Mrs. Teabody Greets the Day

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 mo...

Bon Jour! Hola! Good Morrow, Gentle Reader! Mrs. Teabody trusts your slumber was restful and renewing, setting you in good stead for the challenges and/or fun the coming week affords. The weather forecasters have predicted a reasonably temperate Monday, and those of you bent on outdoorsy shenanigans shan't suffer too much. Truth to tell this summer day is one well worth greeting so do it properly. Quit dilly-dallying and give it a warm embrace. Mrs. Teabody shall shortly found herself sharing breakfast with Mr. Teabody inside the Secret Garden surrounded by bizzie lizzies and wild thyme and sipping a cuppa "Summer Passion." Brilliant, n'est-ce pas?  Mrs. Teabody does ten things well -- not nearly so many as you, Gentle Reader - - and fete planning is close to the top. Nothing gets Mrs. Teabody's grey matter bouncing about so much as the idea of opening Chez Teabody up to friends, and Saturday was a ripe date for such divertissement. Other than a Christmas part...

Good Morning from the sunny side of the Meadow Grounds mountain where stepping outside  is already a bit like swimming through stew so Mrs. Teabody shall be serving up ICED tea at Tickle Your Fancy today. Both Summer Passion with its mango beat and Tropical Sunrise, a citrusy rooibos,   lend themselves particularly well to icy offerings and Mrs. Teabody wants all her Gentle Readers to slide through July in a collected state of mind.  While Mrs. Teabody finds much about summer to celebrate, the "H" trilogy, Hazy, Hot, Humid, finds itself quite far down her list of summer pleasures. Nonetheless, when the opportunity to  have an overnight stay at a brand new resort  on a sandy beach next to a rolling ocean, the Teabodys gleefully packed their beach basket with high-numbered sunscreen, thick sunglasses, and loaded Kindles. With Duchess Ming happily ensconced with her excellent good friends, Robin and Tim at Kritter Lodge, the Teabodys made their way on their lates...

I am a part of all that I have met. ~Tennyson June has become July in fiery fashion, has it not, Gentle Reader, "knocking the starch out of" many enterprises. Mrs. Teabody trusts you all have the good sense  not to venture too far afield without judicious planning. Staying hydrated? Mrs. Teabody will soon be off to her charming and moderately cool shop, Tickle Your Fancy,  but before that happens there are a few thoughts beating against Mrs. Teabody's brow wanting to be dislodged, and it would be churlish not to oblige. Endings. Beginnings. There are so many of each to think about this July morning. A few days ago a quiet message informed Mrs. Teabody that a school chum had passed suddenly and the first thought that leapt to mind was how terribly upset he had been following a recent visit home to see how much the landmarks of his youth had changed and fallen into decay. Indeed was his only visit home a visit that made the end more sweet or more bitter? Hard to ...