Hey, hey Sunday Letter friends~
Did you think I had abandoned my Sunday Letters altogether? Oh, no. I have been stretched a little thin though, unable to do all the things I want to do. And my Sunday Letters have taken a back seat to activities related to Bernice Runs Away.
Everything has a season—that’s the truth. And I’m grateful for this busy book season. In the words of Annie Lennox, sweet dreams are made of this…
Garden Unwind
Of course with busyness comes the very real need to unwind. (I imagine this is true for you too?) And so on Wednesday my husband and I spent the entire day outside doing some end-of-fall gardening.
To some, yard work and rest may seem like mutually exclusive things. But for me deadheading and planting and getting my hands dirty refills my store of energy more completely than anything. Especially when I’ve been concentrating on other things for a while.
What did we do?
- Repotted succulents that needed larger homes. Also, one of my zebra plants (Haworthia fasciata) had a baby, so the baby moved into her own pot. Look how cute she is…
- Planted the two passalong plants given to me by friends. (Thank you Pat and Jo Ann!)
- Cleaned and put away our hummingbird feeders for the winter.
- Mulched leaves from the yard and spread them in our flower beds around the shrubs. (Leaves provide great protection during winter.)
- Planted 100 spring-blooming bulbs including daffodils, crocus, and tulips!
By mid-week, we knew cold weather was headed our way. And as I buried bulbs in the soil, I felt like I was tucking a warm blanket over them, preparing them for winter hibernation.
We planted them just in time. Saturday morning we woke to SNOW.
Doesn’t it seem too early for snow?
And Now It’s Cold
So. Cold!
It’s like a game of musical chairs over here. All the porch plants have moved inside for winter. All the outside plants we plan to overwinter have moved to the back porch or into the garage. And I feel really bad for the coneflowers that as of Wednesday were still growing with every intention of blooming. I mean, it was nearly 80 degrees that day!
Nature’s beauty is awe-inspiring. Such symmetry and design.
One of the great things about perennials—even those that don’t fully shine this year will have their chance next summer. And there is beauty to enjoy in between.
Upcoming Book Events
If you have copies of my books that you’d like to get signed, come see me at any of the places listed below. Of course, I’ll be selling books too.
Oops, you’ve already missed Van Buren—it was yesterday. BUT if you live in the area and are looking for gifts for the readers in your family, Chapters on Main has so many great offerings, including books by Arkansas authors.
Also just so you know, all of my upcoming events are included on my author website, along with book club questions and other info.
11 Days Til Thanksgiving
Are you counting down to Thanksgiving, or are you in total denial? Maybe somewhere in between?
With Turkey Day just beyond the horizon, it’s high time I re-share my favorite buttermilk pie recipe. I mean take a gander.
I made the little leaves with a Williams-Sonoma cutout maker but you can free-hand them or omit the leaves altogether. I’ve also been known to simply sprinkle powdered sugar on top or add a few raspberries for color and flavor.
Buttermilk pie is sweet but not too sweet.
What desserts will be on your Thanksgiving table?
Hemingway-Pfeiffer Writing Retreat
Last weekend I attended a two-day writing retreat at the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center. In the same way gardening re-charges my spirit, being around my writer friends in such a hallowed place re-energizes my writerly self. After a few hours in the place where Ernest Hemingway wrote a portion of A Farewell to Arms, I am refocused and ready to get back to work.
I imagine every writer has favorite places to write, and the Hemingway barn is at the top of my list.
I’ve written about my various Hemingway-Pfeiffer writer retreats before—if you want to read about one of my best experiences there, click HERE.
Things Momma Says:
If you can’t bother to decorate your own Christmas tree, I say forget it!
Thanks for reading this Sunday Letter. It’s heartfelt.
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
You’ll be so close when you are in Paragould; but alas I cannot get there that day and I suppose signing my Kindle version wouldn’t be the same. But it makes me wonder if you can use one of those foam tipped pens for electronic devices would work? I did hear new Kindles allow all that note taking in the margins of ebooks.
I let Mother Nature take care of my big asparagus ferns on the porch. I read from a local gardener that those are some of the plants he lets go as they are so messy to winter over. I agree as I tried that last winter. But always so hard to not “bring them in”!
Your whirlwind is coinciding with upcoming holidays so I hope you get to find more time to unwind. But I hope it’s not through snow shoveling!
I think that baby Zebra plant needs a name. How about Lucille? Just a suggestion. I was thrilled to see a Sunday Letter; you have been so busy lately. Sure was glad to see it. See you at Pearl’s 😘
This letter made me feel downright lazy! I love buttermilk pie, but probably not enough to make one. I agree with your mom on the tree. Randy does ours. Again, lazy. Enjoy your travels.
Such a lovely letter – and worth the wait!
And oh, the music – how wonderful to see the band’s faces – knowing that YES – this is GOOD! Thank you for sharing, Talya! Jo Ann
I agree with your Mama!