Of Boy Scouts and Balls - August 28, 2010

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But first, a couple of nights before was the final night of the young ladies study on "Preparing to Be His Help Meet". So we snapped a quick photo. Several of the participants were not there, but it was great to have spent that time over the last few months.





And the next day was lots more peppers, eggplant and melon to harvest and do something with.

I had planned on eating a couple of melons from the one plant that had not fared so well against the rains, but alas, they were not ripe enough. However, when I cut them open I found this surprise...





Even though still unripe, the seeds inside had begun to sprout. Not a smidge of sunlight in there, yet the sprouts were a beautiful green. Go figure. Were they obtaining chlorophyll from the main plant stem?

I have seen other seeds do this, but this is the first time I've seen it in unripe fruit and the sprouts a green color. Interesting!

Our Civil War Dance and Historical Society hosted an evening ball out of doors on the grounds of a presidential boyhood home.





It was really nice. I've used the grounds for photo shoots before as well as just finding an out of the way place in the midst of town to relax and enjoy a little nature.

There were re-enactments going on all day, which we did not go to, and by the time the ball took place, about dusk, the crowds had vanished and only boy scout troops were left.









I whiled away some time taking photos.

















Then the dancing began...









The scouts love this because, according to tradition, girls are not allowed to say no. Unless they are definitely done dancing for the night. And they are not allowed to remain with one dancing partner. So after the initial trepidation of last year's Scout Ball, they discovered that dancing does not mean rejection, but plain and simple fun!

It grew darker...





Maddie was able to come to the ball after all, and she looked all the part of a southern belle.





Ghosts of dances present...





Beautiful.





A lovely evening to you. Goodnight!

~Faith

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Barn Dance

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I thought I'd share some photos of the barn that our friends put a lot of work into. On the outside it looks like so many of the older barns in this area that are still in use.





When they bought this acreage to build their home, it was pretty much bare, except for this barn, which was almost invisible behind trees and forest undergrowth. It took a lot of clearing to get it visible and usable.

The last time we had a barn dance here we had cleared off the new cement floor and enjoyed a New Years Day dance. But this time was going to be different because we were going to be dancing on the new second floor.





Nice lighting for work below now.





And this was an added bonus. To make room for a future car lift, the ceiling is raised here. What do you do with that?





Build a stage, of course! Right in your barn!

Let's head up the stairs and have a look.





Minnie greets you as you enter.





After a few lights are added for sparkle, here is stage!





We spent a couple of hours hanging lights, sweeping, arranging chairs and tables, and doing other preliminary stuff.





The cool 'found' antiques added so much character to this wonderful place.





So on Saturday, we spent a bit of time just resting and enjoying our Shabbat before I make a few dishes to take to the dance.

The crock pot of jalepeno cheese dip and chips was popular last time, so I made that again.

I need to use up the gooseberries in the freezer because gooseberry season is going to be on top of us before we know it.

Here's a nice tart gooseberry recipe that I used. I was wishing I'd taken the time to show the recipe on here, as the directions on this sheet leave something to be desired for beginner bakers.









Yummy!





Then we also got out a huge bag of last year's blackberries and made this triple batch of blackberry cobbler. I used a recipe already posted in this blog last year which you can likely find by clicking on the tags for blackberries or recipes.





While it was baking, I picked a vase full of wildflowers and herbs to take and decorate the table.

I knew the cobbler would take longer to bake, but I did not anticipate a 2 and a half hour baking time. So we were running a little late by the time we got out there to set up that evening.

We enjoyed the drive anyway.





I have to almost pinch myself whenever I go outside. We live in such a beautiful area.





We hurriedly set up.

















And Minnie was placed at the top of the stairs to say hello. Apparently you either love or hate Minnie. I love Minnie down here at the barn. I think she fits right in!





Soon, the rest began arriving. And I was so amazed by this barn, I wanted to catch the looks on their faces when they saw it too.





The tables were now utterly laden with good eats, and the music began. Several of our good friends were not able to make this dance, and we missed them. But we met new friends and enjoyed them very much.

The day was mild, and the night grew a little cool, but we were pretty comfortable when dancing or had a blanket over our laps. Perfect.

The lighting was very difficult to photograph with, and most of the shots came out very dark, especially those in dark clothing are barely visible. But here are a few scenes as the night wore on.









We even tried a little dancing on the stage.





Some live music.





Dueling violins.





Lots of eating and a little resting.





A game of musical chairs.





The last two, scrambling for the chair. The gentleman did not battle too ferociously.





Then the young adults came up with double couples waltzing. It was a little stuttered at first, but turned into something beautiful.





Then it turned into something hilarious because, I think for the first time ever we had more boys than girls, two other young men decided to cut in. Then it became a battle of repeated cut ins.





