18...Who will you be in 2023?

Eldest is 18. Years. 18.
Still can't get that fully integrated into my consciousness. Regardless of truth.
And, she wanted to have a party. With food, and cake and games. That's cool, isn't it? I asked her about the birthday parties she usually attends. "What do you do?" She said; "food, movies, sitting around talking, hanging out." So, part of me worried that "pin the tail on the donkey" type parties would be frowned upon by the invited guests. Some of whom were ill-prepared for a Cowfeathers style birthday party, having never been to one before. And, it is true that the newbies were a little unsure of how to proceed when confronted with being tossed into a game. But, each one quickly assimilated and got into the spirit of the thing. In a way we had two parties, as the first set of guests had to leave about half way through, and another set of guests arrived.

Eldest chose the theme (remember they do love their theme parties!)  of "In 2023, who will you be?" When you are 16-18 years old, the next ten years are gonna be a doozie of a decade. So many huge life changers can come along. Like no other decade of your life, 10 years can be colossal. So, it is an interesting question to pose. The guests tried to answer this question by coming as who they thought they might be in 2023. We had a librarian (engaged), a surgeon, a professional hockey wife (I assume that means married, but maybe it just means a serial marrier of professional hockey players?) a teacher, a permanent college student, a swim coach, and several dudes show up for the festivities. As they arrived we played the tried and true "Who am I" game. Only, this is an older crowd, so I made it a bit tougher. Instead of just a famous person like "President Obama" on their back, they got a potential outcome for 10 years down the road. Options like "Artist, lives in Paris, in a long distance relationship" or, "Single, works on Wall Street, has a pet fish". Friends, some of you were there. I had "Lives in Africa and Miami, teaches Yoga, has a PhD." and "Mother of 4, professional photographer, loves 'Il Divo'." I even had "Speaks Japanese, works for beer distributor, wants to be a blacksmith". You know who you are! The guests had to ask only "yes or no" questions to come up with these answers. It took a while but they eventually got them. Including "Immigrant smuggler, unknown address, lives in a van."

Here, the first guests try to figure out "Who they are"....

Food is important at any party. To fit with her theme, Eldest chose University as the basis for her choices...well, we kind of made choices and fit that to Universities, but it worked.

There was a University to correspond with each dish. For instance, she served Drost Family Favorite- poppyseed chicken as the representative for the South Carolina Game Cocks... and since poppyseed chicken is served over rice, there was a Rice bowl of rice. Get it? Buckeyes from Ohio State, pecan turtles from Maryland Terrapins, Gator nuggets (taste like chicken) and Mustang sauce(horseradish sauce).

 So, Nebraska, UC Santa Cruz, the Razorbacks, Wisconsin, Oregon Ducks, the Crimson Tide....the Mean Green from North Texas...

 

 

Where to begin?

 

 

Dinner in the sunshine.

 Librarian, surgeon, teacher, hockey wife, two dudes.

Cake.

 They filled out blanks in a "Letter to Me in 2023". These, we sealed and put away to be mailed (hopefully) back to them in 10 years. Should be fun to read about who you were 10 years ago, and who you thought you'd be in 2023.

There were several team games, like "Mascot Match" and "What's the Degree?" (Who knew you could be proud of earning your "S.T.D.") But the favorite team game was "Future Feud!" The teams answered survey questions that pertained to their future, like "Forbes survey, top 12 answers on the board, question is 'What jobs have the highest satisfaction'."

They played until team Bachelors beat team Masters, and then the lightning round for extra points. (Instead of money. We didn't give away any money.)

The party ended, as it so often does, with a game of Candystop! Our resident Librarian chose the designated "stop" piece right off the bat in the first round. So for the second round, Julia stood by for support, and the players arranged the candy to help her know which one not to choose (thus the arrow).  Well played, 18. Well played.

Birthday Party Month- International party.

