Welcome to today's Survival Diary April 24.
Some days on the homestead are planned, and others?
They just change everything.
This past week, we welcomed an unexpected but incredibly meaningful addition to our farm—Beauty, a gentle horse with a painful past.
From the moment I saw her, head down, hesitant to trust, I knew she’d been through more than her share.
And in that moment, I felt a familiar ache.
Like me, she’s been hurt.
She’s learning how to trust again.
Bringing Beauty home isn’t just about expanding the homestead—it’s about healing, about second chances, for both of us.
Between bottle-feeding goats, wrangling chicks, and planting frost-damaged trees I rescued from the clearance rack at Lowe’s, I’ve been reflecting a lot on how this lifestyle continues to help me grow.
The land, the animals, the daily work—it all ties back to reclaiming what was taken and building a future I can be proud of, one small step at a time.
Welcoming Beauty: A Horse Surprise That Changed Everything
Life on the homestead is full of surprises.
Some are small—like a sudden hatch of chicks or a sale on fruit trees—and others?
They change everything.
This week brought one of those bigger surprises: a beautiful horse we’ve started calling Beauty.
She wasn’t planned.
But when I first saw her, the way she hung her head low, refusing to approach, I knew.
She had been mistreated.
She was scared, unsure, and probably wondering if she’d ever feel safe again.
I understood that feeling all too well.
Growing up, I knew what it meant to be afraid.
To feel unwanted, unwelcome.
To be punished, even when I’d done my best.
Sometimes, it felt like the world just wasn’t a safe place.
And when I looked into Beauty’s eyes, I saw that same familiar ache.
Bringing her here isn’t just about adding another animal to the homestead—it’s about giving her (and maybe me) a second chance.
Right now, she’s staying in a temporary boarding spot while we get her stall and fencing built.
It’s a work in progress, like so much of this homestead is.
But every board we hammer, every square foot of pasture we clear, is about more than infrastructure—it’s about creating a sanctuary.
For her.
For us.
Healing Through Animals and Hard Work
Somebody once told me, “Every time a human disappoints you, you get another animal.”
And I have to admit, there’s truth in that.
Animals don’t lie.
They don’t pretend.
They either trust you or they don’t, and you earn it every single day.
That’s why I was over the moon when I was finally able to clean Beauty’s front hooves.
It might sound small to someone else—but for me, it meant she was starting to believe this place was safe.
When I lost my babies all those years ago—twins just eight months old, and two little girls, three and four—I thought I’d never breathe again.
I was dealing with postpartum issues and a broken system.
And in my darkest moments, animals gave me something to care for.
Something that needed me.
Something I could pour love into.
Bringing Beauty home?
It’s not just about the homestead—it’s about healing.
Planting Hope
You know I’m always on the lookout for ways to stretch our budget.
So when Lowe’s had 75% off frost-damaged trees and shrubs, I loaded up the truck.
It’s not just about saving money.
There’s something symbolic about rescuing plants that others passed over.
They’re beaten up, left behind, but I see the potential.
Give them care, sunlight, and patience, and they’ll bloom again.
That’s a lot like me.
This week’s haul included a White Princess Peach, a Pink Dogwood, a Yoshino Cherry, and a Princeton Sentry Ginkgo—just to name a few.
We got them all planted that evening, and I can’t wait to see them come back to life.
It's part of my ongoing lesson: beauty doesn’t have to be perfect.
Sometimes, what’s battered can be the most resilient of all.
A Garden of New Life
We’re also expanding our goat herd in June, because Darla has been so generous with her milk, and it’s changing how I feed my family.
From homemade cheese and yogurt to soap and lotion, it’s empowering.
It’s healing.
Add to that a fresh wave of new chicks, ducklings, and turkeys I’m picking up from Kim this weekend—plus a litter of kittens born right near the wood stove—and the homestead is full of new life.
It’s loud, chaotic, and sometimes overwhelming, but it’s real.
It’s mine.
And it’s a life I’ve fought to build.
Sharing What I’ve Learned
We’re hoping to launch a series of instructional gardening videos on my website soon.
Teaching others how to garden, to grow their own food, to care for animals—it’s my way of passing on the knowledge I wish I had growing up.
Back then, food was used as a punishment or withheld altogether.
Now?
I grow it.
I raise it.
I control it.
And teaching others how to do the same feels like redemption.
If you’d like to support this effort, donations help us grow the platform and reach more people who need this kind of hands-on, practical knowledge.
From My Homestead to Yours
I didn’t choose this life because it was easy.
I chose it because it’s real.
Because it teaches me things I never learned as a child—things about patience, compassion, and building something from the ground up.
If you’re walking your own road of healing or learning to trust again, know this: you’re not alone.
And whether it’s planting a tree, caring for a goat, or bonding with a rescued horse, every step forward matters.
What’s something unexpected that’s brought healing into your life?
Let’s talk in the comments—I’d love to hear your story.
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