Talya Tate Boerner's Blog, page 26

Decorating my Porch for Fall

I’ve been decorating my porch for fall, y’all. I waited until the most recent heat wave dissipated. After living in Texas for so many years, I have lots of experience with putting pumpkins on the porch early, only to have them melt and turn grody by Halloween. Especially the carved ones.

I want my pumpkins to last through Thanksgiving.

Especially the non-carved ones.

Decorating my Porch for Fall

So what does decorating my porch for fall look like? Mainly, I buy a few pumpkins and place them...

Sunday Letter: 10.06.19

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

You probably know our daughter got married last weekend. It was a fabulous to-do in Austin. Absolutely dreamy (even though it was hot as Hades). But afterward? I wasn’t prepared for how exhausted I would be. And, really, I didn’t have that many responsibilities. The bride and groom coordinated most everything.

After we returned home to Fayetteville, for two days I staggered around, zombie-like. I even slept until 8:00 on Tuesday, something I haven’t done since I h...

tail-end of summer Sunday Letter: 09.22.19

Dearly beloved, we gather for this Sunday Letter on the last day of summer. Can you believe it?

Here in Arkansas, summer only decided to show itself a few weeks ago. And now, at the tail-end of a weird season, during an even crazier weather year, here we are. Tomorrow is the first day of fall.

FALL!!! Yes, I’m a little bit excited. Today, if it’s the only thing I do, I will mark the changing seasons by swapping out my front door wreath for something more autumnal. If you change your front do...

another Sunday Letter: 09.15.19

Good morning. It’s time for another Sunday Letter.

I’m writing from charming and quirky Eureka Springs, Arkansas. I’ve been here for several days, staying at The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, soaking up the peace and quiet while making yet more tweaks on my book and tackling a few other projects. If you are a writer or artist or musician, I can’t stress enough how important getting away from routine can be for your creativity.

Dirty laundry isn’t a thing at Dairy Hollow.

The Writers’ Colo...

Vintage Harvest Photos (and the magic therein)

As farmers work another harvest, I thought it would be fun to share a few vintage harvest photos from our family farm. Something odd to me—none of these pictures are dated. There are no dates printed on the white borders by Kodak or scribbled on the back in Momma’s handwriting…

What’s up with that?

Based on the various photograph styles, I’m guessing these pictures span the early 1960s through the mid-1970s.

My best guesstimate:

Black and white pictures with scalloped edges = early to mid-1...

Sunday Letter: 09.08.19

Hello Sunday Letter friends!

I hope you’ve had a productive week of harvesting, gardening, reading, working, traveling, cooking, playing—all those things you do. Summer has returned to Arkansas, and the weather has been as hot as Hades and fog-up-your-glasses steamy. It can’t last too much longer though. At least I don’t think so.

Last Coneflower

We must have 200 or more dried coneflowers in the front bed. They aren’t all that attractive to look at but are plenty beautiful (I imagine) to the...

Become an Arkansas Master Gardener!

Are you an Arkansawyer with a passion for gardening? If so, why not become an Arkansas Master Gardener? The process for becoming an Arkansas Master Gardener has recently changed, so I thought I’d give a quick shout out to my readers who might be interested.

What’s changed?

Rather than a solid week of education classes in January (which is sometimes difficult for people to schedule), trainees now attend classes once a week on Wednesdays, October 9, 16, 23, 30 and November 6, 2019.

Application...

Sunday Letter: 09.01.19

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

September is here! The thing foremost on my mind for this September? Our daughter is getting married this month! When she first became engaged, the date seemed so far away. And now—bam!— here it is, and I still need to get my dress hemmed.

With September comes fall. There’s something about the changing seasons that adds balance to our world gone crazy. At least I tell myself that.

Here Comes Fall

Friday, I stepped into Hobby Lobby bracing myself for holiday overl...

Garvan Woodland Gardens

Before my pictures get lost in the black hole of Photo Feed Land—yes that’s a place I can’t begin to understand or organize—I thought I’d post a few shots from our recent visit to Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Here’s a fun fact: members of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks enjoy the perk of reciprocal membership with over 300 gardens across North America. It’s pretty satisfying to show our membership card and stroll right on through the gates without paying admission.

As...

Sunday Letter: 08.25.19

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Greetings from the Bat Cave! I’m home on the farm this morning—just a quick trip, long enough to sleep in my bed and have lunch at the Wilson Cafe. If you are new to GGG and don’t know of this Bat Cave I mention, click HERE. If you aren’t from around the mid-South and haven’t experienced the Wilson Cafe, it’s worth a drive for the purple hull peas alone.

Little Lucy

I’ll get my sad news out of the way. Our sweet little Lucy girl hasn’t been doing very well. The...