February is "Birthday Month" here at Cowfeathers, with two of the three kids having a birthday in the same week. It also happens to be "Chinese Auction"month- our huge 4-H fundraiser, the high school "Solo and Ensemble Contest" month with intense practice time and a weekend spent competing, and "Midwest Veterinary Conference" month, my continuing education of choice for 2013- gobbling up another weekend. Factor in one more weekend with both Huz and I working, and "Birthday Month" was not also "Birthday Party Month". March! Let there be March!Aaah, with two of the weekends earmarked for work, one committed to the 4-H Conference and Spring Break dominating a chunk, March looked equally unpromising. April is worse. So, by wedging one party into a Sunday afternoon and the other into the beginning of Spring Break, we are attempting "Birthday Party Month March Addition".
Really, I should try to get Middlest's Birthday Party in here too, as her Birthday falls in the middle of County Fair Week....does anyone hear teeth grinding?



Youngest and Eldest headed out in the morning to put up some Welcome signs. The one on the left is just "Welcome". The one on the right is the same statement in many different languages.

Well, we successfully pulled off Youngest's celebration. He and Eldest are enthusiasts of the "themed" party. Followers of the blog will recognize Youngest's hand in choosing the themes of "Cheese" , "Letterboxing", "Candy", "Football", "Blue" and "Chickens". This year he wanted an "International Food" party. Which I sort of softened to be "International foods, travel, and games."
These parties have a formula of sorts. This formula is based on the birthday parties I had as a child. My Mom was an ace birthday party thrower. I remember hysterically funny and fun field games, and make-your-own-sundae finales. She had a slight advantage, in that my birthday is in July, which makes outdoor parties more possible than February. (Not that we haven't managed. The Letterboxing Birthday Party was outside in sleet for hours in the hills of South Central Ohio, and the food, presents and cake all took place in the back of the minivan- streamers, sparklers et al. Really. No fooling. Pics on this blog. And we had a dance party in the barn for Eldest one Birthday Month.)
In any case, the formula is; games, food, more games, cake, presents, more games. Of these, the games, food and cake try to work within the prescribed theme. I, wisely, enlisted some help from Eldest with the party. She is 18, after all, and completely capable of running the whole thing. She has been well trained, with approximately 43 parties under her belt, having been to each one of our kid's celebrations.

Eldest started the party off with the "Who am I" game. This is a easy way to begin, because all you really need is two people, and then as people arrive they can join right in. On each guest's back is pinned, in this case, a country. Asking "Yes" and "No" questions only, they have to gain enough information to guess the country behind them. One of the guests was a champ at this, and went through several countries, finally getting tripped up by "Argentina".



We had the party food served "tasting" style, with each dish presented by Eldest and Middlest by the name of the dish, and its country of origin. Ireland, New Zealand, France, Holland, Isreal, Turkey, India, Mexico, Greece, America, and, I can't remember how many other countries were represented. Huz was busy plating each dish in the kitchen.

Youngest and I decorated the table with maps, and down the center of the 8' table were travel guides and international "objets". The kids were game, and curiously asked about the origins of most. Youngest filled them with information. I'm thinking that the guest here, on the left, just tasted something not so much to his liking.



One of the games we played was the traditional Mexican Pinata. It was cold. Candy is a great lure. Here, Eldest spins Youngest for his go at the star. Huz is on the end of the rope, getting to pull. He was very generous. The third guest to go broke the star!
 

The candy spills out!!



Another outdoor game had them traveling to all corners of the "world". Cowfeathers world, anyway. They each had a passport, and they had to follow clues to their destination. When they got to the correct location, there were flags to collect and then they could get their passport stamped. They traveled all over the world! Troopers!

 

 

This is Greece. It was located behind the wood piles.  

The clue that led them a way out yonder?
"The four winds come from North, South, East, West,
Up and Down are directions, but don't follow them, lest
You end up in the basement, or tree top high!
The next flag is neither-so breathe a big sigh.
Instead this flag is in corner known not just
for where the sun rises...
but also for the origin of Christmas surprises!"

