grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

O Come, O Come to Thorncrown Chapel

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Thorncrown Chapel

We visited Thorncrown Chapel while the leaves were turning. Nestled in the Ozarks just outside Eureka Springs, Thorncrown Chapel is one of the most stunning and iconic structures in Arkansas. Today, I’m bringing it to you.

Woo-hoo!

Arkansas’s own brilliant architect, E. Fay Jones, designed Thorncrown Chapel using native woodland elements. The 48-foot tall structure consists of 425 windows totaling over 6,000 square feet of glass. So much glass brings the surrounding Ozark forest inside.

Inside your mind and heart.

Thorncrown Chapel

Because of the marvel of the design, Thorncrown Chapel never looks the same inside or out. Hour to hour, day to day, season to season, surrounding nature is an important part of the overall experience. Continue Reading

What I Didn’t Buy in Alpena, Arkansas

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What I didn't buy...

I’d always wanted to explore the vintage shops along Highway 412 in Alpena, Arkansas, yet I’d never stopped because I was on my way somewhere else. A few days ago, I made Alpena my destination. No, of course, I don’t need any stuff. This is about what I didn’t buy yet carried home anyhow.

Setting out to explore without buying is a different sort of adventure. I go with the intention of remembering.

Inspiration lives in the most unexpected places. There’s a treasure trove inside musty shops filled to the rafters with my very own childhood artifacts. Old toys and books and dishes like Momma served fried potatoes on lay claim to me as I do them.

In a way, these outings serve as writing research.☺ Flea markets and vintage boutiques are bona fide Gracie Lee museums.

Yes, I love my job.Continue Reading

Our Island of (not so) Heavenly Bamboo

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Heavenly Bamboo

Heavenly Bamboo is on the city of Fayetteville’s invasive species list of undesirable plants. One might say it’s misnamed. As in not so heavenly.

What’s the opposite of heavenly?

Earthly?

I’ll call it Earthly Bamboo.

We have a grove of it.

We didn’t plant it. It was planted years ago, a few small stalks that now provide fantastic privacy along the fence. It also grows into the neighbors’ yards and until recently was tangled in our electrical wires. Rumor has it that when our neighbor to the west bought her house, she found a Volkswagen swallowed alive inside the bamboo growing in her back yard.

Maybe Otherworldly Bamboo would be a better name for it.

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