grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

  • Home
  • Bio
  • Backyard Phenology
  • Publishing
  • SHOP!
  • Garden
  • Reading & Books
  • Sunday Letter

How to Hibernate

December 12, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner

Hibernation Mode

This time of year all I want to do is hibernate. I wish I could disappear underneath a cozy quilt and read book after book after book with breaks to snooze along to Christmas movies, old ones like White Christmas, and maybe drink steaming hot soup from a coffee mug. Even though I LOVE winter and wouldn’t dare want to miss it, I’m a little envious of the animals who burrow inside toasty dens and wake to spring.

True animal hibernation is about conservation of energy, not sleep. My version of hibernation is about self care—sleeping and resting and escaping. It’s a time-out away from the busy-ness of life, especially during the holidays when invitations and commitments seem to align one after another.

Last weekend I hibernated on Saturday. And I plan to do it again whenever I can, an afternoon here or a snow day there. I would love to have an entire WEEK of hibernation, preferably in a well-stocked cabin in the woods (with high thread count sheets and a fireplace). Hibernation is not about roughing it. Not in my world.Continue Reading

Sunday Letter: 12.09.18

December 9, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner

Sunday Letter

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

I’ve come to believe by some inconceivable cosmic magic the mere writing of these Sunday Letters makes time pass more quickly. And because we have such a limited amount of time to use, to waste, to sop up and wring out like a dishrag, I’d like to say thank you for sharing a few minutes of your time with me.

Really, it’s an honor I don’t take for granted.Continue Reading

The Christmas Cloche (aka shortcut to Christmas decorating)

December 7, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner

Christmas Cloche

What’s a Christmas Cloche?

It’s one of the key components in my shortcut method of Christmas decorating.

Gracie Lee would tell you cloche is French for bell. Merriam-Webster defines cloche as a dome or bell-shaped cover. During the holidays, I consider a glass cloche to be an excellent way to display favorite ornaments.

I’m not putting up a big tree this year. I never thought I would be the person who didn’t rush out and buy a fresh Christmas tree. But as life changes and traditions evolve, it’s good to revisit what we think we have to do…Continue Reading

« Previous Page
Next Page »


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: 03.29.26
  • Sunday Letter: February 22, 2026
  • Our Garden Mission Statement
  • Goodbye, 2025. Hello, 2026.
  • Sunday Letter: 11.23.25

Novels:

Coloring Books:

Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

Backyard Phenology:

Children’s Nature Book:

Never miss a blog post! Subscribe via email:

Looking for something?

Categories

All the Things!

A to Z April Blog Challenge Autumn BAT Book Reviews childhood Christmas creative writing prompt Dallas Desserts Fall Fayetteville Food Gracie Lee Halloween Hemingway-Pfeiffer holiday recipes home humor Johnson Family Keiser Lake Norfork Lucy and Annabelle Mississippi County Mississippi Delta Monarch butterflies Munger Place Nana nature Northeast Arkansas Northwest Arkansas Osceola poem Reading Schnauzer simple living simple things spring spring gardening Summer Talya Tate Boerner novel Thanksgiving The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee Thomas Tate Winter Wordless Wednesday

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!

All content and photos Copyright Grace, Grits and Gardening © 2026 · Web Hosting By StrataByte