Nature & Seasons - grace grits and gardening

How to make a clover bracelet

June 17, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of clover on my Facebook page. It was a popular picture, bringing lots of comments about playing in clover patches and making clover bracelets and necklaces. But I was surprised to learn there were people who had never heard of this childhood ritual.

Last week at the Hemingway-Pfeiffer writer retreat, our conversation turned to the importance of telling our stories. Stories that will soon be lost if left untold. Things that today’s kids may not know.

Like making homemade ice cream. Pouring ice and salt around the canister. Turning the crank until it wouldn’t churn. Covering the freezer with a thick towel. Waiting and waiting for fresh peach ice cream. The process was one of the best parts of summer.

And making clover necklaces and bracelets? I decided I’d better write about it. It’s worth remembering.

Step One. On a sunny spring day, gather clover.

Step Two. Press a small slit in the stem of the first clover about an inch from the flower. The stems are tender, so this can easily be done with your fingernail. Ideally, clover necklaces are made on the school playground surrounded by best friends, laughter and daydreams. No utensils required…

Step Three. Thread the stem of a second clover through the slit of the first stem. Repeat this process, making your next slit on the second clover. Weave the third clover through the slit on the second clover. Don’t overthink. Remember, this is a fun, easy, imperfect activity.

Step Four. Continue until your clover rope has reached the size you want for a bracelet, necklace or crown. Yes, clover crowns were all the rage on the Keiser Elementary School fourth grade playground…

Step Five. Connect the last clover to the first stem the same way, with a small slit. Now your clover ring is connected. Snip the long pieces of stem if you prefer.

I doubled my clover chain bracelet and proudly wore it to lunch.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,
One clover, and a bee,
And revery.
The revery alone will do,
If bees are few.
(Emily Dickinson)

Going on a Snake Hunt.

June 15, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

While home on the farm one of my favorite things to do is to walk around the rice field. My sister and I spent many a summer day at the back of our field messing with tadpoles in the ditch. Tadpoles were fun.

Saturday my goal was to find a snake. Now, just to be crystal clear, I am not a parcel mouth. I am no fan of the snake.

Not.At.All.

But, several of my Northeast Arkansas Facebook friends have recently posted snake photos. Lots of snake photos. Clearly, this is the year of the snake. As a writer, I try to be observant—listening, smelling, tasting, feeling so that my writing is believable. If I were truly observant, I would see a snake on my walk, right?

So off I went on my first snake hunt.

Right off I found “farm glass”, which I like to compare to beach glass.

The killdeer were downright noisy. “Kill-deer, kill-deer, kill-deer!” they chanted.

“Shhhh! You’ll scare the snakes,” I said. Their track patterns were as wild as the jabbering overhead.

Vibrant wildflowers filled the edge of a shallow ditch.

But no snake.

I stopped in the far corner at my favorite spot and waited. Watched. Listened. Could the sky be any more clear?

Then finally, there he was. Sunning. At least three feet long. My snake.

I leaned in close and snapped a picture. He slithered down the ditch bank. A successful farm walk. And yes, I had the heebie-jeebies until I made it safely back to the house.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Musical Pairing:

Heebie Jeebies, Ladies in Tune

The true story of my garden in May.

May 26, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

This is a true story. Non-fiction. My garden in May is growing exactly like the seed packages promised. This truth shocks me each day. Always before, the idea of a garden filled with a bounty of vegetables, growing according to the seed package instructions, was purely fictional.

Mythical even.

My Serrano, jalapeño and bell peppers all seem to be thriving. Look at this bell pepper. It’s the size of my fist. It will be roasting on John’s Big Green Egg today.