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Dear Customers,
It was a quiet weekend here at Hill House Farm because of the preparation for the holidays and upcoming midterms.
One of the ewes is getting ready to lamb and will hopefully give birth before Christmas.
Fun Fact: The U.S. Postal Service delivers 20 billion cards and packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Similarly, our chicks are actually delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
We hope that everyone had a great thanksgiving with family and friends.
Today we had the annual switching of the numbers on the wood shelter because we finished our last delivery. These numbers serve the purpose of letting us know how many years the wood has aged.
We had a large pepper sale this week. She will be giving them away as gifts, and we recommend that you follow her lead, as they are both reasonably priced and very versatile.
Fun Fact: Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a federal holiday every year since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens", to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
This weekend we completed five deliveries and only have one remaining. Now that we have room in the shelter, we are going to start splitting and stacking firewood to prepare for next year. An email will be sent out for when we are ready to deliver again.
Thank you to all the people that donated money to the children of San Salvador in the last few months through extra delivery tips, any amount is greatly appreciated and will have a large effect.
We have started to bring the sheep in to prepare them for when they will deliver their lambs. It is not only more comfortable for the ewes, but it also greatly increases the chances of the lambs survival.
In addition, our chickens are nearly full grown, however they still aren’t laying. With all their new feathers, they no longer need the heat lamps.
Fun Fact: This past weekend, we acquired 8 inches of snow, and the average for all of November is typically just 3.3 inches.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
We have many jars of Uncle Joe's peppers. They are quite tasty on sandwiches, pastas, pizza and salads and they are only $10.
We would like to thank Liz and Joel Sheer for donating 5 trees to the firewood business, we expect to split and stack them during the winter break.
Jessika, the El Salvadorian student that we are sponsoring to go to college, wrote us a thank you note that we wanted to share with all of you, for your support made this all possible:
Good morning, I feel great whith my life. I want to say thanks God for my life and my Godparent
Lauren thanks for sharing whith me your experiense and thanks for listening to me and my experiense at the University.
We can change the world together, we can do everything. Thanks to your brother too.
Thanks your family and you for help me building my life .
Greetings all your family.
Jessicka
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
We had a very busy weekend, hopefully everybody enjoyed the weather as much as we did.
We were able to make five firewood deliveries and we will continue to make them over the weekends until we are done.
The new chickens are maturing and they are beginning to grow their feathers.
I apologize for not sending a newsletter for the last two weekends, however, there were technical difficulties as well as I went to go visit my business partner and sister, Lauren, at Tufts.
Fun Fact: According to legend, the wider the middle brown section is (i.e., the more brown segments there are) on wooly bear caterpillars, the milder the coming winter will be. Conversely, a narrow brown band is said to predict a harsh winter. While delivering wood, we saw four wooly bears and they all had consistently larger brown areas.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
All of our 43 new chickens were delivered on Wednesday! Sadly they won’t be able to lay for another 4 months, but when they do we will be in full production again. We do still have our old chickens to provide between this time.
We recently picked up a fresh order of peppers from Uncle Joe, they are only $10 a piece and are well worth it.
We also have meat chickens for sale. They are in the freezer in the garage. They are $15 each.
Lastly, we will be making wood deliveries on Friday. If anyone would like their wood to be delivered then, just let us know.
Fun Fact: The name pumpkin comes from the Greek word ‘pepon’, meaning ‘large melon’
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
This weekend we completed three deliveries and will be completing more starting two weeks from now.
We picked up 24 jars of hot peppers from Uncle Joe’s this weekend, however, we were able to get a discount by trading a meat bird.
In addition, the meat birds that we raised for the fair just got returned. They are fully processed and frozen and they only cost $15. We ate one tonight and it was outstanding.
Fun Fact: Canning, the method of preserving food from spoilage by storing it in containers that are hermetically sealed and then sterilized by heat. This process was invented after prolonged research by Nicolas Appert of France in 1809, in response to a call by his government for a means of preserving food for army and navy use.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
Now that all the ricks have been reserved, we are sold out of firewood. Thank you for all your great support for another year.
In addition, we are beginning to deliver firewood, we would like to know if anyone needs their wood delivered sooner than later. If so, we will be delivering on most weekends, so please let us know which one is best.
