Small Scale Life Podcast

This is Season 2, Episode 22 of the Small Scale Life Podcast, and today we are going to check back in and provide a healthy lifestyle progress report. I will be summarizing my work and progress, celebrating the wins and adjusting the plan to address the failures. I am not striving for perfection. After all, I am trying to move from a zero to a two, and then from a two to a four….all on my way to becoming an eight out of ten! Before we begin.... In case you are new to Small Scale Life, we are dedicated to intentional living through learning, doing and growing. We are focused on: • Gardening, • Healthy living, and • Having adventures along the way. Focus Areas and the Plan In Season 2, Episode 20 of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I discussed my four point plan for getting on track with developing a healthy lifestyle. The four main points of the plan are the following: Eating Real Food for every meal with emphasis on planning and preparation Getting great sleep every night with focusing on budgeting and using time wisely Getting mentally strong by journaling and podcasting Working out regularly I thought I would circle back in this episode and give you an update on how things are going. After all, it is all fine and good to talk about these things, but it helps to document the work and progress, celebrate the wins and adjust to address the failures. Let’s get into each point and go through them one-by-one and as part of this healthy lifestyle progress report. Eating Real Food for Every Meal -> Planning and Preparation • I am going to achieve this is by planning and preparing breakfast and lunch ahead of time. • For dinner, I will need to choose the right foods and eat enough to last until morning. This is one area that I need to continue to focus on moving forward. We did a great job planning dinners, but I need to work on breakfast and lunch. I think I was taking on a lot with my goals, so I am going to dial it back a bit. I am going to focus on lunch and reboot that meal. Breakfast at times gets sketchy (meaning sometimes I don’t eat at breakfast), but I do eat lunch most days. I am really going to focus on eating real food at lunch and cutting out any snacks. I am going to reread the Rebooted Body information on eating Real Food, and I am going to focus on lunches for the next week. Once I have that under control, I will work on other meals. My action item going forward is rereading the Rebooted Body information on eating Real Food, and I focusing on eat real food at lunches for the next week. Getting Great Sleep Every Night -> Budgeting and Using Time Wisely I have been keeping track of my sleep during the Rebooted Body Walk Challenge. Looking at the data, I have been getting a little over 7.5 hours of sleep per night. It helps when you have a device monitoring your sleep and the quality of sleep. I need to continue getting over 7 hours of quality sleep each night, and I need to get to bed earlier so I can get workouts completed before work. That is the sweet spot because: • We are usually too tired after a long day at work to workout • Our lives get busy after work and nights seem to get short • Days are getting shorter and it is getting dark earlier If I can adjust my schedule, I can get the workouts done early and have the evening to complete other tasks or hang out with my family and friends without guilt or regrets. My Sleep Action Item is going to bed earlier, getting up earlier and getting an average of 7 hours of sleep per night. Getting Mentally Strong ->Journaling and Podcasting I like listening to podcasts and audio books. I find it is a great way to get a lot of good information while I travel around for my job or do other projects like walking, canning or gardening. That said, there were a couple of podcasts that I was listening to that weren’t that great for various reasons, and I have gone ahead and dropped them. They were just adding to the noise. Instead, I have been using my Audible subscription to listen to a book by Greg McKeown called “Essentialism.” It is over six hours, and I am trying to really listen closely to this one and take some notes. I would like to complete a review of this one once I am complete. Also part of getting mentally strong was journaling. In the past, I found that it helps to write something daily because it helped me focus and write what I am thinking and feeling. Over the past week, I just didn’t start writing, so I need to get going on that this week My action item for this week is that I will journal 5 times over the next week. Working Out Regularly - >Planning, Developing Stronger Whys and Choosing to do the Work Over the past 11 days, I have been participating in the Rebooted Body 14-Day Walk Challenge. There were three categories for the Walk Challenge: • 1-mile per day • 3-miles per day • 5-miles per day I have been having some knee pain, so I decided to choose the 1-mile per day category. I figured if I could get at least a mile done a day, I

Yaaaarrrrrr! This is Captain Tom from the Small Scale Life! Time to walk the plank, maties! It's National Talk like a Pirate Day this week at Small Scale Life, and it's time to tell ye landlubbers a tale about the garden that will feed me crew. Yes, me maties, this is what ye call...a thing! Tis true that dead men tell no tales, but tis is a good one, eh? So, take a seat on yonder stool and grab a pint of grog as I give ye a fall garden update for the week. Yes, dear friends, National Talk like a Pirate Day was this week, and in case you missed it (for some reason), you are getting a little dose of fun here on Small Scale Life. I am posting a Fall Garden Update Podcast in addition to a couple of videos showing how the garden is doing this late in the season. Keep in mind that the first day of Fall is Friday, September 22, and at this point, we are watching the forecast for the first frost. I will have more Fall Garden Updates before the end of the season since there is plenty of gardening left before the snow flies! Fall Crops A few weeks ago, I pulled out and dusted off the seedling trays that had been shoved into a lonely corner of the North Minneapolis garage. Considering I am in Zone 4B and that our first frost could be as early as October 10th, I was planting a couple weeks late. There is a good chance that I would not get much from these plants, especially if we get an early frost. Regardless, I wanted to get some fall plants growing. I purposely selected quick-growing crops that could handle colder temperatures. I focused on lettuce, spinach, sugar snap peas and green beans. Using my existing seed trays and cells, I added dirt and then planted the seeds. In all, I loaded 144 cells with ProMix Potting Soil (a winner from the Potting Soil Challenge) and seeds. As an experiment, I also planted some sugar snap peas directly into Garden Bed West. I wanted to see how the seed trays germinated vs. direct sowing. After two weeks of growing, here is how the seeds germinated: • Lettuce - One of the three cells germinated well. The other two trays had little germination and will be reseeded if needed (late crop of lettuce). I am planning to put these plants in the wicking bed. • Spinach - Excellent germination in the one cell planted. I am planning to put these plants in the wicking bed. • Green Bush Beans - Excellent germination in the four cells planted. These will be planted in Garden Bed East. • Sugar Snap Peas (Tray) - Excellent germination in the 72 cell-tray. These will be planted in Garden Bed West and the wicking bed. Trellis systems need to be installed for these plants in both garden bed systems. • Sugar Snap Peas (Direct) - Mediocre germination; about have the seeds did not germinate. These plants are in Garden Bed West, and I need to trellis them. These plants need to be planted this week! The next Fall Garden Update will show how these plants are doing and what I used for a trellis system Square Foot Garden Bed West In Garden Bed West, I planted the following plants: • Burpee Hybrid Slicer Tomatoes • Burpee Early Treat Tomatoes • Red Bell Peppers • Chives I have already harvested tomatoes from both plants, and I thought I might not get much from either plant for the rest of the season. Lo and behold, I was wrong! We have had some tremendous bee activity in this bed due to the flowering chive plants, and the bees also hit both tomato plants. I have a bunch of new tomatoes growing! That makes me really happy! At one point this season, Julie told me that she felt sad that I wouldn't get any peppers this year. I actually chuckled at her and showed her the small peppers that were growing. In addition to those initial peppers, the Red Bell Pepper plants also benefitted from the bees working on the chive plants. I have a bunch of peppers coming, and I am waiting for them to get to the right size and turn red. One has to be patient with these pepper plants, but fortunately, I am a patient man. The chive plant is done flowering, but it is loaded with seeds. I will harvest those seeds and store them for future use. No need spreading chive plants all over these small gardens! If you are looking for chive seeds, send me a message through our Contact Us page, and we'll figure something out. Square Foot Garden Bed East Garden Bed East has more of a variety of plants (by design and by accident). I have the following plants growing in this bed: • Cherry Tomatoes • Green Bell Peppers • Compost "Cucumbers" • Compost Tomato Plants • Basil Plants The tomato plants are growing well. The cherry tomato plants are loaded with tomatoes, and the one Hybrid Slicer has a good sized tomato on it. The compost tomatoes are growing, but they will run out of season before they get too tall. I am not worried: they have buds on the plants. Given the bee activity in the garden, my fingers are crossed that we'll see some new tomatoes soon! The green peppers are bearing fruit, even though they are smaller

This is Season 2, Episode 20 of the Small Scale Life Podcast, and today I am fresh out of the pool and dusting off the microphone to record a healthy lifestyle podcast! (EDIT: This should have been posted last night, but the hotel internet was not cooperating with me. Oh well! Here we go!) It has been awhile since the last episode where I talked about my journey towards losing weight, getting fit and developing long lasting, healthy habits. I have intentionally not talked about this for various reasons, but it is time to lift the cone of silence and reboot, refresh and get things rolling again! Topics Discussed for Planning a Healthy Lifestyle During this episode, I discussed the following topics: Failure to Restart My Engine Potential for Success Focus Areas and The Plan Going Forward What's Next? Links for Planning a Healthy Lifestyle During the podcast, I discussed the following links: Restarting My Engine - HELP 9 Rebooted Body with Kevin Geary - HELP 7 Rebooted Body Website 14-Day Walk Challenge on the Rebooted Body Site Friends of Small Scale Life Small Scale Life Facebook Group – This group will get you a backstage pass and access to other members of the Small Scale Life Community. We will discuss gardening, healthy lifestyle, frugal living and having adventures along the way! This is also your chance to see what is coming up on Small Scale Life, see some content not shared on the blog, and ask questions of future guests. Join the Small Scale Life Facebook Group today! Aaron Clarey's Poor Richard's Retirement: Retirement for Everyday Americans Special thanks to Austin Quinn from Vlog Vibes for the closing music on the podcast. If you are looking for music for your video blog or podcast, check out Vlog Vibes on YouTube! Ways to Listen We have several options for you to listen to the Small Scale Life Podcast. You may listen in the following locations: iTunes Stitcher YouTube Player FM Subscribe and Rate on iTunes Please subscribe to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel! If you are a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel, please provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback. To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated). You can also write a longer review, though it is not necessary. Again, thank you for listening, subscribing and leaving your review!

Many people are looking for ways to ditch the commutes, stress, grind, cube farm life and endless meetings of the corporate world. We would rather develop intentional, self-sufficient and sustainable lives. Even though we want to be more self-sufficient, the reality is that we need to have money to pay the bills and squirrel money away for a rainy day. Starting your own small business is one way to escape the corporate world. I recently had Michael Jordan from A Bee Friendly Company on Small Scale Life to discuss the various business opportunities with beekeeping. As I learned in this conversation, beekeeping is a billion dollar business if done right! Who is Michael Jordan? Michael is a husband, father, teacher, bee whisperer and entrepreneur, and he is a MVP of beekeeping and award-winning mead maker. To find out more about Michael Jordan and how he got into mead and beekeeping, check out the following Small Scale Life episodes: Michael Jordan's Beekeeping Journey - Small Scale Life Season 2, Episode 16 Michael Jordan: Beekeeping Questions and Answers - Small Scale Life Season 2 Episode 18 Billion Dollar Show Topics In this episode, Michael Jordan and I discuss the following topics: Basic Beekeeping Costs and Revenue Getting Started Developing Skills Selling Packages Meads Honey Co-Ops Thinking Bigger Farmer's Markets Granola Companies Breweries Other Business Ideas Soaps Wax Meads Packages Using Resources Wisely Remember: [tweetthis]"The object is to do the job you love, but do it minimally so you can enjoy your life" - Michael Jordan[/tweetthis] Michael Jordan's Links Michael Jordan is a bee whisperer, mead-maker extraordinaire and a great teacher. If you want to learn more about beekeeping and mead-making, check out the following links: Permaethos Class on Beekeeping A Bee Friendly Company Facebook Page The Undergound Meadery Facebook Page - Must be over 21 years old Michael Jordan's YouTube Video Small Scale Life Podcast - Michael Jordan's Beekeeping Journey - S2E16 Small Scale Life Podcast - Michael Jordan Beekeeping Questions and Answers - S2E18 The Survival Podcast Expert Panel - Fridays on The Survival Podcast with Jack Spirko The Sample Hour Podcast - A special thank you to my friend Drew Sample for connecting me with Michael Jordan! Check out the Michael Jordan on The Sample Hour: Episode 119 - The Bee Whisperer - Michael Jordan Episode 125 - Hogtoberfest 2016 Episode 138 - Getting Started with Beekeeping - Michael Jordan Episode 151 - Spring Beekeeping - Michael Jordan Episode 152 - Spring Beekeeping Continued - Michael Jordan Special thanks to Austin Quinn from Vlog Vibes for the closing music on the podcast. If you are looking for music for your video blog or podcast, check out Vlog Vibes on YouTube! Friends of Small Scale Life Small Scale Life Facebook Group – This group will get you a backstage pass and access to other members of the Small Scale Life Community. We will discuss gardening, healthy lifestyle, frugal living and having adventures along the way! This is also your chance to see what is coming up on Small Scale Life, see some content not shared on the blog, and ask questions of future guests. Join the Small Scale Life Facebook Community today! Ways to Listen We have several options for you to listen to the Small Scale Life Podcast. You may listen in the following locations: iTunes Stitcher YouTube Subscribe and Rate on iTunes Please subscribe to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel! If you are a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel, please provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback. To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it is not necessary. Again, thank you for listening, subscribing and leaving your review!

I recently had Michael Jordan from A Bee Friendly Company on the Small Scale Life to discuss bees, beekeeping, small business and mead. Michael was kind enough to take beekeeping questions from the Small Scale Life audience and followers. Who is Michael Jordan? Michael is a husband, father, teacher, bee whisperer and entrepreneur, and he is a MVP of beekeeping and award-winning mead maker. Find out more about Michael Jordan and how he got into mead and beekeeping in Small Scale Life Season 2, Episode 16. Beekeeping Questions for Michael Jordan [caption id="attachment_2092" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Bees hard at work in the yard in St. Louis Park, MN in June 2017[/caption] The following beekeeping questions were asked from the Small Scale Life audience: From Jay in Virginia: What are the basic requirements in terms of money and space for starting a small bee operation? The “small bee operation” is defined as enough to serve the purposes of your homestead. Honey, maybe some to sell, pollination to encourage growth of vegetables and flowers. EDIT: Some of this question is answered in Small Scale Life Season 2, Episode 16, but Michael talks about this question some more in this episode. From Nikki in Wisconsin: Do you recommend for new beekeepers to have a mentor for the first year? From Danielle in Minnesota: What is your preferred bear exclusion fencing system? Do you have a brand and volts recommendation? EDIT: Michael had some REALLY interesting ideas for this! From Nikki in Wisconsin: I'm working in the school garden with elementary age kids. Can you give some resources for bee activities, worksheets or honey cooking that I can teach the kids. (I took a bee keeping class at the University of Minnesota, and I am working with a bee mentor that had about 12 hives up in northern Wisconsin. I love listening to MJ and he inspires me to be kind.) EDIT: See the link below for A Bee Friendly Company! From John in Wisconsin: What's his advice for helping a spouse and a child overcome their fear of bees? I'd love to start, but I can't due to their fear. From Captain Lumbersquatch Greg Burns in Ohio: What is MJ's favorite method for making splits? From Dustin in Ohio: You posted a picture of red honeycomb in a recent post on Facebook. What made it red? My question: You were recently out in Arizona, and you made a video about bees needing water. Can you tell the audience about that and give us some suggestions for providing water for bees? My question: Some of the audience won’t become beekeepers, yet they are concerned about the bees and have gardens that need pollination. What are some tips for attracting bees to your yard and gardens? Michael Jordan's Links [caption id="attachment_1984" align="aligncenter" width="754"] Live a little; love a lot! Learn to make meads from the Bee Whisperer. I can't wait to share a drink with this guy at Hogtoberfest 2017[/caption] Michael Jordan is a bee whisperer, mead-maker extraordinaire and a great teacher. If you want to learn more about beekeeping and mead-making, check out the following links: Permaethos Class on Beekeeping A Bee Friendly Company Facebook Page The Undergound Meadery Facebook Page - Must be over 21 years old Michael Jordan's YouTube Video Small Scale Life Podcast - Michael Jordan's Beekeeping Journey - S2E16 The Survival Podcast Expert Panel - Fridays on The Survival Podcast with Jack Spirko The Sample Hour Podcast - A special thank you to my friend Drew Sample for connecting me with Michael Jordan! Check out the Michael Jordan on The Sample Hour: Episode 119 - The Bee Whisperer - Michael Jordan Episode 125 - Hogtoberfest 2016 Episode 138 - Getting Started with Beekeeping - Michael Jordan Episode 151 - Spring Beekeeping - Michael Jordan Episode 152 - Spring Beekeeping Continued - Michael Jordan Special thanks to Austin Quinn from Vlog Vibes for the closing music on the podcast. If you are looking for music for your video blog or podcast, check out Vlog Vibes on YouTube! Friends of Small Scale Life Small Scale Life Facebook Group – This group will get you a backstage pass and access to other members of the Small Scale Life Community. We will discuss gardening, healthy lifestyle, frugal living and having adventures along the way! This is also your chance to see what is coming up on Small Scale Life, see some content not shared on the blog, and ask questions of future guests. Join the Small Scale Life Facebook Community today! Ways to Listen We have several options for you to listen to the Small Scale Life Podcast. You may listen in the following locations: iTunes Stitcher YouTube Subscribe and Rate on iTunes Please subscribe to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel! If you are a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel, please provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appre

