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Sunday Letter: 09.23.18

September 23, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner

Sunday Letter

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

This has been a busy week, and I’ve felt a bit like a vagabond. On Tuesday, I drove to Little Rock for a book club talk. (You’ll be hearing all about it soon!) This morning I send greetings from Plano, Texas where I’m helping Momma sort through her storage unit and pack up her apartment. My trip coincided with the going away party her Plano friends threw for her. Good timing on my part.

So this trip isn’t all work and no play.

Momma Party

Today we’re headed to Austin to see my daughter, Kelsey.

As you might have guessed, this will be a super duper short Sunday Letter.Continue Reading

Tiny Cottage REVEAL!

September 20, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner

TINY COTTAGE REVEAL

The time has come for our tiny cottage reveal! For those of you who may not know, several years ago while we still lived in Dallas, we bought a cottage in the Washington-Willow Historic District of Fayetteville. At first we used it on weekends. Later, our son lived there. Still later, we rented it out for a couple of years. Now, with my mother planning to move to the cottage, we knew the time had come to renovate the single, seriously outdated bathroom.

At 896 sf, it may not be “tiny” according to HGTV standards. But I’m calling it tiny.

You know the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? That theme applies here. What began as a bathroom remodel morphed into a much bigger project. I’m sure this comes as no surprise to those of you who’ve updated an old house. We quickly discovered electrical and plumbing needed upgrading. We upgraded the air conditioning. A new hot water heater led to a complete redo of the laundry area.

And so on.

If You Give a House a New Bathroom...

Anyway, much like writing a book, once the construction is over and you’ve repositioned furniture against freshly painted walls, the struggle to get there almost becomes a fond memory.

Continue Reading

Sunday Letter: 09.16.18

September 16, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner

Sunday Letter 09.16.18

Dear Sunday Letter readers,

Are you kidding me? September is half over and I’ve done nothing. Well, I finished painting our little cottage. I worked on my next article for Front Porch Magazine. (Thank you Arkansas Farm Bureau for allowing me to write my regular Delta Child column.) I pulled weeds and planted some lettuce and vacuumed the downstairs.

Yesterday, I watched football. Looks like I’m gonna need a new fall sport. And that’s all I have to say about that.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 (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Our Garden Mission Statement
  • Goodbye, 2025. Hello, 2026.
  • Sunday Letter: 11.23.25
  • Maggie and Miss Ladybug: My New Children’s Nature Book
  • Sunday Letter: November 9, 2025

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