The other day I overheard my mother-in-law ask Abby and Maddy what book they were reading right now. Both girls gave her a slightly puzzled look. “What do you mean?” they asked. To answer, they needed specifics. “Do you mean the car book, downstairs book, upstairs book, kitchen book, bed book, or the bathroom book?” They have a different book waiting in every place they might find themselves. And yes, that was bathroom book that you read. Every time I walk past their bathroom, there is a book (or books) balanced precariously on the tub waiting for the next opportunity to be read.

Overhearing this conversation made me chuckle. Our entire family loves to read almost as much as we love to garden. Both Joey and I have piles of books next to our bed, in our home and nursery offices, stacked around the living room, anywhere we can find a spot. In fact, if you ask me what I would most enjoy doing on a quiet afternoon this fall, my response would be to spend some time in the garden, lazing in the hammock, lost in a book.

With this in mind, I spent last weekend planning how I would make the garden look perfect for those planned fall hammock sessions. After a long hot summer, the backyard needed some tending. Weeds had taken over our veggie beds, shrubs had grown out of hand with all of the summer rains, and I needed to make room for fall flowers. A lot of sweat and numerous trips to the compost pile with the wheelbarrow were made and it is already starting to pay off. I’m one step closer to peaceful afternoons in the garden. I think I will enjoy my book in the garden that much more knowing that a lot of love and hard work went into making that moment happen. Now when Mother Nature brings some cooler temperatures, I’m ready to go.