December 15th Happy Birthday Newsletter
Dear friends,
Putting it right out there ... today is my birthday. Not a particularly big milestone, although at this age every birthday still standing is special!
To celebrate, and after the ibuprofen has kicked in and great breakfast, we have a "BIG DAY" planned. As it is "my day," Cyndi looks forward to quality time organizing the barns, separating the ewes for lambing, and more firewood efforts! Who hoo : )
To celebrate my coming of this current awesome age ... eggs are 2 for 1 this week. Yes, the roads are now clear, just ignore the road closure signs. For the next week or so they are still for sale in the tractor barn accessed via Terra Bella (15-007). Just look for the American flag and eggs for sale sign. We left the light on for you!
Fun fact: My "official" name until college was Tad. Having a father named Harry, my mom found having two Harry's in the house confusing, and growing up in Southern Illinois, my mother was a huge fan of Abraham Lincoln. If you see a photo of Abraham Lincoln with a young boy at his feet, it was usually Tad. More on Tad: Thomas "Tad" Lincoln III (April 4, 1853 – July 15, 1871) was the fourth and youngest son of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. The nickname "Tad" was given to him by his father, who observed that he had a large head and was "as wiggly as a tadpole" when he was a baby. Lincoln was known to be impulsive and unrestrained, and he did not attend school during his father's lifetime. He had free run of the White House, and there are stories of him interrupting presidential meetings, collecting animals, and charging visitors to see his father.
Hope you also have a special day!
Harry (Tad)
Happy Thanksgiving 2019
Dear friends,
Happy Thanksgiving. I wish you and yours the most wonderful of today's blessings.
At Hill House farm, we again have much to be thankful for this year.
Jessica Ayala in El Salvador, her drive and determination to earn a degree and improve other’s lives reminding us of what is most important in life
23 laying chickens bartered for a gallon of maple syrup, from which we traded a jar of syrup for 2 more guinea hens and a bouquet of hydrangeas
35 peeps and 25 keets from Meyer Hatchery delivered through the post office, receiving the call and opening the box remains a thrill
17 lambs born, 3 saved from hypothermia and 1 leg straightened … Amazon for providing the delivery “hot” box and hairdryer
Ah, our favorite, the road project, 240 days of extra time for contemplation and to experience the beauty of Hunting Valley
The 3 horses, 5 goats, 1 cat, Aimee, Jon and daughters Lucy and Neve who brought extra energy and fun to the farm
Our beloved friends Clyde the sheep and Ella and Sarah the goats who will forever hold a special place in our hearts
5 4H students winning at the Summit, Medina and Geauga County Fairs while learning important life lessons
Uncle Joe, our 98 year-old role model for a life well-lived through a strong work ethic and love of nature
12 loads of compost to complete the cycle of life and renew and invigorate many beautiful gardens
The estimated 8,395 eggs loving laid, cleaned, purchased and used to make over 4,000 breakfasts
25 guinea hens providing an endless source of entertainment and exotic backdrop for the farm
135 Hill House Farm friends, your visits, notes, inspiration and support make this all possible
The “silver lining” 250 loads of soil from our road project to fill a collapsing ravine ...
... and 34 long, large hardwood firewood tree logs left by Van Curren Tree Service
The 20+ geese that often join our own Lucky Duck each day to keep her company
Joe Pikor for his counsel, sheep expertise, bountiful hay and friendship
30+ ricks of firewood sold to keep many of you warm and snugly
The miracle surprise Fall lamb enjoying the cool Fall pastures
13,750 worms purchased from Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm
24 laying hens sold to fellow poultry farmers
Lauren and Harry, I am so proud of you
Cyndi, my love and heart of it all !
