Sunday Letter: 08.21.22

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Are you loving this late August weather? Here in north Arkansas we are enjoying cool mornings and warm afternoons that feel pleasant rather than stifling. The hummingbirds are especially active this time of year, zipping around from feeder to feeder and plant to plant. What fun they are to watch.

Life feels good right now. And bonus—this morning a soft rain is falling.

I’ll gladly take it!

Lake Time!

This week I will be enjoying a little lake time with the family. Honestly, when I had my surgery (three weeks ago tomorrow), I imagined I’d miss our August lake trip this year.

But I made it!

I can’t swim or even get in the water yet, and I can’t lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk. But that’s okay. I can still soak up the nature, bask in the end of summer sunshine, enjoy lake time with my people.

A change in perspective can heal not only the mind, but also the body. And I’m here for it. Someone else just has to carry my luggage. 😆

The Fabulous BLT

I don’t eat a lot of sandwiches (because bread brings grief to my stomach), but when I do I make it count. One of my favorites is a BLT. Fresh-baked and toasted sourdough, crisp lettuce, garden tomato, Hellman’s mayonnaise, and thick-sliced bacon Petit Jean bacon—YUM.

Really, if I ever find myself on death row choosing my last meal, I might very well request a BLT. (Just to be clear, I don’t expect that to happen…)

We grew up eating baloney sandwiches on white bread. Lots of ham and cheese, grilled cheese, and tuna too. And while we ate plenty of bacon as a kid, it was only served at breakfast. So, I’m not sure when I discovered my first BLT.

How about you? Do you have a favorite sandwich? And what would your last meal request be?

Button Bush

Button bush shrubs (Cephalanthus occidentalis) are one of my favorite natives. Because they thrive in wet conditions, they grow abundantly around Lake Norfork. In late summer, the creamy white ball-shaped flowers are in full bloom.

Button bush plants produce nectar that is irresistible to butterflies and other beneficial pollinators. Water fowl eat the plant’s seeds and nest within its branches.

This year, after several summers of crazy high water, the lake has returned to more normal levels. And button bush shrubs grow everywhere along the shore in areas that have been underwater for at least four summers. That’s what I call an amazing plant.

We should all be so resilient.

Bald Eagles

Yesterday, we went for a boat ride just before sunset. And we saw two bald eagles in our cove!

This picture is not clear because I took it with my phone from quite a distance. But still, their white heads are easy to spot.

What majestic creatures. And how lucky were we to see them?

“Once endangered in all of the lower 48 states, bald eagles came dangerously close to extinction. However, due to increased awareness, protective legislation and widespread conservation efforts over the past fifty years, the bald eagle population is making a remarkable comeback, and eagle watching is becoming a popular pastime for nature lovers across the country, especially in Arkansas as well as parts of Missouri.” (Wild Bird Watching)

We saw several eagles last summer too!

Things Momma Says:

It should be against the law to build an ugly house at the lake.

Thanks for reading today’s Sunday Letter. It’s a short one, I know. But the lake is calling and I must go—heaven is just outside my cabin door.💚

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