Gratitude for Small Victories - S2E17 Welcome to August! Today in Season 2 Episode 17 of Small Scale Life, we are going to be talking about small victories, and I am truly grateful to have them. This is the first time since the end of June that I am posting up a new podcast. It was a CRAZY July, and we got a ton of work done. Between Danny’s birthday on the 4th and Julie’s birthday on the 24th, we packed up our house, moved out of the St. Louis Park house and moved in to the Minneapolis house. Since that chaos wasn’t enough, I then moved the podcast to a new hosting site and made big changes to the Small Scale Life Facebook Group. With all that stuff going on, it is time to take a minute, take a breath, take a look back at what happened last month and express my gratitude for the small victories that are indications that we are moving in the right direction! Podcast Show Notes [caption id="attachment_2080" align="aligncenter" width="960"] I didn't think the badly damaged cucumber plant would make it. Now I have to come up with Plan B so they can both grow! 8/2017[/caption] In this podcast, I discuss small victories in the following places: Rebranding Small Scale Life Garden - Peppers Adjustments to the Small Scale Life Facebook Group Changes to the Small Scale Life Podcast Going Forward Friends of Small Scale Life Small Scale Life Facebook Group – This group will get you a backstage pass and access to other members of the Small Scale Life Community. We will discuss gardening, healthy lifestyle, frugal living and having adventures along the way! This is also your chance to see what is coming up on Small Scale Life, see some content not shared on the blog, and ask questions of future guests. Join the Small Scale Life Facebook Group today and become an Insider. Ways to Listen We have several options for you to listen to the Small Scale Life Podcast. You may listen in the following locations: iTunes Stitcher YouTube Subscribe and Rate on iTunes Please subscribe to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel! If you are a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel, please provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback. To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it is not necessary. Again, thank you for listening, subscribing and leaving your review.

This is a great interview with Michael Jordan about his journey: from world traveler as part of the Army Corps of Engineers to traveling the world to learn about bees and becoming a beekeeping and mead-making expert while teaching others. It is amazing how life can send you in a new direction! I think one of the biggest take-aways from our conversation was this: If you find something you are interested in and really love, go on a journey. Discover and get into the details by learning from the experts. Dig deep. Once you have learned, share your knowledge with others. That really is the essence of Small Scale Life. We are all about learning new skills, practicing them and growing those skills, particularly as you share those skills with others. Thank you, Michael Jordan

LIVE FROM MINNEAPOLIS! This is the Small Scale Life Podcast, and I am your host Tom Domres. Since we are Livestreaming on YouTube, I would like to welcome all of our listeners and viewers there. Thank you for tuning in, and welcome to the show! Today, we are going to discuss one topic that hangs around like a bad skunk smell: debt. We haven’t done a show completely focused on debt before, but it folds right in with our Frugal Living focus here at Small Scale Life. A lot of us have debt, and you might be wondering how to get rid of it. Well, Julie and I have been working on our debt for a long time, and we took one big step closer to becoming debt free yesterday. It is REALLY exciting, so we are going to discuss that on Season 2, Episode 15 or the Small Scale Life Podcast! In case you are new to Small Scale Life, this is a blog and podcast dedicated to developing a sustainable life through • Gardening • Healthy Living • Frugal Living and • Having Adventures along the way! At Small Scale Life, we are always dedicated to learning, doing and growing. This podcast is brought to you by Small Scale Life Facebook Group and the Small Scale Gardening Facebook Group. We’ll hear about both of those groups later in the show. New Tech and Podcast Hosting As we start the show today, I wanted to let you all know that we are making some changes to the way the podcast is hosted and delivered to you. We are leaving the host Blubrry and going to a new host called Fireside. Why does this matter? Well, just to provide a peak behind the curtain, Blubrry and other hosting sites like Libsyn have a limit on the amount of material uploaded on their site per month. I paid a $20 fee, and I was able to upload 250 MB of shows onto their server. That’s a lot of data in a month! The trouble I was having was that hour-long shows are typically getting into the 100 MB range (using my current processing methods). That equates to two 1 hour shows and maybe a shorter show during the month on Blubrry. As we grow and improve our systems, I would like to do more interviews and other shows that might take more time. I needed a better solution. Fortunately, my coach Kevin Michael Geary was also bumping into issues with his Rebooted Body Podcast and Bite Sized Wellness Podcast. He decided to transfer everything to Fireside. He liked the service and analytics, so I decided to move over there as well! The good thing is that those first 6 episodes of the show that were orphaned on Soundcloud have been pulled over, as have the last 10 episodes. I will be pulling the rest over this week. Hopefully there will be no interruptions and this will be a smooth transition! Please let me know if you experience any problems listening to and downloading the podcast. On the Road Again This has been an incredibly busy and chaotic summer (once again)! I am hoping it slows down at some point, and Julie assures me that it will. We have been traveling over the past week again, and we had some really fun trips. I shouldn’t complain! Lake Mills, Wisconsin Julie, Ryan and I went down to Lake Mills, Wisconsin, for a graduation party, and it was great seeing the extended family down there. We reconnected with everyone, and I was able to schedule a family guy’s only event in late August. That should be a lot of fun. So, if you are part of our guy’s group, we will be camping on my land on the weekend of August 26-27. That should be a lot of fun. We stayed in a mom and pop-style resort in Lake Mills, and we had some time on Saturday to enjoy the beach and the lake. Staying at that resort really took me back to the Wa-Chee-Lah Resort my grandparent’s operated in Central Wisconsin near the Dells. There are no tvs; there is sketchy phone service. These places are great for relaxing and getting away from it all. The vintage cabins, the smells, the decoration…it brought me back to my childhood. The one drawback to the weekend came from swimming in the Lake. I got “The Itch.” I had welts on my skin that itched like crazy, and talking with my sister-in-law about her weekend in northern Wisconsin, my nieces and nephews got a case of that as well. It causes discomfort, and I will have more information on that. Winona, Minnesota Last Wednesday, Julie, Ryan and I traveled to Winona, Minnesota. He is going to attend Winona State University in August, so we had to make the journey to get him registered for school. Even with the rain, I have to say that the Winona State is a beautiful campus a few blocks west of the Mississippi River. We had a great, but very short, trip there. We are all excited that Ryan will start a new adventure there, and I know he will like the college. One of the presentations that really caught our attention was from the Financial Aid Office. They walked through all of the various pages on their website that dealt with costs and paying for school. It is stunning that a state school like Winona State University costs about $18,000 per year. That includes tuition, fees, l

The Land of 10000 Downloads – S2E14   Is the world on fire right now? It seems like everything is coming apart at the seams. After a busy couple weeks, I was feeling pretty down this morning. As I opened my computer, I saw something that REALLY brightened my day, and I have to share some great news with you. This is Season 2, Episode 14, and in this episode we are celebrating 10000 downloads of the Small Scale Life Podcast! It is a great way to kick off the weekend, and it is a great accomplishment. Special Thanks I have to thank so many great guests I have had over the past year and a half including Greg Burns, Drew Sample, Kevin Michael Geary, Scott Herbert, Todd Ehrhardt, Charles Hugh Smith, Khaled Majouji (The Plant Charmer), Travis Swanson, Bren Haas and of course my good friend Jay Dolan. I would also like to thank Austin Quinn at Vlog Vibes for creating some great tunes for the podcast. These folks are all part of this story and the development and growth of the podcast. Most of all, I have to thank all of you for listening and encouraging me to keep going. There are times when you are recording these episodes where you wonder if anyone is listening, if this is making any sense or if any of it matters. Looking at the analytics, answering questions and interacting with you, I know it is making a difference. As long as we are making a difference in someone’s life, we will keep going. The Next 10000 Downloads As I told someone once, I will change the world one garden and one person at a time! We might not be able to change things in City Hall, State Capitol, DC or some far off land, but we can start right in our backyards. Start small, keep going and keep pushing. Reaching 10000 downloads is a great achievement for me, and I can hardly wait to get to the next 10000 downloads. Let’s do this and continue to learn, do and grow together! Podcast Topics In this podcast, I discuss the following: On the Road Again Forestville-Mystery Cave State Park Kansas City Move Update 10000 Downloads – Past, Present and Future Special Update on a Great Future Guest Friends of Small Scale Life Join the Small Scale Life Facebook Community today! Small Scale Life Facebook Group – This group will get you a backstage pass and access to other members of the Small Scale Life Community. We will discuss gardening, healthy lifestyle, frugal living and having adventures along the way! This is also your chance to see what is coming up on Small Scale Life, see some content not shared on the blog, and ask questions of future guests If you like to garden, join the Small Scale Gardening Group! Small Scale Gardening Facebook Group – Share your gardening stories, questions and ideas with over 200 fellow gardeners! Join today! Subscribe and Rate on iTunes Please consider becoming a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel. Subscribers and ratings from listeners help us grow the podcast and the blog. As you know, people look at subscribers and reviews before they listen. Few subscribers and few reviews mean that no one cares to listen or rate the podcast. Please click subscribe, and you will get notices when a new podcast is available. If you provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback. To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review! Listen We have several options for you to listen to the Small Scale Life Podcast. You may listen in the following locations: iTunes Stitcher Blubrry YouTube   The post The Land of 10000 Downloads – S2E14 appeared first on Small Scale Life.

What is Square Foot Gardening? S2E13 Do you remember the days of old when your parents or grandparents had a garden in the backyard? Do you remember how the weeds used to pop up and eventually overwhelm the garden? Did you ever have to try to weed a garden like that (and how much you absolutely hated it)? What if you could create a garden that didn’t suffer from this weed problem? What if you could create an organized garden that maximizes your yield? This is exactly what Square Foot Gardening does for you! LIVE FROM KANSAS CITY! This is Season 2, Episode 13, and in this episode I talk about our experience with Square Foot Gardening and discuss the advantages of this gardening system. You don’t want to miss this one! This podcast is brought to you by Small Scale Life without any commercial interruptions! Instead, I wanted to give you an update of our lives before I start talking about Square Foot Gardening! May is Gone; Hello to June Things are progressing at the house. Julie and I are pushing forward to get us ready to move in mid-July. That means we have been following the teachings of The Minimalists and getting rid of things using the following criteria: Does it bring us joy? Will we use it at the future condo or compound? Can we replace it quickly and for less than $20? We have been donating things at the Goodwill and selling items on consignment and on e-bay. I can’t believe how much we have sold already! It has been pretty amazing, really. That money is being used to pay off some credit card debt and replenish our emergency fund. Strange Graduation Why would we need to replenish that, you might ask? Well, we recently had a number of activities and things going on that ended up being more expensive than we planned. Our son Ryan recently graduated from high school (YAY!), and we had a graduation party for him on Memorial Day Weekend. It went REALLY well! I mean it went well at the party. Graduation was a bit strange. Between the 5 valedictorians that spoke, the near riot that broke out and an award-winning alumni talking about cervical cancer and pap smears, it was the STRANGEST graduation ceremony I have ever attended. Yes, you did hear me correct: pap smears and riots at the graduation ceremony. Good grief. Â It makes a guy wonder what world we are living in these days? We had a great party, and we were blessed to have friends and family in town for it. We really enjoyed their company and all the fun we had with them! Selling or Renting Houses Life has gone back to normal, and we have settled into the new normal: work and get ready for the Management company to show the house. It seems that we have had a steady stream of showings, and we are all praying that someone rents it soon. Why, you ask? The simple answer is that getting the house, and the rooms of the young men that live with us, cleaned up does take its toll. The house needs to be ready for showings on a 24-hour notice. The same is true if you are looking for new renters or folks to buy your home. Once the home goes on the market for sale or for rent, it is no longer your home. Yes, you are paying the fees and the mortgage or rent, but it has become a model on the market. It needs to look AND smell good. No one wants to buy or rent a house that smells like: A locker room Pet smells Cigarettes Mildew/Molds or Other nasty smells Here is a pro-tip for you: make your house SMELL good. You can do this by using a Scensy wickless candle or even boiling a mixture of vanilla and water on the stove before the showing. Just make sure the smell from the Scensy wickless candle is pleasing and not overwhelming. Probably the most powerful smell is chocolate chip cookies. Ever notice how car dealers or home builders have chocolate chip cookies around? That smell sells! I know because the architects I hired in Chicago used freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies to sell houses. Believe it or not: it worked! Smell is a POWERFUL sense, so do not overlook this when trying to sell a product!   What is Square Foot Gardening? The Good Old Days Do you remember your grandparent’s, parent’s or even your gardens from years past? Do you remember how they would devolve into chaos as weeds choked out your vegetables and herbs? Can you remember how much you hated weeding those gardens? I do. I remember it like yesterday. My parents would be gung ho to plant in the Spring, and over the next few weeks, the plot would look like it had been invaded by every type of weed on the earth. My dad would use grass clippings to mulch the paths and around the plants, but it usually ended up looking like a chaotic jungle towards mid to late summer. It probably didn’t help that they were busy during the week with jobs and us kids, and on the weekend we would be gone at the cabin in Northwestern Wisconsin. There were times when my mom would assign us kids to go out into the garden and weed it. It was the WORST job we could actually get. We didn’

Moving Forward in Difficult Times with Todd Ehrhardt – S2E12 Have you ever felt like the odds are stacked against you? Have you ever felt like the challenges and obstacles were too great for you or your family? Unfortunately, I bet a lot of us have been there, done that and gotten several t-shirts. I know I have, especially over the last two years. The question is: what methods can you use to keep you moving forward through the difficult times in your life? In Season 2, Episode 12 of the podcast, I talk with Todd Ehrhardt, a husband, father, entrepreneur, gardener, bodybuilder, martial artist and a diver. Todd has been at the top of the world and deep in the sea (figuratively and literally), and in today’s episode, I talk with Todd about how he and his family were able to move forward in challenging times. This is a good one with really great information, you will want to check out the show notes. Podcast Topics and Links for Moving Forward in Difficult Times In this podcast, Todd and I talk about the following topics and links: Who is Todd Ehrhardt? What is Life’s Adventure Online? Body Building, Martial Arts, Motorcross Difficult Times – Part 1 Hip Problems Cancer Surgeries and Recovery Moving Forward – Part 1 Backup Fitness Facebook Group Working with Kids in the Dojo “Sometimes to move forward, you have to retract a bit.” “People are always watching. When you carry yourself in life, people are ALWAYS watching. What are you putting out into the ether? Are you putting positive energy out there, the best to you can to make a positive change in your life and other people’s lives? Or are you putting a bunch of negative things out into the ether? People will pick up on that and either be attracted to that or run from you.” Difficult Times – Part 2 Jiu Jitsu Tournament – Silver Medal Winner Hip Surgery Part 2 (2016) Post-Surgery Pain and Problems Hip Surgery Part 3 (2017) How to Move Forward Building Skills; Practicing What He Preaches Reading and Audible.com Victor Frankl “Man’s Search for Meaning” “Learn as much as I can from these difficult times and move forward” Noticing Details with Hardship Adventure Incorporates Family; They are his Adventure Counseling Difficulty and Challenges can bring Families Closer “Excuses are nothing but lies” “You can never be physically fit if you are mentally weak.” Dispelling the “things can be worse” excuse “People let situations and circumstances define their character and define who they are” Learning from Experiences and Trials from a Guy in the Trenches Life’s Adventure Online Small Business Spawned from Diving Sold Diving Gear for Cancer Treatments Bought SLR Camera to Use Talent above Water Learned Photo Techniques and Film Editing Lesson(s) Learned: “Never be afraid to put yourself out there” – Josh Johnson What happens in Mexico…. Gardening Size Matters Natural Gardening Canning and Food Preservation Friends of Small Scale Life As I develop friendships in online communities and in real life, I have seen really great people doing great work. For some, I will be setting up affiliates and memberships as this blog and podcasts grow. Please check out these friends and take advantage of their offers below: Life Adventure Online – Check out Todd’s webpage here! Life’s Adventure Film Life’s Adventure Film Instagram Life’s Adventure on YouTube Join the Small Scale Life Facebook Community today! Small Scale Life Facebook Group – This group will get you a backstage pass and access to other members of the Small Scale Life Community. We will discuss gardening, healthy lifestyle, frugal living and having adventures along the way! This is also your chance to see what is coming up on Small Scale Life, see some content not shared on the blog, and ask questions of future guests. Subscribe and Rate on iTunes Please subscribe to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel! If you are a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel, please provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback. To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it is not necessary. Again, thank you for listening, subscribing and leaving your review! The post Moving Forward in Difficult Times with Todd Ehrhardt – S2E12 appeared first on Small Scale Life.

