so i have picked up knitting again hence i am up at 1:13am knitting. it is a bit obsessive for me. so knitting is a dangerous hobby for me.
this time i am trying a pattern- yes you heard correctly i am going to try to follow instructions. here is the pattern . there is also an adult version that i will try if this first one goes well. BUT... i got stuck on the box stitch and casting more stitches on. damn. luckily i am hanging out with stitchy folk tomorrow at the lake so maybe i will be able to resolve this issue. if not i will have to track someone down to help me.

mulch- i am tired of mulch. the pile that has been taking up a quarter of our driveway for the past few months, making us the undesirable neighbors, is down to a fifth of its former self. my back can tell you who has been doing most of the dispersal. but the pond looks awesome. i added three bags of pea gravel and a few bigger rocks for accent and mulched the surrounding area. the back yard actually looks nice, just dont look to the east side that is still a bit lacking.
the recent issue is how to evict the earwigs from my garden donn sent me the following info:

Attract Natural Enemies
While toads and lizards love to eat earwigs, the European earwig has at least two specific natural insect enemies in the U.S., a tachinid fly (Bigonicheta spinipennis) that was imported in the Northwest in 1924 and the parasitic fly Digonichaeta setipennis. In good years these parasites attack and kill over 1/3 of the earwig population. These flies look very much like common house flies, perhaps a tiny bit larger.

You can attract these flies by planting the following plants near the area where the earwigs have been a problem in the past.
Anise (Pimpinella anisum)
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)
Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
Dill (Anethum graveolens)
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Golden marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria)
Painted daisy (Chrysanthemum coccineum)
Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)

now the question is do i really want the flies and then the question is will any of these plants grow in our clay shit soil in the shade....hmmmm. what do you think.

also i want:

ANGELICA
Angelica archangelica B/PS-Sh/5-6 ft. $3.00
Resembles celery somewhat and has a similar fragrance. Its stem is stout, round,
hollow, and purplish in color, and divides into many branches. Best known for
making candy from

PARTRIDGEBERRY
Mitchella repens (Squaw Vine) P/SH/4”to12”
Creeping vine with small evergreen leaves. Has fragrant white tubular flowers. (for a trellis i built in the back)

SAGE, LYRE LEAVED (CANCERWEED)
Salvia lyrata P/PS-Sh/18 in. $3.00
This native plant found in woods and clearings has pale blue flowers and red veined
leaves.

WOODRUFF, SWEET
Asperula odorata P/P-Sh/5 in. $4.00
A beautiful ground cover for shady places, with whorls of light green leaves and
many tiny white flowers. The leaves have no odor when first picked, but when
even slightly dried they have an aroma of vanilla and new-mown hay.

waiting for babies.
the time has come- i am itching to go. also i am preferring homebirths lately. i am just not into the shadow and complications that go into even the simplest hospital birth. and the one i am sitting on right now has its share of bumps in the road going in. either way i need to go check out form the day to day and get the little reminder of the grand miracle of life.

then i am off call for a wee bit and very much looking forward to it. well i am off call but kind of on call for my sister in law in bad axe. which i feel very blessed and honored that she would want me there. this is big daddy's brothers wife. my family thinks i am a kook so although they have given lip service of support when the time comes they stop talking to me for the duration of gestation and immediate postpartum.

so in the news -
decreasing rates of circumcision
sad closing of another birth center

recommended read (even for the non birth junkies :)
Born in the USA

it is a chilly spring morning after the sweltering heat of last week it is a nice break. although it is supposed to by 92 next tuesday! we plan on taking advantage of the weather and hitting the zoo today. i have a love hate thing with the zoo. i love going and i hate how sad the concept of caged animals is. but it is what it is. i really love the butterfly house and amphibiville at the detroit zoo. i could really skip everything else. if my brother moves to flordia for his possible new job then we will actually be able to take vacations down there. if so i would love to take the kids to check out the manatees.

i took my dad out for his 60th birthday last night. i used to do date nights with my dad more often but then ...marriage...children....busy. we went to hamtramck to the polish village cafe for dinner. it was great. cozy little basement eating. and inexpensive, two full dinners with salad and two beers each for $27. cant beat that. then it was off to roller derby! he was a troop and got into it. we sat in the seats for a bit but then i talked him to sitting on the floor. a few times we got close to being kicked in the head with a skate.