Talya Tate Boerner's Blog, page 14
July 11, 2021
Sunday Letter: 07.11.21
Dear Sunday Letter readers,
We spent the 4th of July weekend in Austin with our daughter and son-in-law. We’ve not done much traveling since the pandemic, and it was marvelous to get away. It was especially fabulous to see Kelsey and Preston! We packed lots of greatness in three days including food, family time, music, sightseeing, and even some gardening.
Seriously, Austin has the best of everything.
Plant LibraryTake a look at this plant library we saw in the cul-de-sac of an Austin neighbo...
July 1, 2021
Book Reviews: June 2021
With my book reviews for June 2021, we are officially well into the season of summer reading. Do you choose books based on the time of year? During summer, I may choose something lighter (especially if I’m on vacation), but mostly I keep whittling away at my to-read stack.
My book reviews for June 2021 include six completely different books—two debuts from new authors, two from authors I love, and two books from experienced ...
June 27, 2021
Sunday Letter: 06.27.21
Hi friends! I hope this Sunday Letter finds you happy and healthy and ready for a new week. June has been a blur, and can you believe, another month is nearly over? What a great month it has been for me. As in-person events have geared back up, I’ve finally been able to get out and share my books with anyone who will listen to me, at art/writer festivals and other book related events.
In between all the June book fun, I’ve been gardening.
Cut FlowersIf you received my Grace Grits Summer Newsl...
June 13, 2021
Sunday Letter: 06.13.2021
Good morning Sunday Letter readers! I’m home after ten days away. It always takes me some time to get back in the swing of things after traveling. Like Dorothy Gale said, there’s no place like home. I’m lucky to have two homes that I love—two homes that love me back. I spent much of my time at the farm working on my next book (yay!), and I connected with lots of readers at the Delta Arts Festival (yay again!). I returned re-inspired and re-invigorated about my writing.
A change of perspective ...
June 1, 2021
Book Reviews: May 2021
This post contains affiliate links. I may earn commissions from sales.Another month has passed which means I have six more book to recommend! My book reviews for May 2021 were all penned by women authors. I didn’t plan this, not consciously anyway. Sometimes neat-o things happen. Especially where books are concerned.
Of Women and Saltby: Gabriela Garcia
(Literature/Fiction)
In one of the most anticipated debut novels of 2021, Gabriela Garcia links the stories of two families who are neighbor...
May 26, 2021
Garden Surprises in Spring
This spring, so many garden surprises have entertained me. Almost every day something reveals itself. Something unexpected, curious, even unusual.
It helps that I spend a crazy amount of time poking around outside. (The more time one spends with any activity, the more accessible and intimate the parts of that activity become.) Each inch of soil surrounding our home is habitat for fungi, bacteria, insects, tiny burrowing creatures and organisms. Healthy soil supports plant growth by anchoring an...
May 23, 2021
Sunday Letter: 05.23.2021
Dear Sunday Letter friends,
Even though last week was drizzly and gray, I managed to get a few hours of garden time in here and there. Our milkweed is really growing. This is a good thing since I found three monarch caterpillars already! Milkweed is the ONLY plant monarchs eat and the ONLY place they lay eggs. So—absolutely—milkweed is an essential plant for a butterfly garden.
Rain or shine, I go out and inspect our plants daily to see what’s happening. This is the best way I know to learn the...
May 16, 2021
Sunday Letter: 05.16.2021
Dear Sunday Letter friends,
Hi! I hope your last few days have been as wonderful as mine.
The past week brought ideal growing conditions for the garden. It was a fabulous birding week at our feeders. And, my son came for an unexpected visit. (He came for grad school classes, and we were the bonus—ha!)
He’s still here now.
In case you can’t tell, I’m floating around like milkweed fluff, a happy momma after a heart-happy week.
Beaujolais FlowerWe planted a Beaujolais Flower two years ago when i...
May 12, 2021
The Power of Porch Flowers! (and how I plant mine)
There’s great power in porch flowers, y’all.
Last week, I finally planted flowers in the pots around my front porch. As fast as spring seemed to arrive, I waited and waited before filling my front porch containers. Our temperatures kept dipping into the thirties and forties every few days, and I didn’t want tender buds to suffer from cold weather or frost. (And I didn’t want to cover them.)
This doesn’t mean for the last three months I haven’t been torturing myself by visiting all the area nurs...
May 9, 2021
Sunday Letter: 05.09.21
Dear Sunday Letter friends,
Happy Mother’s Day to all those who mother! Mothers have all the essential jobs. They dry tears, provide motivation, feather nests (and later push us from the nest)—teaching, encouraging, scolding, doing all the things that keep the world spinning.
Y’all know how special my Momma is. Even within the space of my short Sunday Letters, she keeps all of us laughing. (You should be with her in person.)
Last week, our pink flamingoes got a long overdue bath.
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