Fayetteville Farmer's Market - grace grits and gardening

Sunday Letter: 07.26.2020

July 26, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

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.

BUYING LOCAL gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling

September 15, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Buying local gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. I’ve always thought it would be cool to have a little roadside produce stand where I’d sell home grown tomatoes and okra and fragrant lavender from my garden. It would be shaded by one massive oak tree and my wooden tables would be covered with vintage oilcloths. For me, stopping at farm fresh produce stands is like buying cookies from a girl scout—impossible not to do.Continue Reading

Lucy and Annabelle go Downtown

July 14, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Lucy and Annabelle love their walks and, lucky for me, Fayetteville is a very walkable city with a fun downtown area. We’ve been living here about ten months now, and so yes, people are beginning to recognize the “girls” when we are out and about. They’re popular that way.

Recently, we explored downtown starting with Fayetteville’s Farmer’s Market. And by the way, Fayetteville’s Farmer’s Market is THE place to be on Saturday. Like the Wal-Mart in my hometown only not. People bring their dogs and babies and the local farmers sell wondrous produce and flowers. There’s live music and crafts, too.

Lucy loves the crowd and activity. Annabelle gets a little nervous and prefers to hang out in the peripheral area. All in all, it’s a good dog watching / people watching place with the bonus of fresh veggies and fruit.

After the excitement of Farmer’s Market, they pulled me toward Chunky Dunk Milk + Cookies. I think it was the signage that lured them over.

Seriously. Look at that cookie sandwich. It’s called Regina George Got Hit By a Bus. Ha. If you are a fan of Mean Girls, you know she so deserved it. Ingredients = 2 chocolate chip cookies, fudge sauce, vanilla icing, and crumbled sugar cookies. Wowza.

Lucy and Annabelle liked the picnic tables and water bowl.

I gotta admit I kinda loved the garden on the back of the Chunky Dunk food truck. Food truck gardens should be a thing.

Next stop, The Curious Book Shoppe on Block. First of all, I’m partial to any shoppe with an “e” on the end. That one extra vowel makes the place seem more quaint in an enchanted sort of way—like maybe tucked within a secret shelf they sell magic wands or crystals than cure allergies or something equally exotic. And the fact that this shoppe is smaller than Harry Potter’s room underneath the stairs makes it even more intriguing.

Lucy and Annabelle enjoyed their visit, but it was their first book shoppe so they really had no frame of reference.

On the way home, Annabelle stopped for a quick drink in this natural tree root dog bowl. Water slurped out in the wild is always best. Or so I’m told.