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Sunday Letter: 12.05.21

December 5, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner 17 Comments

Sunday Letter

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Since last week’s letter, I’ve been to Little Rock and back for the annual Farm Bureau convention. It was a real honor for me to speak at the Women’s Leadership Luncheon. If anyone from Farm Bureau happens to be reading this—thank you again for the invite!

Arkansas River

Y’all, I took a ridiculous amount of photos of the Arkansas River from the Little Rock Marriott where I stayed. You’d think I’d never been anywhere before! But really, after living on Zoom during the past year-and-a-half, staying in a hotel in a large city did feel like a jackpot win.

Here is a tiny sampling of the views that greeted me. In only two days, I saw such different vistas—vivid blue skies, a foggy morning, a fiery sunrise, a pink sunset.

Little Rock / Arkansas River

How about a history test this Sunday morning?

True or False?

The Arkansas River…

  • is 1,460 miles long.
  • is the 6th longest river in the United States.
  • begins in the Rocky Mountains near Leadville, Colorado and flows through three states before joining up with the mighty Mississippi in Desha County.
  • was named by French Father Jacques Marquette (a member of the Joliet-Marquette expedition) who called the river Akansa in his journal of 1673.

Answer: All TRUE. (I wouldn’t really make you take a test on a Sunday morning.)

Capital Hotel

One simply cannot visit Little Rock without spending time at the fabulous Capital Hotel. Whether you stay there or not, be sure to stroll through the lobby, sip a drink while lingering over an appetizer (or meal) at the legendary Capital Bar & Grill, soak in the incredible architecture and history of Arkansas’ finest.

It’s a must see.

Sunday Letter

And, the very best time to be there is at Christmas.

I would put the stunning tree up against any I’ve seen anywhere.

The Capital Hotel in Little Rock

Take a closer look at the Naughty and Nice chairs in front of the tree. How adorable are they?

 

Naughty and Nice Chairs

As a kid, I worried that Santa would pass by our rooftop because I hadn’t been nice according to his definition. And even though I never did anything naughty enough to land me on anyone’s bad list, the idea of Santa’s judgment sure did follow me around, especially after Thanksgiving. Not only that, I felt certain he would overlook me simply because he couldn’t pronounce my weird first name.

Our Christmas Tree

It’s official—John and I have turned into our parents. We bought our Christmas tree yesterday, and once we got it home, we stuck it in a bucket of water to soak overnight and to allow time for the limbs to relax. Both of these practices we learned from our mothers.

our christmas tree
It’s still outside this morning.

Tree-decorating day is one of my favorite days of the year, and today’s that day. Yay.

New Roof

The roof of our Little Free Library was beginning to rot, so we tackled some library improvements yesterday morning.

Here’s a before pic:

little free library roof repair

To fix it we affixed a new piece of wood on top and shingled the roof with old license plates.

I still need to do some touchup painting, but I think the new roof turned out well. Mostly we used what we had in the garage.

New Roof on the Little Free Library

Things Momma Says:

Privacy Disclosure? I don’t care if the whole world knows I’m at the foot doctor.

***

As we head into mid-December, be sure to take a little time for yourself to rest and reflect on the quiet beauty of the season. It’s so easy to get caught up in the busyness of going and doing and shopping. And, if you have traditional, high-stress rituals on your holiday calendar, I encourage you to simplify or eliminate them altogether.

Christmas will still come. You might even enjoy the season more.

Thanks for reading today’s Sunday Letter. Coming later this week, my reviews of the books I read in November.

Today is Momma’s birthday-eve. Be sure to wish her a happy birthday in the comments!

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Sunday Letter Tagged With: Capital Hotel, Christmas tree, Little Free Library, Little Rock

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Comments

  1. Bonnie Hamilton says

    December 5, 2021 at 7:52 am

    Happy Birthday to Momma. Is your Little Free Library on your property? If so, did you need permission from the city?
    I look forward to your newsletter.
    Bonnie.

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      December 5, 2021 at 12:09 pm

      Hi Bonnie—Our LFL is on our property, so no city approval was needed. We did install one on the campus of Arkansas Tech University in honor of Momma’s 80th birthday. The school, of course, had to approve this. Also, I have a friend who requested approval from the city to install a library at one of the local Fayetteville parks. It was approved and she maintains it. Hope this answers your question.

      Reply
  2. Cathyv says

    December 5, 2021 at 8:00 am

    Such a good letter. We stayed at Capital Hotel in December a few years ago. Such a treat!
    We have our tree and it went into the bucket of water for a day!

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      December 5, 2021 at 12:10 pm

      Great minds!! Staying at the Capital Hotel is a huge treat. We stayed there when I had a Little Rock book signing at Wordsworth. So fabulous!

      Reply
  3. Deborah Arnold says

    December 5, 2021 at 8:03 am

    Happiest of birthdays Momma! December babies rule🎄❣️🎄

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      December 5, 2021 at 12:10 pm

      Absolutely! My Kelsey is a December baby too!

      Reply
  4. Donna Reed says

    December 5, 2021 at 8:32 am

    Happy Birthday, Barbara! Hope you have a wonderful day!

    Reply
  5. Jo Ann Wardein says

    December 5, 2021 at 9:06 am

    Awesome letter, Talya! It makes me want to go to the Capital Hotel to stay, to dine, to revel in those gorgeous decorations! I love the naughty and nice chairs.
    Such a clever idea to use the license plates for the roof!
    Happy, happy birthday, Momma – I hope you do something much more fun than go to the foot doc!
    Jo Ann

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      December 5, 2021 at 12:11 pm

      Haha, we will make sure her birthday is fun! From one LFL steward to another, I’m glad you like our library roof. Hopefully it will protect it from the elements a bit better.

      Reply
  6. Annette Pettit says

    December 5, 2021 at 9:09 am

    Happiest of Birthdays, Momma.

    Reply
  7. Sissy Abbott says

    December 5, 2021 at 9:33 am

    Happy Birthday, Barbara! Hope you have a wonderful, fun day!

    Reply
  8. Barbara Tillman says

    December 5, 2021 at 9:44 am

    I stood by that gorgeous tree Friday night. It is breathtaking. Have a wonderful birthday, Barbara

    Reply
    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      December 5, 2021 at 12:12 pm

      Well, our paths nearly crossed there then!

      Reply
  9. Frances Creecy says

    December 6, 2021 at 6:22 pm

    Great read Talya, Happy Birthday Barbara hope you have a wonderful day.

    Reply
  10. Ginger says

    December 8, 2021 at 11:18 am

    Happy Belated Birthday, Momma!

    Reply
  11. Barbara Tate says

    December 9, 2021 at 6:09 pm

    Great Sunday letter and I loved all the pictures. I had a great birthday: cupcakes, chicken & dumplings, and a good family get together. Thank you everyone for all the birthday greetings. (Man, I’m gettin’ old.)

    Reply
  12. Shellye says

    December 13, 2021 at 7:17 am

    Happy belated birthday to your mama. Sorry I missed her day; it sounds like you had a wonderful one. Great food and love of family and that’s all that’s needed!
    Reading your site each Sunday is something I always look forward to, and the gardening and pictures are treats! Thank you!
    Merry Christmas 🎄

    Reply

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Talya Tate Boerner


Hi! I'm Talya. 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 (Now Available!)

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