grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

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

Memorial Day FUN!

May 24, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Memorial Day weekend. The lake was usually chilly. Sometimes downright cold. That first plunge into summer, breathtaking.

Was the water level high or low? That was an important question. We studied the shoreline while waiting for the ferry.

The answer affected our hot dog roast.

Even when the lake swallowed all but the tallest trees of our sandy island, we tied the boat to a willow branch and floated on rafts above white sand. New rafts that took forever to inflate.

The sand was still down there. We could see it through clear water.

One time (or several times) the water lapped the top of the concrete picnic tables. We used them as jumping platforms instead of eating spots. A different sort of fun. But even when our island was hidden, we never missed a hot dog roast. Momma anchored to a rocky edge of shoreline, not quite flat but almost, and built a fire, soldiering on without sand.

hot dogs - summer fun!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

 

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

 

grace grits in a swim cap:)

Musical Pairing:

Pontoon – Little Big Town

Cranfield Marina, Lake Norfork, Arkansas

September 12, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner

Cranfield Landing. Throwback Thursday…

Grace Grits and Gardening, Lake Norfork, Cranfield Marina
Cranfield Landing, Lake Norfork, Arkansas

I ran across this old photograph yesterday. Lake Norfork, my happy place.  ❤❤❤

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.


Lake Birthday!

July 10, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner

Happy birthday to me!

at the lake

Most of my birthdays have been spent at Lake Norfork with Nana’s strawberry cake and cold watermelon on the dock.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Including this one.

Fifty down.

Fifty more to go…

talya

“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.” 
― William Shakespeare

« 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:

  • 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:

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 © 2025 · Web Hosting By StrataByte