grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

How to Hibernate

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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: 11.18.18

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Sunday Letter: 11.18.18

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

This week was an anomaly for me. While my calendar was filled with two book clubs, an influencer meet-up, the Lights of the Ozarks Christmas parade, and the Mission Temple Fireworks Revival last night at Walton Arts Center, I also felt calmed by the knowledge that Thanksgiving is just ahead and winter is beginning to fold around me.

On Friday, John and I went for a hike on Mt. Sequoyah. Then, we worked in our yard which, for us, is like pushing the reset button.

Bottom line, this week provided me with a gentle yet impactful reminder—even during the busiest times, we can carve out peace and quiet.

Continue Reading

the story of my Rescue Tree

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my rescue tree

This is the story of my rescue tree.

Four Years Ago

When we first moved to our home in Fayetteville, we had the trees professionally trimmed. We also hired a crew to build a fence around the back yard. Both the tree and the fence folks wanted to take out a particular tree—a sapling really—that grew along the proposed fence line beneath the canopy of taller, more mature trees.

That little tree wasn’t hurting anyone. She was barely taking up any space. She was a youngster, a bit spindly and slightly misshapen, but I knew she was a volunteer sugar maple planted by a red robin or a spring wind or one of the many squirrels constantly digging for his supper.

I insisted.

So the tree stayed.Continue Reading

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