Add duckies to the list. I am guessing that we do not have a future veterinarian here.

My birthday fell on Earth Day this year so I was feeling very crunchy earth mama-esque. In celebration of my 32nd year on earth we pitched in to help clean up our local park. I am ashamed to say that this is my 8th year living next to this park and this is the very first time I have participated in the cleanup. In my defense I have to say that I have talked about it for at least 5 years, but this is the first time that I successfully showed up. They say that showing up is 99% of life and I am now forced to agree.

It only took an hour or so and we were given donut holes and hot dogs as incentive. My real motivation was cleaning up the pond in the middle of the park. The Creep and I had been down there earlier in the week to check out the ducks and it was just depressing the amount of coke cans and plastic bags* that were floating in the water and tangled up in the weeds along the shore line. By the time we left on Saturday there was nary a plastic bag in sight.

I promise you that was the last altruistic act on my Day of Days. After that I went and got a manicure and pedicure for the second time in my life - it felt glorious and made me feel pretty and witty and bright. We had a couple of friends over for a cookout and scrumptious angel food cake. On Sunday we drove down to Northfield to check out Diggs (a cute store with lots of yarn and fabric) and hike around the State Park.

All in all a very satisfactory birthday. I think I will try for another one in a month or so.

* The two weirdest things I picked up during the cleanup? A mouth guard and a half eaten jalapeño
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Stay Tuned: For my adventures in Chi-town and other exciting tales I have been wanting to tell

I am off to Chicago for three whole days without The Creep or the EP. Just a girl's trip out East on the train with 8 hours of knitting there and 8 hours back. Good food, beer, and yarn stores in between.

Of course I spent the obligatory night last night cuddling with the kiddo and trying to get a kiss (was successful twice). I gave him a bath and we played with a BALL! and I regretted every moment I had ever been short with him or relished his naps a little too much...in short I tortured myself to the point of actually saying to the EP, "You don't understand, I am so freaked out at the thought of leaving him that I almost maybe might think about not going."

Just kidding.

I do have to say though that for the first time in my life here looks better than there. And I don't just mean Chicago -vs- Minneapolis in some great big crazy throw down. I mean that for the first time traveling isn't quite as appealing when I have to leave my boys behind.

I am sure I will get over it right after my first full night of sleep.

Anyways, I will see you all when I get back! Much love, Mama Grouch.

I have a Magic Magazine.

I picked it up when I first started knitting "for reals". I was drawn to the magazine's knitty-ness, its sleek cover, its cute patterns, its official knitting title. "Interweave Knits" I thought to myself, "I should maybe pick that up and carry it around with me so I look more official and stuff." I did not, I need to add, ever consider actually knitting the patterns because, well, who would ever knit a frickin' sweater? That was how long ago we are talking about. Back then I thought a sweater was a waste of time. I did not deserve this Magazine back then.

I did not understand that I was buying a Magic Magazine that would change my life.*

What is so Magic about this Magazine?

1) Every time someone in my knitting group mentions a cute pattern the inevitable follow up is "oh yeah, wasn't that in the Interweave Knits Winter 2003 Issue?"

2) Every time Someone in my other knitting group mentions a cute pattern the inevitable follow up is "oh yeah, wasn't that in the Interweave Knits Winter 2003 Issue?"

3) Every time someone in my other, other knitting group mentions a really great article on anything from thumb gussets to intarsia in the round the inevitable follow up is "oh yeah, wasn't that in the Interweave Knits Winter 2003 Issue?"

4) Every time a sick person touches it they become well (of course)

And the number one reason it is a Magic Magazine?

5) It is the first time the Yarn Harlot ever called herself the Yarn Harlot. It is the beginning of the Yarn Harlot.

And now it is signed. I rest my case.

Magic. Frickin’. Magazine.


*or at the very least give me something to talk about a lot and bug my friends with and embarrass myself in public over.

Hello everyone. This is the Electronic Panther, the father of the creep and system administrator. From time to time I may hijack the blog and post my experiences with the creep. This is the first attempt at such an undertaking.



The wife and kid went to visit grandma last December. One of the stories that came from that trip was that sister-in-law brought out a rabbit at one point and the kid freaked. He grew up with a black cat and a German Shepard mutt, but the rabbit was too much for him. He cried.

So the creep and I go to Twin Cities Reptiles in St. Paul the other day. To get to the back of the store where the reptiles are, one must run a rabbit gauntlet of sorts. I forgot about the whole sister-in-law rabbit thing so we stopped to look at the rabbits. At eye-level was a very furry rabbit. I said "Hey, look at the rabbit!" His lower lip puckered and he started weeping. I have tried from time to time (for some stupid reason) to give the kid a little encouragement when he's scared of something rather than just walking away in an effort to help him confront his fears. I now think most of the time I am just causing him emotional damage. The rabbit hopped and the kid was very startled by this. Then he started full-on crying.

The damage done, we continued to the back. The kid calmed down. We saw bull snakes, lizards, anacondas (no kidding), fourteen-foot pythons, twelve-foot boa constrictors (also no kidding) and the kid enjoyed himself very much. It was a strange experience. On the way out, we stopped to say goodbye to the rabbits and the kid started crying again.

I guess all that matters is that my kid loves snakes. Or at least he hates rabbits and tolerates snakes.