Tuesday, August 20, 2019

To Till or Not To Till . . . plus a giveaway

by Lilly Jayne
from the Garden Squad mysteries by Julia Henry

August is hot. H. O. T. Hot. Much as I love gardening, and I do love gardening, at this point in the summer I've started to wilt a bit. So have my flowers. Tomatoes and herbs are still coming in, but there's an end in sight. While I power through July, in August I tend to garden early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The rest of the time I sit on the porch reading, napping, and enjoying my beautiful gardens.

To till or not to till. Should I keep fighting that weed, or call it a draw for this season? Am I being disloyal to my impatiens if I start thinking about where to put the mums I've been nurturing? When do the bright colors of summer fade into the autumn hues, and when should I start encouraging the change?

As an avid gardener, I know enough to enjoy every single day with my gardens, and not to live for tomorrow. One windy storm or the dregs of a hurricane could throw my best laid plans asunder. It's happened before, especially this time of year.

Same's true for people, don't you think? I can't help but think of my dear friend Harmon Dane. Earlier this spring we were making fundraising plans for the bird sanctuary he's building. Now he's not here to follow through on those plans. Who would have expected him to pass so quickly, and so unexpectedly?  Maybe Harmon's death is part of the reason for my wilting this August. I do so miss my friend.

Delia's been doing her best to perk me up, but the only things that help me get through troubled times are gardening and fixing what I can. Time to do both.

Tilling the Truth, the second in my Garden Squad mystery series, will be released on August 27! Pruning the Dead, the first in the series, is on sale as an ebook this month, in case you want to start the series from the beginning! Both books are also available as audio books.

Readers, I will be randomly picking two commenters on this post and sending them a copy of the book. Comments will be open through August 23. 

 Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for my video series, "Ten Tilling Truths"!


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43 comments:

  1. Babe O'MaraAugust 20, 2019 at 1:18 AM

    I enjoy gardening and would love to win a copy of your book, thanks for the chance.
    [email protected]

    Reply
  2. Marla BAugust 20, 2019 at 6:27 AM

    I admire anyone who can keep a garden. I'm pretty sure everything would die if I were the one in charge! mbradeen [at] yahoo [dot] com

    Reply
  3. DebbyAugust 20, 2019 at 7:45 AM

    I wish I could garden but alas I have too many allergies.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

    Reply
  4. RileyAugust 20, 2019 at 9:03 AM

    I love to garden but my back doesn't so we have a little less each year. This sounds like a wonderful series. Thanks for the contest. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com

    Reply
  5. Kay GarrettAugust 20, 2019 at 9:30 AM

    While hubby loves to garden and thinks of it as relaxing, I say it's work. However, to get the bounty of the garden, all the sweat and work is well worth it. We have a good deal going on - hubby plants and does half the tending while I do some of the tending and work with the harvest to get it on the table or put up to enjoy this winter. Now I love my flowers. I'm happy that we now have our flower beds in place and prepping them for fall.

    Can't wait for the opportunity to read "Tilling the Truth". Thank you for the chance to win a copy! <3 Sharing and hoping.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

    Reply
  6. JennyAugust 20, 2019 at 10:10 AM

    I enjoy gardening.Would Love to win.Thank you for the chance

    Reply
  7. travelerAugust 20, 2019 at 10:11 AM

    I plant flowers in large barrels and this year planted tomatoes for the first time. I enjoy small projects. Thanks for this feature and giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply
  8. DanielleAugust 20, 2019 at 10:46 AM

    I’m looking forward to reading the second book! [email protected]

    Reply
  9. Autumn TrapaniAugust 20, 2019 at 10:49 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    Reply
  10. Autumn TrapaniAugust 20, 2019 at 10:50 AM

    This sounds like a fun series, even though I have a black thumb. Congratulations on the new release! aut1063(at)gmail(dot)com

    Reply
  11. Edith MaxwellAugust 20, 2019 at 10:52 AM

    Don't enter me, but I can't wait for the second Lilly installment!

    Reply

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