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Best Bets: Revolutionary War Adventure Summer 2006 Options Help Save the Farm |
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| June 30, 2006 6:21 PM | |||||||||||||||||
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A little Oak Glen gossip:
Shhh. Don't tell anyone. This is the sort of
explosive community news that could cause a panic. I want to
lead up to it very carefully. Sit down. Take
a few deep breaths. Have yourself a glass of hard cider,
Aunt Annie. This is ridiculously good news. Well, okay, here it is: The Olallie berries are ready to pick. Come up here tomorrow and hang out in the country store with us, then take in a fine meal at the Colonial Chesterfield public house. There are exactly 7 tickets left for "An Evening in the Colonies with Patrick Henry." Do something July 4th on July 1st. Buy your tickets. |
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| June 29, 2006 6:21 PM | |||||||||||||||||
 A
little treat for those of you who read the farm journal.
I put next Wednesday on the calendar for
Olallie berries, but I think we'll have plenty if you want to come up
on Saturday and pick. The kids and I went out
there just now and they are just on the verge of that "ridiculously easy"
stage. (Right) Please check in at the
general store from 10 AM to 5 PM. (Use the "farm map link"
below to find out where the general store is.) Remember, you
can eat a few berries when you pick but everyone in your group 3 or older
must buy a container at the general store first. Thanks.Farm Map Directions & Getting Here Map |
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| June 29, 2006 8:12 AM | |||||||||||||||||
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Someday I will learn how to produce
a radio show efficiently, but that day has not yet arrived.
I thought, well, July 4th coming up, we'll tell the story of Isaac Davis,
the sturdy gunsmith of Acton Massachusetts, who led the charge on the
north bridge at Concord. Pretty soon I was taping the sound of
footsteps, doors slamming, animals running, and bayonets being fixed.
On Monday night, we had a pizza party up at the packing shed and we got
everyone we knew to read a part. Then the crushing
burden of the editing began, and, well, after hours of fiddling with sound
levels (I still don't have this down), we have a radio drama this Saturday
night! Saturday, 5:30 PM, KTIE, 590AM.
Tune in!
Writing the script is an
interesting example of how living historians need to operate.
An academic historian doesn't attempt to give you a transcript of history
in a three act play, because, with rare exceptions, the material doesn't
exist. In this case, we know what was
remembered about Isaac Davis by his friends. We
know that he told the militia commanders at Concord that he "didn't have a
man who was afraid" to be the first to assault the bridge.
We know that his wife remembers the last words he spoke to her, "see to
the children." We know that one of the British
Commanders, John Pitcairn, wrote a letter to the Earl of Sandwich, a month
before Lexington and Concord, advocating the burning of New England
villages. (We also know that he insisted on paying
for his breakfast in Concord.) We know that
it was a widely held conviction among New England militia commanders that
they could not be the first ones to fire. We have
one report of Isaac Davis being stirred by a passionate sermon on the
subject of liberty. We know that William Emerson,
the pastor of Concord, gave such an oration to the town of Concord.
We know that some of the Concord militia were frustrated by the early need
to give up the town to the superior British force and that Lt. Hosmer said
it out loud to his colonel, "will you let them burn down the town?"
We know that Concord Pastor William Emerson comforted a young militia man
by telling him "your cause is just and God is on our side."
(This highlights a bit of a theological shift that has taken place;
assuming God is on your side has become politically and spiritually
incorrect--even if you are fighting an enemy that straps bombs to
children.) We know that British Captain Laurie was
at the North Bridge and that Captain Davis first saw the redcoats before
the battle--at Colonel Barret's farm.
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| June 24, 2006 8:12 AM | |||||||||||||||||
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Last night we went out with some of
the staff to take in a little murder mystery, and it occurs to me--this
morning--how blessed we are to have them. Asher
Sherburne works till he sweats dust. Krystle Bender
takes an excitement to everything "Americana" she does, from the bottles
she preserves jam in to the sort of clothing she gets her mother to sew
for the store and the "retro" sodas she stocks in the packing shed.
