Providence Lane Homestead

Sheep grazing in a pasture early in the morning

A Greeting.

Ewe walking toward the camera

“Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough.” ~ George Washington Carver

Welcome to the Providence Lane Homestead Commons. I’m glad you’ve found your way here.

Once upon a time, a commons was land held collectively by everyday people — a place to gather, tend, live and grow together. It was the heart of community and shared sufficiency.

That idea guides what’s happening here. This website is my way to document a life unfolding on land and with sheep over time. It offers a window into my world: the work I do, the way I do it, and the other beings who bring their own energy, skills, and presence to bear.

You’ve Arrived

Choose a path or wander, both are absolutely welcome here.

  • Living
    • The why and the what — reflections, essays, and the thinking behind the work.
  • Tending
    • The how — grazing, animals, fibre, and day-to-day practice.
  • Keeping
    • The long view — archives, resources, and ideas worth returning to.
  • Gathering
    • How we meet — events, conversations, and places where our community comes together.
  • Connecting
    • Ways to get in touch, stay informed, or walk alongside.

Consider this the gate of the homestead — welcome! I invite you to walk down the lane and explore. Read about our days, special events, our flock of Border Leicester sheep, horses, and alpacas, and some of the wonderful people who come and go regularly. Go ahead, ask questions, respond to posts, and engage thoughtfully in conversation. As I move through the seasons, why don’t you come along with me? I’m more than happy to share the joys, heartaches, responsibilities, and learning that fill my days.

Spend some time with the flerd and I. See what we see, go where we go, do what we do. Join in the work and the practice of Providence Lane Homestead — it’s not a lifestyle; it’s a lifeway. A way of being shaped, from the ground up.

Join our Fibre Community!

Every month I send out a newsletter for our fibre friends. This is NOT a marketing effort, our newsletter is about building community, sharing homestead happenings and providing opportunities for gathering. Our newsletter community is the first place we share interviews with fascinating subject matter experts, longer-form articles on new developments in the Canadian woolscape and more!

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● Latest Articles
  • Winter With Better Lighting

    Winter With Better Lighting

    Counter-cultural opinion!! Spring Sucks. When the temperatures are bouncing all over the thermometer and the snow is pounding, how to keep all the newly-naked sheep…

  • Don’t You Trust Me?

    Don’t You Trust Me?

    Call them Sales Agreements or Sales Contracts, is it time to move past the “handshake deal”? What does paperwork have to do with livestock farming?…

  • When Bigger Isn’t Better

    When Bigger Isn’t Better

    Is bigger better? Is there a tipping point when it comes to scale? Are we asking the right questions? Let’s talk about the reality of…

  • The Story of the Q-Pen

    The Story of the Q-Pen

    Is quarantine always necessary? Quarantine was a process I built from the ground up and with some great advice. I didn’t think much about it,…

● About Me

I’m Tara, the shepherd and author behind this blog. A first-generation, non-knitting shepherd, I came to this life through land stewardship and a commitment to conservation. From the ground up.

● Explore the commons