Growing Grass, Not Food – S2E11 “Life moves pretty fast; if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it!” The opening monologue in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off could not be more correct! Life has been moving pretty fast over the past month, and it is time to pull back the curtain and tell you what has been happening. Regular followers of Small Scale Life on Instagram, Facebook, the Podcast and here at the Blog have probably picked up on a thing or two that something big has been going on in the background. Not to spoil the fun and suspense, I will just say that I have been growing grass by the square foot, and I don’t mean the fun stuff that people grow in California, Colorado and other states. No, I have been growing some nice turf in the yard, and growing grass was the first major step towards accomplishing our overall plan. To learn more and find out why, you’ll just have to listen to the podcast! The last picture of the Small Scale Life Garden at this location – 4/23/17   Podcast Topics and Links for Growing Grass, Not Food In this podcast, I talk about what has been happening over the past month and discuss the following topics and links: Lease renewal time at the Small Scale Life Ranch! Plans change in the blink of an eye (or the delivery of an e-mail or three) Small Scale Life Facebook Group Camping at William O’Brien State Park Discussion of Condo to Compound Ideas with Jay Dolan Growing Grass, Not Food – Removal of the Gardens and Compost Bins Potting Soil Challenge Friends of Small Scale Life As I develop friendships in online communities and in real life, I have seen really great people doing great work. For some, I will be setting up affiliates and memberships as this blog and podcasts grow. Please check out these friends and take advantage of their offers below: Nature’s Image Farm – Do you want to add fruit trees or comfrey to your homestead or garden? Now is the perfect time! Check out my friend Greg Burns from Nature’s Image Farm for all your nursery stock and comfrey needs! Greg also has bees on Nature’s Image Farm, so I look forward to his feedback on this episode. Remember: when you place orders using the code “SSL,” you will receive a 10% OFF all nursery stock plus FREE shipping. It is time to plant, so why not order something from Nature’s Image Farm? Even if you do not buy anything, this is a going to be a great resource for new homesteaders like me. Check out the Homestead How-To Page for more hillbilly homesteading information. Join the Small Scale Life Facebook Community today! Small Scale Life Facebook Group – This group will get you a backstage pass and access to other members of the Small Scale Life Community. We will discuss gardening, healthy lifestyle, frugal living and having adventures along the way! This is also your chance to see what is coming up on Small Scale Life, see some content not shared on the blog, and ask questions of future guests. Subscribe and Rate on iTunes Please subscribe to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel! If you are a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel, please provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback. To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it is not necessary. Again, thank you for listening, subscribing and leaving your review! The post Growing Grass, Not Food – S2E11 appeared first on Small Scale Life.

Travis Swanson’s Bee 52 Honey – S2E10 Time to focus on the bee, a gardener’s best friend! I know many of you have been wanting to hear this one, so it is long overdue! Recently, I had the pleasure to interview a local beekpeer named Travis Swanson. We discussed how Travis started beekeeping as a hobby, a full time position at a commercial operation and starting his own business. In addition, we have several listener questions from the MN-WI Regenerative Agriculture Facebook Group and the Small Scale Gardening Facebook Group. Since I am a newb when it comes to bees, I am glad my friends and listeners had questions! I learned a lot about Travis Swanson’s Bee 52 Honey, and I appreciate the samples and Travis being on the Small Scale Life Podcast! If you want to connect to Travis and buy honey, pollen or ask questions, feel free to e-mail him at [email protected]! Podcast Topics and Links Travis from Bee 52 Honey hard at work! In this podcast, Travis and I discuss the following topics and links: Starting out as a beekeeper Becoming a commercial beekeeper Launching Bee 52 Honey – a small business Bees – pests, predators and diseases Questions from Listeners and Facebook Group Members Questions from Listeners: What are the basic requirements in terms of money and space for starting a small bee operation? The “small bee operation” is defined as enough to serve the purposes of your homestead. Honey, maybe some to sell, pollination to encourage growth of vegetables and flowers. What should you say to your neighbor when you find them spraying herbicides on flowering shrubs on a shared fence line, right behind the hives? My question is how many hives are too many in an area? Our neighbor has bees on all four corners of his 10 acres and told us that if we added bees the colonies could kill each other due to being too close. Is that a thing? Do you recommend for new beekeepers to have a mentor for the first year? Bees and bat houses: my neighbor has a couple bat houses, and my son has built a couple for scouts that we have. I’d also love to do bees. That being said, how far apart should I keep them so they don’t have a royal rumble (with the bees)? What is your preferred bear exclusion fencing system? Do you have a brand and volts recommendation? A special thanks to Travis for providing excellent samples of Bee 52 Honey and Pollen. They are delicious! Friends of Small Scale Life As I develop friendships in online communities and in real life, I have seen really great people doing great work. For some, I will be setting up affiliates and memberships as this blog and podcasts grow. Please check out these friends and take advantage of their offers below: Nature’s Image Farm – Do you want to add fruit trees or comfrey to your homestead or garden? Now is the perfect time! Check out my friend Greg Burns from Nature’s Image Farm for all your nursery stock and comfrey needs! Greg also has bees on Nature’s Image Farm, so I look forward to his feedback on this episode. Remember: when you place orders using the code “SSL,” you will receive a 10% OFF all nursery stock plus FREE shipping. It is time to plant, so why not order something from Nature’s Image Farm? Even if you do not buy anything, this is a going to be a great resource for new homesteaders like me. Check out the Homestead How-To Page for more hillbilly homesteading information. Join the Small Scale Life Facebook Community today! Small Scale Life Facebook Group – This group will get you a backstage pass and access to other members of the Small Scale Life Community. We will discuss gardening, healthy lifestyle, frugal living and having adventures along the way! This is also your chance to see what is coming up on Small Scale Life, see some content not shared on the blog, and ask questions of future guests. Subscribe and Rate on iTunes If you are a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel, please provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback. To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it is not necessary. Again, thank you for listening, subscribing and leaving your review! The post Travis Swanson’s Bee 52 Honey – S2E10 appeared first on Small Scale Life.

My friend Mr. Tactical is back on the Small Scale Life Podcast! We discuss a yuuuuge armada of Practical to Tactical Skills and Topics ranging from Hawaiian vacations (and engagements), gardening, hunt for rural property, minimalism, and tactical training (grappling and gunning) at Tim Kennedy’s Sheepdog Response class. This is an information packed episode, so I hope you have as much fun as we did recording it! Podcast Topics and Links   In this podcast, Jay and I discuss the following topics and links: Practical Skills Hawaiian Adventure – Mr. Tactical is engaged! Health and Sleep Contrasting Showers – Wim Hof Benefits of getting more sleep – Kevin Michael Geary’s Rebooted Body Gardening Potting Soil Challenge Mason Jar Kitchen Gardens Mr Tactical’s Three Alarm Garden Soil Amendments Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew Direct Sowing vs. Buying Plant Starts Fencing a Garden Rural Property Jay’s Condo to Compound Blog Saving Plan Debt Reduction Spending Reduction Plan The Minimalists – Podcast and Website Tactical Skills Tim Kennedy’s Sheepdog Response Class Who is Tim Kennedy? Course Elements – Guns and Grappling Why Train? Does this matter? Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman On Killing – Sheepdog philosophy Hard Times Creates Hard Men Training with the Best Hard Times = Strong Men Friends of Small Scale Life As I develop friendships in online communities and in real life, I have seen really great people doing great work. For some, I will be setting up affiliates and memberships as this blog and podcasts grow. Please check out these friends and take advantage of their offers below: Nature’s Image Farm – For a LIMITED TIME ONLY (until 4/24/17), Nature’s Image Farm is offering bundles of orchard products for your urban homesteaders, farmsteaders and preppers! Check these links out for more details! Urban Homesteader Bundle Farmsteader Bundle Remember: when you place orders using the code “SSL,” you will receive a 10% OFF all nursery stock plus FREE shipping. It is time to plant, so why not order something from Nature’s Image Farm? Even if you do not buy anything, this is a going to be a great resource for new homesteaders like me. Check out the Homestead How-To Page for more hillbilly homesteading information. Join the Small Scale Life Facebook Community today! Small Scale Life Facebook Group – This group will get you a backstage pass and access to other members of the Small Scale Life Community. We will discuss gardening, healthy lifestyle, frugal living and having adventures along the way! This is also your chance to see what is coming up on Small Scale Life, see some content not shared on the blog, and ask questions of future guests.   Subscribe and Rate on iTunes If you are a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel, please provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback. To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review! The post Mr. Tactical: Practical to Tactical Skills – S2E9 appeared first on Small Scale Life.

Learning, Doing, Growing – S2E8 April is off and running, and we are already approaching the middle of the month! Last week was pretty busy, and I did not post a podcast. However, I was busy working on updating the site and streamlining the user experience! I was inspired by a book by author, podcaster and blogger Ravi Jayagopal. He wrote an e-book called Confessions of a Wannabe PodcaSTAR, and after reading his book, I found that I could improve the site and podcast. It is learning, doing and growing in action! You should notice those changes right away. In addition, I launched a new Facebook Group dedicated to Small Scale Life. I am hoping to grow a community that is engaged in blog and podcast topics. My plan is to let you see some behind-the-scenes items and content. Who knows? Maybe community members will get some other special perks as we grow! Please join our new community by clicking on this link and continue to learn, do and grow with us! Podcast Topics and Links Flash wins first place at the 2017 Goldy 10-Miler! In this podcast, I discuss the following topics and links: Danny wins First Place at the 2017 Goldy Run – Congrats! Updates to the Small Scale Life Blog Ravi Jayagopal’s Subscribe.Me Blog and Podcast Learning, Doing and Growing – Ravi Jayagopal’s Confessions of a Wannabe PodcaSTAR Updates to the Small Scale Life Podcast Introducing the new Small Scale Life Facebook Group! Small Scale Gardening Facebook Group MN-WI Regenerative Agriculture Facebook Group Going forward….Plans, Ideas and Next Steps Small Scale Life YouTube Channel Friends of Small Scale Life As I develop friendships in online communities and in real life, I have seen really great people doing great work. For some, I will be setting up affiliates and memberships as this blog and podcasts grow. Please check out these friends and take advantage of their offers below: Nature’s Image Farm – If you are planning on buying some fruit trees for your yard or comfrey for your herb garden, please check out Nature’s Image Farm! When you place orders using the code “SSL,” you will receive a 10% OFF all nursery stock plus FREE shipping. It is time to plant, so why not order something from Nature’s Image Farm? Even if you do not buy anything, this is a going to be a great resource for new homesteaders like me. Check out the Homestead How-To Page for more hillbilly homesteading information.   Join the Small Scale Life Facebook Community today! Small Scale Life Facebook Group – This group will get you a backstage pass and access to other members of the Small Scale Life Community. We will discuss gardening, healthy lifestyle, frugal living and having adventures along the way! This is also your chance to see what is coming up on Small Scale Life, see some content not shared on the blog, and ask questions of future guests.   Aaron Clarey’s Reconnaissance Man – Written by local Minnesotan author, blogger, podcaster and economist Aaron Clarey, Reconnaissance Man is the book that guarantees you live life right the first time or at least ends your wandering in the desert. By perfectly and clearly explaining the process by which a person figures out who they are and what they want out of life, Reconnaissance Man provides the reader a clear road map to life, ensuring you don’t waste precious decades on worthless degrees, careers you hate, and people you don’t love. Subscribe and Rate on iTunes If you are a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel, please provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback. To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review! The post Learning, Doing, Growing – S2E8 appeared first on Small Scale Life.

Preventing Damping Off Disease – S2E7 There is nothing like the excitement of seeing your tender seedlings popping through the soil in your indoor garden area! You immediately have visions of future harvest from these beautiful plants. This will be the best year ever in the garden! Then, something starts to happen: fuzzy mold appears on the soil surface, the stems become thin and weak, and the seedlings wilt and die. You add more water to the tender seedlings because they might be drying out. Instead, this seems to have the opposite effect: more seedlings are wilting! Soon, the entire tray looks horrible and is a complete loss. This, my friends, happened to me last year! It is most likely damping off disease, and if you garden indoors, you eventually will have to deal with it. In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I discuss 9 steps for Preventing Damping Off Disease. Podcast Topics Damping Off Disease attacking a tomato seedling in 2016   In this podcast, I discuss the following tips for Preventing Damping Off Disease: Plant seeds in containers, and then place the containers in trays Water the tray, not directly on the soil (bottom up, not top down) Sterilize containers, tools and trays for 30 minutes before reusing them Use warm water to water your seedlings Do not overwater! Only add enough water to fill 1/4″ to 1/3″ high in the tray Use a heating pad to start seedlings Use good draining potting mix. Do not use your garden soil or compost! Do not fertilize your seedlings Provide 12 to 16 hours of light from your grow lights. BONUS TIP: keep the lights 1-2″ from the top of your seedlings when they first germinate I finish the podcast by giving you what I think are the most critical steps to Preventing Damping Off Disease. Links While initially looking healthy, this tray of tomato seedlings is doomed – 2016 I discussed the following links on this podcast: University of Minnesota Extension – How to prevent seedling damping off How to Garden Indoors 8 Steps to Starting Plants Indoors Winter Care of Indoor Succulents Friends of Small Scale Life As I develop friendships and communities online and in real life, I have seen really good people doing great work and will be recognizing these people on Small Scale Life. For some, I will be setting up affiliates and memberships with them as this blog and podcasts grow. In the meantime, please check out the work friends have completed and take advantage of their offers below: Nature’s Image Farm – If you are planning on buying some fruit trees for your yard or comfrey for your herb garden, please check out Nature’s Image Farm! When you place orders using the code “SSL,” you will receive a 10% OFF all nursery stock plus FREE shipping. It is time to plant, so why not order something from Nature’s Image Farm? Even if you do not buy anything, this is a going to be a great resource for new homesteaders like me. Check out the Homestead How-To Page for more hillbilly homesteading information. Small Scale Gardening Facebook Group – Share your gardening stories, questions and ideas with over 200 fellow gardeners! Join today! Aaron Clarey’s “Reconnaissance Man” – Written by local Minnesotan author, blogger, podcaster and economist Aaron Clarey, “Reconnaissance Man” is the book that guarantees you live life right the first time or at least ends your wandering in the desert. By perfectly and clearly explaining the process by which a person figures out who they are and what they want out of life, “Reconnaissance Man” provides the reader a clear road map to life, ensuring you don’t waste precious decades on worthless degrees, careers you hate, and people you don’t love. Subscribe and Rate on iTunes Please consider becoming a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel. Subscribers and ratings from listeners help us grow the podcast and the blog. As you know, people look at subscribers and reviews before they listen. Few subscribers and few reviews mean that no one cares to listen or rate the podcast. Please click subscribe, and you will get notices when a new podcast is available. If you provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback. To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review! Listen We have several options for you to listen to the Small Scale Life Podcast. You may listen in the following locations: iTunes Stitcher   The post Preventing Damping Off Disease – S2E

I have been successfully growing seedlings inside for the past few years, and there are a ton of Lessons Learned from my own successes and failures. In this podcast, I boil it down and focus on 9 Lessons Learned from Gardening Indoors.

