Dear friends,
Wishing for peace on earth, hope in your heart, love in your life ... and a pony in your stocking
Happy Holidays from Hill House Farm
A Newsletter for Thanksgiving
Dear friends,
For this day of Thanksgiving and reflection, Hill House Farm and I have much for which to be thankful ...
* * * * *
96-year old Uncle Joe who is always and forever will be a great friend, mentor and role model for living life
17 visitors interested enough in new life to brave the cold and snow to experience lambing season
1 special young woman in El Salvador working hard to make a positive difference in the world
5 eager 4-H members showing 7 HHF lambs at the Great Geauga County Fair
1 newborn lamb lost to remind us of how difficult but special life can be
1 stud Hampshire ram soon to have many new progeny this January
99 friends who read these musings and support Hill House Farm
2 bottle-fed, hungry young lambs to entertain guests of all ages
52 ingots and 30 yards of cement for 4 new composting bays
1 peacock who for 8 weeks added exotic beauty to the farm
10 goslings, 1 fawn and many, many barn swallow chicks
245 bales of hay and 50 bales of straw in the barn loft
5 days of lambing season spent with my best helper
4 cases of peppers lovingly prepared by Uncle Joe
12,000 pieces of firewood cut, split and stacked
55 chickens that laid over 6,600 delicious eggs
2 Peruvian llama and alpaca shearers
19 ricks of firewood sold this year
7 ewes who raised 14 lambs
8,750 composting worms
2 marvelous children ...
... and 1 amazing wife
Supporting this wonderful journey
Happy Thanksgiving from Hill House Farm
Harry
Columbus Day Newsletter
Dear Friends,
We have been busy on the farm the past few weeks, preparing for the winter and enjoying some (sometimes) cooler weather. Soon the leaves will dominate our lives
We received the start of hay deliveries Friday, unfortunately, the weather channel miscalculated and it started to lightly drizzle on some of the bales remaining on the truck. It must have been comical watching the bales fly into the barn as we attempted to keep them dry to avoid wet bales and the associated issues that can include having bales catch on fire
We sold some sheep and will be consolidating the flocks this week, greatly simplifying our lives and in preparation for lambing that should start January 16th, 2019
Firewood sales are nearly complete, 6 ricks remain for delivery and we may have an extra rick remaining for sale, please let us know if you would like to be on the waiting list. Compost sales also started and should be completed later this month. If you are interested in a truckload of compost let me know. With our new compost pad, we can deliver even during these wet days
The chickens went on strike a few days, apparently the hot weather this summer caused issues for everyone. But the pace picked up slightly and we have good supply. Please encourage the chickens by buying eggs (and Uncle Joe's peppers)
I purchased 25 peeps to raise for Uncle Joe. They will be arriving this week via the post office and should be fun to watch and hold if you want to stop by and check them out
Fun facts: The menu for Spanish seamen consisted of water, vinegar, wine, olive oil, molasses, cheese, honey, raisins, rice, garlic, almonds, sea biscuits (hardtack), dry legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, beans, salted and barreled sardines, anchovies, dry salt cod and pickled or salted meats (beef and pork), salted flour. Fortunately, they also caught and ate fresh fish
Have a great October
Harry, Lauren and Harry
Labor Day
Dear friends,
Very busy at Hill House Farm the past few weeks !
We started firewood sales, completing 6 full rick and 3 half rick deliveries. In addition, we already cut and stacked enough "round" wood for next year. We have 8 full rick deliveries remaining and two more ricks to sell, please let us know if you are interested!!
Our rental ram (photo below) came to visit August 22nd. He was quickly introduced to the ewes and with success, lambs will be born starting January 16th, 2019. Through the miracle of modern medicine, all of the births should occur over 3-4 days, thankfully simplifying the lambing season. Last year, he produced an impressive crop of 15, with 7 of his progeny participating in The Great Geauga County Fair. The 4H members won many ribbons while having a great time showing their projects. If you are free today or Labor Day, go to the fair, it is a great time!
We picked up 4 new cases of fresh Uncle Joe Hot Peppers. Our beloved, favorite nonagenarian shared his secrets for making the special treats with Lauren filming his story. When you pick up peppers, take home some eggs. They are great together on salads
The new compost / manure pad is working away with 5,000 new worms added to speed the process. See the little ones in action via instragram account harryhawkesjr
Fun fact: At the base of the sheep brain is the pineal gland, which starts producing the hormone called melatonin as soon as it gets dark, and ceases production when dawn breaks. When the days get shorter in the autumn, sufficient melatonin is produced to initiate the start of breeding cycles in the ewe. It is not simply the day length which is important, but also whether the day length is steadily declining. Lastly, most breeding occurs at night so the cooler the weather the better for the ram !
Hope you enjoy the rest of your long, holiday weekend
Your friends,
Harry, Lauren and Harry
Wimbledon and World Cup
Dear friends,
Big day for sports fans ! Wimbledon just started and the World cup finals begin at 11am with France vs. Croatia. And of course, the Tour de France completed Stage 9 today so it is a particularly big day for France.
Although not as exciting, work continues at the farm as we clear the woods of dead trees for firewood and pines for chipping.
Thank you for a great response to firewood sales. As of now, we sold 13 of 18 ricks so only 5 remain. As a reminder, a rick is 4 feet by 8 feet and we also sell half ricks. Please place your order asap
In addition, we are down to 7 jars for Uncle Joe's 2017 hot peppers, so pick them up soon before we sell out !
Lastly, my predictions of selling out the eggs was ill-founded and after scaring away some customers, we have ample inventory ...
Fun Fact: Croatia is not the smallest country, population wise, to ever compete in a World Cup final at 4.1million people. That honor goes to Uruguay, who won the 1930 and 1950 World Cup finals. Uruguay currently has a population of 3.4 million people, and if we go back to 1930, they were estimated to just have 1.7 million people living there back then. Today, Croatia is 1.3% of the US population and the US did not even qualify to compete.
Passe une bonne semaine !
Your friends,
Harry, Lauren and Harry
Happy July 4th !
Dear Customers,
Happy 4th of July !
Last week, two Peruvian shearers came to our house to give the llama and our two alpacas much needed haircuts. Below are some photos (I apologize for any technical issues)
If you want eggs, please email / text us because we are selling out more frequently. Thank you for your great support and loyalty. And remember to grab some peppers. They are awesome!!
This week we are pouring a cement pad for the manure / compost production. This will allow us to make more deliveries throughout the year and with much greater ease. It will also give us more room if we are able to find boarders for the horse barn. Please let us know if you have any friends looking to board a horse !
We will also begin firewood deliveries in August. Please email us if you would like some firewood. The heat is doing a wonderful job of seasoning the wood.
If you are interested, Lauren put together a list of organizations who are working towards uniting detained immigrant workers with their families and providing support to their children. If you are interested, you can click on the organizations to donate.
HOLA Ohio- a Northeast Ohio Latino organization working to reunite detained workers with their families.
RAICES- provides legal services to immigrant children, families and refugees in Texas.
ACLU- consider reading these posts to learn more about immigrant rights and detention centers
We wish you all a fun and safe 4th of July !
Your friends,
Harry, Lauren and Harry
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June 3rd, 2018
Dear friends,
We hope everyone is enjoying our fantastic weather. Summer has finally arrived as well as some wonderful traditions
This week we found:
A newborn fawn nestled at the base of a large oak, bleating for its mom (who did return)
A turtle laying eggs by the garden
A new set of 4 goslings born by the pond, now roaming the property
Several occupied barn swallow nests
Piles of weeds and ground hogs under the barn : (
But our favorite tradition was the running of the sheep to their summer pasture after shearing. Avery Swift joined Lauren and Harry for this annual ritual that was more eventful than planned with several nearly escaping out to County Line. If I was more technologically adept, I would send the video ...
We also have great egg production and the hens are outside quite a bit giving the eggs even greater flavor. Please stop by and pick up some
Go CAVS !
Harry, Lauren and Harry
Happy Mother's Day
Dear Friends,
Celebrating moms everywhere,
in our homes and in our hearts
Happy Mother's Day
Harry, Lauren and Harry
April 22nd, 2018
Dear friends,
Lots of updates this week !!
Eggs ... yes we are still selling eggs and they are awesome with Uncle Joe's peppers! Despite selling out last weekend, we have excellent inventory now available in the garage fridge. It is a beautiful day and a wonderful excuse to visit Hill House Farm and avoid your yard-work ! Stop by and say hello
We sold 4 lambs for 4H the past 2 weeks. You will be able to see them compete Labor Day weekend at The Great Geauga County Fair. Thursday is 4H day and Saturday is Open Class. Last year one of the HHF lambs won a market lamb weight class and we hope they do even better this year. I highly recommend the fair for anyone who has not already attended. It is a great (hence the name) experience, engenders many nostalgic memories of simpler times and is one of the few places you can buy a corn-dog
After some late donations, "Little" Harry was able to raise over $2,000 for the Lehigh bench-press competition to support Puppies Behind Bars. He personally lifted 170 pounds 18 times. I think we need a new nickname. The winner was a 170 pound competitive power lifter who completed 29 reps
The last piece of firewood is put away until August deliveries and for next year
Super Fun Fact: Contemporary Youth Orchestra is proud to announce this year's Rock The Orchestra concert, featuring the legendary Kenny Loggins at Severance May 21st for one night only ! There is also a special Meet and Greet with Kenny May 18th.
Kenny Loggins is a two-time Grammy winning artist who has created iconic songs featured in some of your favorite movies...from Top Gun to Footloose to Caddyshack, he's provided the soundtrack for an entire generation. Now you can see him perform his hits with the CYO 115-piece orchestra, and hear his songs as you've never heard them before. Tickets are available now at the Severance Hall box office and online at the CYO site.
Hoping you enjoy the show and our wonderful weather
Your friends,
Harry, Lauren and Harry
April 1st, 2018 Easter
Happy Easter and beginning of Spring !
With the (slightly) warming temperatures, activity has been heating up quite a bit at the farm. Over the past 8 weeks, we enjoyed the challenge of delivering 15 lambs, having many special visitors to see the young ones (including during birth) and bottle feed them, and now, the lambs are starting the weaning process. As you can imagine, the barn is quite loud with plaintive cries and considerable consternation. Each day will improve, and soon they will be outdoors running in the pastures !!
In addition, we are wrapping up our firewood preparation for next season and beyond. In total, we will split over 30 ricks, for an estimated 12,000 pieces of firewood.
And of course, the chickens ... the stars of the show ! They produce nearly 3 dozen eggs a day of many wonderful colors. Better yet, as they venture outside, their yolks will become orange and they will taste even better. Thank you for your outstanding support and helping us sell-out every week.
Easter Fun Facts: The giving of eggs is considered a symbol of rebirth in many cultures. Easter gets its name from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess who symbolizes the hare and the eggs. The Easter bunny originated in Germany in the 16th century. For some, eggs were dyed to represent the blood of Jesus Christ. Easter is second in candy holidays sales only to Halloween. And for the most disturbing facts ... Americans eat more than 600 million marshmallow peeps and 16 million jelly beans during Easter ! And my favorite, in the US, 90 million chocolate bunnies are produced with 59% of the people eating the ears first.
We hope you all enjoy this wonderful Holiday time and the days ahead.
Please let us know if you would like to visit.
Your fiends,
Harry, Lauren and Harry
February 25th, 2018
Dear friends,
We had another great week on the farm, capped off with a spectacular Sunday afternoon. We hope you can spend time outdoors the next couple days.
The lambs are growing very quickly. For the first three weeks, they averaged gaining nearly 1 pound per day. Since most ewes have two lambs, they are eating amazing amounts of grain and hay, and always seem to be hungry. Our two bottle-feeders have migrated from the garage back to the barn. They have adapted quite well, especially when they have experienced visitors like the Swift family feed them (see below) !
And yes, the chickens are laying a ton of eggs !! Please buy a lot and often. They make great gifts. I am happy to drop them off if we are not on your errand route. Just shoot me a text (216-533-0820). We have a sophisticated inventory system to ensure their freshness. Also if you have extra cartons, from any source, please feel free to drop them off for reuse.
Fun fact: The yolk of an egg is not a baby chicken but rather the high protein food that will help a chicken embryo grow into a chick inside the egg.
Have a great week !
Harry, Lauren and Harry
February 11, 2018
Dear friends,
I apologize for being a week late recapping our lambing this year, however, as expected, last weekend was quite crazy.
Through Sunday we had 14 births from 6 ewes and the final ewe looked as through it was going to deliver a basketball team. Well, we went into extra innings (mixing metaphors) and Tuesday afternoon the final ewe delivered a very large lamb at 14.2 pounds. 15 total !!
We enjoyed our many guests who experienced the magic first hand. Please let us know if you would like to stop by for a visit.
All in all, we had a very successful first week with 14 healthy lambs and only two bottle feeders. Unfortunately, as often happens, one triplet did not survive birth. Below are some pictures of my best helper Lauren with our star bottle feeder (a triplet born at 6 pounds) as well as "Valentine," named for his rich dark chocolate coat.
Speaking of Valentines day and chocolate, nothing says I love you like a cheese and mushroom omelet made with our eggs. Please come buy your eggs while supplies last ! And at the same time, you can visit with our two bottle feeders in the garage.
Fun fact: 141 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. Consumers will spend nearly $20 billion on valentines day gifts and nearly 6 million couples will get engaged.
Enjoy your week !
Your friends,
Harry, Lauren and Harry
January 28th, 2018
Dear Customers,
Life is getting more exciting on the farm after a quiet winter thus far !
First and foremost, we have a lot of eggs for sale. With the longer days and 37 new chickens starting to lay, we are collecting 2 dozen eggs per day. I know many of you were disappointed the past few months as the laying declined, but our problems have been solved.
We are now very much back in the egg business!! If you would like a dozen please stop by asap. To reserve your eggs, you can always respond to me via this email and I will put your name on a carton(s). In addition to the regular eggs, we have smaller ones from the young birds for sale at $3 per dozen. Our best customers say they are even richer in taste, having a higher percentage of yolk. Also, if you purchase 2 dozen or more, I will drop them off at your house !
When you pick up your eggs, please remember we have many jars of Uncle Joe's peppers for sale
Next weekend we expect 15 lambs to be born. My best helper, Lauren, will be returning from Boston to assist with the many deliveries. If you are interested in observing a live birth or bottle feeding a young lamb, please stop by. For those of you new to farm animal births, you will be amazed to watch the lambs be born and stand within 1-2 minutes and start feeding from their mom. Twins are also very typical, with a few sets of triplets each year.
Fun fact: Raw whole eggs stored in a refrigerator (35 -40 degrees f) will last 4-5 weeks beyond the pack date
We hope to see many of you soon !
Your friends,
Harry, Lauren and Harry
Happy New Year
Happy New Year, from our family to yours!
We wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2018!!
Your Friends,
Harry and Lauren
Hill House Farm
