grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

  • Home
  • Bio
  • Backyard Phenology
  • Publishing
  • SHOP!
  • Garden
  • Reading & Books
  • Sunday Letter

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

May 24, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

Happy Memorial Day weekend! If I could, I would give you a bouquet of red poppies…

This Memorial Day likely won’t look the same as Memorial Days of the past. (Well, it shouldn’t, in my opinion.) While the corona-craziness has changed the scope of our gatherings, (well, it should, in my opinion), the meaning behind Memorial Day hasn’t changed. And that’s what’s important.

On Memorial Day, we commemorate those who died in service to our country.

Poppy Symbol

Did you know the red poppy is the symbol of both Memorial Day and Veterans Day? I only learned of this poppy connection a few years ago while doing book research for Gene, Everywhere.

After WWI, red poppies were the first flowers to bloom across war-torn European battlefields. The seeds had lay dormant for some time, but after such disturbance to the land, they germinated again.Continue Reading

Sunday Letter: 05.17.2020

May 17, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

Sunday Letter

Hello Sunday Letter friends,

I have figured something out about coronavirus. Not only does a world with coronavirus make time pass at lightning speed—I mean, it’s already the middle of MAY—but it also makes my arms flabby.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Truly, I’m not making light of COVID-19; this is me trying to make it down the road. The gravel washed-out, pot-holed road.

This past week was another rollercoaster for me. There were several days when I felt as though I might come out of my skin. And then other times, all was well and I was content to sit and write for hours. Continue Reading

Tomato-Growing Tips from Gene

May 16, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

Tomato Growing Tips from Gene

I’m not a tomato-growing expert by any stretch of the imagination, so you may doubt my tomato-growing tips. But just like passalong plants, I can passalong gardening tips with ease.

I did successfully grow a few tomatoes once upon a time when I had a community garden plot in East Dallas. Here in Fayetteville, we’ve dedicated our small garden to herbs and pollinator plants, buying tomatoes at Farmer’s Market or Ozark Natural Foods.Continue Reading

« Previous Page
Next Page »


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:

Never miss a blog post! Subscribe via email:

Looking for something?

Categories

All the Things!

A to Z April Blog Challenge Autumn BAT Book Reviews childhood Christmas creative writing prompt Dallas Desserts Fall Fayetteville Food Gracie Lee Halloween Hemingway-Pfeiffer holiday recipes home humor Johnson Family Keiser Lake Norfork Lucy and Annabelle Mississippi County Mississippi Delta Monarch butterflies Munger Place Nana nature Northeast Arkansas Northwest Arkansas Osceola poem Reading Schnauzer simple living simple things spring spring gardening Summer Talya Tate Boerner novel Thanksgiving The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee Thomas Tate Winter Wordless Wednesday

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!

All content and photos Copyright Grace, Grits and Gardening © 2026 · Web Hosting By StrataByte