Lots of laughter as they continued to switch partners throughout the long waltz.

We had the most rambunctious dance of the Broom Waltz I've ever seen. I would have taken pictures, except I was in it. Like one young man said, it less like a dance and more like a full contact sport as the guys vied for dance partners.

Some taking breaks and staying cozy.





Thanks so much for the fun evening! Ya'll come back now, hear?

~Faith

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Tennis Balls, Barn Dances, and Mafia.

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We are definitely in a cold snap. We are only doing the low teens at night, and the low twenties during the day, with an icy wind chill factor. The water troughs are masquerading as ice skating rinks for the flea circus and we are having to get creative again.

No power anywhere on the property except at the house and, so far, breaking up the ice and carrying down hot water in jugs has been our main defense.

I did a little reading up though, and some are using balls floating in the troughs to keep the ice from forming a solid block. At first we thought it would be good to float a large ball in the tank, if we could get one to float at least 50% below the surface so that the horses could push it down to drink as the water froze.

However, after trying several balls, and even deflating a basketball somewhat, we discovered that you would really need a weighted ball of some sort to achieve this. I'm going to keep my eye out for something like that.

Some of the insulated water troughs I saw were similar. Basically, they were enclosed, insulated plastic boxes with volleyball-sized balls set underneath holes cut in the lids. The combination of insulation, the cover, and the balls to push down kept the water in a liquid state. We could build one of those easily enough, if we took the time and found materials.

But for now, we are going to try another trick. Floating a half dozen tennis balls in the trough. It's a pretty large one, and the hope is that they will all form an area of water than cannot freeze into a solid sheet. The horses, will hopefully be able to nuzzle right down through the bits of ice between them giving way, and the sheet of ice that forms all around should be easy to lift out in one section, rather than having to break it up with a hammer and scoop the pieces out; a tedious and mildly painful experience.

Last night we had a great barn dance, despite the temperature being 23 degrees and a wind chill factor of 15. Yup. It was cold!

I brought our firepit over but, as I feared, the smoke was just too much inside the barn. So it went outside. There were a couple of space heaters that we huddled around between dancing. It was another adventure we tried and enjoyed. We lasted until about 10 pm, then headed up to the house for the last couple of hours of the party. We had all wanted to spend New Year's Eve together so much, that we made this night the substitute, including fireworks at midnight!

Michael and I had office cleaning to do before the party, and it was a gift from God that Elaine and Ashlee offered to come by and help us, because when we got there we found many hours of extra labor needed after construction had taken place inside. We'd have never gotten it done in time for the party if they'd not stopped by. THANK YOU!

We picked up some friends along the way to the dance and, after hauling all the food and stuff down, I was the last one to be dressed. Elaine and I snapped this quick picture before heading down to meet everyone.





The barn was decorated beautifully! White lights were all over the post and beam supports inside, and Gary had even made a straw pathway lined with lights on the outside. We all just stared at it. It was great!

The theme was, any period costume you wanted to show up in. I had this medieval gown you saw above. Here are some of the others.

Chicago Broadway



The Scottish Kilt - now this young man was NOT used to a dress, so he retreated to find a pair of jeans quite early in the evening!




Frozen Modern mom.



Cowgirl Princess



1960's Fashionista



Annie Oakley.



Another lovely medieval damsel.



Frozen Modern Dad



Pirate.



Gentleman Cowboy.



Ninja. Hi, Michael!



1960's Babe.



Early 20th Century Woman of Gentility.



Civil War Lady.



Civil War Lady with frozen Scottsman son.



Another Maiden Faire from Medieval Times.



Mafia!



Classic Square Dancer



Victorian Gentleman



Nordic Long Jumping Skiier.



Victorian Gentleman



Host and Ancient Firemaker



We ate lots of food.





Apparently the hot Jalepeno cheese dip we brought was a hit, as people were eating it to keep fire in their bellies.





We protected the nether regions with a cloaking device. Being unfamiliar with skirt lengths, the kilt-arrained police officer was concerned about bending over without someone having his back as the firepit was taken outdoors.





We danced.


























We huddled.





And we even scorched ourselves by cuddling a little too closely to the heaters!

Then we went up to the house and were so relieved to be comfortable and warm that not a lot of talk went on for a little while.





Note the scorch mark. But ever the creative seamstress, Angie already has plans on how to repair it.





Then we played with guns...









We played music.





We ate more.





I learned how to play "Mafia".





This looks like a really boring game, if you look at the photos...






Then, before we all went home, we shot off fireworks. I've never seen kids decide it was too cold to play with fireworks before last night. But they came in when the show was only half done.

Up til 3 am this morning, had a nap today!

Can you believe it's 2010? May this year be a great blessing to you and yours!

~Faith

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