HELP Episode 9: Restarting My Engine 2017 is flying by a light speed. January, February and March are rapidly fading into the history books. How are you doing on your health goals? I have to be honest: I am restarting on my health goals for 2017. I really haven't written about my health goals or talked about them at all in 2017. As I discuss in the podcast, I punched out after Halloween last year and just tried not thinking about exercise, tracking food and pounds on the scale. As I look at how the year ended and new year started, I failed to achieve my big goal, and I just decided to punt and regroup. Restarting my engine is critical to getting back in the fight. I have change from always being on defense to rolling forward on offense. You cannot do that sitting on the couch, behind a microphone, or writing blog posts. It is time to move and get active. This podcast summarizes my four point plan to restart my engine for 2017 and the rest of my life. Disclaimer I am not a licensed health care or fitness experts. I am not a doctor. Please be sure to consult your doctor, dietician or other health care professional about health, fitness or other medical issues. All information shared on the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast and Small Scale Life are for informational and inspirational purposes only. Topics For Restarting My Engine I discussed the following topics in this episode: Wrapping Up 2016 HELP Episode 7 - Interview with Kevin Michael Geary Restarting My Engine in 2017 Signing up for and bowing out of a 12-Week Weight Loss Challenge Starting the Rebooted Body program Listening to Rebooted Body Podcasts Restarting Regular HELP Podcasts and Blog Posts Keeping Perspective Going Forward Links During the podcast, I discussed a few different sites, podcasts, videos and blogs. The following is a list of those links:. Free 12 Week Weight Loss Challenge Back Up Fitness Group on Facebook Episode 7 of the HELP Podcast – Drew and I interview Kevin Geary about what we are doing and about the three pillars to healthy living: Eat, Move and Live Kevin Geary’s Rebooted Body – Kevin Geary's Blog and Podcast. Check out his site to “get a body and life you love” Kevin Geary’s YouTube Channel Subscribe and Rate on iTunes Please consider becoming a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel. Subscribers and ratings from listeners help us grow the podcast and the blog. As you know, people look at subscribers and reviews before they listen. Few subscribers and few reviews mean that no one cares to listen or rate the podcast. Please click subscribe, and you will get notices when a new podcast is available. If you provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback. To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review! Listen We have several options for you to listen to the Podcast. You may listen in the following locations: iTunes Stitcher

Taylor's Celebration of Life on February 20, 2017, David and Julie did an excellent job writing and delivering a powerful eulogy in remembrance of their mom. They used quotes from family and friends on Social Media and cards to create a beautiful tribute for their mother. Both spoke, and they delivered it with grace and love. I posted the text of the eulogy below. The sub-headings below are the sections written and spoken by David and Julie. On the podcast, I used MercyMe's song "I can only imagine" as the final song because it was part of the eulogy. For information about Barb Taylor, please see Part 1 of this series. David Taylor Bobbie, Barb, mom, grandma, wife. These are just a few of the names people called you during your time on earth, but the truth is you were so much more, to more people than we can even list. You touched so many groups of people in your 66 years on earth, and though you may not know it you were a caretaker and mother to far more than the three of us. You were a loving woman full of deep compassion towards everyone who crossed your path. When someone passes, the typical response is that there are no words to describe how much you will be missed, but through social media those words are there, and we want to share them with you, Mom, and everyone who is here to celebrate your life. After pouring through memories, cards, emails, letters, and Facebook posts, we can sum up how everyone feels about you with their beautiful words of remembrance. "I love you Barb" - Nad Julie Domres That name is a little inside joke between mom and dad, but It is obvious that the first person we should talk about is dad. 48 years is a very long time to spend every waking moment with someone, and you and dad were the epitome of true love. Karen, David, and I have always looked up to both of you, and your solid foundation of marriage has given us a guide to how our marriages should look. I think we can truly say that you and dad were not only spouses but best friends. We know that dad is going to miss you more than anyone in this room, but don't worry mom, we will take care of him. David Taylor “True beauty bubbles up from the kindness of your heart, and reflects smiles onto those you love… you, my dearest Ya-Ya sister, were the definition of true beauty… and will be missed. But Grandma Jean needed our Ya-Ya love, and you brought that to her today. I am so lucky to have the family I do, and my Ya-ya sisters. We are all bound together and will always be here for you and your family. #chachayaya #yayasinheaven #missingyoudearly. – Love, Adriana Julie Domres So mom, we can’t talk about your life without talking about the importance of family. You always put family first and have taught us to do the same. In the last few weeks we have all spent a lot of time talking about the past, and we have learned so much about your life. We knew that you were born in Phoenix and that you moved around a lot as a child, but we had no idea that you attended 42 different schools before you were in 9th grade. Grandma and Grandpa truly lived a vagabond lifestyle, and you guys were along for the ride. You didn’t have a lot of money or material things as a little girl, but you always had your siblings. Uncle Donny, Aunt Patty, Aunt Mary, Aunt Jean, Aunt Judy, Aunt Karen, Jimmy, and your favorite cousin Jan… you were always there for each other. Jim was so lucky to have you as his guardian, and you handled that responsibility with grace. You loved him and raised him like one of your own. As Aunt Karen and I were sitting up with you in the middle of the night last week, Aunt Karen shared a lot of stories about your childhood. She said to me, “I never had many friends when I was little. But that’s OK, I never needed a friend, because I always had your Mom.” You were her best friend right up until the end. We never realized how tough it really was for you when you were young, because you always put on that beautiful smile and looked at the bright side of life. David Taylor “God puts people in your life for a reason. She took a chance on me and hired me to work in her shop. I am beyond blessed to have had the opportunity to be part of her life. She taught me so much and I will be forever grateful. And because of her, I have so many people that I can call my friends, my “flower shop family.” Barb, you fought a hard battle and now you have found peace. I am certain that you are having an amazing reunion. God has welcomed you in Heaven’s most beautiful garden. Love you always Barb.” – Love, Erica Julie Domres Because family always came first, instead of putting family in front of your friends you turned friends into family. To name a few of the many groups of people you have touched: Your St. Kevin’s friends and your Card Club, your “Flower Shop Family,” The Dakota Court Gang, all of our friends, your Army friends, and your high school friends. I don’t think you realize how many lives you have truly impacte

February is over, and we are exhausted and drained. It has been a brutal month, as my mother-in-law Barb Taylor completed her final journey in her battle against lung cancer. My wife Julie, her dad Dan, her sister Karen, her brother David and her aunt Karen worked around the clock to help her on this final journey. Spouses like me were home, trying to keep "normal" household operations going. Unfortunately, small cell lung carcinoma is an aggressive cancer, and it finally took Barb's life on February 16, 2017. This is the first of two articles and podcasts dedicated to Barb Taylor. Part 2 can be found here. On this podcast, I used MercyMe's song "I can only image" as the final song because it was part of the eulogy. Barb Taylor's Kindness I have known Barb Taylor for more than half my life. I met Julie's parents when I started dating her when I was in 10th Grade. She was there for friends and family in good times and in bad times. She always had a smile on her face, even when she was telling you that something "wasn't her favorite" (meaning she hated it). Barb was so giving, so loving and so helpful. As I look back on my life, she has been there for so many different and significant events: Barb organized and planned our wedding while creating all the flowers She watched Danny at her home daycare when he was young Barb came to Florida and helped us when Ryan was born She let us stay in her basement while we save money and purchased our first house Barb helped us renovate our first house She introduced Julie to floral design and the wedding floral business that eventually became Julia's Blooms Barb was there for us in our darkest times looking for Danny in Colorado, even though she had been diagnosed with small cell lung carcinoma We will carry that legacy forward. I am proud of the hours and work Dan, David, Julie, Karen and Aunt Karen put in taking care of Barb. We will help and be there for Dan, and Julie and I are reaching out to family to reconnect and forge new relationships. The time for temporary living and autopilot living are over. Our time on this planet is too short. Barb Taylor's Strength Barb Taylor was diagnosed with cancer during our darkest hours looking for my oldest son in Spring of 2015. It was devastating leaving her in Minnesota and going to Colorado looking for Danny, but Julie, her dad, David and I all went. We had to find Danny, and those that stayed behind tried to help Barb however we could. Those were difficult times, especially when the original diagnosis did not give her much time. Barb was a strong woman. She beat the original diagnosis and fought cancer for almost two years. She rarely complained. Even at the end, we asked her how she was doing, and Barb would smile and say, "I'm good." Because of her strength, she experienced life: Seeing Danny returning home, run his first marathon, become Assistant Manager and go to college Trips to Florida, Georgia and California Seeing her grand daughter Abbey graduate from high school and attend college Celebrating her birthday and other events with family Watching her grandson Ryan play High School Varsity Basketball and Traveling Basketball (her last outing was to Ryan's basketball game against Richfield High School) for two years Barb Taylor was an exceptional woman. We love her, and we miss her dearly. We know, however, that she is here in spirit and lessons learned over time. I hope that gives you some comfort. Listen We have several options for you to listen to the Small Scale Life Podcast. You may listen in the following locations: iTunes Stitcher

On his character James Keziah Delaney, Tom Hardy said, "All progress lies in the actions of the unreasonable man." If you watched the first episode of the FX's show "Taboo," you will indeed see the actions of an unreasonable and mysterious man. In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I review this new show and dive into the characters, plot and reviews for this new show. While I do not watch much television, I found this show interesting because I am a Tom Hardy fan. I really liked his Bane character in the The Dark Knight Rises, and he played a great antagonist in The Revenant last year (which I reviewed here on Small Scale Life). While reviewing a television show is a bit out of character for this blog, I enjoy that period of history, and who doesn't want to see Bane stomp around London and kick some 19th century butt? Keep in mind that this is a fan show, and any images, music or story are not my own. I am simply commenting on the show and characters as a fan of the show. The images are from the FX, and the piano theme song is from artist Lunar Black's piano cover song. Please frequent their sites! Podcast Topics for "Taboo" In this podcast, I discuss the following topics: Why am I talking about a television show? The Jist of the Show Characters House of Delaney (and Others) East India Company Basic Plot - Building a Foundation Mystery and Intrigue London in 1814 Comments from other Reviews Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but GREATLY appreciated)! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Deep in the woods in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Ohio roams a bearded hillbilly man. He is carving out his existence on his homestead, providing for his family and growing a community of like-minded families. This man is Greg Burns. He is a dedicated husband, dad, homesteader, promotor of Old Ways and leader of tribes called the Lumbersquatches and Get Stuff Done Crew. I have been looking forward to this interview. Greg, his wife and his family have boldly gone where Julie and I want to go: to a homestead in a rural location. Through trial and error, they are learning the Old Ways of how to rear great kids, raise animals, grow food, and develop a sustainable homestead. Greg is practical and straightforward, and I really appreciate his honest insight. He has been there and done that! I am also honored to announce that this podcast is also tied to the launching of the Brand New Nature's Image Farm Webpage - CHECK IT OUT! When you place orders using the code "SSL," you will receive a 10% OFF all nursery stock plus FREE shipping. It is time to plant, so why not order something from Nature's Image Farm? Even if you do not buy anything, this is a going to be a great resource for new homesteaders like me. Check out the Homestead How-To Page for more hillbilly homesteading information! Podcast Topics for my Interview with Greg Burns In this podcast, Greg and I discuss the following topics: Introduction - Who is Greg Burns? Why homesteading? Gardening Hunting on 5 acres Homesteading Livestock (moo, oink and cluck) Trees and Tree Farms Plans and Dreams for Future Homesteads Building Small Community and Tribe The Gift of Time The Old Ways Hogtoberfest Living in Small Spaces with Big Hearts and with a Purpose Working with Spouses as a Team Making and Enjoying Homemade Mead and Wines Butchering and Preserving Hogs using the Old Ways Prosciutto Head Cheese - Terrine vs. Sylta (Yes, Domres' family, I went there) Hog Testicles Tribes/Small Communities Get Stuff Done Crew Lumbersquatches Family Tips for Buying Rural Land [caption id="attachment_1578" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Lumbersquatches Greg Burns and Drew Sample - Real Food, Good Men and Good Friends![/caption] Links [caption id="attachment_1182" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Hogtoberfest 2016 at Nature's Image Farm[/caption] Greg and I discussed the following links on this podcast: Brand New Nature's Image Farm Webpage - CHECK IT OUT! Remember, any orders using the code "SSL" will receive a 10% OFF all nursery stock plus FREE shipping. It is time to plant, so why not order something from Nature's Image Farm? Nature's Image Farm on Social Media Facebook Instagram YouTube Sample Hour Podcast with Drew Sample and Greg Burns 114 - Nature's Image Farm 124 - The Hilbilliness of Hillbillies 125 - Hogtoberfest 2016 - This is a great episode! I really enjoyed this one. Kevin Geary Rebooted Body Podcast - RB099: Epic Food to Nourish Your Body with Taylor Collins Subscribe and Rate on iTunes Please consider becoming a subscriber to the Small Scale Life iTunes Channel. Subscribers and ratings from listeners help us grow the podcast and the blog. As you know, people look at subscribers and reviews before they listen. Few subscribers and few reviews mean that no one cares to listen or rate the podcast. Please click subscribe, and you will get notices when a new podcast is available. If you provide a review for the podcast, consider giving a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. I really appreciate you as a listener and your feedback. To leave a review, simply follow these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Happy birthday, Small Scale Life Podcast! Happy birthday to me! Yes, the Small Scale Life Podcast is a year old, and I am also a year older. It is always difficult having a birthday right after Christmas and New Years, but that is a topic for another episode! As we celebrate the year anniversary of the Small Scale Life Podcast, my good friend Jay returns to wrap up 2016 and talk about 2017 Goals and Plans. Jay is looking to move from urban environments to the country, so we have a good conversation about how we will get there (along with timelines). We also talk about working out and dealing with injuries. In my case, it is "Inflammation of Motivation" that must be dealt with in the next week or so. I need to get back into the gym and pool! We also talk about Jay making Cranberry-Jalapeno Jelly, modifying the recipe and providing it to others who had parties to attend and gifts to give. Finally, we go back to Small Scale Life Podcast Season 1 Episode 3 where Jay and I talk about "Slingshot Week." Sometimes the more things change; the more they stay the same! Podcast Topics for 2017 Goals and Plans [caption id="attachment_1465" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Trees Under Glass - Rural Minnesota in 2017[/caption] In this podcast, Jay and I discuss the following topics: 2016 Wrap-Up Condo to Compound Update Changes at Small Scale Life Slingshot Week Definition What do I want to keep doing? What will I stop doing? What will I continue? Links [caption id="attachment_1464" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Homestead Goals - 2017[/caption] During this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I mention the following links: Jay's Condo to Compound Blog How to Make Cranberry-Jalapeno Jelly Aaron Clarey Captain Capitalism Blog and Podcast Healthy Lifestyle Podcast Episode 7: Interview with Kevin Geary Small Scale Life Podcast Season 1, Episode 3: Three Questions for 2016 Small Scale Gardening Facebook Group MN-WI Regenerative Agriculture Facebook Group Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but GREATLY appreciated)! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

In this episode, I wrap up Christmas 2016. This was a lost track that I am posting as a listener appreciation podcast. I talk about what is important during the holidays.

