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Things I’ve Learned During this Time of Coronavirus

April 19, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

As I started to write my next Sunday Letter, I realized the Sunday Letter well had run bone dry. Instead, I decided to write about the things I’ve learned during this time of coronavirus.

First, a reminder…

We’ve not been able to eat in a restaurant for thirty-seven days now! I believe now is as good a time as any to say this—we need to be kinder to ourselves. We need to cut ourselves some slack. If you’re like me, you feel pressure to stick to a schedule, to clean drawers and grow peppers and write a sonnet a day (okay, not really about the sonnet). One of the things I’ve learned during this time of coronavirus is it’s okay if we don’t do all the things.

Sleep late. Take a nap. Wear the stretchy pants all day. Eat the dessert. Do nothing at all.

This is an unprecedented time.

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During this time of coronavirus…

April 2, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

during this time of coronavirus

During this time of coronavirus, I’ve been enjoying my (almost) daily morning walk to the post office. As readers like you buy books directly from me, I mail four or five or six (almost) every day. One day I mailed sixteen, so I drove. (Not complaining!)

Yes, I would possibly be mailing books even during normal times. But during normal times, I would most likely be driving. Going to the post office would be one of several errands. During this time of coronavirus, errands no longer exist. Now, a walk to the post office has been elevated from daily errand to highlight.Continue Reading

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.

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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: 11.23.25
  • Maggie and Miss Ladybug: My New Children’s Nature Book
  • Sunday Letter: November 9, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Oct 26, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Oct 5, 2025

Novels:

Coloring Books:

Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

Backyard Phenology:

Children’s Nature Book:

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