Dear Customers,
This will be our last newsletter for several months, until Harry and I return from school. We hope you continue to purchase eggs and peppers and we will complete wood deliveries over Thanksgiving and winter break.
I wanted to update you all on my trip to El Salvador. I had a wonderful time staying in Chiltiupán. I visited Jessicka's house on our first day. Her mother taught me how to make chicken pupusas and Jessicka and I talked about our studies.
We spent two days going on house visits throughout the Chiliupán. The most memorable visit was to a family whose young daughter has fluids in her brain which has affected her ability to talk and walk. In this past year, however, she learned how to walk with the support of her family. And although she couldn't express herself in words, she communicated with her smile and excitement.
We enjoyed visiting several schools, Santo Domingo, Las Flores and El Coco. We used a parachute to do group activities with the students and took polaroid pictures of the younger students so they could take a photo home.
Again, I want to thank all of you for your support. My experiences with Hill House Farm have furthered my passion for studying human rights and social justice issues and I am grateful for all the people I have met along the way.
Fun Fact: We now have Uncle Joe's hot peppers in our fridge! They are $12 a jar. Enjoy!
Thanks,
Lauren and Harry Hawkes
thehillhousefarm.com
August 23rd, 2016
Dear Customers,
Tomorrow I leave for Lehigh to start my freshman year, so this will be the last email I will be sending for a few months…
Thank you for supporting the business over the last 4 years. I can’t believe that when we started this journey, I was just a freshman in high-school. With your help, we were able to support a school library in Tulsa, Oklahoma as well as send Jessicka to college in El Salvador. Your purchases and contributions allowed us to donate over $4,500 to help the Tulsa students and Jessicka.
By running the business with Lauren, I have been able to learn quite a bit to prepare me for college and business. Managing Finances is a more important and difficult task than I originally imagined. Marketing products is demanding. In the past years we have sent over 180 newsletters and we constantly ask people to place orders for firewood even early in the summer (email us if you need any). Most importantly, I found that building relationships and finding ways to help others can be very rewarding.
Some of my favorite memories include meeting Jessicka in El Salvador, winning the Supreme ram champion prize at the Geauga County Fair, meeting all of you during wood deliveries and when you pick up eggs and sending out the weekly fun fact.
I am so happy that I have been able to help others while having so much fun myself.
Fun fact: The Lafayette and Lehigh rivalry, the most played in college football history, is so old that it predates trophies. The winning team simply receives the game ball. It began in 1884. The 150th anniversary game was played in Yankee Stadium and sold out all 48,000 seats.
Thank you for a special experience and wonderful 3 and a half years,
Harry
July 26th, 2016
Dear Customers,
Now that I have graduated high-school, I will have more time and Lauren and I will begin sending newsletters weekly again until we both leave for college in late August.
Since both of us will be away in the Fall, we would like to begin taking orders for firewood now. We will still be able to deliver over Thanksgiving break and Winter break, but for those who would like it earlier, we are hoping to start deliveries in July. If you respond to this email asking for firewood, could you please include your name, address and your phone number.
Fun Fact: 3 reasons why students get the summer off include. It’s hot in the summer. The school buildings of the 19th century weren’t exactly air-conditioned. Summer gives teachers time to train and get ready for next year. In the 19th century teachers didn’t really go to college or get certified, so they would use the summer months to train. Doctors thought kids would need a break. This idea isn’t given much medical credit these days, but back in the 19th century, it was believed medically unsound for students to be confined to a classroom year-round.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
July 4th, 2016
Dear Customers,
We have completed two out of our four scheduled firewood deliveries and our goal is to complete another 5 before the end of August. We will complete the remainder during our Thanksgiving and Winter breaks. Please let us know if you would like to place an order.
We let the lambs outside for the first time since they were born in February. They were very confused and all stuck together baaing as they slowly began to figure things out. Somehow, they found themselves in the chicken coop.
Fun Fact: Only two people actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4: John Hancock and Charles Thomson, secretary of Congress. Most of the others signed on August 2.
A More Fun Fact: The Fourth of July is known for many eating competitions. Some of the craziest include: 141 hard boiled eggs in 8 minutes, 141 nigiri sushi in 6 minutes, 70 hot dogs in 10 minutes, 121 twinkies in 6 minutes and 72 cupcakes in 6 minutes.
Thanks,
Harry Hawkes and Lauren Hawkes
March 13th, 2016
Dear Customers,
We hope you enjoy the brighter nights that are ahead due to the time change.
This weekend we collected over 5 ricks of wood from a fallen beach tree. Although the wood was difficult to move, it was well worth it, as beach trees are one of the best for burning.
The lambs are continuing to do well and we gave them their scheduled shots that they receive at 21 and 35 days. They are beginning to eat solid food and many are looking strong and should perform well at fair.
Fun Fact: Most areas of the United States observe daylight saving time(DST), the exceptions being Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation, which does observe daylight saving time),[1] Hawaii,[2] and the overseas territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
February 28th, 2016
Dear Customers,
We hope you are enjoying the amazing weather as much as we are. It makes feeding the sheep much more enjoyable.
The lambs have been very active recently. They have a lot of energy and have been letting it out by jumping in circles, often in small groups.
Five lambs were born this week, 3 of which were triplets. Sadly, there were complications because of their small size and their mother’s difficult delivery. One did survive, and we are now bottle feeding him. You may find him up in the garage, when you come to get eggs. If he isn’t there, however, this doesn’t mean that he has passed, it just means that he is down at the barn with his mother.
Fun Fact: It takes the Earth approximately 365.242189 days – or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds – to circle once around the Sun. This is called a tropical year. Without an extra day on February 29 nearly every four years, we would lose almost six hours every year. After only 100 years, our calendar would be off by approximately 24 days.
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes
thehillhousefarm.com
January 10, 2016
Dear Customers,
We would like to tell you about our garage greeters today: Boots, Melody and Bikini. These audacious cats never shy away from greeting customers or attempting to sneak into their cars for a ride around town. Our cat Coco delivered these three cats five summers ago. It turned into a huge ordeal when we thought she ate one of them, but it ended up being a mouse that she had coughed up (very confusing situation).
Bikini, or as we would like to say, "The Panther", is all black with white markings in the form of a bikini. Although a dangerous predator, who hunts chipmunks and mice, he is always ready for a nice hug and definitely has the highest pitched meow in the family! Melody, our beautiful "snow leopard" can be reserved, but once you pull out your camera, she turns into a super model. Boots is our baby. You will ALWAYS find her in the garage waiting for food or a nice belly rub.
So next time you see Boots, Melody or Bikini, please say hello!!
Thanks,
Harry and Lauren Hawkes