Mrs. Teabody Greets the Day

This has been an unkind year. When I pause and allow myself to think that I will never again see the bright smiles or hear the wise and funny words or just sit in the company of so many people who have enriched my life and the lives of those around them in little ways, in big ways, I feel a loss I cannot begin to explain. Some of these lost friends have led long, happy, productive, influential lives; some have been cut down at the peak of their power when their due was at least another three or four decades; these friends have lived. They have known the range of life's ups and downs, its pain and pleasure, its triumphs and disappointments. I mourn them all. In the wake of their passing, we are heartbroken widows and widowers; we are bereaved grandchildren; we are uncomprehending children; we are devastated brothers and sisters. Our lives, our worlds are diminished by their loss. And that brings me, this sobbing senior citizen on this bright May morning, to the hardest loss to...

Antietam Ironworks Second Story Once Again Is Filled With Art It is just breaking dawn on this twentieth day of May and the long-awaited opening of "Generations" is only twelve hours away. When the doors open at 6:00 P.M., Mrs. Teabody hopes you will be among those who climb the stairs to the Second Story to share in the artistic successes of seventeen individuals in their respective galleries . You will also see a display called "Pet Project" featuring  poignant and youthful efforts to capture the charm of a beloved pet. Sprinkled among these will be some little surprises. Mrs. Teabody wishes to pass along a bit of advice just in case you have never visited an art show. As if. 1. Be respectful. The artwork you are coming to see reflects literally THOUSANDS of hours in effort. You know how you feel when you or someone else breaks or mars something you love. Please refrain from touching and definitely do not take food or beverages close to the artwork.   ...

Mom holding oldest brother circa 1940 May is always the definition of bittersweet because while few months of the year can rival May in beauty and sheer unbridled vitality, May is also the anniversary of loss--today of Mrs. Teabody's mother in 1997 and Friday of Mrs. Teabody's father in 2006. Mrs. Teabody is one of many siblings--the middle child of seven - - and Mrs. Teabody counts her parents, her siblings and her geography as the three most important cornerstones of her life. "Dorothy", "Dot", "Mom" was no shrinking violet. If truck manufacturers could isolate the gene that made her a successful mother of seven happy and resilient children, they would have "toughness" to talk about for decades. She was stubborn; she was opinionated; she could bake a cherry pie quick as a cat can wink his eye ; her bread floated out of the oven ten inches tall, and her table was large enough to include anyone extra who dropped by; she neve...