Nature & Seasons - grace grits and gardening

Memorial Day FUN!

May 24, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Memorial Day weekend. The lake was usually chilly. Sometimes downright cold. That first plunge into summer, breathtaking.

Was the water level high or low? That was an important question. We studied the shoreline while waiting for the ferry.

The answer affected our hot dog roast.

Even when the lake swallowed all but the tallest trees of our sandy island, we tied the boat to a willow branch and floated on rafts above white sand. New rafts that took forever to inflate.

The sand was still down there. We could see it through clear water.

One time (or several times) the water lapped the top of the concrete picnic tables. We used them as jumping platforms instead of eating spots. A different sort of fun. But even when our island was hidden, we never missed a hot dog roast. Momma anchored to a rocky edge of shoreline, not quite flat but almost, and built a fire, soldiering on without sand.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Musical Pairing:

Pontoon – Little Big Town

the seasons of Spring Street

May 7, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Spring Street, Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Today for this almost Wordless Wednesday, a comparison of Spring Street in Eureka Springs during my two favorite seasons, Fall and Spring. Author Julian Barnes said when you are young, you prefer the vulgar months… (but) as you grow older you learn to like the in-between times, the months that can’t make up their minds.

I agree.

Happy Hump Day!

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

“I have an affection for those transitional seasons, the way they take the edge off the intense cold of winter, or heat of summer.”
― Whitney Otto, How to Make an American Quilt

Musical Pairing:

Four Seasons – Vivaldi

Simple Spring Decor

April 22, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Raise your hand if you thought spring would never arrive! I know, me too. In Dallas I’ve learned to really appreciate spring because summer brings challenges I’d rather not think about like trying to keep plants alive in blistering days of drought. But right now I’m celebrating cool nights and perfect days, days of front porches, a good book and a glass of white wine.

Okay I’m rambling, but I do have a point, and that point is how simple spring decorating can be. With only a few dollars (or zero dollars) you can transform your home from dull and uninspired to fresh and inviting using items around your house and plants growing in your garden.

Take a look at the centerpiece (below) I arranged for my dining room table. For five dollars, I purchased a bouquet of white gerber daisies at Trader Joe’s and created this natural look using Fostoria goblets (handed down from John’s Godmother) centered inside an antique picture frame layered over a plaid runner that covers my table almost year-round.

The next arrangement is so basic I almost didn’t include it—a crystal vase filled with budding branches. Take advantage of the many trees and shrubs in full bloom now. Forsythia, Redbud, Dogwood, Spirea, Azalea… Snip a few buds or branches from your own yard, alley or roadside. Or maybe your neighbor will share? Ask first of course.

The vintage glass basket (candy dish?) which belonged to my mother-in-law makes a sweet and aromatic arrangement of herbs and flowers from the garden. Only a few snips and it is filled. Keep it nearby in the kitchen, and you won’t forget to use your herbs when cooking supper.