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mid-June Garden Shenanigans

June 12, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner

mid-June Garden Shenanigans

Since I returned from Iceland, I’ve been writing like a fiend. Between all the words, I garden. That’s pretty much it. Weeds, y’all. They are thriving. I know my garden as well as I know the manuscript I’m working on. Because when I say, I garden, what I mean is, I crawl around on my hands and knees looking between flowers, pulling weeds by hand, studying the landscape and what’s changed in my brief absence. (Much like scrubbing the lines of my writing, pulling weed words. See what I did there?) I’m here to announce there are some mid-June garden shenanigans at work in my flower beds.

For real.

It’s as though the tiny garden gnomes said, “Hey, she’s gone for two whole weeks! PAR-TEEEE.”

And they have been.Continue Reading

Blowin’ in the wuthering wind

May 18, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner

Airmail snapdragons

Yesterday was breezy. But today? The wuthering wind is blowing and roaring almost as though it twists from the ground up, a reminder of how sturdy trees really are. And the flowers pictured in this post? They are the wind’s answer to spring.

I call them my airmail flowers. Airmail because these flowers were planted old school. As nature intended. Seeds were scattered by the wind, probably on a day declared TOO WINDY by moi on Facebook. Probably followed by a rainstorm that woke me during the night. Probably followed by a soggy day when Lucy and Annabelle refused to go outside.

Probably.

Mother Nature does a good job when left to her own devices.

Definitely.

Continue Reading

Exhausted from the Rain

May 1, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner

Exhausted from the rain.

This was supposed to be my “Savoring April” post. The one where I recap April. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted from the rain. And I’m happy to move on to May. I’m expecting TONS OF MAY FLOWERS. Aren’t you? April showers promise that much, you know.

We received around 15 inches of rain the past week which has resulted in flash flooding. The fierce storm is moving on across the country leaving death and destruction in its path. I’m always fascinated by the calm before the storm, not to mention the rainbow coloring the back end. Not that we’re done. If this morning’s wind and dismal skies are any indication, we seem to have more bad queued up.

Maybe T. S. Eliot got it right when he said April is the cruelest month.

For the most part, I can celebrate April. I savored the month with friends and family, book clubs and library events, and lots of time working in the garden in between rolling thunder. April brought a family reunion potluck and Easter ribs from the Rendezvous in Memphis. Like they say, you can’t beat that with a stick.

Here’s my recap in pictures.

Savoring April 2017
So a quick rundown for posterity.

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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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