grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

in the early garden

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early morning in the garden / things the night owls miss

There’s a transparency in the early garden as fresh sunlight begins to filter down from Mount Sequoyah. Sweet air, clear thoughts, the dogs walk instead of sniff. O, the night-owls miss so much. I thank Daddy for my early-bird nature. And, Papa Creecy before him. Growing up in the Delta, I was surrounded by hard-working farmers who saw the sunrise every morning. It’s in my DNA. I bet if I do one of those ancestry tests, the early-bird farm girl slice of pie would be one of the largest pieces.Continue Reading

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

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What's blooming at Headquarters House

Where have all the flowers gone?

I can always find flowers at the historic Headquarters House in Fayetteville. The girls and I walk through the gardens almost daily. Only two blocks from our headquarters, we consider the grounds to be our personal secret garden. I’ve written about the period gardens and the house HERE, and I won’t repeat myself other than to say the place it holds in Fayetteville / Civil War / American history fascinates me. No matter what’s going on in the world (or in Arkansas), the Headquarters House is a peaceful place, a calm reminder of the vastness of life—the good and the ugly. It’s a spot that fills me with calm and restores balance.Continue Reading

garden music all around

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Garden Music!Yesterday an hour before sunset, Lucy, Annabelle and I went for an afternoon walk. The dreamy light provided a natural picture-taking filter, like garden music I could almost hear and definitely see. The Headquarters House is only one block from our house. Filled with old-fashioned flowers and green space, we pretend it’s our own park and ignore the thick, humid air this time of year.

It’s hard to believe a place filled with such peace and beauty was the site of the Battle of Fayetteville. The Headquarters House served as base for both Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. Continue Reading

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

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