Merry Christmas, everyone! As I mentioned in Season 1, Episode 21 Winter Driving and Survival Tips, I wanted to do something fun for Christmas that the whole family could enjoy. My dad used to read "Twas the Night before Christmas" to the family when we were young, so in that fine tradition, I read and recorded it for you and your family. Reading this brought so many memories back from when I was young. In this day and age when we are so caught up in shopping and presents and packages and dinners and parties, it is important to take a little time to stop and enjoy the moment. As my brother reminded us this week: [tweetthis]"Life is but a mist; we are only on this earth for a short time. Enjoy life, family & friends! Merry Christmas!"[/tweetthis] From our family to yours, have a Merry Christmas! Please enjoy your family and friends and make some new memories. Links for "Twas the Night before Christmas" [caption id="attachment_1436" align="aligncenter" width="3264"] Merry Christmas, everyone![/caption] During this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I mention the following links: Twas the Night before Christmas Poem A Visit from St. Nicholas Wikipedia Twas the Night before Christmas - UK Carols Blog The closing song was borrowed from this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/yGVZBpzh47I Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but GREATLY appreciated)! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Winter is here with all its fury. In the past couple weeks, we have gotten over 12 inches of snow and have endured subzero temperatures. The wind chill in Minnesota has pushed temperatures to -20 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. It feels like our typical mid-January freeze! In these conditions, winter driving can be treacherous. Since I drive in some remote rural areas, I have started paying close attention to conditions and my own preparations. Of course, things happen fast and sometimes you can find yourself stuck in a drift (yes, it happened yesterday). I did some research about driving and surviving in the cold, and figured it would be helpful to pass this information along to you. This episode is titled Winter Driving and Survival Tips, and is Part 2 of last week's podcast on Winter Tips which focused on preparing yourself and your house for the winter. Podcast Topics for Winter Driving and Survival Tips [caption id="attachment_1385" align="aligncenter" width="800"] So you want to walk across that in the freezing cold?[/caption] In this podcast, I discuss the following topics: Vehicle Safety Kits Winter Driving Tips Survival Tips if You are Stuck Links [caption id="attachment_1386" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Winter roads are pretty, but they can be treacherous![/caption] During this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I mention the following links: Small Scale Life Podcast Season 1 Episode 20: Winter Tips Pep Boys: Jump-Starting Your Battery Using Another Car Ready Wisconsin: How to Make a Winter Survival Kit Small Scale Gardening Facebook Group MN-WI Regenerative Agriculture Facebook Group Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but GREATLY appreciated)! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review

Winter has arrived in force! We got our first decent snowfall here in Minnesota on Saturday. On top of the snow, we are getting slammed by January-like cold. We will be dealing with -20 degree Fahrenheit temperatures by Saturday here in the Twin Cities. In fact, as I recorded this podcast, it was -1 degree Fahrenheit (and feels like -15 degrees Fahrenheit)! Winter is here, and it is time to talk about some key winter tips for preparing yourself, your equipment and your house for this kind of cold and these kind of conditions. As an aside, we welcome new listeners to our weekly podcast from our new Stitcher channel! If you are new to the Small Scale Life Podcast, this is a weekly show dedicated to developing a sustainable small scale life through healthy living, gardening, frugal living and having adventures along the way! Our motto is learn, do and grow. If you would like to listen to the Small Scale Life Podcast on Stitcher, listen using the following link: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/smallscalelife/small-scale-life Podcast Topics https://www.instagram.com/p/BN7Sgt3Akn2/?taken-by=smallscalelife In this podcast, I discuss the following topics: Introduction to the Small Scale Life Podcast and Small Scale Gardening Blog Is Small Scale Life a Wellness Program? Conditions and Driving in Snow Winter Tips for Working in the Cold, Winterizing Your Equipment and Winterizing your House Winter Tips for Managing Ice Dams Links [caption id="attachment_1371" align="aligncenter" width="762"] Our quiet street after the snowstorm - December 2016[/caption] During the Small Scale Life Podcast, I discuss the following links: Small Scale Life Podcast Season 1 Episode 19: Happy Birthday, Small Scale Life! About.com - How to Prevent and Remove Ice Dams University of Minnesota Extension - Ice Dams Sample Hour with Drew Sample Small Scale Gardening Facebook Group MN-WI Regenerative Agriculture Facebook Group Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but GREATLY appreciated)! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

HELP Episode 8: Mind Games November and Thanksgiving have come and gone! Can you believe it? Where did the time go? We had a lot of stuff going on in November including the election, Thanksgiving and some major life events. After taking the month of November off, I am back for a "Just Tom" Healthy Lifestyle Podcast. I have to admit that we all play mind games with the holidays, and as I post this podcast, I can probably record a Part 2 to this podcast for surviving the madness and family mind games that rear their heads during the holidays. Topics I discussed the following topics in this episode: November Madness in the World Mind Games for Dealing with Chaos Update about Drew Sample Thanksgiving Reflections Visiting a Homestead Spending Time with Family and Relatives Eating and Drinking During the Holidays New Plan and Getting Back to the Gym and Pool Links https://youtu.be/pWEwNa8pICg During the podcast, I discussed a few different sites, podcasts, videos and blogs. The following is a list of those links: Episode 7 of the HELP Podcast - Drew and I interview Kevin Geary about what we are doing and about the three pillars to healthy living: Eat, Move and Live Thanksgiving Reflections - I wrote a post about Thanksgiving and some other thoughts I had about the blog and podcast How to Make Cranberry-Jalapeno Jelly - I posted a how-to article for making cranberry-jalapeno jelly Sample Hour Episode 127 - Drew talks about his job situation before interviewing Ray Tyler from Rose Creek Farms Kevin Geary’s Rebooted Body – Drew and I interview Kevin Geary in Episode 7 of the HELP Podcast. Check out his site to “get a body and life you love” Kevin Geary’s YouTube Channel Speak Out Game - A great game we played over Thanksgiving. See the video above Linkee - Another game we played recently. Really fun game Rate on iTunes We really need some more ratings from listeners, so please rate and review the Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog. As you know, people look at reviews before they listen. No reviews or poor reviews mean that no one cares to listen or rate the podcast. You don’t need to write a book or write anything. Just give a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review! Disclaimer Drew and I are not licensed health care or fitness experts. We are not doctors. Please be sure to consult your doctor, dietician or other health care professional about health, fitness or other medical issues. All information shared on the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast and Small Scale Life are for informational and inspirational purposes only.

Season 1 Episode 19: Happy Birthday, Small Scale Life! Can you believe that the Small Scale Life is over a year old? Happy birthday, Small Scale Life! In this episode of the podcast, I talk about why I started blogging, what we have accomplished this year and what is ahead in the next year. I really want to thank all of you for following Small Scale Life, the Small Scale Life Podcast, and Healthy Lifestyle Podcast with Drew Sample. We have a lot planned for the future, so stay tuned! We will continue to learn, do and grow together! Podcast Topics https://www.instagram.com/p/BMqHLeogzXQ/?taken-by=smallscalelife In this podcast, I discuss the following topics: One Year Anniversary of the Small Scale Life Origins of Blogging - Small Scale Gardening Blog Core Principles of Small Scale Life Future of Small Scale Life Links https://www.instagram.com/p/BM0WTFMgLFC/?taken-by=smallscalelife During the Small Scale Life Podcast, I discuss the following links: Small Scale Gardening Blog HELP Podcast Episode 7: Rebooted Body with Kevin Geary Rebooted Body Blog and Podcast Sample Hour with Drew Sample Small Scale Gardening Facebook Group MN-WI Regenerative Agriculture Facebook Group Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but GREATLY appreciated)! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Rebooted Body with Kevin Geary - HELP 7 Have you ever struggled with diet plans? Do you feel overwhelmed with information from family, friends, media, celebrities, and even popular television shows telling you what you should and shouldn't do to lose weight? How many times have you started a plan, had some success, and then put that weight back on (or put even more weight on your body)? Have you ever just wanted to just wipe it all away and start over? You aren't alone if you answered "yes" to one or more of those questions. Let me be honest with you: I am there right now. I answered "yes" to all of those questions tonight. Every. Single. One. I wish it wasn't the case; I wish I could report that things were going splendidly, and I was well on my way to getting fit and losing weight. That would be a complete bullsh*t. Drew Sample and I recently interviewed Kevin Geary, blogger, podcaster and creator of Rebooted Body. As he states on Rebooted Body, Kevin is a "leading authority on the psychology of eating. He and his team have helped men and women in over 30 countries around the world get a body and life they love." Kevin has been there. struggling with is weight since he was a teenager: thin and unhealthy. He used to have really low energy and was addicted to sugar and sugary drinks. Kevin discovered the "Real Food Movement" and lost 40 pounds. It wasn't until he examined his mindset and understood the "why" behind his eating patterns and confronted those issues that he broke the cycle and started living a healthier lifestyle. Topics https://youtu.be/vZFjloTup6s Kevin, Drew and I discussed the following topics in this episode: Diet and fitness over the past week and plans for the next week Drew and I tell Kevin about our current diets and work out routines Kevin leads a great discussion about the inner rebel, willpower and discipline (I can relate to the inner rebel) Kevin then discusses the three pillars to healthy living: Eat, Move and Live Eat - Eat real foods; our bodies are nutritionally deficient Move - The human body needs to move; start by walking every day Live - Sleep at least eight hours a day; focus on gut health For me, this was a powerful podcast that I have been digesting and thinking about a lot recently. I will be doing some more research and self-examination using the Rebooted Body website and platform. I learned a lot from this interview, and I appreciate Drew and Kevin being on this podcast with me. Links Kevin, Drew, and I discussed a few different sites, podcasts and video blogs during this episode. The following is a list of those links:. Kevin Geary’s Rebooted Body – Drew and I interview Kevin Geary in Episode 7 of the HELP Podcast. Check out his site to "get a body and life you love." Kevin Geary's YouTube Channel Rest Faster – Blog post on Robb Wolf’s site about rest protocols and routines to improve your rest and recovery Five Minute Journal – Drew is using the Five Minute Journal to work through issues and develop his mindset Headspace – Drew and Scott are using the Headspace application for daily meditation Audible Application – Make the most of your mundane tasks and drive time! Rate on iTunes I checked iTunes, and we only have three reviews. Thank you for providing a review (you know who you are; I really appreciate it). We really need some more ratings from listeners, so please rate and review the Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog. As you know, people look at reviews before they listen. No reviews or poor reviews mean that no one cares to listen or rate the podcast. You don’t need to write a book or write anything. Just give a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Hogtoberfest and Tribe - HELP 6 What in God's name is Hogtoberfest? Well, ladies and gentlemen, it is a the gathering of people at Nature's Image Farm in Ohio for learning the old ways of slaughtering and processing hogs. As you will find out in this episode of the Healthy Lifestlye Podcast, it was much more than just processing pork. Hogtoberfest was about learning the old ways and rituals and adopting them. It was about sharing the experience, learning skills and breaking bread (and drinking meads, ciders and beers). Most importantly, it was about forging new relationships and building a small community, a tribe, of homesteaders, urban farmers, beekeepers and their families. In a world of "plastic fantastic", smart phones, technology and isolation, gatherings like these are necessary. The lone wolf depicted in Hollywood and today's culture is a lie. Instead, a group of like-minded individuals, the tribe, is necessary to get stuff done, share resources and lean on each other when "times get tough, or even when they don't." [caption id="attachment_1182" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Hogtoberfest 2016 at Natures Image Farm[/caption] Topics [caption id="attachment_1213" align="aligncenter" width="859"] The Hogtoberest Podcast elevated The Sample Hour to the 2nd best podcast in the world![/caption] Drew and I discussed the following topics in this episode: Diet and fitness over the past week and plans for the next week The Real #2 Podcast Hogtoberfest Recap Tribe and Small Communities: why are they important in the modern world? Links https://www.instagram.com/p/BLbC-xzgrNq/?taken-by=smallscalelife Drew, Scott and I discussed a few different sites, podcasts and video blogs during this episode. The following is a list of those links: The Sample Hour 125 Hogtoberfest 2016 - The Lumbersquatches at Natures Image Farm discuss Hogtoberfest and what it meant to them. This is a GREAT podcast, and it reminds me of our hunting camps in the spring: telling stories, having a laugh, remembering the old ways, and cracking a beer at 10 AM in the morning. The Sample Hour 124 The Hilbilliness of Hillbillies - Drew Sample and Greg Burns discuss life and business through the prism of a hillbilly homesteader, or in other words, common sense. The Sample Hour 123 The Mental Game of Getting Started Part 1 - Javan Bernakevitch and Drew Sample discuss getting started on a career path. Natures Image Farm - Greg Burns and his family's homestead in Ohio. Kevin Geary's Rebooted Life - Drew and I interview Kevin Geary in Episode 7 of the HELP Podcast. Check out his site! The Contrary Farmer - Gene Logsdon. Check out the website here: The Contrary Farmer Rest Faster - Blog post on Robb Wolf's site about rest protocols and routines to improve your rest and recovery Five Minute Journal – Drew is using the Five Minute Journal to work through issues and develop his mindset Headspace - Drew and Scott are using the Headspace application for daily meditation Audible Application - Make the most of your mundane tasks and drive time! Rate on iTunes I checked iTunes, and we only have three reviews. Thank you for providing a review (you know who you are; I really appreciate it). We really need some more ratings from listeners, so please rate and review the Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog. As you know, people look at reviews before they listen. No reviews or poor reviews mean that no one cares to listen or rate the podcast. You don't need to write a book or write anything. Just give a few stars (not going to lie: I want five stars) for the Podcast. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Debt and Real Estate Part 1 - S1E17 If you have been listening to the Small Scale Life Podcast or the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast lately, you have heard me talking about moving out of the city to the country. Julie and I have decided that this is a critical element in our journey to develop a simpler, more sustainable life. Why do we want to leave the urban area? We want some rural real estate in order to have a sustainable life through developing relationships and skills in the rural areas. Julie and I are not alone in this quest for rural real estate to develop a more simple, small scale life. We have talked to others who are part of the Small Scale Gardening and MN-WI Regenerative Agriculture Groups on Facebook who are wanna-be homesteaders stuck in the urban grind. Like us, they are all charting a path and a course of action that will lead to their eventual escape. You can escape, ladies and gentlemen, but that escape will take proper planning and focused execution. Speaking of planning and focused execution, our friend Jay Dolan from the Condo to Compound Blog is back to update us on his progress towards purchasing rural real estate. Jay and I talked about his dream of buying a homestead back in Episode 7 of the Small Scale Life Podcast. Since that podcast, Jay developed the Condo to Compound Blog and has been focused on paying down his debt.....for the most part anyway. Podcast Topics Jay and I discuss the following: Jay's Condo to Compound Blog How he is paying off debt Hidden costs when buying a house (i.e., debt, maintenance, taxes, etc.) "Home Buying Fever" that he and his girlfriend worked through recently Unfortunately, the podcast ended early due to Jay getting called to the "principal's office." Never fear! We recorded Part 2 already, and I will be posting it soon. Links https://www.instagram.com/p/BLcrRuvAG8U/?taken-by=smallscalelife During the Small Scale Life Podcast, Jay and I discuss the following links: Jay's Condo to Compound Blog Dave Ramsey - How to Battle Temptation in the Search for Your Starter Home Jack Spirko's Survival Podcast - Episode 1628 Five Financial Landmines to Avoid when Buying Land Jack Spirko's Survival Podcast - Episode 1778 Finding a Remote Property Jack Spirko's Survival Podcast - Episode 1788 Finding the Right Property to Turn into a Homestead Average Price of Homes in the Twin Cities Friends of the Small Scale Life Podcast [caption id="attachment_1202" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Finding the right land is exciting, but make sure you can afford it![/caption] In this Episode, I talk about the following friends of the Small Scale Life Podcast: Condo to Compound Blog – Jay Dolan’s journey from an urban/suburban life to a rural life. Failing Forward Profitable Urban Farming – Drew Sample and Scott Hebert’s weekly podcast about success, failures and life as an urban farmer. Reconnaissance Man – Aaron Clarey’s latest book for today’s youth where he recommends that the Reconnaissance Man (or Woman) takes the time to explore this country, not just to see what this country has to offer, but to find out who they are, where they belong, and what they really want out of life. Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but GREATLY appreciated)! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Tribe, Ritual and Debt - S1E18 October is winding down, and it feels like there is A TON to do. I have not posted much this week because I have been processing vegetables and herbs like crazy! I decided to clear the garden beds, and that triggered a mad dash to get preserve the vegetables and herbs before everything rotted. In the past two weeks, I have made salsa and tomato sauce, frozen rhubarb, and drying parsley, dill, and oregano. I am thrilled to be exercising some of my equipment and skills this season, but in the back of my mind, I knew I had content like this podcast about tribe, ritual and debt to post. If you listened to Season 1, Episode 17, our friend Jay Dolan from the Condo to Compound Blog was called to the "principal's office" at the firehouse to handle an assignment. We had a chance to get together and discuss a number of topics again. I was trying to get Jay on HELP Episode 6 about Hogtoberfest, but things didn't quite work out. Jay and I ended up furthering our discussion about tribe and small communities, as well as a number of other topics. As a head's up to you, Jay does make an announcement about his blog towards the end of the show, so if you have been to his site, you will understand what he is talking about. Podcast Topics https://www.instagram.com/p/BLkQVHMAg07/?taken-by=smallscalelife Jay and I discuss the following: One Year Anniversary of the Small Scale Life Blog Tribes and Rituals Debt and Debt Reduction Budgeting Concepts Vision of the Rural Life Learning Skills and Taking Time Condo to Compound Blog Updates Links https://youtu.be/O4Go_UmX-ZM During the Small Scale Life Podcast, Jay and I discuss the following links: Jay’s Condo to Compound Blog John Mosby - Forging the Hero: Who Does More is Worth More Drew Sample and The Sample Hour - TSH - 125 - Hogtoberfest 2016 HELP Episode 6 – Hogtoberfest and Tribe USA Today - Nearly 7 in 10 Americans have less than $1,000 in savings Dave Ramsey – How to Start to Get Out of Debt Jack Spirko’s Survival Podcast – Episode 1628 Five Financial Landmines to Avoid when Buying Land Jack Spirko’s Survival Podcast – Episode 1778 Finding a Remote Property Jack Spirko’s Survival Podcast – Episode 1788 Finding the Right Property to Turn into a Homestead Jay and I talked about the commercial using Aerosmith's "Dream On" song. I was wrong; it was Walmart. I linked it above. Friends of the Small Scale Life Podcast In this Episode, I talk about the following friends of the Small Scale Life Podcast: Condo to Compound Blog – Jay Dolan’s journey from an urban/suburban life to a rural life. Failing Forward Profitable Urban Farming – Drew Sample and Scott Hebert’s weekly podcast about success, failures and life as an urban farmer. Reconnaissance Man – Aaron Clarey’s latest book for today’s youth where he recommends that the Reconnaissance Man (or Woman) takes the time to explore this country, not just to see what this country has to offer, but to find out who they are, where they belong, and what they really want out of life. Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but GREATLY appreciated)! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Failing Forward: Losing Weight, Gaining Muscle, Having Discipline - HELP 5 It is October and it is time for the Healthy Lifestlye Podcast! In this Episode, Drew and I start by discussing losing weight and gaining muscle. We both have been struggling in our weight loss challenges, and we discussed perfectionism and discipline (or lack thereof). Drew brought our friend Scott Hebert into the conversation about half way through the podcast, and we has a great discussion about journaling, meditation, routines and discipline. It is great listening to and learning from Scott since he lost 60-70 pounds right after high school. You can listen to Scott's story about losing weight and getting healthy on the Small Scale Life Podcast Season 1, Episode 9. Scott, Drew and I discussed the following topics: Pre-podcast schenanigans - Drew and I were figuring out how to record the podcast, and I obviously was not listening to and comprehending what he was saying. It is entertaining, even though we both were swearing during this segment. As a word of caution: there is swearing in this podcast (in case you are listening with your kids) Diet and fitness over the past week and plans for the next week Lifting weights and supplements Discipline and routines Journaling and meditation (the woo woo stuff) Types of people and their success - Coolers, Closers and Cleaners Making the bed with throw pillows What should the Healthy Lifestlye Podcast focus on in future shows Scott Hebert has a YouTube Channel, and I thought this discussion about starting a farm while working another job applies to losing weight as well. It ties directly into his discussion with us about discipline. https://youtu.be/eJKBrgZ6vfk Links https://www.instagram.com/p/BLElK7tACIk/?taken-by=flavourfulfarms Drew, Scott and I discussed a few different sites, podcasts and video blogs during this episode. Here is a list of those links: The Sample Hour – Drew’s blog and podcast page Failing Forward Podcast Week 30 - The last podcast of Drew and Scott's urban farming season Half Size Me Podcast 242: Why You Must Let Go Of Perfectionism - Julie found a new podcast and blogger (to us, anyway) that focuses on losing weight and maintaining your weight once you lose it. This is an interesting podcast on perfectionism, and that is something I struggle with occasionally. Check this out! Rest Faster - Blog post on Robb Wolf's site about rest protocols and routines to improve your rest and recovery Five Minute Journal – Drew is using the Five Minute Journal to work through issues and develop his mindset Bullet Journal - Check out this Getting Started page. This looks really interesting! Headspace - Drew and Scott are using the Headspace application for daily meditation Ryan Holiday Meditations on Strategy of Life blog Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable - Tim S. Grover Audible Application - Make the most of your mundane tasks and drive time! Rate on iTunes I checked iTunes, and we only have a couple of reviews. I REALLY would like some more ratings from listeners, so please rate and review the Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You don't need to write a book or write anything. Just give a few (preferrably five) for the Podcast. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars (five would be awesome) Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review! Disclaimer Drew and I are not licensed health care or fitness experts. We are not doctors. Please be sure to consult your doctor, dietician or other health care professional about health, fitness or other medical issues. All information shared on the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast and Small Scale Life are for informational and inspirational purposes only.

