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goodbye to another summer

September 12, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner

Goodbye to Summer

As the shadows grow longer, we prepare to say goodbye to another summer. I’m already mourning the things I’ll miss. Okay, maybe mourn is too solemn a word since fall really is my favorite. But summer brings moments and flavors and aromas that only come during the hottest time of year. And those, I will miss with the ache of a lost object.

Like WATERMELON.

A wedge satiates me like no other fruit, takes me back to birthdays spent at the lake, summers in the back yard at the home place. Each thump of a plump melon comes with the possibility that yes, this one will be the best ever, vine-ripened in some picturesque Arkansas field of dreams, loaded into the back of an old pick-up, driven to a farmer’s market on the edge of the town square before making it’s way into my belly.

This year’s watermelons tasted as sweet as they should.

Continue Reading

Sunday Letter: 09.09.18

September 9, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner

SUNDAY LETTER 09.09.18

Hey Sunday Letter friends! After five days of horribly humid weather, we got a little rain. Saturday felt downright fall-like. By far the best thing about my week? I got my hair cut shorter than it’s been in some time. Seriously, I don’t know why I waited so long.

The worst part? That Razorback football game last night. We knew it would be a long, rebuilding season. My very own garden hog foreshadowed it only days ago like Punxsutawney Phil predicting six more weeks of winter.

Pig Down

One thing I know for sure… the heartbreak hogs can bring a fan down. But I’ll not dwell on the negative. After all, many Sunday Letter readers claim winning teams. I’m looking at you, Alabama-LSU-Oklahoma friends. And let’s not forget, my Baylor Bears are 2-0. Living here in Fayetteville, sometimes I feel very far away from my own alma mater.

Ok, I didn’t mean to get off on football so let’s move on to more pleasant memories.

Like my Aunt Virgie.Continue Reading

Barnett’s Dairyette ~ a blast from the past!

September 4, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner

Barnett's Dairyette

One step inside Barnett’s Dairyette in Siloam Springs and your blood pressure will lower. One bite of a cheeseburger and you’ll be transported home to the diner that will forever occupy a space in your heart. For me, that would be the Yellow Jacket Cafe and the Shake Shack, both in Keiser, Arkansas.

Both long gone.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

Novels:

Coloring Books:

Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

Backyard Phenology:

Children’s Nature Book:

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