Chelsea Roblee and her parents have been long time farm patrons, and she
brings an utter calm to the crazy kitchen. (Her father, Joe,
was part of the original Cask & Cleaver crew and he adds a magic touch to
the barbecue, as does Mario Gantes.) Mario, by the way,
does an incredible job of getting the wholesale seed into the ground and
getting it to grow. Dan and Mary Johns,
actually met, fell in love, (Dan is blushing now), and got married as a
result of working here on the farm. Mary has
become one of the best 18th century costumers we know, and Dan has taken
to blacksmithing with a passion that results in teachers and students
clamoring for his post. The Burke
family are an army unto themselves and we have three of their members
working for us this year, Jeron, Kjyre, and Cole.
When a job absolutely needs to be done, we give it to them.
When we hired Susan Usher, we knew
we were getting navy efficiency, but I forgot to read the
part of her resume that included the
line about "piano playing." She can take a complicated,
jazzy, ragtime score and bring it to life on the old barn upright--just
like that. Jeff Hammond signed up for a summer job
and then we found out he had a masters in architecture from Tulane, so we
put him to work on our C.U.P.
application and look at the sort of stuff he comes up with!
David Thomas is a recording
artist who has a strong radio and singing voice, and a sense of fun to
beat all. Jim Creighton brings his whole
yard full of farm efficiency gadgets, and his personal, know-how with him.
Logan Creighton has been a living historian since he was 3 years old, and
a scholar of the 18th century for about as long, so he's something like
ordering a living historian from the Lehman's Catalogue--all ready to go.
Jon Harmon is a naturally charismatic, intelligent story teller who is
loved by all the guests. Terry Kaplan has worked in
several Oak Glen kitchens, and we know why: she knows how to work!
Tasha and Jason are the pie making duo--pressing pastry, cutting
apples, filling the kitchen with spice and practical jokes.
Kathy and Freeman have been friends for 18 years, and they are always
ready to go with their music--from Bach to Correli and back.
Jane Kirk is our bread maker and she actually reads this journal, so,
Jane, just so you know: we love you. Jan
Thiem, in our office, is a Yucaipa mom who loves the farm and took over
the office with an eye to detail that we really needed. She
says something dear to the heart of any employer, "I like to keep busy!
Give me something to do!" Dana Cash and her mother
have been a real joy to work with. My daughter, Mallory, saw
Dana performing etiquette for the children and she said, "that one's a
keeper; she's cool." Ron Conrad is a former
attorney who likes to act, and he even looks a bit like Benjamin
Franklin---pretty handy on the 300th anniversary of the great man's birth.
Gabriel Pavelsky, from day one, had a British accent and a smile on
his face for all the guests that endeared him to us--and to you.
Vanessa, Courtney, and Jessica all have their own fan clubs among the
school children and the teachers. There are dozens of others,
all appreciated for their contributions: Mr. Brinton,
Mr. Hanna, Mr. Hilde, and all the rest. |
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| June 23, 2006 12:34 PM | |||||||||||||||||
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A
little planting news: the pumpkins are all in--lots of them, Baby
Bears, Connecticut Field, Rouge vif D'Etampes, and a few others, whose
names I can't recall. |
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| June 21, 2006 12:07 AM | |||||||||||||||||
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I had just finished giving the Patrick Henry speech to a group of 5th
graders and their parents. I was standing on the porch
of the country store, watching the stars, and taking in the cool night
air. A teacher from one of the groups was just off
to my right and a jolly little child stepped onto the porch and looked up
at his teacher. "Mr. M--?" he said. "What?" "I love this place." Reward Enough. I believe this place is a magnet for stories. Today I met two Israeli former commandos and a teacher who once raised a mountain lion as a pet. A few weeks ago I met a federal prosecutor and a Hollywood producer in one night. A few months ago, a family promised to bring their best friend to one of our dinners--the actress who played Marsha Brady on the Brady Bunch. Out of the blue, last night, as I was taping music for the Riley's Old Time Radio Show (Saturday nights, 5:30 PM, AM 590), an old friend from Pasadena walked into the packing shed. Two year ago, Francis Fischer (Titanic) was tooling around the farm with her daughter and Greg Anton swears Mel Gibson has frequented this little valley. Today I joked with a very sturdy looking guy who looked like he knew how to throw a punch. "I hope you are a son of liberty, sir. I wouldn't want to have to fight you." He laughed.
