More water lilies?

I've posted photos from our backyard pond before, but I just can't resist... yesterday, we had a double bloom on our water lily, and DH got a great photo of it. Isn't this a beauty?

Sadly, these gorgeous 4-inch blooms only last for two days, then they're gone. Cutting them doesn't work very well, they close up at day's end and don't reopen.

So we have to enjoy them while they last!

We've had lots of much-needed rain this week, courtesy of Hurricane Dolly, which thankfully didn't come anywhere near my area. Our pond is home to quite a few frogs and toads, and they serenade us all through the night (and day). They've been especially noisy this week - apparently, they're really enjoying the wet weather!

While trimming the groundcover around the pond last week, DH found a small snake - he said it wasn't a bad kind, but still made me a little nervous - I may have to rethink my habit of walking barefooted in the backyard!

I'm glad to report that I've been getting in more knitting time lately. I have hooked up with several knitting friends, and we meet weekly to knit together. I am making good progress on my Wrap Me Up shawl (pattern from Knitting at Knoon) in Noro Silk Garden. Today, I picked out my beads for the shawl, can't wait to see how they look knitted in place. I'll post more project details on my Great Yarn Company shop blog tomorrow.

Take care, and stay out of the heat!

Bob-tails and Billionaires

Git' yer kitty pictures here. I mentioned way back when I started that my kitty Coco is bob-tailed, but never showed you how cute she is. Well, here ya go. First shot is when I woke her up with the camera flash, and she had a good stretch.



By the second shot, I could no longer hold her attention - the camera's flash isn't nearly as interesting as a full bowl of food. I know where I rank in her book - right after the kitty chow! And yes, it's a real tail - she was born bob-tailed, didn't lose it anywhere, and when she's annoyed, it goes around in little circles. Hilarious!

Today, I found a great meme on Fig and Plum, and I have to do it! If you use this for your blog, leave a comment here so I can read your answers!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
In 1998, I was working at a large financial services company, as a registered representative. That's Wall Street lingo for stockbroker, but really, we mostly did financial plans and sold shares in mutual funds. I learned lots of neat stuff, and placing stock and options trades was a blast. Really fun! However, the work's very competitive, stressful, and only the top sales people make the big bucks. I wasn't one of those, so eventually, I moved on to something a little less stressful.

2. What 5 things are on my to-do list for today?
1. post to blog (yep)
2. start Ravelry group (yep)
3. make chicken salad (nope, didn't get done)
4. return Nancy's call (nope, waited til too late)
5. work on Wrap me Up shawl (not yet, but soon)

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Mostly salty and/or crispy things - crackers & cheese, chips and salsa, nachos, roasted almonds (or any nuts, really), green or black olives. But you can always tempt me with chocolate.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire (in no particular order):
Buy a private plane, and several vacation homes in fabulous locations. Have more cats. Funnel lots of funds into certain areas of medical research. Contribute a lot more to charities, invest wisely, and of course, buy yarn.

5. Places I have lived:
Pretty short list. In chronological order, New Orleans, Metairie (a suburb of New Orleans), and New Orleans again. Then came Katrina, and now I live near Houston, Texas.

So there it is - feel free to copy this meme for your blog, and don't forget to comment here if you do!