Life - grace grits and gardening

Word of the Year and my 2022 Resolutions

January 19, 2022 By Talya Tate Boerner

Word of the Year

Have you decided on a word for 2022? For the past several Januarys I’ve been choosing a word to focus on during the year ahead. I think it helps keep me on track and gives me an anchor when I need to recenter myself. One year, I forgot my word altogether, and that was a less than stellar year… So you see, I think there may be something to it—sort of a ‘you are what you think’ magic?

I’m afraid not to choose a word of the year. I’m mean, who wants to be drifting through an entire year without focus?

I may have done that in 1987, and it was unattractive.😉Continue Reading

Life in Milkweed

August 20, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner

Life in Milkweed

Milkweed is vital for monarchs because it is THE host plant for monarch butterflies (meaning, monarch butterflies lay eggs ONLY on milkweed, AND monarch caterpillars ONLY eat milkweed). Of course, there are a variety of other species besides monarchs that enjoy nectaring from milkweed.

This year, I’ve been keeping track of the critters I’ve noticed in my swamp milkweed—life beyond monarchs. And, I thought it would be fun to document this life in milkweed, the teeny flies and bugs, frogs and just-hatched insects, the butterflies feeding every afternoon. Each time I inspect my milkweed (and I do it multiple times a day), I see something new.

Remember Horton Hears a Who?

I think of that Dr. Seuss book often, because there is so much life thriving in and around the plants and blossoms.Continue Reading

my One Little Word for 2021

January 3, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner

I’ve been thinking about my One Little Word for 2021. Last year, I didn’t give much thought to it, and I worry my lack of a real word led to such a crazy 2020. Not that I believe my One Little Word can affect the whole big world. Ha.

But I do believe choosing a word has kept me more focused in prior years.

In past years, I’ve chosen believe, balance, focus, savor, grow, refresh. Last year, here’s what I said about it:

I have no resolutions for 2020. Really, I’ve not thought about it for even a second. For the past several years, I’ve chosen One Little Word instead of a resolution—a word to focus myself around.

I’ve not thought of a word for 2020 either.

2020 may be a go-with-the-flow year for me. I’ll try to be kind, keep a positive attitude, and be open to whatever comes my way. Within reason.

Yikes.

See? I said I would be open to whatever comes my way and, man alive, I was tested big time.

Words = Power. For real, y’all.Continue Reading