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You might be a gardening geek if…………………. (monarch metamorphosis!)

September 28, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

you might be a gardening geek if...

You might be a gardening geek if...

  • when you find a Monarch chrysalis, you plaster the news over social media;
  • you are convinced if there is one, there must be more so you crawl around on your knees in the mulch along the house and fence searching for other Monarch chrysalises—and you were right(!);
  • you read everything you can about the process, all the way to the last page of the internet;
  • you postpone travel plans because your Monarchs are likely to emerge during the time you would be gone;
  • you photograph your chrysalises several times a day (more often than you photograph your dogs) to monitor changes even though there don’t appear to be any;
  • you might even talk to them;
  • on the morning that two of your chrysalises begin to show true signs of metamorphosis, you skip an all day writing class because what if they are born while you are gone?;
  • you head straight to Westwood Gardens where you ignore the giant containers of fall mums in favor of more milkweed, your new favorite plant;
  • when you return, TWO OF THE MONARCHS HAVE BEEN BORN!

Continue Reading

BUYING LOCAL gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling

September 15, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

the importance of buying local

Buying local gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. I’ve always thought it would be cool to have a little roadside produce stand where I’d sell home grown tomatoes and okra and fragrant lavender from my garden. It would be shaded by one massive oak tree and my wooden tables would be covered with vintage oilcloths. For me, stopping at farm fresh produce stands is like buying cookies from a girl scout—impossible not to do.Continue Reading

Pictured: chasing after summer

September 10, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

P I C T U R E D: chasing after summer 

Chasing after summerWith only twelve days left until the official start of fall, I find myself chasing after summer. Hanging on. Thinking back. Wondering if I did everything I planned. (Of course I didn’t.)

As much as I look forward to cooler weather and pumpkins on my front porch, I feel a bit sad about saying goodbye to the ease that comes with slow, warm days. Maybe it’s because each summer zips by faster than the one before. Or because I’ve been missing my kids and feeling like, these days, families are simply too spread out.Continue Reading

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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 (2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Sunday Letter: September 6, 2026
  • Why a Rainy Day Is the Best Time to Visit a Botanical Garden
  • Happy Birthday, Theo Gruene!
  • Sunday Letter~ 05.17.26
  • Sunday Letter: 03.29.26

Novels:

Coloring Books:

Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

Backyard Phenology:

Children’s Nature Book:

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