"I'm a lover, not a fighter," he said, and put an arm around his wife. I keep thinking, though, of that child who stood on the porch and said it out loud: "I love this place." Does anyone wonder, really, why I fight so hard for it? |
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| June 18, 2006 8:21 AM | |||||||||||||||||
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| June 17, 2006 8:07 AM | |||||||||||||||||
 Well, I know why so many radio shows
are talk format. We have five rows of sweet corn planted, and the flower field is looking up quite a bit. The raspberries are waxing colossal. The Percherons have been shoed--a $700 expense I can look forward to every two months. We are having a wagonette built that will look something like the one on the right for fall horse carriage rides. If you take one of these rides next to a tall, distracted fellow who sounds a little defensive about the cost of horse feed and care, and the underlying financials of hayride tickets, that will be me.... Our special thanks go out to all those who have purchased tickets for tonight's Night Before Father's Day Barn Dance. It looks like we're going to fill up that old barn after all. Happy Father's day, dads! If you want to buy tickets last minute today, dial 909-790-TIME and enter extension 205 to buy tickets from me, Jim Riley, until about 1:00 PM. After that, try extension 3205 to get the general store. My wife, the Greek, likes to feed people, so don't hesitate. (Do call though! Reservations required!) |
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| June 14, 2006 4:42 PM | |||||||||||||||||
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Gulp! A radio
show! Yes. The man from the station
said that we can speak into the microphone and if you line up the dials
just right you can hear the human voice clear across the plains of the
Inland Empire from Rancho Cucamonga to Palm Springs, from Victorville to
Corona. If you don't have a radio receiving
machine, (called "radio" for short) be sure to buy one before June 24,
because that's when we go "on the air" as they say in the business.
(Sorry, they do require electrical power.) You can even transmit--sit down and take a deep draught of cold cider--music. Get ready for Freeman House, Kathy Von Arx, and the Stone Pantry Band. We might even be able to get Davy Thomas and his Irish Tenor, the humor of Tony Hall, and the charming fishing tales of Jon Harmon. Get ready for Petty Officer Susan on the keyboard. (The man from the radio show said we should refer to ourselves as, "the talent.") We'll see I guess. |
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| June 13, 2006 6:17 AM | |||||||||||||||||
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This week's Top Ten Cities visiting
Riley's Farm Website:
Lockton and Nicholas are having a run through the rows on the right. The black berries have actually started to fruit up. We're expecting a very good crop this year, so it's time for you all to re-ignite a family tradition: canning preserves. We've got a lot to preserve. All you have to do is get up here and pick it. Put the lie to this ridiculous notion that all you want to do is come up here and pick a little boutique bag of apples. What are all those F150 truck commercials for--anyway--if not to haul back all your berries? The next picture is of a
fledgling, slightly weedy flower field.
We expect that in the mid to late
summer you can actually come up here and
pick some
of your own bouquets,
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| June 12, 2006 5:54 PM | |||||||||||||||||
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The Sun
Newspaper called today for my comments on the code enforcement war in Oak
Glen. In the extremely unlikely
event they get it wrong, let me just say--for the Nth time--that I
am a believer in Oak Glen rural commerce. I believe Oak Glen landowners should be able to sell apples, press cider, sell antiques, books, and even a souvenir or two. They should be able to house guests, provide camps for children and nature education for school groups. They should be able to brew and sell hard cider. They should also be able to conduct living history education. They should, in short, be able to open up their land for commercial activity, in return for keeping their land partially dedicated to apple farming. Some of Oak Glen's merchants are now in trouble with code enforcement because a few Oak Glen complainers thought their subjective interpretation of the law could be used to both shut us down and keep them in business. According to John Adams, however, facts are stubborn things. Rural Living allows for residential homes, a social care facility, and the selling of your own crop. That is an artificially and absurdly restrictive standard, and it needs to be changed. Hopefully, the code enforcement sweep--by forcing us all to know how little the law really allows--will encourage us to talk about a standard we can all live by. |
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| June 11, 2006 8:12 AM | |||||||||||||||||
Another slap-dash "day on the farm" video at left.