Happy Thanksgiving,
Harry
Sunday Newsletter
Dear friends,
Yes, I have been remiss in sending our newsletter. Even my sister reminded me of my delinquency, which as you can expect, was especially painful
We have been busy, I promise. In addition to doing a terrible job of keeping up with the rapidly falling leaves, we completed 8 more firewood deliveries and already split 6 ricks for next year. We have 5 deliveries remaining, with 2 unsold ricks. Please place your order now! My goal is to split another 9 ricks prior to Thanksgiving and the remaining 12 during Christmas, when my business partners, Lauren and Harry, will be home to help split and stack!
Egg production and sales have been brisk. With the guineas and chickens laying at near-full capacity, you cannot buy enough eggs. If you have us over for dinner, you will receive a free dozen! And if it is a good dinner, I will return with some locally produced, 100% real maple syrup, which continues to receive rave reviews.
Raymond the rooster found a home with Ray the carpenter and his family of 6 in Middlefield. Raymond is enjoying his new home and 12 female coop mates We also sold 6 hens. We could sell another 4 hens if someone is interested.
The surprise lamb continues to thrive and enjoys his time grazing and running in the pasture. And the two 6-month old goats are now fully acclimated to their new home and 2 human owners, who seem to visit the farm much more frequently now.
All of the animals are thoroughly enjoying their time outside in the cooler, dry weather!
Today's fun fact has little to do with farming, but was a funny reminder of our school-hood days and promises of an impending switch to the metric system.
On October 27th, 1921, a senate committee advised that the United States change to the metric system of weights and measures as it was used by 37 countries against the Imperial weights and measure system used in just 12 countries . At the time, "the US was the only major international country to have not adopted the metric system!" So much for progress
Hope you have a great week!
Your friend,
Harry
Sunday Newsletter
Dear friends,
This will be a quick one ... Browns kickoff in 20 minutes
We are still selling firewood, great stuff with rave reviews! $150 per rick, delivered and stacked
Lots of eggs for sale but one batch of birds can now be purchased for chicken soup if you would enjoy a culinary challenge. So until the new ones "come on line," production will be down slightly.
I also have 6-10 new chickens for sale @ $17 per chicken. They should start laying almost any day now
The 5 week old lamb is doing great and enjoyed the outside this week and made new friends in the pasture. You can see his video via my Instagram post (@harryhawkesjr, yes I have 74 very select followers)
Two new goats joined the herd after losing our good friend Ella. Their names are Trixie and Lacey (possibly changing to Pixie). They are 5 months only and quite small as dwarfs. I think they would be excellent for goat yoga if anyone wants to give it a try. See below with their human friends.
We have a new product to sell in the fridge, fresh, locally produced maple syrup from Stoney Brook Farm. It looks excellent and we will try it out soon with our traditional Sunday pancake breakfast.
Fun Fact: Maple syrup is made from sugar maple, red maple or black maple trees. The trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Maple syrup was first used by the indigenous people of North America. Quebec produces 70% of the world's output.
Hope you have a wonderful end to this Indian summer and start to the fall (and the Browns win!!)
Best for now,
Harry
Labor Day Newsletter
Dear friends,
Happy Birthday Uncle Joe! Joe turned 98 at the end of August and we visited to celebrate. Unlike most 98 year old birthday parties, we delivered a load of firewood, purchased a case and a half of peppers, picked a huge bag of honey crisp apples, checked out the rest of his garden, as he dispensed helpful advice, and visited with the chickens. We never had time to enjoy the chocolate chip cookies my sister Allison made! Below is a beautiful picture of Cyndi with Uncle Joe, in his favorite place, outside enjoying his garden and orchard.
Lauren has been home the past couple weeks and the fair was high on her "bucket list" for vacation. We enjoyed 2 days visiting the fairgrounds, watching the 4Hers compete with 2 of our lambs and checking out the other animals and enjoying food that should only be eaten at a fair. After learning draft horses eat 20 pounds of grain and a full bale of hay a day, we decided against bringing home a new percheron. The goats were much more appealing.
Kelly and Jack showed our lambs and did wonderfully while having fun with their projects. Kelly won her showmanship class and they earned $1000 and $700 respectively at auction.
