Being Self-Sufficient | Spruce Hill Homestead

Beginner Preparedness Vol2: GO Bag Basics

A GO bag is an essential item in preparedness, and a great place to start your preparedness journey. If you need to evacuate your home quickly, this bag can be an essential part of getting out safely and with the basic items you will need to be away from home for a short period of time. The GO bag is not intended to give you all the comforts of home, just some basics to make you more comfortable or safer if you need to be away. We evacuated our home several years ago during the Black Forest Fire. At that time, I felt fairly prepared to do what I needed to do to get out. We had hours to prepare, so I was even able to grab more non-essential items, like family photographs and other memorabilia. We can talk about being prepared with those later, but for now will focus on getting out FAST.

Continue reading “Beginner Preparedness Vol2: GO Bag Basics” »

Prepping the Barn for Winter

Here in Colorado, we have vast swings in temperature this time of year. It’s October and we have already had snow. We have had freezing nights. But, yesterday, it was over eighty degrees. Winter barn prep takes on a whole new meaning when you are sweating your boots off one day and freezing the next! The good news is that this also means we can have days when it is still nice enough to get out there and get the barn prepped.

For me, the very first priority is animal comfort and health. Here at Sawdust, we mostly have horses since we live in an area where other types of livestock are not permitted (yes, we can’t wait until the day when we are in a new place and can increase our little herd!). But, I still prep the barn like a farm girl-old habits die hard. Here are some steps to making your barn a comfy, safe, and reliable haven for the winter months. Continue reading “Prepping the Barn for Winter” »

Teaching Our Kids About Agriculture

Our world has changed. We now see children who have no idea where their food comes from, how it is grown, or how it gets cultivated. For me, as the daughter of a farmer, this is a truly sad fact. Our children, and their children, still need to feed themselves every day, but we have not armed them with the tools to understand agriculture and what it brings to our tables. When they are asked where food comes from, and the majority of them answer “The grocery store.”…we have a BIG problem. Continue reading “Teaching Our Kids About Agriculture” »

Beginner Preparedness: Where to Start

It’s a cold, windy day here in Colorado. As I sit here in my warm home, with the fire going, my mind is turning to all the events throughout the world where warmth, protection, and even food are not a guarantee. I’m a bit of a stocker, a trait learned from my mother in part and from her mother before her as well. We tend to stock up, plan ahead, and have what we would need in the case that we could not access stores or other luxuries. Friends joke that I am a prepper…but that’s not entirely true. We plan for things, yes, but not so much for the “end of the world” scenarios that preppers are known for.

Planning for preparedness isn’t hard. In fact, you probably have many of the tools in your home right now. But, in the case of a natural disaster, regional event, or even an illness…it will pay off. Here are the first steps to begin being prepared. Continue reading “Beginner Preparedness: Where to Start” »