Mrs. Teabody Advises Ye to Gather Rosebuds

Mr. Teabody's Sculpture

"To the Virgins, to make much of Time

GATHER ye rosebuds while ye may, 

Old Time is still a-flying: 

And this same flower that smiles to-day 

To-morrow will be dying." ~ Robert Herrick, 1591–1674

Good Morrow from an oh-so-very-dark Meadow Grounds Mountain where a stroll outdoors to look at the starry pre-dawn sky requires neither coat nor shoes. This is that riotous blooming part of April, that all-too-short reign of yellow and pink things in nature. Hopefully, you, Gentle Reader, are out of doors for part of it. Mrs. Teabody would not want you to approach summer without your brain chock full of mental images of daffodils, forsythia, magnolia and cherry. Sadly their season is a short one so no dallying.Take a little walk around your neighborhood and look at gardens and front yards and try not to get picked up for loitering.

Do you watch much television? Before you scoff and say, "Everyone does," you should know that many people of Mrs. Teabody's acquaintance watch little or no television, turning on the set judiciously when there is something wonderful and/or entertaining and/or enlightening and/or funny. This means you really do not have to watch programs full of gratuitous violence. Mrs. Teabody is often horrified by what appears to be passing as entertainment sometimes as she bumps her way to her list of recorded programs. "Chopped" is the epitome of violence on Mrs. Teabody's list and she has gleefully watched carrots and onions, pork and turkey cutlets, thyme and garlic falling under the knife and has felt amused and motivated towards making a nice ragout or throwing a dinner party. Violence directed toward humans? Toward children? No and NO! There is not enough anesthesia in the world to make it palatable. Turn it off when you come across it. If you are moved, take the time to express your dismay with television programmers with the sad lot posing as entertainment. There are other, better ways to make much of time.


Mrs. Teabody strongly recommends listening to and/or making music as a way to make much of time. Mrs. Teabody purchased two music makers during the winter: a tambourine and a guitar and she has spent some time watching videos and attempting to mimic the deft movements of those who have melodies flowing from their fingertips. There are not enough days, of course, left in Mrs. Teabody's life to become proficient in making music so she would like to gently chide you younger readers in full flower of your faculties to learn to make music while ye may. Mrs. Teabody shall saw away until some little snippets of melody emerge and she will consider it time well spent. If you are more passive about your entertainment, you should be aware that this week alone two different local venues hosted "live" music and today marks the final performance of the Brubeck: "To Hope" by the Mercersburg Community Chorus http://www.mercersburgchorus.org. Perhaps the Teabodys will see you there?


Pictured at the top of this morning's little missive is Mr. Teabody's most recent creation - - VISEgrips made of stone. For those of you who have never watched Mr. Teabody wrestle with a problem, it is, indeed, something glorious to behold. When the Teabodys signed up to take a sculpture class, both had misgivings and a complete lack of experience. Sculpture was something to be looked at, touched lightly in passing, marveled over in its famous representations, but before taking a class, sculpture was not something the Teabodys DID. For several weeks now, Mrs. Teabody has filled some of her hours wrestling with unfamiliar tools and creating a great quantity of dust to render a piece of rock into a form which passes the test for recognition as some species of aquatic life. On the other hand, Mr. Teabody has battered and filed and ground away his time more thoughtfully and with a great deal more innate talent and/or force of will to create something beautiful, intricate, and, yes, even mildly amusing. Will the Teabodys make much of (future) time sculpting? Probably not, but what has been gained besides an absolutely brilliant sculpture of a hand tool and a passingly acceptable fish is a much deeper appreciation of the process. Time well spent.


Each passing April day gives a few more minutes of daylight. Each passing April day brings the warmth that thaws the ice of inactivity and begs you to make much of time. Nearly FOUR HUNDRED years ago Robert Herrick put pen to paper, creating the verse above. According to some sources he credits Ausonius (c 310-395): Collige, virgo, rosas, dum flos novus et nova pubes, / et memor esto aevum sic properare tuum. or In English: "Maidens, gather roses, while blooms are fresh and youth is fresh, and be mindful that your life-time hastes away." All that said, it is always up to you how you spend the day, how you spend your time. But DO make note of this beautiful day. This gift that is April.