first, the pretty stuff . . .

Yesterday dawned sunny and clear, but rain was predicted for the afternoon, so when I noticed these just outside my office window, I hopped outside with the camera. Catch those roses in the sunshine while we can. They are called Double Delight and they are multiply delightful. The fragrance is heady and strong. On a warm day, it perfumes the porch area. The plant itself is hardy, continuing to grow and bloom in spite of chronic blackspot. (It's not that the rose is susecptible to blackspot. It's that the fungus is in all our soil and every rose we plant gets freckled dying leaves.)

The thing I love the best about Double Delight, though, is that it gets redder with sun exposure. Earlier this month it produced a single almost white rose in the midst of our record-breaking deluge. Now, with days of sunshine, those sun-kissed petals are unfurling in pink and golden glory.



Knitting has been going on as well. Using odds and bobs in the cotton bag, I have turned out another BSJ. The pink eyelash begged to get used up on the edges, so some child, somewhere, will be tickled pink. I'm thinking it may go over well in Mexico. Pink and green are a good combination there. Can you imagine this on some skinny, dark-eyed toddler?

How is it that I used up four balls of yarn and the bag is just as full as ever?

Weight Watchers' today. Wish me luck. I've been less than scrupulous about tracking what I'm eating, and as a result, have been hovering around 178 for a month. The program works just fine if you just USE it!