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The case of the missing Halloween Bats.

October 24, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

the case of the missing Halloween batsPut on your Nancy Drew / Hardy Boys hats and think. If you were a bat, where oh where would you hide? Not a real bat (and not my mother, the BAT), but a bag of felt bats. This is the case of the missing Halloween bats.

I made these bats several years ago, and since then, they’ve been my favorite Halloween porch decoration. Pictured above is our Dallas porch, which for the record, I miss Munger Place most at Halloween…

Last October, we were just settling into our new home in Arkansas, so I chalked up the missing bats to overall moving chaos. This October, I’ve declared them LOST. Yesterday I looked everywhere(!) for them. In every drawer, every odd place, every plastic storage bucket in the garage. Everywhere except the exact somewhere I should have looked.

Please tell me this happens to you.Continue Reading

Lucy and Annabelle go to the Library

October 22, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Lucy and Annabelle go to the Library

Lucy and Annabelle go to the library. The Little Free Library, that is. We have a handful in our neighborhood, and since we go for several walks each day, we often drop books off when library inventory is low. Spreading the love, that’s what we’re doing. Thanks to donations from our friends, we have lots of books to share with other neighborhood libraries.

Lucy and Annabelle prefer books about animals, especially dogs. The Poky Little Puppy is a favorite. Take it from a poky little schnauzer (Lucy), reading is fun.Continue Reading

Salmon Croquettes (for Project STIR)

October 20, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Salmon CroquettesI hadn’t eaten homemade salmon croquettes in a hundred years, not since I left home for college. When we were kids, Momma made salmon croquettes for my sister and me nearly every week—it was one of our favorites. (But we called them salmon patties.) Last weekend I made them using the recipe in Momma’s copy of the Keiser’s Kitchen vintage cookbook. And I’m dedicating this recipe to Project STIR, storytelling through international recipes. 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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