Gathering Rosebuds

Gather ye Rose-buds while ye may, advised English poet Robert Herrick almost 400 years ago.  

Since the Winton Marsalis concert we attended the end of February (scroll to the bottom of this entry to read the blog), Donna and I have continued to gather our share of rosebuds. We have: 

• Visited Donna’s sister Sue in New Jersey 
• Attended the powerful and intense production of King Lear in Washington, D.C. 
• Took a day trip to beautiful, historic Havre de Grace, a place we have talked about exploring for years 
• Spontaneously attended a weekday afternoon Orioles game 

In addition, we are fortunate to have all our grandchildren close by, so we get to spend a good amount of time with them and our daughters and sons-in-law (our son and his wife live in California). We get to watch the grandkids from time to time, so we feel like we are really connected to them. Also, the older ones are starting organized sports and it’s a treat to watch them go at it. 

We have more adventures scheduled: 

• An overnight visit to Cape May, New Jersey with Donna’s brother and sister-in-law 
• A tour of the White House  
• A visit to Donna’s other sister in Troy, Michigan 
• A beach vacation with our kids and their families in North Carolina’s Outer Banks 

Here are notes about our recent trips... 

Visit with Sue – We didn’t have a lot of time, but the three of us had dinner at Sue’s favorite restaurant. We had a great time, laughing and talking through a long, relaxed and delicious meal.

The next morning, Donna and I left for home, and on the way we neared, as we always do, Washington Rock, a small park in the Watchung Mountains on the site where George Washington observed the movements of British forces during the Revolutionary War. I had just finished reading Rick Atkinson’s outstanding “The British Are Coming,” his first of a planned trilogy of books on the Revolution, and he mentions the strategic importance of Washington’s ability to monitor the enemy’s location from there.  Someday I’d like to stop there and read the plaques,” I mentioned to Donna as we approached. “No!” exclaimed Donna. “Not someday, now. Pull over,” she directed, and so we did. Rosebuds gathered.  

King Lear – We saw the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of the Bard’s tale of a king’s spiraling into madness and the treachery of Lear, his daughters and various hangers-on, or as STC describes the play, set in modern times, “the head of a dysfunctional royal family grapples with power-hungry children and the threat of losing the empire he created.” Think “Succession.” 

Reviewers wrote: possibly “the best [King Lear] our theater critic has ever seen (Washington Post); “Spectacular” (Washington City Paper); and “Breathtaking” (Broadway World). Patrick Page gave an incredible performance as Lear. Rosebuds gathered. 

Havre de Grace

– This historic town is situated where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay in Hartford County, Maryland. Donna and I have passed by signs on I-95 for Havre de Grace probably hundreds of times over the years during our trips to New Jersey. It’s been another of those someday activities that we finally decided to do.

The scenic town is lovely, with a boardwalk along the waterfront and an open-air restaurant with okay food, but people didn’t seem very friendly. The town was attacked and burned by British warships during the War of 1812, so maybe people are still mad. Rosebuds gathered. 

Orioles game – I'm a huge fan of the Birds and have been, even throughout the rebuild. They are good now (and should be for years) and are starting to attract the fans they lost during the teardown. Donna and I (really, Donna) are planners. But now that we both are retired, we can be more spontaneous. I had mentioned that it would be fun to go to a day game during the week sometime, when crowds would be smaller.

Donna jumped on the computer, found a date a few days hence, and ordered tickets. Yes, rosebuds gathered – and the Orioles beat the Red Sox 6-2. 

My mother prophetically told me two months before she died that “It’s later than you think.” Whether it is or it isn’t, we don’t know. So our new motto is, “carpe diem” -- seize the day. 

Here’s Herrick’s 1648 poem in full: 

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time

Gather ye Rose-buds while ye may, 
    Old Time is still a-flying: 
And this same flower that smiles to day, 
    To morrow will be dying. 
 
The glorious Lamp of Heaven, the Sun, 
    The higher he's a getting; 
The sooner will his Race be run, 
    And neerer he's to Setting. 
 
That Age is best, which is the first, 
    When Youth and Blood are warmer; 
But being spent, the worse, and worst 
    Times, still succeed the former. 
 
Then be not coy, but use your time; 
    And while ye may, go marry: 
For having lost but once your prime, 
    You may forever tarry.