Animals | Spruce Hill Homestead

The Horses Prayer

When I was a little girl, I found a copy of this prayer, deep in the bottom of the tack box. I spent hours reading it…and knew it by heart. This prayer guided me, in my interactions with all the horses in my life…and with a lot of other animals, too. Today, I still think about this prayer in those moments when I am working in the barn. I wish I still had it, but it has been lost to time. I knew it was old, and its oldness held a special reverence for me. This words rang true when it was written, when I sat in the barn reading it, and still ring true today. I can still feel the paper in my hands…and my heart will always carry its words.

Learning Old Time Skills to Help Your Homestead

When many people think of homesteading, they picture a far off, rural, place where people live off-grid and only off the land. This is true for some people, but the vast majority of modern homesteaders are, in fact, living much like you. They may have an urban homestead, where they grow food in all their available spaces and source food locally. They may be suburban, with a little more space. They could be living off the grid, or they could have every modern amenity available to them. The truth is: Homesteading today looks very similar to everyone else’s life, but with an eye toward sustainability, self-sufficiency, and healthy living. Continue reading “Learning Old Time Skills to Help Your Homestead” »

The Go Bag for Household Pets

No disaster plan is complete until you also have a plan for your household pets. We have all heard stories about pets being left behind during evacuation or of people who could not leave because they did not have a plan for their pets. Having a plan in place and a GO bag packed is the first step to protecting your four-legged loved ones.

Our family has evacuated with pets. A wildfire left us in a hotel room with two huge labs, a turtle, and a gecko. It was a little crazy…but we were prepared with everything we needed to ride it out. Not having to worry about how to get all our beloved animals taken care of took a huge weight off our shoulders.

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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” »