKB has nothing cosy about it, but what it lacks in warm and inviting it more than makes up for in portion size and yummy flavors. Mrs. Teabody and her sister decided wisely to share the Salad Italianne as a starter and quickly realized they were no match for this delicious mound of antipasti barely confined within a generous wrapping of prosciutto.  Bits of hard salami and Cheerio-sized mozzarella along with pepperocini and anchovy kept the salad full of flavor and texture. It was also VERY FILLING so when the server arrived bearing the mountain of f

In Gratitude for a Wonderful Life By Thruppence Teabody (2012)  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 from Meadow Grounds Mountain where at this early hour not one rosy finger of dawn scrolls across the ebon sky. Today is Mrs. Teabody's birthday and she doesn't want to languish abed, contemplating her mortality. Mrs. Teabody has things

O brave new world that has such creatures in it. Good Morning from  a cool, starry and blowy Meadow Grounds Mountain where the last hour or so  found the Teabodys stirring,  making vegetable stock, bringing the tea kettle up to boil TWICE and wearing socks all around. The Teabodys shall be hosting quite a festive enterprise tomorrow, and, doubtless, you will be much abused with tales surrounding the event, but not this morning, Gentle Reader. This morning will be devoted to the creative energies of some beloved friends and the effect of loving hearts. Mrs. Teabody placed the above  two "containers"on the dining room table this morning and snapped their picture.. The top one is a delicate bird cage that holds no bird but instead holds a tidy stack of tiny little scrolls. The bottom is a cardboard box sent Priority Mail  from Illinois. What do these two containers hold in common? First of all, both are from females with specially reserved spots in Mrs. Teabody's he

Mr. Teabody with Ming at the Roaring Run Falls October crept in on "little cat feet" in the night following the rumblings of a series of thunder-boomers that brought a much-needed inch of moisture to this water-starved area even as it created a sense of un-ease among those who have reasons both real and imaginary NOT to like such carryings on. The Teabodys' beloved dog, Ming-- now gone missing almost nine days -- HATED thunderstorms and never strayed far away when one was near.  It does not take much of imagination's stretch this morning to feel the fur  of her neck beneath one's foot,  a lick on a foot or ankle -- comforted by human presence and vice-versa as Mrs. Teabody doesn't like them either. How many thunderstorms have passed in this fashion since 2003? Surely, someone still comforts her.  Each passing day finds hope for Ming's return dwindling yet, foolishly, Mrs. Teabody's  eyes routinely peruse the  perimeters of the property looking f

Heirloom Tomato Salad There's a definite autumnal feel in the air this second Friday in September and if the events of the past two weeks are any indication of what the new season will bring, then Mrs. Teabody needs to rearrange her closet and bring out her glad rags. Perhaps you should, too? What a social whirl! Leave it to one of Mrs. Teabody's favorite friends, the multi-talented Lady Beatrice, to sort a day for an adventure heading for the bright lights of Baltimore in Lady Beatrice's exquisite, if talkative, motor car. Lady Beatrice is nothing if not an adventuress of the first order. Mrs. Teabody is never surprised when she hears a ping on her little smart telephone only to discover that Lady B has sent her a photograph of an adobe house in Sedona, some uncomfortably precipitous "road" in  New Mexico, or the view from her Paris pied–à–terre. Why, this very week Lady B shall swan off to paint the steely Atlantic in North Carolina, and once again Mrs. T

Sweet days of summer,  the jasmine's in bloom July is dressed up  and playing her tune   ~ Seals and Croft 1972 Good Morning, Gentle Reader. Did you wake with a summer breeze  dancing quietly to birdsong this morning? No suffocating, maddening heat. No trepidation about how to endure another sultry day. What a rare and wonderful seventeenth day of July! What a rare and wonderful summer! A typical conversation starter  these halcyon days is "How is your summer?" and Mrs. Teabody always hears such wonderful remarks, all with a common theme: summer of 2014 is one of the loveliest summers in memory. Look around you. There is green glory everywhere. The trees are puffed and laden with shade. Lawns that often turn to tan and brown look as lush as they did at first cutting. Amid all that green is a primer on the color spectrum. Porch boxes, borders, hanging baskets spill trailing petunias and callie in paintbox colors,  lime and purple sweet potato vines cascade on

How goes your summer, Gentle Reader? Before you remind Mrs. Teabody that "summer" is only a few days along, Mrs. T. shall remind YOU that in these parts "summer" begins with Memorial Day and ends on the first day of school. Aside from a few flash floods, a few too many thunder-boomers and a preponderance of ticks, Mrs. Teabody sees this June as an especially memorable one so fill the next couple days carefully so you have something celebratory to get you through  next February. Have you noticed the mural that hangs along Lincoln Way West next to Susquehanna Bank? Painted by David Henry it is a reminder to passers by of the current state of one of Fulton County's greatest treasures, Meadow Grounds Lake. Instead of the breathtaking 200+ acres  bowl of water, it is a somewhat barren landscape now. At the left end of the mural there is a gauge for the current level of local commitment to the $100K the area has been asked to raise to get the restoration started.

The First Knockout Good Morning from the sunny side of the mountain where most of the trees have finally unfurled in all their green and gold glory. Nothing can quite compare with the lushness of this little interval between winter and summer . Lawns are perfectly trimmed to best showcase the  ponds of bright green that anchor each dwelling. Hopeful pots and fanciful containers filled with palettes of colors bright and soft sit along rural highways and next to doorways. Porch and window boxes drip petunias and  hold up geraniums. Even the self-proclaimed "Black Thumb" gardeners usually hang a basket of flowers on a shepherd's hook to celebrate this season of growth.  Last but not least are those who garden perennially, who dig and fertilize and prune and  water deeply through all the seasons. Such are the Teabodys although they are no match for some of the master gardeners whose roses make the covers of magazines, whose gardens never seem to be attacked by gladiator

Unruly April. Just when the woes and worries of winter were put back on the shelf, April decided to unleash her inner brattiness to herald the new season with  scary weather all around, especially in the midwest and south.  Mrs. Teabody joins you in prayers for all those falling victim to the wild and whirling winds. When the weather is bad, the Teabodys seek the comforts of home, rarely straying very far into the elements. One of those comforts is a steaming cuppa tea. Right now as Mrs. Teabody greets the day, she is enjoying Earl Grey Lavender and what a nice way to kick off the week ahead! The flavor and fragrance of a top quality tea served up in a fine china mug is one of life's great moments  and add to the fact that one may do so in one's pajamas just ratchets up the enjoyment . Enjoying that first post-sleep cuppa is a ritual Mrs. Teabody is happy to share with you, Gentle Reader, and it turns out that those of the inclination are also sharing it with one of Mrs. T

April showers, anyone? Forsythia and magnolia, anyone? It is foolish April up to her tricks and how can anyone do anything but love her? Lovely warm temps the last few days. On Saturday last, Mrs. Teabody's little shop received recognition for excellence in small business at a very public event. Mrs. Teabody was flattered to have friends and family in attendance and was asked to deliver a brief address which follows: Thank You, Betsy!  I knew there was a reason I picked you and your check is waiting in the car. Thank you to my friends and family and my dear patient husband for joining me me here tonight and a special thanks to  my landlord and friend, Glenn Cordell who  works so very hard to keep the Albert Stoner building looking  so beautiful. No one wants to see any derelict buildings along the town’s main street., and the idea that “Lodge’s Variety Store” would not have a light burning inside is almost too much to bear. Congratulations to all the honored recipients

How long have you been awake, Gentle Reader? Mrs. Teabody hopes it was early enough to catch a glimpse of the clear and starry sky because here at Chez Teabody at approximately 5:15 A.M. the Big Dipper was perfectly positioned to appear to be sitting upright on top of the adjacent mountain. Quite special, that. Special enough to warrant bare feet on cool concrete a wee bit too long. All has been put to rights with a pair of wooly socks and a nice hot cuppa "Dirty Chai." This lovely black tea infused with chai spices and enough cracked espresso beans to  slap one into consciousness is the bridge between tea and coffee and a lovely way to get excited about Moody April. Cool weather has kept buds on spring bloomers tightly furled. The catkins on the pussy willow and the green and yellow of Forcynthia keep close and small and even the green of lawns is far from realized. It's as if Mother Nature wants to remind everyone that she is still in charge. That being said, the

Mrs. Teabody invites you to take a peek out the window at the enchanted island of Isla Mujeres (Isle of Women) . This paradise is a twenty-five minute ferry ride off the shores of party-hearty Cancun but worlds away in attitude and charm. Herein you will find a chronicle of sorts of moving away from the very real world of Hurry-Hurry-Ding-Ding and into a "Will-somebody-pinch-me-and-tell-me-I-am-not-dreaming" world.  The hop from BWI to CUN was of a just over three hour duration and smooth as butter. Having arranged to be met at the airport by USA Transfers, the Teabodys  soon found themselves  looking out initially onto a scene of sunshine, azure skies, magenta bougainvillea, and silvery-green palms as they were comfortably transported to the Puerto Juraz Ultramar Ferry, a journey of half an hour with the last fifteen minutes along the frantic and busy streets of Cancun. Like any taxi cab ride, the scene outside glided along at waist height to pedestrians, all look

Maggie: Christmas 2007 with Mr. Teabody Jeanie: On board Norwegian Sky Freeport 2014 Sally: Just before a trip to London 1990 " You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old . " George Burns Does Mrs. Teabody need to comment on the WEATHER, Gentle Reader? Was that a resounding NO! Perhaps these past two months have had you thinking about sunnier climes and truth to tell in two weeks' time the Teabodys will be swanning off to sunny Mexico. Mrs Teabody mentions this because it was the simple act of packing a Mexico suitcase that started her thinking about journeys past and recent, about  meticulous planning, about wanting to put one's best foot forward, about learning, about intelligence and wit and about style. Recently Mr. and Mrs. Teabody took a little cruise in the Bahamas with Mr. Teabody's 97 year-old auntie and as always Mrs. Teabody was reminded of what a joy it is to spend time in the company of women of a certain