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Sunday Letter: 07.31.22

July 31, 2022 By Talya Tate Boerner

Sunday Letter

Dear Sunday Letter readers,

Praise be! In the past few days we’ve experienced a reprieve from this summer’s horribly hot and dry weather. Yes, finally, much-needed rain moved across the state; the rumble of thunder has never been so welcome to my ears.

This morning, there’s a chance for more rain.

Not gonna lie—the past week two weeks have been extra tough. No matter how much water we gave our plants, many remained parched and stressed. It had become so dry and hot the tree frogs had stopped singing at night. And we humans pretending to be in charge of things? The balance of our good humor had long evaporated with summer’s dew.

One decent rain sure makes all the difference.

Continue Reading

Tis the Season for Finding Frost Flowers!

December 10, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner

Tis the Season for Frost flowers

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

Adopt the Pace of Nature; her Secret is Patience.

March 26, 2020 By Talya Tate Boerner

Adopt the pace of nature

Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience. I’ve been thinking about this Ralph Waldo Emerson quote lately. It seems to fit our current situation of staying home and biding our time.

I consider myself to be both an optimistic and a realist. I look on the bright side of things while balancing my expectations with a dose of practicality. As much as I pray everything is back to normal in 17 days, I won’t be buying an Easter bonnet this year.

I’ve probably not worn an Easter bonnet since this picture from 1965 or so. But you know what I mean.

Easter Bonnet

Yes, our health crisis has quickly morphed into a financial crisis. Within less than two weeks, so many people have lost their jobs. The unemployment rate will skyrocket. Businesses have already begun to close, possibly permanently. Without businesses, employees won’t have jobs to go back to. It’s the chicken and the egg notion, a conundrum as old as time. Continue Reading

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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:

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