Vertical Gardening with The Plant Charmer Part 2 - S2E16 This is Part 2 of my epic interview with The Plant Charmer. If you are wondering who The Plant Charmer is, his name is Khaled Majouji, and he is an urban farmer in Canada. Khaled grows an incredible amount of vegetables in vertical garden systems, and he inspired me to build my vertical garden systems this year. To learn more about The Plant Charmer's background and beginnings, please check out Season 1, Episode 15 of the Small Scale Life Podcast. In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, Khaled and I discussed the following topics: His current property - size and layout His vertical gardening system with a focus on the strawberry fence Soil and amendments Selling products Expansion and vision for a larger operation Instagram tips - how to grow your followers https://www.instagram.com/p/BK58Js-j9PE/?taken-by=theplantcharmer Thank You and Call to Action https://www.instagram.com/p/BKdcnpRDdjL/?taken-by=theplantcharmer It was great having Khaled on the show, and I appreciate the time he spent talking to me. A couple weeks ago, Khaled found a 10-acre plot to expand In.Genius Farms and finalized the deal for the property. The battle is not over, however! Khaled needs funds to set up this operation, so go to his Go Fund Me and donate today to help him realize his dream! I would also like to thank Austin from Beatsby_Roi for providing permission for using the song “Steady Wzdm” from The Lemon Water Chronicles, Volume 1, on the podcast. I would also like to thank Dillon from The Soapbox Collective Podcast for helping to connect with Austin. https://youtu.be/kaG2xjntczs Khaled and I discussed the following links on the podcast: The Plant Charmer on Instagram The Plant Charmer's Go Fund Me Campaign In.Genius Farms School of Urban Agriculture The Plant Charmer on YouTube The Plant Charmer on Facebook Vertical Gardening 101 Vertical Gardening 102 Check out the In.Genius Farms School of Urban Agriculture. Khaled has launched a vertical strawberry growing course in his school, and it is FREE! Get in there and sign up because it looks like a good course on setting up a vertical garden and starting a very good strawberry system. Friends of Small Scale Life Podcast In this Episode, I talk about the following friends of the Small Scale Life Podcast: Small Scale Gardening Facebook Group - I set up this Facebook so you can share your gardening stories, ask questions and discuss food preservation. Join the group and continue to learn, do and grow with us! Failing Forward Profitable Urban Farming – Drew Sample and Scott Hebert’s weekly podcast about success, failures and life as an urban farmer. Condo to Compound Blog – Jay Dolan’s journey from an urban/suburban life to a rural life. Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but GREATLY appreciated)! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Heathly Lifestyle with Chazington Alloucious - HELP 4 Who in the world is Chazington Alloucious? What does this person have to say about healthy lifestyles, losing weight, fitness, mindset and clean living? Well, fine friends and followers, you will have to listen to this podcast to find out. Chazington Alloucious and I have a great, meandering discussion about a lot of different topics including: What is happening with the weight loss challenges? Fitness over the past week and plans for the next week Focus and target areas for the next week Mindset - Daily journaling and future plans Geography - Where are the Twin Cities and what are they like? Podcasting problems and challenges Urban farming and hops farming And of course: what DOES a HenWay machine do? For those of you who missed it, here are the five questions from the Five Minute Journal that can be used to start your journaling (if you need a place to start): What am I grateful for? What would make today great? What is my daily affirmation? What are three surprising things that happened today? What could I have done to make today better? Links https://youtu.be/I-skJbxDOhw Chazington Alloucious and I discussed a few different sites, podcasts and video blogs during this episode. Here is a list of those links: The Sample Hour - Drew's blog and podcast page School Sucks Podcast - Drew's friend who hosts a podcast and an on-line community dedicated to redefining education by promoting home-education, critical thinking, peaceful parenting, personal development and better communication strategies. Greg Burns & Drew Sample Chicken Processing Lifestream on Facebook - Greg, Drew and the Hillbilly Crew processing 80 meat chickens at Nature's Image Farms Five Minute Journal - Drew is using the Five Minute Journal to work through issues and develop his mindset John Suscovich's YouTube Hops Farming Playlist The video above was from the Hop Yard in Maine. For more information on this farm, please see John Suscovich's Podcast Interview with Geoff Keating. Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

