Talya Tate Boerner's Blog, page 30

Love Story to a Mimosa Tree

Oh how it hurts my heart to tell you that Gracie Lee’s favorite mimosa tree is dying. Fans of The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee probably realize if the tree is Gracie’s favorite, I love it as well. The mimosa tree I’m referencing is in the front yard of her (my) childhood home on the farm.

Sad. Sad. Sad. There are so many memories wrapped around the branches of this tree.

For both Gracie Lee and me.

Can a lifetime of memories suffocate a living thing?

Hope not.

Mimosas are considered “...

Sunday Letter: 04.14.19

Good morning Sunday Letter readers,

I hope all is well in your corner of the world. After a trip to the farm, I’m back in Fayetteville. Even though I was only gone a few days, so much changed in our neighborhood! The dogwoods are in full bloom. Our hostas have fully emerged. Our backyard has leafed out in that special spring way, looking fresh and green and oh so lovely.

Look at this picture I took yesterday of our street. Notice the white dogwood on the right. It has a branch that always bl...

Morel Mushrooms served with Fettuccine

Y’all, I harvested my first batch of morel mushrooms last week, and I have to say, the whole process was so much fun! I noticed a few mushrooms growing on our property. Once I began searching, I gathered a big bowl full of these prized beauties. Probably two pounds!

According to reports from those in the know, this spring’s morel season is a stellar one. Conditions have been perfect for these gifts from the forest.

John was sure I was trying to poison him. You see, we missed the fungi class...

Sunday Letter: 04.07.19

Hey, hey, Sunday Letter friends! Today I’m writing from our farm in Mississippi County. It’s great to be home, and the good news so far is that we’ve had no snake sightings at the Bat Cave.

Sunday Letter: 03.31.19

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Can you believe today is the last day of March? Yikes. First quarter of the year is stick-a-fork-in-it DONE.

Oh, Deer!

Oh, deer! Here in northwest Arkansas, the deer population has become a real problem. In my neighborhood, they come down from Mt. Sequoyah and feast all night on tender hostas and tulip greens. We can’t blame the deer, though. With a shrinking habitat, they visit ours. With less young people taking up the sport of hunting, the deer population has e...

Shout Out to the Ladies of Pinnacle Book Club!

Hey, hey! Today I’m giving an appreciative shout out to the Ladies of Pinnacle Book Club. Talking with book clubs is a humongous honor for me— one that will never get old as long as I live. I’ve attended about 45 in person and a few more via FaceTime / Skype. Yes, I’m introducing Gracie Lee to the world one book club at a time. LOL that’s okay by me!

Millions of Americans are book club members. So, there are millions I have my eye on. Including Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club. (...

Zebra Plant Love

Even the blackest of thumbs can successfully grow a zebra plant! These small succulents are very forgiving and rarely complain about anything. Several years ago, I planted one tiny zebra baby in my vintage ceramic planter. Look at her now. She’s bloomed several times and has all but outgrown her container.

A few days ago when it was pouring rain and I couldn’t do any yard work, I scratched my gardening itch by showing my zebra plant a little love.

But first, a story about these ceramic plant...

Sunday Letter from Spring Break

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Today’s writing is really a What I Did On My Spring Break letter.

Remember writing that specific “what I did” essay in school? As if going back to school wasn’t bad enough, the teachers made us write about our summer vacations during the first week of school. For me (and for Gracie Lee), that essay served one purpose. It was a depressing reminder that barefoot lake days were over. For the foreseeable future I would be spending a bunch of hours sitting at my school...

How to be a good Literary Citizen

Literary Citizenship?

Lately I’ve been thinking about the topic of literary citizenship. I learned of this concept from author, Kathleen Rooney. When Kathleen spoke about it at a writer conference, she credited Cathy Day who teaches a class on the idea. Kathleen’s talk on literary citizenship was a light bulb moment for me. I’d been working to be a good literary citizen without knowing there was an official term for it. But I realized there was more I could do in that department. There’s al...

Sunday Letter: 03.17.19

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all my Sunday Letter friends!

Don’t forget to wear green. In case you’ve forgotten, the reason for green is because mischievous leprechauns can’t see that particular color. If you aren’t wearing green, they’ll pinch you. There’s probably a more historical reason, but that’s the story we heard in elementary school back when kids could pinch each other and no one complained with more than a giggle or a whine and maybe a shove on the playground.

Speaking of Green

Ever...