grace grits and gardening - ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

it’s beginning to look a little like Christmas…

December 7, 2012 By Talya Tate Boerner

Can December be
Here?
Really?
I almost skipped Halloween, other than a
Stroll down Spring wearing my witch hat.
Thanksgiving quickly came and went, stress-free.
Maybe I will buy a Christmas tree today, or
Another day,
Some other day.

Surprisingly, I did manage to
Ease the decorations from the
Attic and
Scatter them around the house. I
Only need a tree
Now. And gifts.

my decorations…

talya

Musical Pairing:

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, Johnny Mathis

back home in Dallas…

December 6, 2012 By Talya Tate Boerner

On December 5, I write poolside. Barefoot. My herbs are lush and vigorous, relieved to have survived the blazing summer.

Hole-in-the-wall restaurants, tucked into favorite neighborhoods, satiate Tex-Mex cravings. Cheese enchiladas with extra jalapeños, gooey white queso so amazing I could eat like soup. Top Shelf margaritas, hold the salt. Did you save room for sopapillas?

Grand old ladies sit side by side, rooted to the ground for one hundred years, proud and strong with perfectly aligned porches. Overnight, garland adorns columns. Swags of red berries and bells replace fall wreaths. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Munger Place, Dallas, Texas

Lucy and Annabelle tug and strain on their leashes, then stop to greet neighbors and sniff out smells buried in dry grass. We gather with friends on Harry’s porch for happy hour.

A few blocks away, a tall green rectangle juts into the night sky, a floating box glows holiday red, a rotating sphere boasts a dazzling display of white lights. The heavens are illuminated by neon.