They filled their passports in the freezing weather, and got all rosy cheeked, "Follow the clues, you'll travel, learn something, earn a layered treat for your dues!" This promise of what they thought was cake made them all enthusiastic to finish. We did have one party goer, not used to Cowfeathers parties, wondering what the heck was going on!


The layered treat was not strictly a cake, but our offering from Great Britain; a trifle. This was a turtle trifle, with layers of dark chocolate cake, caramel, whipped cream, and toasted nuts. Happy 12th birthday!

Presents! The birthday boy loves this part.

 A few more games, including a Polish offering led by Eldest, and all the parents were there to collect their tired and stuffed little darlings.

 International party. Kicked.

4-H goes to Last Chance Corral

First day of spring! Sunny! YIPS! Could it really be time to uncover the gardens? Look for crocus and daffodils? See signs of the early tulips rising? Well, perhaps. But,  the 18 mph wind bringing a windchill in the same number says otherwise. It says- "Oh, look at the pretty sunshine coming in your windows." Instead.
Still, we are not completely idle here at Cowfeathers. We have squeezed a few things into the schedule besides going to work, cleaning stalls, going to work again, feeding critters...you get the picture. I led a contingent of our 4-H Club down to Athens, OH to the Last Chance Corral. Last Chance is a foal rescue for orphan foals that are by products of the racing industry. (I'll try not to get judgy here) Here is how this goes;
An Expensive Successful Racing Mare (ESRM) is still a mare, and is pregnant for around 11 months. When she has her baby foal -Expensive Foal with Racing Potential (EFRP) nature tells her to take care of and nurse this foal for most of another year. This is not suitable for the owner of the ESRM. He would like her to have an EFRP every year. So, what to do, what to do? Hey! Here's an idea.... you get an Average Non-Racing Mare (ANRM) pregnant. She, too, will have a baby in 11 months, and then, she will have milk! She will be able to nurse the EFRP! This will allow the ESRM to come back into heat, be re-bred by the Expensive Racing Stallion (no need for an acronym, he's only special this once). Then the ESRM can have an EFRP every year and make us oodles of money!!! Wonderful!
This trip into the logic of the human mind has been brought to you at the expense of the Average Foal, No Racing Potential (AFNRP). Because this little AFNRP has no mommy. If the owner of the ANRM wants the cash from the owner of the EFRP he has to make the ANRM available for feeding only by the EFRP. The AFNRP is good for very little. No need to feed him, he's just going off to Mexico on a truck to the processor, and will fetch maybe $100 if he makes it there alive.
Ew. Pretty skeevy, huh? ( Okay, fail with the "try not to get judgy" thing)
This is where Last Chance Corral comes in. They have a relationship with the breeders and owners of the ANRMs. When they have a few (usually 4-12) foaling, they call up Victoria (the engine in the whole Last Chance operation) and she drives to Kentucky, Ohio, WV, mostly in a 5 hour radius to pick up a trailer load of babies. These she rushes back to Athens, where volunteers are on hand to start trying to save and care for the babies. Some of the foals are in rough shape. But the skills of the folks at LCC are fierce, and they lose few. These babies then, are taught how to drink from buckets, and eventually, sent out to homes with new owners to raise them up and make them their own riding horses. They will do this non-stop from January through June each year. That is the foaling season for racing horses. Sometimes hundreds of foals will get one Last Chance.
Our 4-H club donates money from our fundraiser to charity each year. Last Chance Corral was one of their choices to receive the club donation for 2013. I thought it would be educational, as well as fun, to take a trip down there with the interested 4-H'ers. When we got there, Victoria had taken a trailer load with most of the babies to Delaware, where she has a friend that will find the foals homes on the east coast. There was one foal that had not been strong enough to make the trip, so he was a bit lonesome, and really happy to have some friends visit for the day!