HELP Episode 3 - Spinning Salad If this podcast sounds a little different, it is! I record a brief solo podcast while I am whipping up a salad for a family gathering at William O'Brian State Park on the banks of the St. Croix River. The salad and company were fantastic as we went to the park and took an almost two mile walk along the river. If you are in Minnesota, you should spend some time at this park and camp overnight. You can canoe, kayak, fish, hike and enjoy the great outdoors at this park. [caption id="attachment_1087" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Beautiful weather on the St. Croix River at the William O'Brien State Park in Marine, Minnesota[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1088" align="aligncenter" width="800"] The State Park Salad that had romaine, spinach, kale, chard, cucumbers, green peppers, bacon (on the side) and tomaotes (on the side).[/caption] In this episode of the weekly Healthy Lifestyle Podcast, I talk about the following topics: Spinning Salad - Ingredients in the Salad Different Foods - Sweet Potatoes, Jalapeno Poppers, Salsa for the 3rd Annual Salsa Contest Kwitcherbellyackin Weight Loss Challenge - Initial Weight and Progress during Week 1 and Week 2 Workout and Diet Plan Updates - It has been a strange week Updates and Changes - Forum on Small Scale Life, Winter Gardening, Experiments and Future of my Backyard Garden Drew Sample will be returning in Episode 4 of the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast, and we will be recording and posting that podcast soon! Links [caption id="attachment_1089" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Before dinner, we took a walk along the St. Croix River at William O'Brien State Park.[/caption] I did not talk about any links during this podcast, but I think you should go to the following sites: William O'Brian State Park on the banks of the St. Croix River Two Beers with Charles Hugh Smith - on the The Sample Hour Workout and Diet Plan for the Weeks of 9/4/16 and 9/11/16 – Tom’s Workout and Diet Program The Whole 30 Program – Drew’s Program for Changing his Relationship with Food DDP Yoga – Drew’s Fitness Program Tabata Workouts for Beginners - My friend Jay Dolan said I should be trying some Tabata Workouts Friends of Healthy Lifestyle Podcast I am always happy to show some of my friends some love. This week’s friends of the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast: Small Scale Gardening Group on Facebook - Failing Forward Profitable Urban Farming – Drew Sample and Scott Hebert’s weekly podcast about success, failures and life as an urban farmer. Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Vertical Gardening with The Plant Charmer Part 1 - S1E15 In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I interviewed The Plant Charmer. You might be wondering: who is The Plant Charmer? This is a gentleman named Khaled Majouji, an urban farmer from the Montreal area in Canada who grows an incredible amount of vegetables in vertical gardens! Khaled inspired me to build my two gutter vertical garden system this year. The Plant Charmer and I discussed the following topics during the show: Background and beginnings Why he started urban farming How he developed vertical gardening using shoe organizers and rain gutters Selling produce Philosophy Thoughts on Big Agriculture Since we had such a great conversation that stretched for almost three hours, I broke this interview into a series. Part 2 of this podcast will be posted next week! Thank You and Call to Action https://www.instagram.com/p/BJduqJrDnML/?taken-by=theplantcharmer It was great having Khaled on the show, and I appreciate the time he spent talking to me. We had a long and awesome conversation, and because of that, we will have a Part 2 of this show. Khaled is working hard to get funds for a larger piece of land to expand his farming operation on a one acre homestead. In addition, he would like to set up a greenhouse and purchase a vehicle to deliver produce to a CSA. Khaled needs funds to set up this operation, so go to his Go Fund Me and donate today! I would also like to thank Austin from Beatsby_Roi for providing permission for using the song “Steady Wzdm” from The Lemon Water Chronicles, Volume 1, on the podcast. I would also like to thank Dillon from The Soapbox Collective Podcast for helping to connect with Austin. Links [caption id="attachment_1025" align="aligncenter" width="590"] The Plant Charmer has revolutionized growing food vertically! Source: The Plant Charmer's Instagram site[/caption] Khaled and I discussed the following links on the podcast: The Plant Charmer on Instagram The Plant Charmer's Go Fund Me Campaign The Plant Charmer on YouTube The Plant Charmer on Facebook Vertical Gardening 101 Vertical Gardening 102 In.Genius Farms School of Urban Agriculture Check out the In.Genius Farms School of Urban Agriculture. Khaled has launched a vertical strawberry growing course in his school. The cost is $50, and it looks like it is a great value! https://www.instagram.com/p/BJtYjloDSqV/?taken-by=theplantcharmer Friend of Small Scale Life Podcast In this Episode, I talk about the following friends of the Small Scale Life Podcast: Condo to Compound Blog – Jay Dolan’s journey from an urban/suburban life to a rural life. Failing Forward Profitable Urban Farming – Drew Sample and Scott Hebert’s weekly podcast about success, failures and life as an urban farmer. Reconnaissance Man – Aaron Clarey’s latest book for today’s youth where he recommends that the Reconnaissance Man (or Woman) takes the time to explore this country, not just to see what this country has to offer, but to find out who they are, where they belong, and what they really want out of life. Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but GREATLY appreciated)! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Labor Day Reset - HELP 2 September is finally here! The kids are back in school, and life settles into a routine. Fall is a fantastic time, however. Football, crisp mornings, and leaves changing make it my favorite time of year. For me, Labor Day marks the tipping point from summer to fall (based on my old football days). It can also be a time to reset and adjust goals and get some momentum before the infamous pumpkin spice and holiday season! Drew and I attempted to record and post this last Friday (9/2/16); however, somehow my computer did not record the podcast. That is unfortunate because it was a fantastic conversation! Drew had just completed his Two Beers with Charles podcast on the Sample Hour, and we discussed a variety of topics for this podcast. I decided to move ahead and record Episode 2 on my own, but Drew and I will record Episode 3 and post it as soon as we can get together. I am taking steps to make sure I have redundant recordings (so I don't lose a podcast). In this episode of the weekly Healthy Lifestyle Podcast, I talk about the following topics: Traveling in Colorado and Wisconsin - How did it go? What lessons did I learn? Resetting for Labor Day - Goals, working out, and diet Launching the NEW Kwitcherbellyackin Weight Loss Challenge - What is it and how does it work? Focusing on specific areas this month https://www.instagram.com/p/BJzZ9EBAKE7/?taken-by=smallscalelife Links While I did not manage to record the podcast, Drew and I talked about the following links during this podcast: Two Beers with Charles Hugh Smith - on the The Sample Hour Workout and Diet Plan for the Week of 8/28/16 – Tom’s Workout and Diet Program NEW Kwitcherbellyackin Hillbilly Weight Loss Challenge The Whole 30 Program – Drew’s Program for Changing his Relationship with Food DDP Yoga – Drew’s Fitness Program Tabata Workouts for Beginners - My friend Jay Dolan said I should be trying some Tabata Workouts https://youtu.be/dVNoZfmWfNc Friends of Healthy Lifestyle Podcast I am always happy to show some of my friends some love. This week’s friends of the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast: Condo to Compound Blog – Jay Dolan’s journey from an urban/suburban life to a rural life. Failing Forward Profitable Urban Farming – Drew Sample and Scott Hebert’s weekly podcast about success, failures and life as an urban farmer. Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Healthy Lifestyle Podcast: Introduction - HELP 1 This is Episode 1 of our new weekly Healthy Lifestyle Podcast. Drew Sample from the Sample Hour Podcast and I are both a weight loss journey and want to live healthier lifestyles. We decided that doing a weekly accountability podcast together will be fun and keep us on track with our goals. In this podcast, we discuss the following topics: Kicking off the Podcast Baseline Information: How did we get here? Our Goals and Drew's Weight Loss Challenge at Work Plan for the Week Mid-Week Motivation The Mid-Week Motivation is: [tweetthis]It is said that weight loss starts in the kitchen. Garbage in = garbage out.[/tweetthis] Links Drew and I talked about the following links during this podcast: Drew Sample from The Sample Hour Workout and Diet Plan for the Week of 8/21/16 - Tom's Workout and Diet Program How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life by Scott Adams The Whole 30 Program - Drew's Program for Changing his Relationship with Food DDP Yoga - Drew's Fitness Program Here is a DDP Yoga Beginners Workout on Diamond Dallas Page's YouTube Channel. Check it out! https://youtu.be/shPjl0R5kHo?list=PLuCbs2zxfj7pvtNMu2qB2Roaw-NBkLeeU Friends of Healthy Lifestyle Podcast I am always happy to show some of my friends some love. This week's friends of the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast: Condo to Compound Blog – Jay Dolan’s journey from an urban/suburban life to a rural life. Failing Forward Profitable Urban Farming – Drew Sample and Scott Hebert’s weekly podcast about success, failures and life as an urban farmer. Rate on iTunes Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Healthy Lifestyle Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link or the image above. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on the number stars. Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)! You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but appreciated) You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Garden Update Podcast - Week of 8/15/16 - S1E14 As I discussed in my most recent Workout Plan Update, I am changing how I am rolling out posts and podcasts for Small Scale Life. I am going to post Workout Plan Updates at the end of the week (looking forward to the next week) and Garden posts at the front end of the week. I will post podcasts in the middle of the week. Other posts will pop up as I write them. Since I haven't posted an update in a month, I am posting a Garden Update Podcast, post and videos. It is time to talk about success, failures, pests and blight. It has been a learning year in 2016! I outline what is happening in each garden bed below, so if you want to hear the podcast, skip ahead to the very end of the article! Garden Bed 1 [caption id="attachment_930" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Garden Bed 1 continues to be the flagship raised bed in the main garden - 8/14/16[/caption] Garden Bed 1 has four varieties of tomatoes, red onions, basil and cucumbers in it. This is my longest bed, and it has traditionally been my tomato planter. Below is an assessment of the plants in this raised bed. Plant Assessment Opalka Roma Tomatoes 3 of the 4 plants are doing VERY well with a lot of fruit I removed the 4th plant since it was not showing any fruit I added a volunteer that was hiding in the parsley in Bed 4 to replace the unproductive plant Amish Paste Tomatoes These plants are growing tall and strong Two are over 8 feet tall and have several tomatoes on them San Marzano Roma Tomatoes Plants are growing taller and showing several tomatoes Cherry Tomatoes Showing several tomatoes and growing taller Good production for being in the shade Basil Removed all plants on 8/14/16 due to Downy Mildew Cucumbers These plants are growing and starting to bear cucumbers Not as productive as the cucumbers in the wicking bed Red Onions Critters have devastated my red onion crop. I have learned to install fencing on my beds for the future Garden Bed 2 [caption id="attachment_931" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Garden Bed 2 is an exercise in chaos thanks to some pole beans that were mixed with the bush bean seeds - 8/14/16[/caption] Garden Bed 2 is a mish-mash of climbing plants. It wasn't supposed to be that way. This bed was supposed to be sugar snap peas and bush beans. Unfortunately, some pole bean seeds were mixed in with the bush beans, and the pole beans are going crazy. I also added two extra tomato plants to the bed as well. Below is a summary of this garden bed. Plant Assessment Bush Beans The bush beans have been productive They are being choked out by the pole bean plants Harvest tomorrow Pole Beans These plants arte starting to fade in the late summer heat They have been productive due to screening and shade from the pole beans Harvest tomorrow Cherry Tomato Plant is growing taller Starting to show fruit San Marzano Roma Tomatoes Planted late in the season Starting to show fruit Garden Bed 3 [caption id="attachment_932" align="aligncenter" width="514"] Garden Bed 3 should be brimming with onions and garlic this year. Note: should be....8/14/16[/caption] Garden Bed 3 is my 3'x8' bed. I grew potatoes in this bed last year, and this year it was going to be my garlic and onion box. It started out splendidly, but as of mid-August, it has not performed as I anticipated. Here is a summary of the plants and performance of this garden bed. The bottom line is that this bed needs a fence! Plant Assessment Garlic Garlic was transplanted into this bed early in the season Garlic grew in the spring and early summer Most garlic was harvested; small heads Two garlic plants remain in the bed Yellow Onions Critters have been digging in this bed this season Yellow onions have been dug up as the animals dig Remaining yellow onions do look good Peppers Transplanted late after the garlic was harvested Rabbits have eaten most of the leaves on these plants Garden Bed 4 and 5 and Vertical Garden [caption id="attachment_935" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Garden Bed 4 and 5 with the Vertical Garden in happier and healthier times - 7/21/16[/caption] Between the vertical garden and Garden Bed 4, I had about 150 basil plants in my garden. I harvested about 9 gallons of basil and created a ton of pesto and pasta/soup starts. Unfortunately, I did not notice early warning signs of downy mildew as I harvested the basil. We had some big rain storms, and when I looked at the garden last week, I noticed that many of the plants were suffering from the mildew. I removed the plants on 8/14/16 and salvaged what I could. The crop was almost a complete loss. Meanwhile, the parsley is healthy and simply awesome! Plant Assessment Parsley Plants are extemely productive and healthy Basil Basil has been infected by Downy Mildew All basil has been removed from the garden Guerrilla Garden [caption id="attachm

Charles Hugh Smith - S1E13 In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I had the opportunity to interview Charles Hugh Smith. He is an entrepreneur, author, blogger, podcaster and gardener. Charles started the Of Two Minds blog in 2005, and his "side project of self-expression" has mushroomed into a 3,500 page website that has generated 20 million page views! According to Charles, "the blog is #7 in CNBC's top alternative financial sites, and is republished on numerous popular sites such as Zero Hedge, Financial Sense, and David Stockman’s Contra Corner. I am frequently interviewed by alternative media personalities such as Max Keiser, and am a contributing writer on peakprosperity.com." Fortunately for me, Charles is on a podcast with our good friend Drew Sample. Drew mentioned Small Scale Life, and Charles agreed to come on the podcast. I was really excited to have Charles on the show. I had read some of his posts on Zero Hedge over the years and found him to be a very good writer and deep thinker. In addition, Charles has a garden and some fruit trees, so naturally he had to come on the Small Scale Life Podcast! Charles and I discussed the following topics during the show: Gardening Tribes Networks Jobs in the New Economy Mincome (Minimum Income) Healthy Lifestyle Sustainable Lifestyle What is Small Scale Life really all about? And much, much more! As you listen to the podcast, you might find that I did a fair share of talking. Charles has a way of interviewing the interviewer! I thought that was a pretty interesting turn of the events. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this podcast and learn more about Charles and me! Thank You [caption id="attachment_907" align="aligncenter" width="675"] Charles and his wife make pies from his peach trees in his yard. It looks awesome![/caption] It was great that Charles Hugh Smith spent some time with us at the Small Scale Life Podcast. He is a deep thinking guy with a lot of ideas, and his analysis is really interesting. I will be reading some of his books to learn more about meaningful work in the new emerging economy, why things are falling apart and what we can do about it , and about survival when times get turbulent and tough. Again, thank you, Charles, for your time and patience waiting for this podcast to be published. You can come back on the Small Scale Life Podcast at any time! Thank you, Drew Sample, for mentioning Small Scale Life to Charles. I appreciate it, my friend, and I hope to return the favor! I would also like to thank Austin from Beatsby_Roi for providing permission for using the song “Steady Wzdm” from The Lemon Water Chronicles, Volume 1, on the podcast. I would also like to thank Dillon from The Soapbox Collective Podcast for helping to connect with Austin. Links [caption id="attachment_908" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Charles Hugh Smith's latest book available on Amazon.com in print and Kindle[/caption] Charles Hugh Smith and I talked about the following links during the podcast: Charles Hugh Smith from Of Two Minds Charles Hugh Smith's Books For Sale on Amazon.com Drew Sample from The Sample Hour US Army's Basic Training Physical Fitness Test Scott Hebert from Flavourful Farms Sabastian Junger's Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging Jack Spriko's The Survival Podcast Bring Danny Home Blog - Story of Finding My Son in 2015 Friend of Small Scale Life Podcast In this Episode, I talk about the following friends of the Small Scale Life Podcast: Condo to Compound Blog - Jay Dolan's journey from an urban/suburban life to a rural life. Failing Forward Profitable Urban Farming - Drew Sample and Scott Hebert's weekly podcast about success, failures and life as an urban farmer. Reconnaissance Man - Aaron Clarey's latest book for today's youth where he recommends that the Reconnaissance Man (or Woman) takes the time to explore this country, not just to see what this country has to offer, but to find out who they are, where they belong, and what they really want out of life. Listen Use the following link to listen to the podcast. Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on 5 stars. Subscribe to the podcast! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Gardenchat with Bren Haas - S1E12 When I started Small Scale Gardening in 2014, I wandered into the world of Twitter to see what it was all about. On some Monday night, I found my way onto GardenChat session and discovered a tribe of really fantastic gardeners. The leader of this tribe was a very interesting woman named Bren Haas. Over the past year, we have had a lot of fun getting to know each other and sharing information, and I have had the opportunity to be a guest writer on her blog and host a session of #Gardenchat! Bren is a gardener, blogger, podcaster, "people collector" and all around great person. On her rural property in Ohio, Bren and her husband have a variety of gardens, a pond, a greenhouse and a Bio Dome! At the same time, her blog and social media empire keeps her very busy online, but she has a great blog full of interesting gardening articles and fantastic recipes. Her recipes have even been recognized and published by Better Homes and Gardens! I asked Bren to be a guest on the Small Scale Life Podcast, and in late June we had an opportunity to sit down and chat. In this podcast, we talked about the following topics: Rural Living Finding Rural Property Ponds and Fish Internet Availability Pests (Deer, Rabbits and Gophers - oh my!) Gardening Introduction to Growing (and Killing) Plants Her Gardens Hatred of Weeding Her Greenhouse Her Bio Dome Future Projects Blogging and Podcasting Interviews and People Collecting Recipes What She's Learned Check out latest on the Bio Dome here! https://www.instagram.com/p/BHtGG_wDXEC/?taken-by=bggarden&hl=en Thank You We appreciate the time Bren Haas spent with us on the Small Scale Life Podcast. I apologize that it took a month to post this podcast! Thank you for your patience. Bren was a fantastic guest: really fun to talk with and totally on the same wavelength. I really appreciated her insights about rural living and the tips she provided to me (and now all of you). I wish her the best of luck in the garden, in her Bio Dome, and on her social media empire, and I hope she will be back on the show someday in the future. After all, we need to see how that Bio Dome is working out! I would also like to thank Austin from Beatsby_Roi for providing permission for using the song "Steady Wzdm" from The Lemon Water Chronicles, Volume 1, on the podcast. I would also like to thank Dillon from The Soapbox Collective Podcast for helping to connect with Austin. Links https://www.instagram.com/p/BGQEsV6B394/?taken-by=bggarden&hl=en Bren Haas and I talked about the following links during the podcast (and there were a lot of them): Creative Living & Growing with Bren - Bren's blog and links to her podcast Gardenchat Twitter Page - Gardenchat happens on 9 PM Eastern on Mondays Creative Living & Growing with Bren Twitter Page Creative Living & Growing Podcast - Bren's Podcast Creative Living & Growing YouTube Channel Creative Living & Growing with Bren Facebook Page Creative Living & Growing with Bren Instagram Page Garden Blogger's Fling Scot Poirier from Gotta Grow It! Niki Jabbour from Savvy Gardening Pam Tallon and Growing North Drew Sample from The Sample Hour Scott Hebert from Flavourful Farms Charles Hugh Smith from Of Two Minds Listen Use the following link to listen to the podcast. Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on 5 stars. Subscribe to the podcast! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Get Out of Your Rut - S1E11 For the past month, I have been in a rut. From the outside, people would not really know it since I keep smiling and trying to move forward. Some things converged together and hit me like a tidal wave. It came to a head on the week of Memorial Day, and I have been getting out of my rut since. In this podcast, I talk about what I am doing and what I have learned along the way, and maybe this will help you get out of your rut and moving forward. This is a difficult podcast for me to post, and I struggled with putting it out there for a couple reasons: I had some technical issues with my laptop that delayed my posting of this podcast This is a very personal podcast, and I hesitated posting it Believe it or not, I don't like talking about what goes on in my head. I keep things pretty close. My friend Drew Sample told me that I needed to share it because there lessons to be learned from this experience. I agreed and decided that it was important to me to share this with you. Take from it what you will, and hopefully you will get out of your rut too. Let's get the funk out! Life is too short and too beautiful to be down in the dumps! [caption id="attachment_803" align="aligncenter" width="2592"] Sunset in Colorado Springs, Colorado - June 2015[/caption] Thank You Thank you, listeners, family, friends and followers, for hanging in there during this month. Stay tuned because more great stuff is coming! Thank you, special people in my life, for lending a helping hand with encouragement and kind words. Really, you guys are the best, and I appreciate you. For those of you in a rut and struggling, find a good, kind person and lean on them. It really does help to look at your problems and issues through a different prism and perspective. You might find a new path forward or a new solution to your problem. I would like to thank Austin from Beatsby_Roi for providing permission for using the song “Steady Wzdm” from The Lemon Water Chronicles, Volume 1, on the podcast. I would also like to thank Dillon from The Soapbox Collective Podcast for his assistance. Links I have two links for you today, and these are for friends of the Small Scale Life Podcast: Jen Semmler from Young Living Essential Oils - Jen is your representative for all nature essential oils. Please contact her through Facebook to order yours today. Let Jen know that you heard about her from the Small Scale Life Podcast. The Sample Hour Podcast - My friends Drew Sample and Scott Hebert continue to fail forward to succeed at life on the Sample Hour Podcast. Check out their podcast today! They laugh, they cry, they sing and they take off their shirts just for you. https://www.instagram.com/p/BGVa7YnHSFA/?taken-by=flavourfulfarms&hl=en If you would like to advertise your product or service on the Small Scale Life Podcast, please contact me at realsmallscalelife [at] gmail [dot] com. Listen Use the following link to listen to the podcast. Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on 5 stars. Subscribe to the podcast! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Urban Farming and Podcasting with Drew Sample - S1E10 In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I interview Drew Sample about urban farming and podcasting. Initially inspired by Joe Rogan's podcast, Drew Sample started his own podcast called The Sample Hour. Initially, it was mainly focused on comedy and stand-up comedians. After becoming interested in permaculture and urban farming, Drew shifted the focus of The Sample Hour. After more than 112 episodes, Drew feels that he is hitting his niche interviewing permaculture and urban farmers (sounds familiar). Drew and our recent guest Scott Hebert have a weekly podcast where they talk the problems, solutions and progress they are making on their urban farming operations. In addition, Drew has interviewed some very interesting people on his podcast including Curtis Stone, Jean Martin-Fortier, Charles Hugh Smith, Jack Spirko, Diego Footer, Rob Kaiser, Paul Wheaton, Matt Powers, Grant Schultz, Luke Callahan and others. That is a lot of brain power right there (and a lot of links), and I highly recommend you listen to those interviews (after you listen to this one). Drew started his urban farm in 2015 after determining that he "needed to get outside more" and finding that urban gardening was a path forward. The interesting thing is that his urban farm is on property that he rents in Columbus, Ohio. His farm is called Capital City Gardens, and he is working in cooperation with Heirloom Produce (owned and operated by a life-long friend Joel). Drew is learning how to operate his urban farm with help from his friend Joel, Scott Hebert and from Curtis Stone's Profitable Urban Farming course. This is his first year of " urban farming really intensely." [caption id="attachment_727" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Drew's urban farm is located in his backyard in Columbus, Ohio; he is a renter just like me![/caption] Drew stated in this episode that he was going to start publishing videos on his YouTube Channel. True to form, he did publish a good quality, great sounding video where he talks about permaculture with Steve Harbolt at Sawyer-Ludwig Park in Marion, Ohio. https://youtu.be/hCiuwpk3rxc Thank You We appreciate the time Drew spent with us on the Small Scale Life Podcast. We wish him the best of luck for his urban farming and podcasting operations this season. I hope to have Drew back on the podcast in the future to follow-up with him about the urban farm. I would also like to thank Austin from Beatsby_Roi for providing permission for using the song "Steady Wzdm" from The Lemon Water Chronicles, Volume 1, on the podcast. I would also like to thank Dillon from The Soapbox Collective Podcast for his assistance. Links Drew and I talked about the following links during the podcast (and there were a lot of them): The Sample Hour - Drew Sample's blog and podcast platform; also home to Drew and Scott Hebert's weekly podcast The Sample Hour's Facebook Page The Sample Hour's YouTube Page The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast Curtis Stone's "The Urban Farmer" - Book and online course - Keep in mind Drew offers a 10% discount Curtis Stone's Green City Acres - Urban Farm Curtis Stone's YouTube Channel - Great tips and videos Permaculture Voices with Diego Footer - Great podcasts about permaculture and profitable urban farming Will Allen's Growing Power Joel Salatin's Polyface Farm and books Food Inc. - Documentary film John Martin Fortier's "The Market Farmer" book and blog Jack Spirko's The Survival Podcast Ben Hartman's "Lean Farm" book Back to Eden Paul Wheaton - The Duke of Permaculture Ramps - What are they? Little John in Sheboygan, Wisconsin - Drew's most recent interview with Little John Grant Schultz from VersaLand.com - Grant's YouTube Channel Eric Schultz - Farmer to Farmer Podcast Charles Hugh Smith's Of Two Minds Blog Listen Use the following link to listen to the podcast. Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on 5 stars. Subscribe to the podcast! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

