June 15, 2014

Dear Customers,  

Tomorrow Lauren and I leave at 3:45 for Chiltuapán, El Salvador on the St. Dominic teen trip. We will tell stories and share pictures when we return.  

We have 2 cartons of eggs in the refrigerator. The chickens are beginning to lay more now that the temperature has increased.  We noticed the yolks are especially large as they spend time outside.

We are considering selling hot fudge sauce on a periodic basis using our grandma's secret family recipe. Please let us know if this would be of interest. 

Thus far we have received 14 orders for firewood, if you would like to be on the waiting list please let us know.  We are not sure exactly how many we can deliver until we begin the process. 

Fun Fact: El Salvador is considered the smallest Central American country and is the only Central American country without an Atlantic coast line. Also, they use American currency making travel very convenient.

Thanks,  

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

June 10, 2014

Dear Customers, 

With Lauren headed to Tufts University in the fall, I will run the business myself.  I still need to learn about the financial aspect of the business from her, but I am looking forward to it.

During the late summer and into the fall we will sell firewood. We have room for more orders so email us if you are interested and we will send out possible dates for delivery soon.

Fun Fact: Llamas weigh 280 to 450 pounds and can carry about a quarter of their body weight, so a 400-pound male llama can carry about 100 pounds on a trek of 10 to 12 miles with no problem.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

The Memorial Day Newsletter

Dear Customers, 

We hope you are enjoying a beautiful Memorial Day Weekend! 

We are excited to let you know the chickens are back laying and we have three cartons in the fridge.  

Thank you to those who reserved your firewood for the coming fall.  We have 8 ricks left, so please let us know if you would like one as soon as possible!  

We also wanted to let you know that Harry and I will both travel to Chiltiupán in June on a teen trip with St. Dominic Church and we will hopefully meet Jessicka, the student we sponsoring to attend the university!  

Fun Fact: The holiday was long known as Decoration Day for the practice of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths, and flags. The name Memorial Day goes back to 1882, but the older name didn't disappear until after World War II. Federal law declared "Memorial Day"

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

May 19, 2014

Dear Customers,  

We had a great weekend shearing the sheep and watching the lambs as they experienced the outdoors for the first time!  We finished stacking the wood for the fall so please let us know if you would like to buy a rick  

($115 including delivery). 

Reminder that the Contemporary Youth Orchestra concert with Ben Folds is in two weeks,  June 2, 7:30  at Severance Hall! You can buy tickets here: http://www.cyorchestra.org/tickets/ 

Fun Fact: The world record for shearing sheep is 839 lambs in 9 hours by Rodney Sutton of New Zealand.

Thanks,  

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

May 11, 2014

Dear Customers, 

For the next four years, we are going to sponsor a student from Chiltiupán who will be attending a university in San Salvador. In addition to paying for his or her education we are going to be pen pals, sharing letters once a month. Lauren is excited to share the start of her college experience with a student from Chiltiupán.

We apologize for the lack of eggs, hopefully you haven’t come to buy some and left empty handed. We will not be selling eggs until further notice.  

Fun Fact: Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”  

Thanks,  

Harry and Lauren Hawkes 

May 4, 2014

Dear Customers,

As we finish our fiscal year at the end of April, we would like to inform you on how Hill House Farm performed.  Our total revenues were $4,510.39 and profits were $3,338.98. Revenues increased by 40% and profits increased by 102% versus the 2013 fiscal year!

Including 1/3 of our profits and your generous donations, we are excited to announce we will donate $1,670 to Chiltiupán this year. Hopefully in the next few weeks we will have more details.

Thank you for being supportive customers and helping us in another successful year!

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

April 27, 2014

Dear Customers,

We had a computer glitch last week so our newsletter did not send. 

We finished weening the lambs and the ewes are excited to be out in the pasture. 

We picked up the new ram this week. He is a fall ram lamb meaning that we can use him for breeding for the next 2 years.  He looks like a winner and should do very well at fair! 

In the next newsletter we will share our fiscal year summary. 

Fun Fact: Domestic sheep are extremely hardy animals and can survive on a diet consisting of only cellulose, starch or sugars as an energy source and a nitrogen source which need not be protein. In general, sheep feed mainly on grasses while in pastures and can be fed a wide variety of hays and oats.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

April 13, 2014

Dear Customers, 

This has nothing to do with farming… but Lauren is so thrilled to announce:

BEN FOLDS and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra are performing together! Purchase tickets soon if you want to experience an incredible concert at Severance Hall, June 2 at 7:30pm. (http://www.cyorchestra.org/tickets/).  It will be a night of energy and excitement as 120 musicians share the stage with this unique singer songwriter and talented pianist.