We were honored, last night, to have a very accomplished bluegrass family on the farm--the Bosts, who are a real joy to meet and tap your feet to. They have seven children, and they all perform, and Mrs. Bost plays the bass, smiling, with a baby on her back. Along with Freeman and Kathy, we had a LOT of great music in the packing shed last night. If you want to hear the Bosts--and dance to them--sign up for the Night Before Father's Day Barn Dance! (Guess what: I just decided: we will take 10 big fat trout of the ponds for this feast, so don't miss it!) 
Tickets are going fast!Cherry season starts here Saturday June 24, 2006 and Scott says it's a good crop. Remember, you can't get to the cherries if you use the Oak Glen Road Riley's Farm entrance. You must use the Mile High Road entrance. Take a look at this map. I would like to put in an order for 100 evenings just like last night--pleasantly cool, clear, with the orchard grass mowed down and this report from Mario: "more apples than last year." The early evening sunlight up here casts a Technicolor glow on the pear trees and the barn wood of the old packing shed lights up like cinnamon. You need to be part of it all--sometime this summer. Rally your troops! Come on up! It's better than cold hard cider! |
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| June 9, 2006 7:32 AM | |||||||||||||||||
 Yes,
we do have a small technology buzz going right now.
Our T1 is working,
both up and down, both voice and data, so we can do all the things the
rest of you in the real world have been doing for years now.
My Google Adwords Analytics report indicate that only about 6% of you
read our site on dial up connections now--which means that we can do more
of these spiffy farm videos. I would do a new one,
but I really just want to talk about technology right now, not use it to
do anything really creative. Click on the video above
right though and turn on the speakers. It brings tears
to my eyes. Seriously. If you are
serious about video, it may bring tears to your eyes as well, though, of
course for different reasons.One reason I may not be in the mood for video production is that we had a child--our own--up with a toothache last night, and said toothache began to announce itself about an hour after getting to sleep in the wake of two brave employees (Asher Sherburne and Jon Harmon) chasing a bear away from the camp. Whenever we do an overnight program, we have employees up all night, watching the camp, keeping the kids quiet, and providing security. It helps the farmer sleep at night--barring early morning toothaches. (Frontpage reminds me that I misspelled "toothache" as "tootache," which would be another kind of late night problem I guess.) Krystle Bender found some really cool octagonal preserve jars and she is excited about making lots and lots of homemade preserves, so start checking the general store soon for strawberry jams, and then raspberry preserves, and then peach sauce, and then apple butter. Last night's overnight school was--and is--a real joy, very respectful, bright-eyed, attentive children who seem to love and respect their teachers. Good work, people! |
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| June 8, 2006 6:44 AM | |||||||||||||||||
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Two nights ago
about ten Oak Glen residents, your correspondent included, met over
at Los Rios Rancho to discuss the Community Plan.
(Some time ago, the county asked a few people in the community to act as
an informal committee on plan issues.) As a friend at the Wildlands Conservancy told me yesterday, there is a hope that the community can start over, come to positive solutions, and avoid the ego battles that have taken place here in the past. For those of you who care about Oak Glen, I can't emphasize it enough: the future of our apple growing community depends on sensible land use policies that protect purely residential owners and still allows some commercial activity to take place ("agritourism") on farms of various sizes. Alison Law made the encouraging comment that most of the new homeowners she helps in Oak Glen have been planting orchards, and that is a good sign. Tom Sillers made the comment that those new homeowners should be able to sell their apples, and not be left with only the option of wholesaling them to established fruit stands. There are others who want no visitor traffic next to them at all--much less a Riley's Farm or a Los Rios. As you can imagine, it's a path fraught with peril, since competing interests are at stake. I do sincerely believe that the well-being of everyone--homeowner, conservationist, farmer, store-owner--are preserved by creating standards that encourage both apple farming and rural, commercial, educational visitors to Oak Glen. What if every resident in Oak Glen were allowed to micro-brew and sell their own hard cider? What if every Oak Glen resident could conduct educational farm-stays on their property? (Of course there would need to be parking, traffic, and visitor hour standards, but even a purely residential owner would benefit, I believe, by living in an area full of well tended orchards. If you moved up here, in other words, because you liked the farm setting, such a policy would help make those small farms profitable.) I tend to express my opinions very forcefully--and sometimes dismissively--especially when I get frustrated. For those of you who don't like me, and my family, I would make an appeal that we start over. The issue is larger than our competitive or residential interests. The issue is the future of Oak Glen. Some folks have argued for the status quo, that Oak Glen will be protected by not changing anything. The only thing protected by the status quo is more houses. You don't need environmental review, traffic studies, noise studies, for new houses. At present, you can't sell an antique or a book or a home cider press next to your orchard, without expensive engineering studies. Is that reasonable? |
