Monthly Archives : April 2014

We found and scanned in a nice thank-you letter from Prophets Fest from a year or two ago. The words speak for themselves:

Dear […] and […],

We personally wanted to take a few moments to thank you for opening you farm for others to enjoy.

[…] and I have been coming to Prophets Fest since it began, and we can’t tell you how much we’ve enjoyed it. We truly understand the hard work all of you have to go through to put on an event such as this, and we want everyone to know that it’s truly appreciated.

The beauty of the outdoors is so pronounced when you’re here. … has even said, “The weather is always beautiful at Prophets Fest.” 🙂 (that’s a very true statement)

In our fast-paced world, where we’re so busy, it seems like we all miss the things that are important.

What I’ve observed today; little children running around, exploring, smiles on everyone’s faces as they meet new people, friendly people everywhere, butterflies landing around me all the time, the sun sparkling off the water, wonderful music fills the air (of course our favorite music won’t be ’til later tonight when […] and […] and […] play – sorry, I don’t know the other names)

Most of all, I guess we just wanted you to know how very much we appreciate the kindness of sharing your bit of heaven and beauty with us.

Tell the Everyday Prophets they can always count on us to be here at Prophets Fest. We wouldn’t miss it.

With gracious hearts,

[…]
Blessings with you until next year.

In 2014 we refurbished the farmhouse on the Boston, IN property with insulation and new siding. We replaced the basement and porch windows, and the current residents are pleased to have better insulation! The drafts fought a tough fight during the Snowpocalypse 2014, but we were able to seal it all up in the end.

Here are a couple of shots of the improvements made to the barns and silos in 2011. The place is looking great!

Fourteen years ago this spring, we planted nearly 7000 baby trees in the natural areas of the farm, and they are really starting to grow up!   We found some original pictures (snapshots, since it was before the digital camera era) of the planting process, and the 14 year comparison is interesting.

We found the original receipt, and here’s the list of all the trees we planted that spring:

Tree Type	Quantity
Red Oak	1,900
White Oak	1,100
White Ash	400
Green Ash	300
Black Walnut	900
Tulip Tree	800
Chinkapin Oak	700
White Pine	200
Bur Oak	600
Total	6,900

 

Now, 14 years later, they’ve grown quite a bit!

We originally estimated 30%-40% survival rate, since we didn’t want to use herbicides (recommended for higher survival rate), and this estimate still seems to be about accurate. Some of the trees fared much better than others, as there is quite a bit of diversity in water content in the soil, species of tree, and proximity to deer.

This summer, as each year, local violin students will get a chance to enjoy the natural areas of the property between violin lessons.  Some of these kids have grown up in surrounding cities, such as Cincinnati, and so to be able to explore the woods is a new experience for them. It is a great way to share the property with the community, and we look forward to having violin students around each summer.