For those of you who do not know much about Ben Folds…

Ben was the “leader of the critically acclaimed, platinum-selling Ben Folds Five.  He has gone on to have a very successful solo career, recording multiple studio albums, a pair of records documenting his renowned live performances, a remix record, music for film and TV, as well as numerous collaborations with artists from Sara Bareilles to William Shatner.  Folds has also achieved critical acclaim for his insight as a judge on NBC’s a cappella competition The Sing-Off.”   

Check out some of his great songs below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z7x0V5cm-A&feature=kp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mbYgTftVNk

Fun Fact: “When I write, I kind of take a part of my character that I can exaggerate.” -Ben Folds

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

April 6, 2014

Dear Customers, 

With only 5 bales of hay left, we were fortunate to have 150 bales delivered today. 

We made great progress with the firewood this weekend, splitting and stacking another 2 ricks, getting us closer to the finish line. 

The chickens were able to spend more time outside with the nice weather, so the eggs should taste better than ever. 

Fun Fact: Sheep were smuggled into the states in the 16th and 17th centuries to develop the wool industry.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

March 30, 2014

Dear Customers, 

Over spring break we collected a great amount of wood and we stacked 3.5 ricks.  Attached is a picture.

In the next few weeks we will be taking orders for chicks.  Please let us know the breed and how many if you would like to purchase them. 

This week, we received many thank you letters from the students in Tulsa, OK who received the 400 books we sent several weeks ago. They were very appreciative and many have read and already finished Divergent! 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

March 26, 2014

Dear Customers, 

This week we are dedicating our newsletter to our grandpa, Rudy Zakrajsek.  He passed away last Wednesday at the impressive age of 95.  He grew up in a Slovenian neighborhood during the Great Depression, worked out west in a CCC camp, is a World War II veteran and became a self- made man through his excavation company.   His hard work, perseverance and courage are values that he instilled in our family.  Grandpa also placed a very high value on time with family and friends.  He had a great influence on our business, providing the many apples from his orchard and taught us how to split and stack firewood from his 150 acres in Warren, Ohio.   He was our biggest fan at the Geauga County Fair and always came with his brother, Uncle Joe, to watch us show sheep and to bid on the chickens. 

Attached are the family memories of our grandpa and an old picture of us with him at his barn.  

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

March 16, 2014

Dear Customers, 

Now that the spring is coming, we have started to cut, split and stack wood again, so it can be aged and ready for you in the fall.  We cut down 10 dead elm, cherry and walnut trees which require clean-up.  In addition, several customers have offered for us to pick up fallen wood for the business.  We plan to do that over the next couple months.

We are continuing to take care of the lambs.  Tonight we will be giving them both BO-SE and CD/T shots to prevent some potential illnesses. We give the BO-SE 21 days after birth and the CD/T 35 days after birth.  All of the lambs are doing great and they continue to become bigger and stronger every day.  They are actually quite difficult to catch.  

Fun Fact: The original color associated with St. Patrick was blue, not green as commonly believed. In several artworks depicting the saint, he is shown wearing blue vestments. King Henry VIII used the Irish harp in gold on a blue flag to represent the country. Since that time, and possibly before, blue has been a popular color to represent the country on flags, coats-of-arms, and even sports jerseys.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

March 10, 2014

Dear Customers, 

After an amazing and inspirational trip to Chiltiupán, I would like to share some of my stories with you! We spent time in the village attending mass, talking to the people, and visiting a farm and nine schools.  As this trip was focused on the educational development in Chiltiupán we met with the principals and teachers of the schools to discover what they need.  This included bathrooms for the little kids, kitchens, computers, libraries, and improved infrastructure like windows and chalkboards.  Many of the teachers work hard to educate the students, but it is difficult when they do not have the essential materials. 

On Saturday morning, we met with the college students who are on scholarship to attend the universities in San Salvador.  Generous parishioners at St. Dominic financially support these hardworking students.  In order to get into the program, each person must submit their grades and essays to a panel who decide which students are most suitable to attend college.  

We asked the scholarship students questions about their lives.  Many wake up everyday around 4 AM to catch a bus into the city.  It is difficult to adjust as they leave a small village in the mountains and enter into one of the most dangerous cities in the world (with 13 murders a day).  When we asked what they would do if they couldn’t go to college, the boys said they would be farmers or day laborers and the girls said they would be housemaids.  They expressed their gratitude for their sponsors because they could not attend college without the financial help.  After hearing their stories my brother and I are considering sponsoring a student to attend college next year!

It was inspiring to hear that many of these college students want to come back to Chiltiupán to help in some way.  We met several teachers in the schools who were part of the scholarship program and our friend Herbert who is studying English hopes to start an English academy in the village. 

Enclosed are three pictures.  The first is of a little girl I met at the school.  She followed me around and even pulled up a chair next to my dad and me at a meeting.  Every time I took a picture of her, she would strike a pose.  The second picture is of a school we visited where the kids greeted us by singing “Love Me Do” by the Beatles! And the third shows what most schools look like in the countryside. Interestingly, every school is painted blue and white and every student wears a uniform.

