late fall - grace grits and gardening

Tis the Season for Finding Frost Flowers!

December 10, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner 6 Comments

Oh happy day!

I Finally Saw a Frost Flower.

Do you have a garden bucket list? I have one loosely formed in my mind, and a few days ago I checked off ‘see frost flowers‘ from my list.

Sometimes the best things happen when you aren’t expecting much from the day. (That’s a quote from The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee, y’all.) It was early and I was driving the pups for their much needed beauty shop appointments at Bark Avenue Pet Lodge (which is located a few miles outside of Fayetteville). Just when I began wondering if conditions were right to see frost flowers, I spotted a few along the roadside! (That’s what I thought they might be anyway. It’s hard to know for sure from the car.)

Oh, I was excited by the possibility. And, I hoped they would still be there after I dropped the girls at the lodge. In the few minutes it would take me to get back on the road, frost flowers could vanish. Like winter’s first snowflakes or a double rainbow, they are elusive and ephemeral. Continue Reading

Sunday Letter: 11.17.19

November 17, 2019 By Talya Tate Boerner 9 Comments

Dear Sunday Letter readers,

I didn’t write a Sunday Letter last weekend because I was in Eureka Springs. The significant thing about this isn’t that I was too busy to do it. The bigger deal for me is that I left my computer at home. Since I started writing, I always take my MacBook with me when I go out of town. We are tight that way. (Only one other time have I left him behind—Kelsey’s wedding weekend.)

I’ll admit I felt a little anxiety over leaving Mac home alone.

But if I’m being honest, after the panic subsided, it felt freeing.

We both survived. And today I’m back, writing from the Bat Cave—aka the farm in northeast Arkansas. Mac would really be upset if I didn’t take him to the farm.

And by the way, the smoke detector in my bedroom began shrieking at 1 a.m. this morning. WHY do they only do this in the wee hours?Continue Reading

Sunday Letter: 11.18.18

November 18, 2018 By Talya Tate Boerner 10 Comments

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

This week was an anomaly for me. While my calendar was filled with two book clubs, an influencer meet-up, the Lights of the Ozarks Christmas parade, and the Mission Temple Fireworks Revival last night at Walton Arts Center, I also felt calmed by the knowledge that Thanksgiving is just ahead and winter is beginning to fold around me.

On Friday, John and I went for a hike on Mt. Sequoyah. Then, we worked in our yard which, for us, is like pushing the reset button.

Bottom line, this week provided me with a gentle yet impactful reminder—even during the busiest times, we can carve out peace and quiet.