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Hello Autumn!

October 15, 2012 By Talya Tate Boerner

Autumnย is the time we begin to wind down the year, rebalancing our bodies and minds as the days begin to shorten and cool. We breathe a sigh of relief at having survived another hot southern summer.
Into storage go those summer decorations, the bowl of seashells collected during annual treks to Destin, the sunflower door wreath. Into the back of the closet go the white linen pants and summer sundresses. Bring on cowboy boots and sweater weather!

Thoughts turn to family and football, chili and pumpkin spice lattes. Fall is a time for thanksgiving.
Surprise lilies bloom where none stood the night before. The air is filled with defoliant and the smell of cotton.
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I wait for the Great Pumpkin.
The roadsides and ditch banks around our farm are tangled with tiny wild flowers and colorful foliage perfect for gathering into fall decorations. What better way to honor natureโ€™s blessings than with vegetation growing wild near the fields? These fields which provide for us all springโ€ฆevery spring, year after year.
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ditchbank decor

ditchbank decor

Our rice field is peaceful now, resting, and nearly bare after harvest. The remaining dry stalks, interesting only to dove and duck, are in sharp contrast to the brilliant colors along the turn row and ditches. Cockleburs hang in clumps on scarlet stems. Peeking through the weeds, purple morning glories creep along the dark soil like ground cover. Silvery Johnson grass waves in the breeze. Growing wild, pink spiky flowers are unfamiliar to me, similar to salvia.
decorating with Autumn's offerings

decorating with Autumn’s offerings

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You can easily transform your home at no cost with only a pair of scissors. A rusty bucket or tarnished silver bowl provides the ideal container. Any found object will do.
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As poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox observed, a weed is but an unloved flower.
The beauty is all around.
decorate with cotton and wildflowers

decorate with cotton and wildflowers

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Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
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This post is Day 1 of the BLOGtober Fest at Arkansas Women Bloggers…

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Filed Under: Gardening, Nature & Seasons Tagged With: Autumn, Fall, farmers, Mississippi County, Northeast Arkansas, Rice Harvest, The Great Pumpkin

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Comments

  1. Debbie says

    October 15, 2012 at 5:03 am

    Super ideas…and lovely. Thanks for sharing.

  2. GraceGritsGarden says

    October 15, 2012 at 5:05 am

    Be sure to visit http://www.arkansaswomenbloggers.com and check out other BLOGtober Fest posts!

  3. Anonymous says

    October 15, 2012 at 5:05 am

    Loved this. Great pictures. Barbara

  4. jeanetta says

    October 15, 2012 at 5:44 am

    I love the cotton bouquet.

  5. freneticfitness says

    October 15, 2012 at 6:13 am

    I love the teapot with the cotton and flowers, so elegantly rustic. Is that an apt description?

    • GraceGritsGarden says

      October 15, 2012 at 7:01 am

      thank you!

  6. Angi Cartwright says

    October 15, 2012 at 6:39 am

    The burlap under the tarnished tea pot adds the perfect touch to a rustic boutique. You write such great blogs. Good job, Talya.

    • GraceGritsGarden says

      October 15, 2012 at 7:01 am

      Angi – It is actually sitting on a cotton bale:) Glad you noticed! Talya

  7. Angi Cartwright says

    October 15, 2012 at 6:40 am

    The burlap under the tarnished tea pot adds the perfect touch to a rustic boutique. You write such great blogs. Good job, Talya.

  8. Cathy says

    October 15, 2012 at 7:05 am

    You can come to my house and decorate anytime. I love the AR Women Bloggers challenge cause I’m finding new blogs like yours!
    Cathy of BestLovedChild.

  9. Angi Cartwright says

    October 15, 2012 at 7:37 am

    I only published my post once & I see it twice. I’m not able to remove it. I have a small cotton bale that was done by a nice man from Dell, AR. from one of our cotton fields in 1995.

  10. Gina says

    October 15, 2012 at 9:43 am

    “Thoughts turn to family and football, chili and pumpkin spice lattes. Fall is a time for thanksgiving.” Isn’t that true?! All the things I love about fall right there together!

  11. Colene says

    October 15, 2012 at 11:19 am

    Beautiful! Thank you! You sure do a good job matching up the musical pairing!

  12. Jamie says

    October 15, 2012 at 4:32 pm

    Sorry, I’m the unknown who deleted my comment when I realized I logged in to the wrong account. Anywho…I never would have thought to use cotton as a decoration like that. Mixed with the wildflowers, it demonstrates a part of Arkansas’ beauty.

  13. Leslie says

    October 15, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    “A weed is an unloved flower” – I love that! I get lots of weed bouquets from my kids. I’ll have to remember your quote!

  14. The Bauer Family says

    October 15, 2012 at 6:35 pm

    Love this post! You paint beautifully with words. ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks for sharing!

  15. Anonymous says

    October 16, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    I love the Bauer Family post – so eloquently said, “You paint beautifully with words!” I love that! Perfect.

    Cindy “Lu”

  16. Kelsey Erickson says

    October 18, 2012 at 9:41 am

    Great post! Normally I’m a little sad to see autumn arrive because I’m such a summer girl at heart, but this year in particular, you’re warm embrace of it seems very fitting. “Fall is a time for thanksgiving.” So true.


Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Sunday Letter: May 25, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: May 4, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Rainy Day Edition
  • Spiderwort: my love-hate relationship
  • Sunday Letter: March 23, 2025

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