Fun Facts: Education in El Salvador

•           Education is free through the ninth grade, but only 82% of children make it this far.

•           6% of Salvadoran children never attend any school.

•           Only 33% of the children attend secondary school.

Thanks, 

Lauren and Harry Hawkes

March 3, 2014

Dear Customers, 

Lauren returned from El Salvador late on Sunday and she will share her experiences as well as the impact that our business and your donations are having next week. 

All of the lambs have now been born and as they keep getting bigger and healthier.  

Fun Fact: In 2009, an 8-month-old Scottish ram named Deveronvale Perfection was sold for £231,000 (or more than $380,000). A sheep farmer in Scotland purchased the ram for breeding.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

February 23, 2014

Dear Customers, 

Last night we had our first set of triplets and we watched as two were delivered.  After some late night feedings, they are doing better. We have fifteen lambs in the barn now.  

My dad and I are off to Chiltiupán, El Salvador this Wednesday.  We are very excited and cannot wait to share our stories with you.

Attached is a picture of one of the twins born last week, both of them have very unique markings. 

Fun Fact:  El Salvador is known as the “Land of the Volcanoes”. It has some of the most active volcanoes in the world.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

President's Day Newsletter

Dear Customers,

This week was very busy down at the barn as five ewes delivered lambs.  Many of them are larger and stronger than last year, which is great! Surprisingly, there are 8 females and only 2 males. 

Also, we are currently helping a family friend who works for Teach For America.  She is a 6th grade English teacher at a school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  98% of the students receive free or reduced price lunches and over 50% speak English as a second language.  Many of the students need to improve their reading skills to pass the state reading test so she tries to motivate her students to read more.  Through the generous donations from two publishers, Macmillan and Harper Collins, and profits from Hill House Farm, we were able to send over 430 books, including the popular Divergent series and Newbery Award Winning A Wrinkle In Time! 

We would like to make an editorial correction to last week’s fun fact.  The Olympics have been held in the Southern Hemisphere, but the Winter Olympics have not.

Fun Fact: A study done by the University of Buffalo has concluded that access to possible realities and fictional story lines opens you up to new emotions and feelings.  It also helps you to empathize with people, by understanding different cultures.

Thanks, 

Lauren and Harry Hawkes

February 12, 2014

Dear Customers, 

In almost two weeks, I will depart on my fourth trip to Chiltiupán, El Salvador with my dad.  I am very excited to see my friends again and I look forward to sharing more stories, pictures and goals for our contribution to the village.  We will visit the Santo Domingo school and other canton schools to understand their needs and how we can support specific opportunities.  As I discovered last week at an education committee meeting, many of the needs in the schools are to help pay teacher salaries and provide assistance for students to attend school (clothes, shoes, supplies and lunches).

As many of you already know, last fiscal year Harry and I raised $1,200 through our profits and your generous donations to help purchase instrument supplies, marching band music and books for the new school library.  We expect to beat that total by the end of the year. 

For farm news, we had two lambs born Thursday morning, and they are doing great! As promised, there is a picture attached. 

We apologize for not sending a newsletter last week and sending this one late, we had technical difficulties. 

Fun Fact: No country in the Southern Hemisphere has ever hosted the Winter Olympic Games. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

January 26, 2014

Dear Customers, 

Hill House Farm is now on Instagram! You can follow us at: Thehillhousefarm. We look forward to connecting with you not only through our newsletters, but with photos as well. 

This week, lambs will be born!  We will post photos on the website, as well as our new Instagram. 

Fun Fact: Sheep can withstand cold temperatures as long as they are dry. Even a healthy, dried off and fed newborn can withstand temperatures to 14°F provided the environment is dry and draft free. 

Unfortunately we have projected lows of -10˚ F and -4˚ F over the next two days so we will be making frequent visits to the barn and using heat lamps if necessary when lambs are born.

Thanks,

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

January 20, 2014

Dear Customers, 

We finished selling the rest of our laying hens to three more customers today. All the chickens are happy and healthy in their new homes. 

We continue to prepare wood for next year so it will be dry. We want you to have the best fires possible!

Also today, we began to prepare for the lambing season. We are expecting lambs to be born as soon as next weekend. 

Fun Fact: Martin Luther King, Jr. skipped two grades in high school, 9th and 11th, and entered college at the age of 15 in 1944. By 19, he received a bachelor's degree in sociology. 

Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes

January 12, 2014

Dear Customers, 

This weekend we sold 10 laying hens to a happy customer, and we will sell the rest next week. 

Also, this weekend we continued the long journey of cutting down trees, splitting the wood, and drying it before selling next year. 

Soon the lambs will be born, and I will post photos on the website as soon as possible. 

Fun Fact: The reason that sheep mate in the fall is so that the lambs are born in the spring when the weather is mild and the grass is plentiful. This gives lambs the best chance for survival. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes