grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

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

Sunday Letter: 03.29.2020

March 29, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

Sunday Letter

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

I barely slept a wink last night. Before I went to bed, I made the mistake of reading too many first-hand coronavirus accounts from doctors around the world. One comment in particular gnawed at me. A doctor in Italy said if you could see the truth about the virus, you wouldn’t even stick your head out the window.

Yikes.

If that wasn’t enough to keep me awake, a monstrous tornado ripped through Jonesboro, Arkansas yesterday afternoon. I have friends and family who live in Jonesboro. I believe they are safe, thank goodness, but the devastation to the city is widespread. And I wonder if the Bat Cave is still standing this morning.

Seriously, it’s as though the entire planet is majorly ticked off at her humans.

Writing makes me feel better. Pulling worries from my mind and jotting them down on paper truly helps. Try it.  I think it’s important to record our thoughts and routines on a daily basis, particularly now. A hundred years from now our great-grandchildren will read our words and marvel that we hoarded toilet paper and sewed masks for nurses. Whatever happens with this global health and financial crisis, one thing’s for sure—history is being made.

Continue Reading

Adopt the Pace of Nature; her Secret is Patience.

March 26, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

Adopt the pace of nature

Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. I’ve been thinking about this Ralph Waldo Emerson quote lately. It seems to fit our current situation of staying home and biding our time.

I consider myself to be both an optimistic and a realist. I look on the bright side of things while balancing my expectations with a dose of practicality. As much as I pray everything is back to normal in 17 days, I won’t be buying an Easter bonnet this year.

I’ve probably not worn an Easter bonnet since this picture from 1965 or so. But you know what I mean.

Easter Bonnet

Yes, our health crisis has quickly morphed into a financial crisis. Within less than two weeks, so many people have lost their jobs. The unemployment rate will skyrocket. Businesses have already begun to close, possibly permanently. Without businesses, employees won’t have jobs to go back to. It’s the chicken and the egg notion, a conundrum as old as time. Continue Reading

Morel Mushroom Frittata

March 24, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

Morel Mushroom Frittata

I’m excited to show you this morel mushroom frittata I made yesterday. Or whatever day it was. AllTheDaysAreTheSame when you are trying to stay home. (Today is technically #StayHomeDay10 for me.)

Morel Season!

Like I said in my most recent Sunday Letter, it’s morel mushroom season in Northwest Arkansas. Since I foraged a bowlful, I wanted to make something special with them using what was on hand. Last year when I found morels, I added them to fettuccine. This year, I came up with a morel mushroom frittata inspired by a recipe from Farmer’s Almanac. I divided the filling between two small, individual ramekins, the perfect serving size for our breakfast.

I even tried my hand at baking a design on top. (More on this below.)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