6 Month Weather Report
We’ve had an actively reporting on-site weather station for more than 6 months now, and for those of us that get excited about things, it’s fun to watch the weather patterns unfold before our eyes. On a computer screen.
The only thing more life affirming than having your loved ones tell you you’re right is when your weather station verifies for you that it is actually the temperature outside that you estimated based on actually going outside. We are also looking forward to seeing if this winter gets as extreme as the last, and you can be sure that if it does, we will now have proof of our virile hardiness in the form of hard empirical data.
A more communal benefit of this individually-owned device will be to track the relationship of crop yields to monthly precipitation rates and temperatures.
Let’s get to the data: compiled here is 6 months worth of data (2014/04/24 – 2014/10/24). The image will give you a good grasp on the situation, but you can also drill down using the interactive charts on wunderground.com.
Music Festivals a Success
Both music events went off without a major hitch this summer. Much thanks to Bob’s persistent work on the new stage, the crown jewel of both events. The floor was exceptionally level: a feat of farmer engineering, all truth be told.
Here’s a small gallery of some of the shots from this summer, as we look forward to colder days. They say this upcoming winter will bring an even larger snowfall than the last, though it seems contrary to the laws of the physical world. I just don’t see how there could be even more; the entire state would shut down. In any case, it’s been a great summer. Enjoy the pics:

Ariana Altieri showing Maya Mendoza how to use the sewing machine, while Bob pretends to work in the background
Some More Summer Pics
The Chanticleer Quartet summer festival is underway, and the main farm house is full of guests. Here are some shots of the goings on.
Corn and Beans 7-25-2014
Summer Concerts on the Farm
There are a couple of concerts planned to take place on the farm this summer, bringing in a diverse cross section of the community to enjoy the property and take in a wide range of musical styles.
The first is a free afternoon classical concert put on by the Chanticleer String Quartet, planned for August 3rd at 3:30 pm. There is no entrance fee, and the public is welcome. In the event of rain, the event will be held at Earlham College.
The second concert is a full day and night of music on August 30th. This will be year 6 for Prophets Fest, and will host a variety of music, ranging from Bluegrass to Reggae to Electronic DJs. There is a $20 ticket fee ($25 at the gate) to help cover the costs, and camping is encouraged.
We’re looking forward to a great summer with lots of great music and community involvement!
…
Spring Pics
Music Fest Thank-You Letter
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.
Boston House and Barns
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!
Trees: 14 years later
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!

Spring 2014 – A good shot of some of the planted trees near the path in the ‘new land’ on the east side of the property
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.
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