Otherwise on the farm, the new lamb is growing rapidly, "Elvis, the ram, is in the house," doing his job, 3 ewes were sent in for AI this year to further improve the herd gene pool, we continue to take firewood orders and will likely start delivering compost as the leaves begin to turn. Egg production remains strong and there are 12 new jars of Uncle Joe peppers still for sale.
Fun facts (compliments of Aunt Dee Dee): Today is the 125 anniversary of celebrating Labor Day as a national holiday. Labor Day was a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers and is a tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country. The first celebration was in New York City where 10,000 citizens marched for labor rights. At the time, the average American worked 12 hours a day, six days a week. It was not until 1916, with the passing of the Adamson Act, that our modern 8-hour work day was established.
We hope you enjoy (not work) the rest of this Labor Day!
Harry
August 11th Sunday Newsletter
Dear friends,
Yes we are still in business despite our lack of marketing, the road construction and a summer break from the rain. Given our lapse in communication, this will be an action-packed update
First, we had a miracle lamb born last Thursday. Ewe #155 was loaned to another farm to be a surrogate (after having two of her own lambs) and while there she must have been exposed to a ram. Poof! Fall lamb surprise. The 10-pound ram lamb is doing great and ready for visitors.
Second, our lambs have been doing wonderful at the local fairs! We had the Grand Champion Market Lamb at the Summit County Fair and the first place class winner and final drive at the Medina county fair (90 lambs and 25 in our class). Congrats to the 4H students showing the lambs and thank you to Joe Pikor (Grand River Hay and Livestock) for his counsel and renting his ram "Elvis" to breed. The Great Geauga County Fair will be over labor day weekend with 4H events Thursday prior. Stop by, it is awesome!
Third, the Guinea fowl are doing extremely well in the barn and we are really, really, really ready to reduce the decibel level of the farm and deliver many of them to Tony this week!
Fourth, WE HAVE A TON OF EGGS! We are offering a summer sale of $4 per dozen. Until the construction is done, I am happy to deliver any amount around our area. Please let me know when I can drop them off.
Fifth, firewood sales are kicking off in earnest this month. Lauren and Harry will be home the next few weeks for delivery help. Please let me know when you can take delivery. There may be a small price increase starting in September
Fun fact: We had two winners for the puzzle contest. I guess I am one of the few who like puzzles because I know it was not that hard. The answer was from Mark Twain:
Father's Day Newsletter
Dear friends,
Well, not surprisingly, it is raining. And it is expected to rain 12 of the next 13 days. Soon an ark will be floating down County Line. But, of course, the road construction will stop the ark, and it will have to turn around and navigate some treacherous detour back to Fairmount. Sadly, this image represents our current situation for Hill House Farm!
But it is Father's Day, and I have much for which to be thankful, having been the beneficiary of 10 father's in my life. First and foremost, my father Harry Sr., who gave me my start in life, an alliterative name and my better personal qualities ; ), 2 amazing grandfathers from whom I have great memories, 2 wonderful step-fathers (Connie and Jack) who cared deeply for our family, 3 father figures (Mr. McKay, Jack and Big C) who helped raise me after my father's passing, Father Tom, from who I continue to learn life lessons and of course, my amazing father-in-law Rudy, the father of my incredible wife Cyndi and a great role model for how to live life right. And now I have the challenge of passing this accumulated, combined wisdom onto Lauren and Harry III.
So to celebrate Father's Day, take advantage of the rainy weather, adapt to our changing road conditions, pay homage to the ark, sell a lot more eggs (yes the production is at an all-time high) and share one of my favorite quotes from an American legend, please ... 1) complete the following puzzle and receive a free dozen eggs (first 10 entries) or 2) order two or more dozen and I will deliver the eggs to you (this offer stands until the road construction is completed). Best of luck!
Have a wonderful Father's Day!
Harry Jr.
June 3rd "Sunday" Newsletter
Dear friends,
Thank you for your patience for the late newsletter. Needless to say, the rain, renovations and typical Spring explosion of growth are wreaking havoc on our ability to catch up on the farm. Not even early mornings and lengthy to do lists are helping us (me) keep up ...
Fortunately, slowly but surely we are making progress. Harry and great friends were home for a week and Lauren is arriving soon for a few days, providing timely help and expertise.
First and foremost, the most fun update involves the new peeps and keets (young guinea fowl). They are all doing wonderful and growing rapidly. I now understand at least one major difference between the two ... keets can really FLY! While chicken peeps sadly flap their wings and hop into the air thinking they are flying, the keets truly take off and catch air. Closing the door at entry is now even more important as it is abundantly clear the keets look forward to escaping. LMK if you want to visit and see what Cyndi fondly describes as our little gremlins.
Next major update! We moved the egg and pepper sales to the tractor barn next door. Due to some renovations in the garage, we thought it best to move the frig to a safer spot. Please drive into 15-007 County Line drive (Terra Bella, next door) and look for the tractor barn on your right. The horses will be on your left. There is a yellow egg for sale sign and American flag hanging and ... "I left the light on for you" to show the way. Oh, and lest I not forget, the chickens are now laying a lot of eggs!! Please buy some
This week we delivered more firewood. Please let us know if you would like a delivery. I am excited to sell more to free room for next year's splitting and sales
Otherwise, the sheep are doing well (but very dirty), lambs are growing quickly, the duck is happy and visited every day by the geese and the cats will soon be missing their beloved, heated garage
Fun Fact: This Saturday and Sunday Jason Mraz is performing with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra at Severance Hall. The shows sold out months ago, will be his first ever performance with an orchestra and are going to be amazing!! I have a couple extra tickets available if interested. In addition to being a great singer-songwriter, Jason also owns his own farm selling avocados and fancy chocolate!
Have a wonderful week ! It is sure to be an exciting, busy one !!
Harry
Quick Peep Order
Dear friends,
The guinea fowl keets are doing very well, are really loud and extremely quick. I have decided to raise some chicken peeps with them to try and "domesticate" them a little more to keep them around the farm. Photo attached !
Please let me know if you would like us to raise some chickens for you. They will cost $17 each in 4-5 months after maturity. I plan to buy a mix of white, brown and blue/green layers
I will be placing the order Wednesday morning
Thanks,
Harry
Happy Mother's Day
Dear HHF friends, and especially the mom's
“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”
Abraham Lincoln
From Hill House Farm Moms to You,
Happy Mother's Day
Sunday Newsletter
Dear friends,
Exciting news! The first pullet (brown) egg arrived April 22nd in the afternoon (below photo). The young pullets are still a little slow out of the gate, however, we did collect 6 eggs last week and anticipate a lot more very soon. Sandra was the winner, earning her first place prize of 2 dozen eggs and a jar of Uncle Joe peppers. Congratulations !!
Farm activity centered around completing compost deliveries in time for planting, cleaning coops, working the garden and fertilizing the pastures to keep up with the hungry sheep, alpacas and llama. Next Sunday the sheep will be shorn for the summer. We would really like to complete more firewood deliveries, please email if interested
The geese and ducks are enjoying the spring as they pair up and wander off together. A wonderful pair of wood ducks can be seen on occasion and we hope they will stay and nest
Early in the morning last week, a carpenter working next door spotted a weasel running in the ravine. Surprisingly, he called the weasel by making a squeaking sound. The little guy ran up to within 3 feet of Ray before scurrying back to the woods. I am not sure who was more scared
In 10 days, 25 guinea hens will arrive via the post office. I have an order for 15 and plan to keep 10. Keeping them close will be a challenge as they love to roam away. Every night we will be feeding them white millet by hand to train them to stay close, starting the first night. We will be looking for volunteers to help
Fun Fact: The Guinea fowl belong to the Numida family – they are related to pheasants, turkeys and other game fowl. The Romans brought them back from their African campaigns and tried to domesticate them. They were semi-successful in this venture, raising them on farms. The home of the Guinea fowl is Africa where they run wild in large flocks.
The Guinea is about the size of a large chicken and when fully grown will weigh around 4lb. Head and neck area is bare skin, which helps to regulate temperature. The coloration of the skin is a combination of blue, red and black hues, giving it a somewhat clownish appearance.
Guineas are highly social with their own kind; where one goes, they all go. If one gets lost it will call out until the flock comes to find it. Since they are semi-domesticated at best, it is not unusual to find them roosting in trees, or other high places come dusk.
Guinea fowl are seasonal layers between March/April to September/October. On average a hen will lay around 100 eggs per season. Their eggs are smaller than chicken eggs and are very hard shelled. The eggs are light brown and speckled and are also very rich eating.
Guineas aren’t fussy about where they lay an egg, anywhere they happen to be will do. However, when they decide to make a nest, one will be hard pressed to find it! They prefer woods, long grass – anything that will hide them from predators. The male will stand guard for the hen and watch for danger during the daylight hours. Often Guineas are ‘communal’ layers; all laying in one nest until there are sufficient eggs, 50 is not unheard of! The hens can be communal brooders too, taking turns in nest sitting.
Guineas are great entertainment to watch as they patrol the yard chattering away all the time. They also make great alarm callers – anything that is new or out of place will elicit the alarm; which can be annoying or reassuring depending on the outlook!
We hope you have a wonderful week
Harry, Lauren and Harry
Easter and Passover Newsletter
Wishing you joy and many blessings
this Easter and Passover and throughout the year
Your friends at Hill House Farm
Snowy March 31st Newsletter
Friends,
Great to live in Cleveland! If you are reading this from your phone in bed, you may want to look outside (or not). Two day's from Opening Day, and we have 3" of fresh snow, and yes it is still coming down. What the heck !
We had a productive week on the farm. Despite the weather, the chickens are laying quite well and we are selling another 12 new laying hens this week, thanks to a very loyal and a new customer adding to their existing flocks. We are a short time away from an abundance of eggs with the 30+ new hens coming on line soon. We will sell their smaller, new pullet eggs for half price when they start arriving.
We are having our own Tourney Pool. If you guess the day of the first egg from our chickens born December 10th, you will win 2 free dozen and a jar of Uncle Joe Peppers delivered ! Please email me your entries: Date and time (morning or night). The tie breaker will be color (white, brown or blue / green)
Compost deliveries continue to go smoothly, except for the now broken tailgate on the truck. Please let me know if you have an extra dump truck you want to sell. For the time being, we are sold out of compost until I finish this wave of deliveries and determine what we have left.
Lambs are completely weaned and we shipped 5 this week for 4-H members from Summit and Medina Counties.
We sold 4 ricks of firewood this past week and have a goal of selling another 6 over the next month. Please let me know if you want to stock up for snowy days ahead (hopefully 8 months from now)!!
Fun fact: The 2007 Cleveland Indians home opener "Snow put a halt – and then some – to the Cleveland Indians' April 6, 2007 home opener against the Seattle Mariners as the teams made it to the top of the fifth inning before the game was called. The grounds crew, using snow blowers and brooms, spent more time on the field than the players during nearly three hours of stoppages, according to ESPN. Games the next two days were also postponed by snow, so the Indians moved their next home series versus the Angels to Milwaukee’s Miller Park, which has a retractable roof."
Go Tribe !!
Harry
First Day of Spring !!
Dear friends,
First day of Spring!!
After a relatively mild winter, it still feels great to see the sun, warmer temperatures and snow drop flowers breaking through the soil.
As always, busy times at Hill House Farm. After 8 weeks since the last born lamb, the weaning process started Monday with the usual cacophony of cries throughout the barn. Fortunately for the ewes, they will be outside soon enjoying the growing pastures and in another 1-2 months the lambs will also be out of the barn. We already sold 4 lambs to 4-H members and hope to sell a few more for The Great Geauga County Fair.
We started selling the next round of laying hens, with 1 more delivery in early April. Due to some shifting of orders, we have 10 extra birds if you would like to purchase chickens to start or add to your own flock. They are now 14 weeks old and should will laying in 1-2 months. Laying hens are $15 each. Please let me know if you would like to buy some !! We have a great mix of Buff Orpington, Welsummer, Barred Rock, Easter Egger, Rhode Island Red and Austra White hens. Of course, eggs and peppers are in the fridge for sale
We start compost deliveries this week and added another 4,500 Composting worms and European night crawlers to the latest bin to start doing their job. They eat nearly their own body weight each day and double their population every 90 days. Please let me know if would like compost and I'll add you to the waiting list.
Lots of focus on firewood as we complete splitting of the dead logs for next season. We have wood split 1 year ago ready for sale now !! I would like to move it out asap to make room for the 36 logs kindly left by Dave VanCuren of VanCuren Tree Service who recently cleared County Line to prepare for a new road. Please let me know if you would like to buy firewood. All orders placed and delivered before June 1st will avoid any potential price increases. Currently firewood costs $150 a rick delivered and stacked. We also have a "woodsman special" running on wood that is too thin, short or old to sell with our premium firewood. It is $20 a pick up load and $60 if delivered and stacked.
Unfortunately we lost our old wether sheep named Clyde last week. He was 11 years old and part of our first crop of lambs. Despite his age, arthritis and blindness, he never missed a meal and was very hardy in all weather. He and the early days of Hill House Farm will always be remembered with great fondness. My first entry into our farm journal says it all about our adventures. Despite our aspirations for a farm and Cyndi growing up on 150 acres, we were truly clueless!
Today we moved into the new house. Cyndi is unpacking boxes and the mover mentions sheep are loose in the front yard. I am not even to the house yet. After several attempts to lure them in with fish food, we give up for the night. The next morning they are still there and slightly more comfortable with us. We continue to feed fish food for two more days ...still they stay in the front yard. Sunday morning I go out to feed them again hoping to lure them back. With the family watching from the window, they begin backing up 15 yards and ramming each other, initially we thought they were enjoying themselves, we were wrong. With 7 rams and 5 ewes, it was a bar fight all day long during the start of breeding season. After a short while, they relent and I open the gate, spread fish food on the ground and they enter. I close the gate and return to the house a hero. Our first victory.
Fun fact: The astronomical first day of Spring starts at 5:58 PM at exactly the same time around the world when the length of the day is nearly equal in all parts of the world and when the tilt of the earth is zero relative to the sun
Thank you for your support and wishing you a great Spring !!
February 24th Sunday Newsletter
Dear friends,
The lambs are all progressing nicely. Many are feeding side-by-side with their moms at the feed trough and their growth has been astounding. At 5-6 weeks, up to 50% of their food intake is from feed and hay vs. their mother's milk.
Likewise, the chickens are also laying quite well and we have 5 dozen eggs in the fridge. Thank you for your amazing response to the Valentine's Day Newsletter. Your notes and buying of 12 dozen eggs in 2 days was wonderful. In 9 weeks, when another 30 hens are of age, our production should double to triple!
And as always, firewood splitting continues with 3 more ricks this weekend. With the widening of County Line Road, we should have plenty of wood for the next couple years ... and many more bikers. Interestingly, all trees must be cut down by April 1 to protect the Indiana bat!
Now onto compost, an amazing addition to your horticulture activities. Hill House Farm compost sits for up to 4 years, now in our specially designed and built compositing bays. Many refer to compost as "black gold." We have big piles and turning and loading is much easier with the concrete pad and skid steer. We also purchase thousands of red wiggler and European night-crawler worms each cycle to improve the compost quality. The final product has no smell and resembles potting soil. If there is a clump, inevitably it is filled with the worms doing their job and can be easily turned into the soil. Compost costs $80 for a truck load. Think of how much happiness that can bring to your garden and yard with even more beautiful flowers and an overflowing dinner table. My only request is that you have a strategy for quickly getting it to the designated spot as having it sit on the drive for 4 months could make a mess. The best time for delivery is anytime you can spread it. You can just lay it on top or turn it into the soil when planting. Please email me your order request ASAP (including smaller deliveries)!!
Fun facts: Compost can be used many ways:
- Bulbs: Sprinkle over newly planted bulbs and add water
- New shrubs, trees and plants: Mix compost with removed soil and refill hole with plant
- Existing shrubs, trees and plants: Side dress around the stems
- Gardens: Put a thick layer onto beds and turn in before planting seeds or plants, this also works when replanting crops such as lettuce and bean patches later in the summer
- Lawns: Use for bare patches with seed and can be spread across the entire yard if you can screen the compost first
Hope you have a wonderful week. Spring will be here soon so BE READY !!
Harry
Valentines Newsletter
Friends,
Valentines day is tomorrow ... and we are here to help! Hill House Farm is all about Valentines Day
Fresh eggs for romantic omelette au jambon et au fromage breakfast in bed and Chocolate Souffle or Crème brûlée desserts
Uncle Joe's peppers to spice up your mealtime adventures
Seasoned firewood for relaxing next to a warm, glowing fire
And of course, a gift of compost made with "Uncle Jim's" worms for growing beautiful summer bouquets
And if that does not work, Cyndi (our Valentines Birthday Girl!!) can help you at Juicy Lucy
So please stop by !
Fun facts:
Valentines day started with the Romans with two theories. Either the day derives from when the Roman Emperor Claudius II was trying to bolster his army, he forbade young men to marry. St. Valentine defied the ban and performed secret marriages. For his disobedience, Valentine was executed on February 14th. Or from Lupercalia, a raucous Roman festival on February 15th where men stripped naked and spanked young maidens in the hopes of upping their fertility
Passing out Valentines is a 600-year-old tradition. The oldest record of a valentine was a poem Charles Duke of Orleans wrote to his wife when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415
144 million greeting cards are exchanged for Valentine's Day in the U.S. alone
Candy hearts were originally medical lozenges. In 1847, Boston pharmacist Oliver Chase invented a machine that simplified the lozenge production process, resulting in the first candy-making machine. 15 years after the creation of Necco wafers, Daniel Chase's brother, Oliver Chase, developed a way to press words onto the candy lozenges with a felt roller pad and vegetable food coloring. the candies officially became heart-shaped in 1902
Americans spent nearly $20 Billion in 2018 for Valentine's day
43% of millennials chose Valentine's Day as their top choice of day to propose or be proposed to
Thank you for supporting Valentines Day with Hill House Farm
Lambing Newsletter
Dear friends,
As advertised, lambing commenced on Monday the 14th, keeping us very busy ... and tired! Of 9 ewes bred in August, 8 deliveries produced 17 lambs, maintaining our 2+ lamb / ewe average. We are hopeful the final ewe will deliver in 10 days as she was likely "covered" in the second cycle. In the meantime, she is really enjoying the extra grain and second-cutting hay, so she may be ushered outside for a week-long fitness program to maintain her weight. The group was very nocturnal this year, with ~80% of the lambs born at 4:30 AM on average.
Fortunately, my best helper, Lauren returned home from Boston to assist!! As always her experience, instincts and compassion were invaluable to make the right call on how to handle each situation.
Over the frigid, blizzard weekend, we felt like a combination of the "4077 MASH" performing triage and Sir Admiral Byrd's team discovering the South Pole. The favorite farm implements were an amazon delivery box and Cyndi's hairdryer to warm 3 hypothermic lambs. An amazing process if you can stomach watching and are patient. The three lucky recipients of our best medical care are thriving in the much warmer garage, which of course is now flooding with the rain!! In total, due to a set of triplets and other issues, we have 7 voracious bottle feeders.
Unfortunately, the past 10 days was also painful as we lost two lambs, one stillborn and the other never quite right from the start. With two losses, we are below the average mortality rate of 15% for another year, fingers crossed for keeping them well through weaning.
Thank you to the many helpers who stopped by to lend a hand !
Lastly, the chickens have the best situation in this cold weather thanks to my fellow farmer Tony P. who donated a heater for their coop. As a result, production is up!! Please let us know if you would like eggs.
Fun fact: Lambs are born during the winter for various reasons. 1) Sheep are seasonal breeders, meaning that their ‘estrus cycle’, the time period when they are receptive to mate’ is determined by photo-period or length of the day/night. Sheep are short day/long night breeders meaning they breed late summer/early fall and consequently their lambs are born in the winter and spring. 2) During the winter, the pasture that sheep normally eat is dormant. This means that the sheep are primarily feeding on hay and grain which is most often kept down at a barn, where it is also safer to lamb and when the farmer is around more often to monitor birth and take care of lambs. 3) Winter lambing also corresponds with the market demands for sheep products ... think Easter lamb !
Have a good rest of your week !
Harry, Lauren and Harry
January 10th "Sunday" Newsletter
Dear friends,
If sending a Sunday Newsletter on a Thursday is any indication of a hectic time on the farm, holiday haze or just old age, you would be right ... Oh, and Happy New Year !
As you may have noticed in the last note, we now have horses in one of the barns. Actually, one horse named Miles and two ponies (Midnight and Bo Jangles). They are joined by 3 goats (Ella, Coco and Sarah) as well as Mr. Zacharias a new barn cat. They are often joined by their human friend Aimee and her two 10 year old twin daughters.
Preparing for their arrivals has been fun but busy: adding new fencing, creating a turnout area, installing cabinets and shelving, moving manure, hanging a plethora of horse paraphernalia and clearing the pasture.
In addition, we are ready for lambing season !! Due to the miracle of modern farming, we expect lambs to be born starting Monday of next week.Last year, they were born exactly on the right day, so we expect a frenetic few days with 16-19 lambs being born. Fortunately, Lauren is returning home to help on Wednesday and I am hopeful several of you can assist with the likely bottle feeding needs. If you, or someone in your family, would like to see a lamb be born, please email me your cell number. After ~150 lambs (and 2 children) I still enjoy watching the miracle of birth
The chickens are more productive as they completed their molt and are in the better coop with a timed light giving more "daylight." So text me if you want eggs and I'll put your name on a carton, or just stop by. There are 4 dozen in the garage (next to the peppers !!!)
We delivered Uncle Joe's 23 chickens and have 6 dominique / barred rock pullets (females) for sale. They are 13 weeks old and will start laying in 3-7 weeks. They cost $15 each and will lay wonderful big brown eggs. I need to sell them to make room for the lambs. I also need to relocate an extra rooster for a few weeks if you have a good home
Lastly (assuming you hung in this long) we are preparing a lot of firewood for next year and will be taking orders soon
Most importantly, due to your generous support, we are again paying for Jessicka Ayala's tuition to attend the University of El Salvador, where she is studying Political Science and International Relations. She is doing well in college and some day hopes to work in an embassy. If you are interested in supporting a student, please contact Jodie Bowers at Saint Dominic.
Fun fact: A pony is a small horse. The ancestors of most modern ponies developed small stature because they lived on the margins of livable horse habitat. These smaller animals were domesticated and bred for various purposes: driving and freight transport, as children's mounts, for recreational riding, and later as competitors and performers in their own right. During the Industrial Revolution, particularly in Great Britain, a significant number were used as pit ponies, hauling loads of coal in the mines. Ponies are generally considered intelligent and friendly. They are sometimes also described as stubborn or cunning.
Your friends,
Harry, Lauren and Harry