Fun Fact: "Winter will be colder than normal, with the coldest periods in late December, throughout January, and in early February. Precipitation will be below normal in the east and near normal in the west. Snowfall will be above normal in most of the region, with the snowiest periods in mid-December, early and mid-January, and early February.” -Farmer’s Almanac
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
Hello from Tufts! Although I miss home, I am having an incredible time here at college and in Boston.
I am writing this newsletter to update you on Jessicka, our student in El Salvador! She is doing very well and working hard in her studies. A few days ago I video chatted her to discuss college and practice Spanish! Since we are both studying International Relations, we enjoy learning about our experiences studying in different countries. We also like to share our favorite music with each other.
We were sent a really sweet video of Jessicka from a recent trip to El Salvador. It is attached.
Fun Fact: Tufts' mascot is Jumbo the Elephant from P.T. Barnum's Circus. Jumbo is the only college mascot found in Webster's Dictionary.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
This weekend was the the Geauga County Fair. On Thursday in the 4-H competition, we did very well competing in both showmanship and breeding. On Saturday, there was more competition, but we still were able to get numerous first places and Grand Champion Shropshire ram. Although we have finished showing, the sheep will remain at the fair till Monday if you would like to come see them.
Thank you to Tony Paskevich for making a large contribution and buying my chickens. All the money will go back into the business, meaning that 1/3rd will go to El Salvador.
Attached are three pictures of our club, Geauga Livestock, at the fair.
Fun fact: The Shropshire breed of sheep originated in the counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire in central western England. Records are not clear as to exactly how the breed was developed. Some maintain that it was formed by selecting and mating the best from the old native breeds of the two counties, while others say that it came into existence through the crossing of improved Southdowns, Leicesters, and Cotswolds with the native black-faced sheep that were known as Longmynd.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
For this weeks newsletter below is a note from Lauren.
As I am headed to Tufts University on Wednesday I would like to thank you for your incredible support and generosity towards Hill House Farm and our efforts in Chiltiupán. I didn’t realize how great of a success this business would be when Harry and I started it in 2012. It is great to have people like you who appreciate the simpler things in life.
Some of my favorite memories of HHF are endlessly stacking wood during the cold winter months, preparing the newsletter with Harry every Sunday, raising really cute chicks, picking apples at Grandpa’s house to make apple butter, asking Uncle Joe for more hot peppers and of course living and experiencing our farm everyday, especially during lambing season!
I am so grateful for the many opportunities to visit Chiltiupán and I thank St. Dominic for their incredible programs in Chiltiupán. I am very excited for Jessicka, our student, because I know she is very motivated and dedicated to working hard and completing her studies to make a difference in the world. And it is because of your help that she is able to do so.
I hope you continue to support Harry as he endures the next two years solo!
Your friend,
Lauren
Dear Customers,
We sheared the 12 sheep for the fair today. Unfortunately 2 of these sheep have large black spots, making them not showable. Luckily we had extras ready.
We apologize for the lack of eggs, however, we will be handling the problem very soon. As soon as our meat chickens go out to the fair, we will have room to raise new laying hens. Please let us know if you would like to buy some and we will raise them for you. The cost for a laying hen at 16 weeks is $14.
I will be auctioning off my meat chickens at the Geauga County Fair on Saturday, August 30th. I only have a couple of buyers for now and just one or two more would mean a lot. If you can’t personally make it out to the fair, my parents can bid for you. Please email me if you are interested. They are really growing nicely and should be quite tasty.
Fun Fact: Female chickens are called pullets for their first year or until they begin to lay eggs. For most breeds, around 16 to 22 weeks is a typical age for the first egg.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
We hope that you enjoyed the perfect weather this weekend as much as we did.
With the fair coming up soon, we will be walking the sheep preparing them for the show ring. In addition we will also be trying to find buyers for our chickens. Please let us know if you are interested.
The apple trees had a higher yield last year, so we may not be able to produce apple butter this year due to alternate bearing.
Fun Fact: Alternate Bearing refers to an alternating cropping pattern that is internally regulated by the plant. This phenomenon is widespread throughout many perennial trees and shrubs, but is not universal. Perennial fruit crops initiate flower buds for next season’s crop in the current season, and for most deciduous fruit species, the alternation of large and small crops is caused by competition between the current season’s crop and the coming season’s flower buds.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
We have been raising meat chickens since early July, and we will be auctioning them off at the Geauga County Fair on Saturday, August 30th. We are looking for new buyers this year, so if you are interested, please let us know and we can provide you with all of the information necessary for bidding. Don’t forget that all the money that is made from the chickens will go right into the business meaning that when you buy a pen of chickens, you’re not just supporting us and the fair, your also supporting children in El Salvador.