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| June 6, 2006 7:54 AM | |||||||||||||||||
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A milestone of
communication has transpired upon the humble farm. A call can
now be transferred from the Packing Shed to Colonial Chesterfield and
back. You can now be put on hold in two different
places. I am still in a bit of a quandary as to the difference between "call forwarding" and "find me" voice mail features as well. On this new system, we can create a voice mail box for Grandma and Grandpa, say, at their house, and allow the system to connect the call, or, say, a transfer to Scott and Benita's house for cherry questions, but, as I said, it's all very theoretical at this point. All cultures have rites of passage. Ours has come to include the ability to make a conference call without once having to say, "now, uh...I think..if I press this--no, wait--is everyone there, no--*@!#--we lost him. One more time..." The banner ad below is my latest attempt to explain how inviting a farm banquet really is. Some of you are considering an event this summer. We have one thought we want you to keep in mind: dishes. If you do the event yourself, you will need to contend with dirty dishes, propane tanks for the spiffy new barbecue, chilling the watermelon, picking the right sweet corn, and setting the tables. Why not leave that all to us? You've done well this year, and even if you haven't, you're going to do well next year. Bring your family, your staff, your church, your friends together and celebrate here on Riley's Farm. Give US the headaches. We're used to them. Click on the picture below and be the big daddy or the big momma. Considering the memories, the price is very reasonable!  |
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| June 4, 2006 7:30 AM | |||||||||||||||||
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| June 1, 2006 5:37 PM | |||||||||||||||||
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Nothing really
pressing. We have our old phone line back.
The poor "Big Ideas" technician reported that the T1 is now working.
I met with a publicist yesterday, a really nice lady from Lake Arrowhead,
who spoke to me about keeping our name in the newspaper.
(We haven't had too much trouble lately, heah?)
Mary and I keep debating the Yukon or the Expedition, since our young'ns
are getting to be big'ns and we might chance a trip to Montana this
summer. I am mildly excited about the new phone
system, since we will be able to tie the general store, Colonial
Chesterfield, and the Old Packing Shed all together, and we can use the
group voice mail to leave messages for our employees at home.
I had a bit of a philosophical tiff with one of our customers this
afternoon--two violently opposed takes on history--and a parent confided
in me afterwards, "listen; she sounds like the sort of person who
will never be happy no matter what you do." I wish I could be one of those people who just allows unhappy people to remain bitter and unhappy and miserable, but I have too much faith in my words. I think people are actually listening. It's a burden. Note to living history parents who are having trouble getting their pre-adolescent sons to find their breeches and waistcoats. Use the XBox 360. "No XBox 360 until you find your breeches." The breeches--which had previously been determined "impossible" to find--were found. Promptly. |
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| June 1, 2006 7:33 AM | |||||||||||||||||
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A certain
unnamed communication giant ("Veri-Stink") and a smaller regional T1
provider ("Big Ideas") are causing us fits this morning.
The Big Ideas salesman said words to this effect, "when we switch you
over, Mr. Riley, we want no interruption in your service.
None."
Famous last words.
This morning, our lines are disconnected and Veri-Stink now promises we
can have some phone service by 2:00 PM. Tell
me why all those well paid middle managers at Veri-Stink can't figure out
this: when you are transferring to a third party phone
service, instead of giving a small business customer's a disconnect
message, why not say something like "the party you are attempting to reach
is being transitioned to another phone service. Please try
again later." |
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More Farm Journal Entries
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so
make plans to keep your
summer flowery. (Alright. You don't have to
put the flowers in the F150.)
