grace grits and gardening - ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Sunday Letter: 08.29.21

August 29, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

The week went by fast for me and other than attending two book clubs, I don’t have much to show for myself. Well, I cleaned a whole bunch of caterpillar frass from my butterfly hotels and fed my guests lots of milkweed. What else? I’m not sure.

Our son was here this weekend, and it’s always so wonderful to see him. But now he’s gone again and here we are. Ma and Pa home alone. Ha.

Honestly, I’ve been a bit unmotivated here in the dog days of summer. I’m ready for fall yet not ready for short days. In a word, I suppose I’m restless.

How about you?Continue Reading

Sunday Letter: 08.22.21

August 22, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

How are you?

I don’t have to tell you about the sadness in our world right now—the unfolding horror in Afghanistan, the earthquake in Haiti, wildfires and water shortages, surging coronavirus, and so much more—but I do think from time to time we all need to remind each other to look for the goodness growing between the cracks of heartbreak. We should always be on the lookout for it.

Recently, John and I spent a week with our family at Lake Norfork. Being unplugged provided much needed time to rebalance and regroup. If you aren’t in the practice of stepping away from the chatter of news and people and busyness, I highly recommend it, even if stepping away is as simple as going for a walk or getting lost inside a good book.

The constant negativity can really affect a person.

Life in Milkweed

August 20, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner

Life in Milkweed

Milkweed is vital for monarchs because it is THE host plant for monarch butterflies (meaning, monarch butterflies lay eggs ONLY on milkweed, AND monarch caterpillars ONLY eat milkweed). Of course, there are a variety of other species besides monarchs that enjoy nectaring from milkweed.

This year, I’ve been keeping track of the critters I’ve noticed in my swamp milkweed—life beyond monarchs. And, I thought it would be fun to document this life in milkweed, the teeny flies and bugs, frogs and just-hatched insects, the butterflies feeding every afternoon. Each time I inspect my milkweed (and I do it multiple times a day), I see something new.

Remember Horton Hears a Who?

I think of that Dr. Seuss book often, because there is so much life thriving in and around the plants and blossoms.Continue Reading