Talya Tate Boerner's Blog, page 19

Sunday Letter: 08.30.2020

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Happy last Sunday of August. What?? Yep. Craziness. I agree there is still much to learn about coronavirus, but one thing I believe (in this world where conspiracy theories are all the rage)—coronavirus makes time weird. Either molasses slow or quick as a snap.

Sometimes both in the same day.

Hurricane Laura

I suppose a hurricane passing through Central Arkansas during rice harvest is par for the course for 2020. I hope the crops survived this latest weather trauma....

Summer of the Trombetta Squash

Thanks to my neighbor, Valeria, who shared her trombetta squash seeds last spring, I’ve had a blast growing this interesting and flavorful squash in our Victory Garden. Yes, we put in a new, small garden when coronavirus hit and Fayetteville first went into self-quarantine. I’m so glad we did. This unusual squash variety has provided so much more than food on our table.

Along with milkweed, it is one of the most entertaining thing growing in our garden. And we can probably all agree that during...

Sunday Letter: 08.23.2020

Hey, hey my Sunday Letter friends,

I’ve been absent the last few Sundays, but I’m back with more random Sunday Letter ramblings. After a week at the lake, I returned home to a butterfly nursery. Our milkweed and spicebush plants are CRAWLING with monarch and spicebush caterpillars. A variety of full-grown butterflies dance around every afternoon (hopefully laying more eggs).

It truly is amazing what a difference a week can make, not only in the physical space we return to, but also in the ment...

Prayer Ribbons in Fayetteville

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville is offering prayer ribbons for anyone who happens along. Sometimes the most straightforward idea can have a profound effect, don’t you think?

John and I came upon these ribbons Saturday morning while walking home from the farmer’s market. What a beautiful, timely, much needed thought for our community. Just seeing them, the idea of them, lifted my spirits.

The concept is simple. Colorful prayer ribbons are tucked inside a box beside the fence. Anyone...

Sunday Letter: 08.02.2020

Happy August to my Sunday Letter readers.

Last week I was moaning about the heat and humidity. This week I can honestly say I don’t ever remember such a cool, wet beginning to August. Don’t get me wrong, I love the cooler weather, but I know our Arkansas farmers need a few more weeks of sunshine and heat to bring in those crops.

I suppose this crazy year will keep on being crazy.

Baby Bird

Oh, the best laid plans.

For a week or so, I’ve been watching two baby robins in the nest beside our back ...

Sunday Letter: 07.26.2020

Happy Sunday to all you fabulous Sunday Letter readers,

Is it too soon to start counting down to fall? I swear the heat and humidity has been so bad I can see it creeping onto the back porch in the morning and pressing its hot breath against the window of the back door.

Sometimes, like now, I miss the pool we built at our Dallas house.

Before I continue with this week’s Sunday Letter rambling, I know someone will ask what’s up with the sign above the door in the picture above. So I’ll go ahead...

My Orchid Rebloom Tips

Several people have asked me for orchid rebloom tips, so here I go. (If you missed my big orchid reveal video, see it HERE.)

The phenomenon of reblooming orchids is relatively new for me. For years, my relationship with an orchid went like this: I would buy an orchid, enjoy it while it bloomed—we treated an orchid almost like a seasonal decoration—and once the flowers dropped off, I assumed that was that. I mean, we don’t buy them for the foliage. Right? I would usually move it to some out of t...

Sunday Letter: 07.19.2020

Thanks for being here. I skipped my letter last week because I didn’t have anything to say. When the days and nights blur together into one block of humidity, inspiration tends to take a back seat for me. A vinyl, stuck-to-my-bare-legs back seat. You know that feeling?

But I’m here today, once again with only a meager bit of Sunday Letter news to share. But maybe as I write, something entertaining will come to mind. Ideas sometimes reveal themselves unexpectedly, even at the bottom of a dry wel...

Fresh Corn Salad with Basil

Fresh Corn Salad with Basil

Yay! Sweet corn is in season. If you’re like me, you are always looking for ways to serve it. When you grow corn, on a good year you end up more corn than you can say grace over…

This fresh corn salad with basil is the summertime side dish to accompany all your grilling endeavors including pork, chicken, beef, or seafood. If you follow a plant-based diet, fresh corn salad will fit right in with your menu. And it isn’t heavy like some summer sides.

Basil truly takes ...

Sunday Letter: 07.05.2020

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

I hope everyone had a safe Independence Day. We were invited to watch fireworks from the backyard of a friend of a friend. Spectacular fireworks, y’all, and we had a front row (bring your own chair and sit socially distanced) view.

While our country is divided and the news is enough to give me nightmares (Friday night I literally dreamed I was living in bombed out Syria!), I am feeling optimistic. Yes, 2020 has officially jumped the shark (Kanye West is now running ...