grace grits and gardening - ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Enchanted Petit Jean Mountain

April 13, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

(My recent trip to Petit Jean Mountain was sponsored by Winthrop Rockefeller Institute which provided food and lodging. As always, opinions are my own.)

Riddle me this. How can it be that I have made fifty-two trips around the sun yet NEVER managed to drive to Petit Jean Mountain? Yes, this oversight has been corrected. Finally.

Petit Jean, where have you been all my life?

Just South of I-40 near Morrillton—only 4 hours from where you grew up.

For shame. What took so long?

Beautiful Arkansas River from Stout’s Point, Mount Petit Jean. A portion of the historic Trail of Tears.

Petit Jean Mountain is paradise above the banks of the Arkansas River, as stunning as anything I’ve ever seen. The mountain and Arkansas’ first state park encompasses over 2,600 acres of natural, unspoiled, pristine forest, streams and geological formations—a clear reminder that Someone else is in charge.

Oh how I love geology.

The roar of Cedar Falls can be heard from the parking lot. I was completely awed and unprepared for such beauty. Last of the Mohicans beauty, for real. Rock shelters, once dwellings for Native Americans, can be found among the bluffs. Evidence of their existence remains in the form of pictographs painted on cave walls. In the thirties, the Civilian Conservation Corps built Mather Lodge (the only Arkansas CCC-built lodge), pavilions, several cabins and bridges within the rugged landscape of Petit Jean Mountain. What an incredible place to spend time with your family hiking, camping (you can rent a yurt!), fishing, swimming, thinking, talking, or just being. “Just being” can often be a great thing.

For reservations and other information on the lodge and cabins, click HERE.)

This stunning area of Arkansas, originally discovered 300+ years ago by French explorers, even comes with its own love story. When Adrienne Dumont, a young Parisian, couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from her love, French explorer Chavet, she disguised herself as a cabin boy and signed on for the New World voyage. Her true identify was discovered months later when she became severely ill. Nicknamed Petit Jean (French for Little John), she died on the mountain and was buried on the bluff where she spent her final days.

This legend is thought to bring enchantment to the mountain.

I’m a believer.

So was Winthrop Rockefeller.

In the 1950s, Winthrop Rockefeller, (grandson of John D. Rockefeller), fell under the spell of Petit Jean Mountain during a visit with his WWII buddy who lived in Little Rock. He bought a large portion of the mountain, built a stunning home and established a cattle farm. From birth, Rockefeller had been instilled with a deep spirit of giving and ascribed to the ideal of “to those whom much is given, much is expected.” In 1966, he became the first Republican governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction, advocating for the regular person. His legacy brought about great change to wages, prisons and integration.

Governor Rockefeller said, “Every citizen has the duty to be informed, to be thoughtfully concerned and to participate in the search for solutions.” Amen to that. Couldn’t our society use a big dose of his philosophy right about now?

Winthrop Rockefeller Institute (WRI), located on Petit Jean Mountain, continues to honor Governor Rockefeller’s legacy by providing a facility dedicated to studying and solving today’s problems concentrating on agriculture, economic development, health and others issues. You will be hearing much more from me about WRI over the next six months as I work with the institute to bring awareness to the incredible work being accomplished there.

But for now just know…on a quiet, inspirational mountaintop, life-changing work is being done.

While walking the gorgeous grounds, I felt a sense of something larger, an urge to get out of my comfort zone and be part of the solution. There is astounding history surrounding Petit Jean and WRI—reminders of how far we’ve come as a state and nation and world. And yes, there is work yet to be done.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]Mount Petit Jean. Paradise in the #ArkansasRiverValley. @ARWomenBloggers @Rockefeller @artourism[/tweetthis]

Cedar Falls Selfie

Musical Pairing:

Luca Stricagnoli – The Last of the Mohicans, acoustic guitar

Cedar Falls Trail, Petit Jean State Park

under the influence of Spring!

April 9, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

If only this post came with 3-D vision and a smell plug-in. No kidding, this place I live is park-like. I’m under the influence of spring and savoring every moment. Come with me and see for yourself. I took these pictures via iPhone while walking Lucy and Annabelle. The colors are unretouched.

You might say, oh no, here she goes again, all she does is post pictures of flowers. So yeah, that’s true for now, and isn’t it wonderful? If that’s not your thing, well… sorry (#notsorryintheleast #whatswrongwithyou).

Our neighborhood is alive and vivid and every bloom is a thrill to the senses.

Phlox spills over old stone walls. Tulips thrive in slivers of soil.

I’m a kid in a candy store.

Until we moved to Fayetteville, I never knew that tulips could be perennial. What an amazing thing. I’m certain tulips NEVER came back in Dallas. (Read what A Green Hand has to say about planting bulbs for a more natural garden HERE.)

I plan to luxuriate in every drop of spring. Soon, summer will come bringing long hot days, warm nights and blooms that thrive only in the heat. And I’ll like that too, but it will be different.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]I’m under the influence of #spring & luxuriating in every drop! #gardening #fayetteville @AnnSandersagh[/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

Elle King – Under the Influence

Strawberry Pot Succulents

April 7, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

We’ve had a recent string of gorgeous days which has provided lots of gardening time. And once I get started…well, it’s an addiction. Check out this strawberry pot I found at the back of our property near the wood shed. I’m all about found objects.

If you don’t already have a strawberry pot, I bet someone you know has one sitting around collecting water. I tend to believe that strawberry pots are one of those “good ideas at the time” sort of things. Why else would I find one in the woodshed? If you can’t score a free one, pick one up at your local garden or home improvement center. There are a variety of sizes and styles available on-line, too, from basic terracotta to hip and modern like this one at Crate and Barrel.

I decided to plant succulents in my strawberry pot. Succulents are easy to grow and come in lots of varieties and shades. Plus, many are perennial. I love the bright green color of this Japanese Stonecrop sedum as well as any blooming flower.

Japanese Stonecrop

Our schnauzers helped. This would be a great project for kids, too:)

Annabelle removed all the tags while Lucy was in charge of sniffing and hiding the plastic containers around the yard like Easter eggs.

For a different look, I decided to place my strawberry pot on its side. This meant less holes to fill. I learned the hard way to partially bury the pot before beginning to plant. My pot rolled to the edge of the bed. Runaway pot. There’s a joke in there somewhere.

strawberry pot filled with succulents - how to

whoa there! runaway pot…

The best way to plant a strawberry pot is to add potting soil up to the first hole. Carefully thread the first plant into the hole (from the outside) and add more soil inside until the plant is secure. Add the next plant and repeat the process. Continue planting in tiers until each (visible) hole is filled. I planted a larger, trailing succulent on top, which turned out to be the side.

I love the way this sideways buried container has integrated immediately into our (barely planted) herb garden. Eventually, when the bed matures, the strawberry pot will look even more like a natural part of the landscape. Plus, the dogs can’t knock it over, so there’s that.

Happy gardening!

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]A fun, child-friendly #garden project-Strawberry Pot Project! #letsgarden #gardenchat @Monrovia [/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

They Might Be Giants – Birdhouse in Your Soul