"Bobby" the foal, inspects Youngest.

Bobby has a nuzzle with Middlest.

The 4-H contingent spent the afternoon loving on Bobby. Here they pose with the check for money they raised to support Bobby, and other babies like him.

Here is the Fearless Leader (me! Fearless, because it takes moxie to stand between two skiffs full of manure.) Posing with some of the kiddos that make it all happen!

Now, for those interested in LCC, they have a website, and there is information about the place and donation etc. Plus, they're always happy to have volunteers willing to WORK!
Also, I should mention that in addition to cash donation, LCC makes money by rescuing horses, and finding them suitable homes, for a donation. This is where I got Oslo, and Mikey. So, on the website will be horses up for adoption.

Oslo

Mike

Musical Horses and GF Chocolate Cake

So, we've been playing a bit of "Musical Horses" around Cowfeathers this year. We started 2012 with Mike, Oslo and Peaches. First Peach, left and we borrowed Patches. Then Mike left and we blessedly had only two. (This was a non-riding period for me while I recovered from BarnSlam 2012)Then Oslo left (still sniffling), and Patch was alone for a bit while I launched my horse search, finding Chaser. Then, Chanel came for Middlest. Then, this week, Patch went back to her home, and we brought home Pearl for Youngest. Ya follow? Record as the craziest horse year I've had, with comings and goings.

Youngest, and Pearl.

So, we are back to three, and this time only one horse per rider. Of course, in honor of that, Chanel, although sound, is sporting leg issues that will send me out here again in a few minutes to play doctor. Poor pony. Poor me. I had plans for the day, and those are now switched to pony-doctoring.
So, last evening, after bringing pony home, I busied myself with making a cake. Because I wanted cake, but I conveniently made it a bit special by serving it in honor of Pearl (which promptly brought a complaint from Middlest "I didn't get a cake for Chanel." So, I suggested she not eat cake in protest.) I posted a picture of said cake on Facebook.



The cake is so delish, and a few friends asked for a how to. So....

 Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache.

Perfect for when you've bought a pony on Wednesday night.  

 

Okay, first fess-up: I was in a hurry (it was already 6 ish!) so, I used a mix. Pamela's Gluten Free Cake Mixes are my favorite brand. I use duck eggs in the recipe which gives cake a decadent moistness like no other. So, in about 30 minutes my cake was already out of the oven. Which gave me time to run the shop vac in the kitchen and mudroom while Youngest soaked his sushi rice. (Later, I was thankful I had already sucked up all the mud in the shop vac, as I had to bathe the dogs in the mudroom after the evening skunking.)Then, I didn't want to spend time making frosting or frosting a cake, so I made a ganache. This is much easier than it sounds. I put around 6 oz. of Ghiradelli chocolate chips into a glass bowl, heat 3/4 c. heavy cream on the stove until it has a soft boil (I stir a bit now and then so it doesn't burn on the bottom), add a pinch of sea salt, dissolve that, then slowly pour the hot cream over the chocolate, while whisking it, until the chocolate all melts. It sets up beautifully instantly. Then I pour about half the ganache over the first layer and then the other half on the top layer. Ta da!

Because I was presenting it in honor of Pearl, I used little edible pearls to loosely spell "Pearl" on the top. It made it sweet, and on Wednesday night, one shouldn't try too hard.

By that time, Youngest had his sushi rice made, and his rice vinegar mixture ready to paddle into the rice. Then, we encrusted some tilapia (naughty, that, I think it is on the "don't buy"list because my purchase will eventually blow up the earth) in crushed toasted pecans and fried it in olive oil. Then into bowls, rice, fish, arugula, pickled ginger, wasabi paste =/-, and tamari sauce (gluten free soy sauce) and voila- chirasi style sushi.

Followed by Chocolate Cake. Jeez, I better go till up something, clean stalls, dig holes, carry grain....