Events & Experiments, or, Another Irregular Mammoth Entry
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Events:
The Speech and Debate Club end of year party. Over 35 people, all at our house. We spent a month making everything just right - getting the back bathroom usable, cleaning, sprucing, making the yard fabulous. I've never hosted a party with that many people and was a little nervous just because I didn't know what to expect. It turned out to be a great experience, and we learned we can fit over 25 people in our living room if we really have to. There was even a presentation made from our deck, which turned out to be a perfect stage.
Watching a slide show of the year
The group watches the presentation......being made on the deck.
Kathy Murphy's 50th Unbirthday: Karen's friend decided to have a "Mad Hatter Tea Party" for her 50th and it was a really fun theme. All of the ladies wore hats and there was a long table decked out with lots of cute teapots (which Karen had hunted down and triumphantly contributed), fancy China, and flowers. There were several teas to choose from all in pretty jars that had labels like "drink me" and lots of really delicious finger sandwiches and other goodies. I like theme parties, especially when they're well executed.
Kathy (the birthday girl) and MariaKaren and Lisa
Cute tea sandwiches
A Gothic Temptress and The Green Fairy: speaking of really fun theme parties, after the Tea Party we went to a party celebrating a wonderful woman and a slightly more adult beverage: Donna and Absinthe, respectively. Absinthe is also known as "The Green Fairy", was illegal in the US for almost 100 years (prohibition recently ended) and is reputed to have hallucinogenic qualities. It was, as Ryan told me it would be, not the tastiest beverage I've ever had. But it wasn't bad, and it relaxed me enough that I had a particularly good time and got to spend time talking with some really cool people I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Karen had spent the week making her costume for the evening: a gorgeous Victorian dress. She really outdid herself. She loves playing dress-up and had a great time.
Our hostess, one of my favorite people (Donna)Our host, another of my favorite people (Joshua)
The Absinthe table complete with special fountain (far left, looks like an unlit lantern) for ceremoniously preparing the magic elixir
Eliza did sketches of the guests all evening - what a talented lady, and what a wonderful idea!
Everyone just loved it and she made some really beautiful portraits. Here's Karen in her gorgeous dress.
Experiments:
Cheese. A month or so ago I read an article about making home made cheese, and decided to try it. Yesterday Karen and I went and bought the supplies at a home brewing and cheese making shop, and today I made mozzarella. The info about this on the internet isn't clear - some say it's really difficult, others say it's really easy. They all agree, though, that finding good milk is probably the hardest part. Milk is usually "ultra pasteurized" these days, resulting in a loss of the proteins needed for cheese to set up. I knew there was a fair chance I would just end up with a big bowl of chunky slop. But to my delight, it worked out fine, and I had a great time. It's quite yummy too.
Starting the process, then kneading the cheese
Pumpkins: Karen drew inspiration from a magazine article too, and decided to plant pumpkins in a "no dig garden". The idea sounds simple: slice open a bag of potting soil, bury some seeds, add water, and stand back. I had my doubts - it sounded almost too simple. But I'll be damned if there weren't little plants poking up in less than a week, and they seem to be flourishing. Wow.
Karen's magic pumpkin garden
.
Events:
The Speech and Debate Club end of year party. Over 35 people, all at our house. We spent a month making everything just right - getting the back bathroom usable, cleaning, sprucing, making the yard fabulous. I've never hosted a party with that many people and was a little nervous just because I didn't know what to expect. It turned out to be a great experience, and we learned we can fit over 25 people in our living room if we really have to. There was even a presentation made from our deck, which turned out to be a perfect stage.
Watching a slide show of the year
The group watches the presentation......being made on the deck.
Kathy Murphy's 50th Unbirthday: Karen's friend decided to have a "Mad Hatter Tea Party" for her 50th and it was a really fun theme. All of the ladies wore hats and there was a long table decked out with lots of cute teapots (which Karen had hunted down and triumphantly contributed), fancy China, and flowers. There were several teas to choose from all in pretty jars that had labels like "drink me" and lots of really delicious finger sandwiches and other goodies. I like theme parties, especially when they're well executed.
Kathy (the birthday girl) and MariaKaren and Lisa
Cute tea sandwiches
A Gothic Temptress and The Green Fairy: speaking of really fun theme parties, after the Tea Party we went to a party celebrating a wonderful woman and a slightly more adult beverage: Donna and Absinthe, respectively. Absinthe is also known as "The Green Fairy", was illegal in the US for almost 100 years (prohibition recently ended) and is reputed to have hallucinogenic qualities. It was, as Ryan told me it would be, not the tastiest beverage I've ever had. But it wasn't bad, and it relaxed me enough that I had a particularly good time and got to spend time talking with some really cool people I probably wouldn't have otherwise. Karen had spent the week making her costume for the evening: a gorgeous Victorian dress. She really outdid herself. She loves playing dress-up and had a great time.
Our hostess, one of my favorite people (Donna)Our host, another of my favorite people (Joshua)
The Absinthe table complete with special fountain (far left, looks like an unlit lantern) for ceremoniously preparing the magic elixir
Eliza did sketches of the guests all evening - what a talented lady, and what a wonderful idea!
Everyone just loved it and she made some really beautiful portraits. Here's Karen in her gorgeous dress.
Experiments:
Cheese. A month or so ago I read an article about making home made cheese, and decided to try it. Yesterday Karen and I went and bought the supplies at a home brewing and cheese making shop, and today I made mozzarella. The info about this on the internet isn't clear - some say it's really difficult, others say it's really easy. They all agree, though, that finding good milk is probably the hardest part. Milk is usually "ultra pasteurized" these days, resulting in a loss of the proteins needed for cheese to set up. I knew there was a fair chance I would just end up with a big bowl of chunky slop. But to my delight, it worked out fine, and I had a great time. It's quite yummy too.
Starting the process, then kneading the cheese
Pumpkins: Karen drew inspiration from a magazine article too, and decided to plant pumpkins in a "no dig garden". The idea sounds simple: slice open a bag of potting soil, bury some seeds, add water, and stand back. I had my doubts - it sounded almost too simple. But I'll be damned if there weren't little plants poking up in less than a week, and they seem to be flourishing. Wow.
Karen's magic pumpkin garden
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