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Sunday Letter: 07.26.2020

July 26, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

blackberry cantaloupe

Happy Sunday to all you fabulous Sunday Letter readers,

Is it too soon to start counting down to fall? I swear the heat and humidity has been so bad I can see it creeping onto the back porch in the morning and pressing its hot breath against the window of the back door.

Sometimes, like now, I miss the pool we built at our Dallas house.

Before I continue with this week’s Sunday Letter rambling, I know someone will ask what’s up with the sign above the door in the picture above. So I’ll go ahead and tell you.

The sign says Unity House. Our friend and former East Dallas neighbor, Marcia, gave us that sign when we left Munger Place and moved back to Arkansas. Our Dallas home on Worth Street (which we LOVED and miss!) was built in 1910. Like most of the homes in historic Munger Place, it lived many, many lives before we were honored to call it ours for thirteen years. By the 1970s, the house had been divided into apartments and served as a home for recovering alcoholics. It was known as Unity House. Those interested can read about the redevelopment of Munger Place Historic District, with a reference to the relocation of the residents of Unity House, HERE.

The sign provides a reminder of our time in such a special place in Dallas. And, maybe it’s a reminder to us that we shouldn’t drink too much, especially during this corona-summer.

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My Orchid Rebloom Tips

July 23, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

Orchid Rebloom Tips

Several people have asked me for orchid rebloom tips, so here I go. (If you missed my big orchid reveal video, see it HERE.)

The phenomenon of reblooming orchids is relatively new for me. For years, my relationship with an orchid went like this: I would buy an orchid, enjoy it while it bloomed—we treated an orchid almost like a seasonal decoration—and once the flowers dropped off, I assumed that was that. I mean, we don’t buy them for the foliage. Right? I would usually move it to some out of the way place, like the porch, and forget about it until it shriveled. At that point, I didn’t feel quite so guilty about tossing it.

About four years ago, my relationship with orchids became more permanent because of light and ice.

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Sunday Letter: 07.19.2020

July 19, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

Sunday Letter

Thanks for being here. I skipped my letter last week because I didn’t have anything to say. When the days and nights blur together into one block of humidity, inspiration tends to take a back seat for me. A vinyl, stuck-to-my-bare-legs back seat. You know that feeling?

But I’m here today, once again with only a meager bit of Sunday Letter news to share. But maybe as I write, something entertaining will come to mind. Ideas sometimes reveal themselves unexpectedly, even at the bottom of a dry well.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:

  • Sunday Letter: 11.23.25
  • Maggie and Miss Ladybug: My New Children’s Nature Book
  • Sunday Letter: November 9, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Oct 26, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Oct 5, 2025

Novels:

Coloring Books:

Fiction-Themed Coloring Books

Backyard Phenology:

Children’s Nature Book:

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