This year we are going to take 12 sheep to the fair and the 8 members of our 4-H club will be assisting us in showing them. This should be a good year as we have a new ram and our flock is improving every year.
Fun Fact: Chickens go into a passive, trancelike state when they sleep at night.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
This week we are dedicating our newsletter to our grandpa, Jack Henry. He passed away on Thursday afternoon with all of us by his side, at the age of 89. Jackie grew up in Wilmington, Delaware as part of a large Irish family. He excelled in high school and at the University of Delaware, graduating at a young age. After declining an offer with the FBI, he went to work for P&G where he was the director of market research worldwide.
Even though Jackie was extremely successful in the business world, we knew him as an excellent grandfather. Jackie was a large supporter of our education, sports, music and Hill House Farm. He always loved playing board games as a family and had many victories. Whenever he watched Jeopardy, he often did better than the contestants. Jackie would never turn down a game of baseball or golf and played at an age that many could not. Jackie always attended the 4H events at the fair. We are enclosing a picture of him with us and with Rudy, our other big fan, as well a short-story about his life.
We will miss our Jackie dearly.
Calling hours will be Sunday, July 27th, from 4 to 6pm at Brown Forward Funeral Home at 17022 Chagrin Blvd. Shaker Heights, Ohio. Memorial services will be held on Monday at 3pm, July 28th, at the Federated Church, 76 Bell St., Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022 with a reception to follow.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
Today we collected more wood from a friend of ours and we plan to get even more next weekend, leaving us with plenty for next year.
The chicks that we are raising for the fair have been doing great! They are all moving around frequently and are happy with the warmer weather.
Fun Fact: With 25 billion chickens in the world, there are more of them than any other bird species.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
On Thursday, our new chicks arrived for the fair. We are very excited to raise them for the auction. They all look very healthy and should do well. I hope many of you bid on the chickens. More on that in future newsletters.
On Friday, we drove out to Hudson to gather more wood from a friend’s yard, providing us with a good supply for this winter to split.
We are clearing out the inventory in the refrigerator to prepare for incoming items, so the peppers are now 50% off! If you are going to try them, this is a great time.
Fun Fact: Over 60 Million people across America have been in 4-H since it began in 1902.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
4-H has now begun so in order to participate in fair, I have to pass the skillathon. Now that I’m a senior in 4-H I will have to know everything from the digestive system, meat cuts, feed to medical treatments. Lauren has recently graduated from the club so I will take her position as President. With the sheep improving every year, this year should be a great one!
Our garden is producing beautiful flowers and vegetables and we hope to grow some watermelon this year.
Fun Fact: By 1924, 4-H became recognized universally as the name of youth club work in the United States.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
Dear Customers,
We returned from our trip to El Salvador on Friday!
One of the reasons why we went on this trip was to meet Jessicka, our sponsor student. We spent Thursday afternoon with her at the village fiesta and learned about how her life is changing as she enters into her second year at the university.
Jessicka is an incredible person and her devotion to her studies and family is inspiring. She studies International Relations and wakes up at 3am everyday to catch about a two-hour bus ride into San Salvador for her morning classes. Some nights she doesn’t even get to sleep due to her work! When Lauren asked Jessicka why she is studying International Relations, Jessicka said she believes this career path will help her build relationships with people around the world and allow her to return home to improve the lives and conditions of her village. We attached a picture of the three of us!
In addition to visiting with Jessicka, we spent a morning at the beach with the graduating high school class of Santo Domingo, went on several home visits in the village and visited historical sites around El Salvador. We also met with Santa Rosa Stitches and bought many of their beautiful hand crafted items. Please take a look at their website! http://www.santarosastitches.com/
On Wednesday, we traveled down unpredictable roads to the farm. We met with the men and women who grow and sell their crops to financially support their families. While there, we celebrated Father’s Day and ate cake! Even though their accomplishments at the farm are very impressive, their determination and will power to walk almost two hours everyday to get there is amazing.
When we visited Santo Domingo School, they put on a pageant and the boys played in a competitive game of basketball…The score was 6-6 after 30 minutes.
Again we would like to thank you for your support of Hill House Farm as we take on this new endeavor with Jessicka.
Harry will upload pictures of our trip to the website soon, so please take a look!
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes