December 6, 2015

Dear Customers,

As the holiday season begins, we want to thank you for your dedication to Hill House Farm and your generosity towards supporting Jessicka through college.  We are grateful to you all. 

We thought that you might want to be aware of two efforts of the Educational Scholarship for Students of Chiltiupán (ESSOC) program at St. Dominic Church in Shaker Heights. Through ESSOC, we were matched with Jessicka to sponsor her through college and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences.  If you are interested in contributing to the following, please let us know!

1. Jessicka's sister, Yanci is heading to college and has applied to be in the ESSOC program. We wanted to let you know that if you are interested, this would be a wonderful opportunity to support an incredibly intelligent and hard working student. It costs $1,200 annually for tuition and you would remain in contact with Yanci throughout the year. You can find more information here: http://www.stdominicchurch.net/essoc.

2. ESSOC is looking for gently used computers to donate to college students in the program. If you have any that you would like to give, please let us know!

Fun Fact: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created by an advertising employee at Montgomery Ward when the story was written in 1939 for a store promotion. The store gave away 2.4 million copies of the story that year and it has been part of American popular culture ever since. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

thehillhousefarm.com

November 29, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Hopefully everyone had a fun Thanksgiving and enjoyed time with their family and friends. 

We delivered our last two ricks of wood for this year over the break! With the shelter now empty, we can begin to split previously collected wood and stack it to dry. 

The production for eggs slowed down this week. We currently have two dozen, if you would like some please let us know. 

There is one remaining frozen chicken for sale.

Fun Fact: The oft-repeated turkey myth about its napping power stems from the fact that turkey contains the amino acid tryptophan, which forms the basis of brain chemicals that make people tired. But turkey isn't any more sleep-inducing than other foods. In fact, consuming large amounts of carbohydrates and alcohol may be the real cause of a post-Thanksgiving-meal snooze, experts say.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes
thehillhousefarm.com

November 22, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Although there was 3.25 inches of snow locally, the competition was for the first inch of snowfall at Hopkins Airport, which has received no snow. Many of the contestants guessed too early, so if your date remains you stand a good chance of winning!

We have received many recent inquiries about firewood.  Unfortunately, we are officially sold out of all wood for this season.  We completed two more deliveries this weekend and will finish the remaining orders over Thanksgiving.  

As a reminder, we are still taking orders for laying hens. 

Fun Fact: Although Thanksgiving is widely considered an American holiday, it is also celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Harry and Lauren Hawkes 

November 15, 2015

Dear Customers, 

We successfully reengineered the barn for a better lambing season. There will now be more room for the ewes, it will be easier to spot the lambs, we have automatic waterers, and we can feed them much faster. 

We delivered two more firewood loads this week, leaving us with only 4 more for the year! 

In addition to improving the sheep area, we now have a permanent area for raising chickens.  As a result, we will be placing orders for more laying hens that we will raise for 4 months.  If you would like to place an order for a particular breed or egg color, please let us know. 

Fun Fact: "University" is a shortening of the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium or “a community of masters and scholars."

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

November 1, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Hope you enjoyed the extra hour of sleep last night. 

Through the help of friends we were able to obtain another 2 truckloads of firewood, preparing us for the next 2 years.

We are having a new competition. The person who can guess the date of the first official inch of snow (at Hopkins Airport) will win a dozen eggs and a jar of peppers. Please respond with your guess.

Hint: Cleveland’s average first day of snow is November 11th. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

October 25, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Fall is certainly here with the cold, crisp air and leaves quickly leaving the trees.

This week was relatively uneventful for the business, excluding wood deliveries and cutting down two trees that nearly destroyed a garage.   

In preparation for Halloween next weekend, our fun fact is covering the topic of the Salem witch trials. 

Fun Fact: When Linnda Caporael began nosing into the Salem witch trials as a college student in the early 1970s, she had no idea that a common grain fungus might be responsible for the terrible events of 1692. Caporael, now a behavioral psychologist at New York’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, soon noticed a link between the strange symptoms reported by Salem’s accusers, chiefly eight young women, and the hallucinogenic effects of drugs like LSD. LSD is a derivative of ergot, a fungus that affects rye grain. Ergotism — ergot poisoning — had indeed been implicated in other outbreaks of bizarre behavior, such as the one that afflicted the small French town of Pont-Saint-Esprit in 1951  Toxicologists now know that eating ergot-contaminated food can lead to a convulsive disorder characterized by violent muscle spasms, vomiting, delusions, hallucinations, crawling sensations on the skin, and a host of other symptoms — all of which, Linnda Caporael noted, are present in the records of the Salem witchcraft trials.

Thank you, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

October 18, 2015

Dear Customers, 

The chickens had a resurgence in their production, as a result, we have a few dozen eggs available, please let us know if you would like them.

We would like to thank Davis and Addie Klimek, from our 4-H group, for donating their fair winnings to El Salvador. 

We'd also like to thank John Caputo and Liz and Joel Sheer for donating trees. Because of them we already have a lot of wood for next year. 

Fun Fact: All firewood contains water. Freshly cut wood can be up to 45% water, while well-seasoned firewood generally has a 20–25% moisture content. Well-seasoned firewood is easier to start, produces more heat, and burns cleaner.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes 

October 11, 2015

Dear Customers, 

The beautiful weather allowed us to go out and collect more firewood.  We hope you also enjoyed time outside!

Due to the ash borer beetles, we have many dead ash trees, fortunately, ash is very good for burning and is even better then cherry.

We were able to make 3 deliveries this week, allowing us to fully empty out one of the shelter’s compartments so we can begin to fill in new wood for next year.  

Fun Fact: According to legend, the wider the middle brown section is on a wooly bear caterpillar the milder the coming winter will be. Conversely, a narrow brown band is said to predict a harsh winter. Attached is a photo of a wooly bear we found recently.  If the legend is true, then this winter should be pretty mild. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

October 5, 2015

Dear Customers, 

It was a slow week, we continued to collect firewood for next year and are looking to begin deliveries again.  

The chickens have started to lay less eggs now that it is getting colder and the nights are longer. 

Fun Fact: If you live north of 54 degrees (including Ireland, England and Alaska) the nights are noticeably darker in winter than summer. This is because the sun goes much further below the horizon during the winter than during the summer, which means that in the summer "night" there is still light in the sky.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes
 

September 27, 2015

Dear Customers,

Hi, this is Lauren. 

ope Francis arrived in Philadelphia yesterday morning and my aunt and I witnessed the day's events! Pope Francis spoke at several venues around Philadelphia and discussed the importance of family, religious tolerance and immigration rights. Around 7:30pm, Pope Francis finally made his appearance on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and the crowd was so excited. We were lucky enough to stand very close to the street so that we were only a few feet away from him when he drove by in his popemobile! 

Today he is speaking to prisoners at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility and giving mass at the Parkway in front of the Art Museum.

Some interesting facts you may not know about Pope Francis:
-Pope Francis was a club bouncer in Argentina.
-Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis chose the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi because he was "a man of peace, a man of poverty, a man who loved and protected creation." 
-Pope Francis loves J.R.R. Tolkien and has referenced The Lord of the Rings in his sermon.
-He earned a degree in Chemistry from the University of Buenos Aires.
-Pope Francis speaks seven languages.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

September 20, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Within the next 8 weeks, we will be able to raise laying hens and guinea hens for customers. If you are interested, please let us know. 

With the cold weather approaching, we may have extra wood available. It will be sold on a first-come first-serve basis, so act fast!

Fun Fact: Farming began around 10,000 B.C. during the First Agricultural Revolution, when nomadic tribes began to farm. Additionally, this is when the eight so-called “founder crops” of agriculture appeared: 1) emmer wheat, 2) einkorn wheat, 3) hulled barley, 4) peas, 5) lentils, 6) bitter vetch, 7) chick peas, and 8) flax

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

September 13, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Recently, I have made updates to the Hill House Farm website including new newsletters. If you would like to see them please go to thehillhousefarm.com

We are still selling fully processed cornish cross chickens for only $15. Weighing in at over 6.5 pounds they are a great deal. 

Upon returning from the fair, the ram was reunited with the ewes, so we can expect lambs to be born as early as January 31st next year. Let’s hope that this winter is much warmer and less severe then last year’s frigid February. 

Fun Fact: There are currently 929,584,000 websites, but the number is growing fast at about 15,000 an hour. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

September 7, 2015

Dear Customers, 

We had a very successful weekend at the fair.  We brought 12 sheep and entered them into 22 categories across Thursday (4-H day) and Saturday (open class). We were able to bring home many trophies and first place ribbons. The sheep are now back home safe and sound.

We brought home 5 cases of peppers from Uncle Joe today. They are priced at $11 a jar.  Buy them soon, even though we bought 60 they sell very fast (we’ve already sold 6). 

Fun Fact: The most common job in the U.S. workforce is Retail Salesman at 4.6 million. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

August 30, 2015

Dear Customers, 

This week we were busy with fair activities, preparing for the upcoming week. We slick sheared the sheep, decorated the stalls and put up signs so you can find our sheep, and admire all of our ribbons.

Additionally, we continued to deliver more wood, we are trying to complete as many as possible before Lauren leaves us for college. 

This is the last chance to bid on Lauren’s chickens.  Please bid high and come visit us at the fair.  Saturday is our big day for the sheep and chicken auction.

Fun Fact: Some of the strangest fair foods include: deep fried beer, spaghetti ice cream, pulled pork parfait, and deep fried butter. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

August 24, 2015

Dear Customers,

On Saturday, September 5 at 2:30, Lauren will be auctioning her chickens at the Geauga County Fair in the Auction Tent. If you are interested in buying her chickens, please let us know! You can come bid yourself, or our parents can bid for you if you tell us the price you are willing to pay. Lauren is hoping for bids of $12/lb or greater.  

The money earned from this auction will go directly to Jessicka's college fund. 

Thank you for your many responses about the baby birds in the barn. Many of you had interesting guesses like the Bald Eagle, Bobolink, Brown Headed Cowgirl and our favorite, the very rare, Ohio Sweetheart bird. We had to double check because the entries were so adamant in their guesses. But the species is the Barn Swallow!

Furthermore, we wanted to inform you that this year we are raising the price of Uncle Joe's peppers to $11. Uncle Joe had to purchase some of his ingredients this year, so the expenses increased.  

We will be contacting some of you about wood deliveries next weekend. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

August 17, 2015

Dear Customers, 

We are hoping to make 3 wood deliveries this weekend. By getting your wood delivered earlier, you won’t be at threat to the fast approaching brisk 60 degree weather. 

With the fair advancing, Lauren will be auctioning off her chickens very soon. More details will be provided in next week’s newsletter. All of the money raised from the auction will go directly to Jessicka’s college tuition. 

Fun Fact: Over a quarter trillion dollars in assets are sold at auction every year in the U.S. This doesn’t include the millions of individuals who sell and buy their personal effects on eBay and other online sites.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes   

August 9, 2015

Dear Customers, 

We are now in full swing preparing for the fair. We will have to shear the sheep two times, first rough and then slick, and also clean them before fair. How well we perform these tasks can have a large impact on how the sheep perform at the show. In addition to this we have been walking them to prepare them for showmanship. 

We are now selling flowers for 8 dollars a handful. If you would like to purchase any, please let us know and we will cut them that day so they stay fresh. 

Recently, we have discovered many birds flying in the barn. See if you can guess what species is in the photo attached! 

Fun Fact: The fastest time to shear a single mature sheep is 39.31 seconds by Hilton Barrett (Australia) at the Wellington Show 2010 in Wellington, New South Wales, Australia, on 1 May 2010. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

August 4, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Sorry for the absence of newsletters, I was away at a marketing program, hopefully, I will be able to sell more eggs now. 

We are going to begin deliveries earlier this year. Our first delivery will be as soon as this Saturday afternoon. If you would like to sign up for any times please let us know. We still have a few ricks for sale.  Times are listed below:

Weekdays: 4:30pm - 8:00pm 

Saturday: 4:30pm - 8:00pm

Sunday: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Lauren will be auctioning her chickens off at the Geauga County Fair. If you would like to purchase them please let us know and we can provide you with the full details. Sadly, I will not be able to sell chickens because I missed a mandatory test due to the flu. 

Fun Fact: It is smart to place your order for wood now because snow can begin to fall in Ohio as early as October 2nd. 

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

July 20, 2015

Dear Customers, 

Hill House Farm will be adding something new to our list of products! Soon we will begin selling flowers. More information is on the way. 

Our chicks were delivered a couple weeks ago for the Geauga County Fair. We will be raising them until Labor Day weekend when they will be auctioned off. Many changes have been made because of the Avian Flu, and nothing is permanent so we will keep you updated. Regardless of what happens at the fair, we will still be selling a large amount of meat birds on our own for $20 a piece. A photo is attached. 

For the next two weeks Lauren and I will be out of town, so even though we will not be sending newsletters, eggs will still be for sale.

Fun Fact: Llamas have inherited fear of coyote, mountain lions and other dog-like animals. Some llamas are used as "guards" of the sheep because they quickly alert and protect the herd when they spot a predator.

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes

July 5, 2015

Dear Customers,

We hope you all enjoyed a nice Independence Day and fireworks!

We discovered this week that we will be able to sell chickens this year at fair.  We will be sending you a letter soon regarding buyers' details. 

Fun Fact: In 1996, firecrackers went off for 22 hours during Hong Kong's New Year's Day celebrations.  

Thanks, 

Harry and Lauren Hawkes