Urban Farming with Scott Hebert - S1E9 Scott Hebert starting urban farming in 2015 in Chilliwack, British Columbia. A year ago, Scott was working at his dad's cabinet shop, and when his dad announced that the shop was closing, Scott knew he had to find a new path forward. After losing 60 pounds on his own weight loss journey, had an interest in growing healthy food. At that point, he started his urban farm called Flavourful Farms. Using his previous experience using coaches in Mixed Martial Arts, Scott reached out to an urban farming expert that lived two hours away: Curtis Stone. Paying a consulting fee, Scott visited Curtis and spent the day with him, looking at this urban farming operation and asking questions. Of course, Scott had done his homework beforehand, and he asked a lot of questions and walked away with a lot of answers. During the podcast, Scott and I discuss urban farm, his creativity and his artwork. Scott has sold some of his art to customers and used it in his kickstarter campaign. One picture that we discussed was the recent picture he created of a dog (pictured below). He was able to create this for a customer, and Scott got some satisfaction knowing that his creation would always be part of the dog's owner's life. [caption id="attachment_666" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Scott drew this picture for a customer - 5/4/16[/caption] During the podcast, Scott and I discuss his cart made out of spare parts and scraps. He did some more work on it this week, and he posted this video on his Flavourful Farms Instagram site. It is a very creative build! Nice work, Scott. https://www.instagram.com/p/BFDKBbWnSPm/?taken-by=flavourfulfarms Links Scott and I talked about the following links during the podcast: Flavourful Farms website - Scott's main website Flavourful Farms on Instagram - Great photos, and Scott updates it regularly Flavourful Farms on Facebook - Scott's farming page The Sample Hour - Drew Sample and Scott Hebert's weekly podcast Curtis Stone's "The Urban Farmer" - Book and online course Curtis Stone's Green City Acres - Urban Farm Curtis Stone's YouTube Channel - Great tips and videos Permaculture Voices with Diego Footer - Great podcasts about permaculture and profitable urban farming Scott Hebert's interview on Permaculture Voices - Diego Footer and Curtis Stone interview Scott Hebert about urban farming Dan Barber Ted Talks - Dan Barber talks about fish raised using a revolutionary farming method in Spain Listen Use the following link to listen to the podcast. Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on 5 stars. Subscribe to the podcast! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!

How to Lose 70 Pounds - S1E8 Part 2 of the Cows and Kettlebells Podcast is focused on how to lose 70 pounds. As part of Jay's training, he was focused on getting in shape and losing weight. As you'll find out, it takes commitment, consistency, focus and in Jay's case, a kick in the rear from instructors. Diet is a key component of weight loss, and Jay discusses his diet and eating regimen. Jay's tips for starting to work out are the following: Consistency. This is crucial. You are going to have days where you don’t want to workout. You must push through those feelings and complete your workout. The phrase that we all use “life gets in the way” is complete baloney. If anything, run in place for a minute at a time. Try it for ten minutes. Lifestyle Change and Commitment. There’s a ton of stuff out there that makes working out a huge presentation. There’s a reason: they’re trying to make you feel like you’re part of a tribe, like you belong to something. With that membership to the tribe comes commitment. You have to make a commitment to the tribe, but more importantly, you must make a commitment to yourself. Make the change in your lifestyle, and then commit to it. Hydrate. Drink water before, during and after your workouts, especially if you are sore. Form is key. Weight is just resistance. Learn the basics from others around you. Ask questions about form and practice the fundamentals of what you are learning. Top tier athletes and exercise professionals got there for a reason, and most of the time, they are willing to share their knowledge and help a new person. Make sure you learn before you jump on a weight machine or throw weight around. Do the research and learn from others; otherwise, you might hurt yourself. Safety is key. Make it fun. This is supposed to be a complete lifestyle change, right? That means to keep committed to the lifestyle in the long term, you need to make it fun and interesting. If you are bored with the same old routine on a treadmill, you will quit. Try new things. Go hiking, walk around a lake, try swimming, go kayaking, take ballroom dance lessons, do something fun. As your endurance improves, the world will open up to you, so take advantage of it and go have an adventure! This lifestyle is meant to improve your life, not be a burden. As Jay hit his stride, he became hungry for exercise after three weeks. He took up Jiu Jitsu as a way to burn calories and learn new things. He stressed to go and try something that makes you feel uncomfortable. You may end up in shape and with a hobby or skills that might raise the eyebrow of more than one person. Great job, Jay. That is quite an accomplishment to lose 70 pounds. Thank you for being an excellent guest for these two podcasts! Let us know when you have your new blog up and running! Links Buying Rural Property - Cows and Kettlebells Part 1 - Small Scale Life Podcast Season 1, Episode 7 Tabata Workouts - 20 second bursts of exercise and rest for 10 seconds and repeat those exercises for 8 cycles Military Cadence - Collection of cadence from the US Army. There are others out there. Hooah! A special thanks to Austin from Beatsby_Roi for providing permission for using the song "Steady Wzdm" from The Lemonwater Chronicles, Volume 1, on the podcast. Austin has a new track called Feels Right that is really great; check it out Also a special thanks to Dillon from The Soapbox Collective Podcast for helping set the music up. https://youtu.be/0j2gXojBgag?list=PLPEiSZ4B9K6rI-MJUUj_txa4LoEKBHiyV Listen Use the following link to listen to the podcast. Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on 5 stars. Subscribe! You can also write a longer review, though it’s not

Cowbells and Kettlebells Part 1 - S1E7 My friend Jay is back on the Small Scale Life Podcast! Jay and I recorded a two-part series called "Cowbells and Kettlebells," and in this episode, we discuss Jay's vision of buying and owning rural property. Specifically, we discuss the following topics: Why purchase rural property? What is your vision for this property? What are you looking for as you start to look at rural property (i.e., features and characteristics)? Will you need to commute to your job? What kind of a commute are you willing to tolerate? What are you seeing in your market? Is rural property available? What does it look like? What advice/tips do you have for others? Throughout this episode, we discuss permaculture concepts (i.e., hugelkulture mounds and small scale food forests). I also sprinkle in some of my (and Julie's) thoughts about our future rural property, and I learned a few new things from Jay during the course of this podcast as well. My take-away from this podcast is that I will be doing some research about farm credits and agriculture-based credits, grants and loans. That could be very beneficial for our future plans, and I have a feeling some other folks in the MN-WI Regenerative Agriculture Facebook Group would be interested as well! [caption id="attachment_589" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] I interviewed Jay from the cab of a fire truck (this is a random picture). I have to think that is a first in the podcasting world![/caption] I would also like to note that the first part of this podcast was recorded from the cab of a fire engine. I don't think there is another podcast in the world that can make that claim! We did have to re-record part of this podcast since there was activity in the fire station that interrupted the show. Links The following sites and links were discussed during this podcast: Small Scale Life Season 1, Episode 6 - What is a Sustainable Life? Small Scale Gardening Blog Ben Falk's The Resilient Farm and Homestead book Jack Spirko Member Support Brigade Jack Spirko Episode 1764 - Small Scale Food Forestry Homes for Heroes - Hero Rewards®, rebates, and discounts for firefighters, emergency medical professionals, military and veterans, law enforcement, teachers and healthcare workers when buying, selling, or refinancing a home. A special thanks to Austin from Beatsby_Roi for providing permission for using the song "Steady Wzdm" from The Lemonwater Chronicles, Volume 1, on the podcast. Austin has a new track called Feels Right that is really great; check it out! Also a special thanks to Dillon from The Soapbox Collective Podcast for helping set the music up. Listen Use the following link to listen to the podcast. Since we are now on iTunes, please rate and review the Small Scale Life Podcast. You can leave a review by following these simple steps: Click on this link. Go to ratings and reviews. Click on 5 stars. Subscribe!

What is a Sustainable Life? - S1E6 After a bit of a break in March, the Small Scale Life Podcast is back! Before we posted another episode, I needed to get some infrastructure in place that would allow this podcast to be placed on iTunes. This is the official reboot of the podcast, and we are looking forward to more episodes in Awesome April. In this episode, I discuss the elements of my vision of a sustainable life including the following topics: Mission of the Small Scale Life Podcast and Blog What is a Sustainable Life (in my view)? The definition of sustainable The three pillars of sustainability (economics, social development and the environment) How that definition and the three pillars relate to what we are doing on Small Scale Life Healthy Living Economics and Frugal Living Gardening Adventures and Having Fun Restarting and Rebounding after Failure Awesome April and the 2nd Annual Salsa Contest All of the elements that I discuss are related to the Core Principles I described on the About Page of the Blog. You can see those principles here. Finally, we are really excited that we have a fantastic logo and other key infrastructure in place that will help us upload this podcast to iTunes. Thank you, Jenny (you know who you are), for all of your hard work and creativity on this effort! Links During the podcast, I discuss the following links: Hybrid Rain Gutter Grow Systems on Small Scale Gardening Septoria Leaf Spot on Small Scale Life Organic Gardener Podcast - I will be a guest on the show this week Gallant Garden in Charlevoix, Michigan (Gallant Gardens' Facebook Page) Flavourful Farms in Chilliwak, British Columbia (Flavourful Farms' Facebook Page) MN-WI Regenerative Agriculture Group Small Scale Gardening Facebook Group Regenerative Agriculture Group Check those links out; there are some really fantastic people out there living sustainable lives and getting stuff done! Your Turn What is your definition of a sustainable life? How will you achieve it? Will you achieve it in the near future? I would love to hear from you. Also, if you would like to enter the 2nd Annual Homemade Salsa Fiesta Contest, please send me an e-mail at realsmallscalelife [at] gmail [dot] com. Remember: the contest will be held on Earth Day Weekend, so contact me soon! Finally, review this podcast on iTunes. It will help us grow!

Season 1, Episode 5: How to Grow Seeds Indoors - Small Scale Life Podcast In an effort to maximize our potential harvest and start planning spring planting, I have started some tomatoes, lettuce, kale and lettuce in the basement. I discuss my techniques for how to grow seeds indoors in Season 1, Episode 5 of the Small Scale Life podcast. Why Start Seeds Now? Spring is right around the corner, everyone! Depending where you live in the world, it might not feel like it as February comes to close. In our house, we have started thinking forward to the 2016 Gardening Campaign. In addition, I kicked off the Grow What You Eat Challenge by planting the leafy greens (lettuce, spinach and kale). I am excited to see if I can grow enough leafy greens to effectively take that off our grocery list...permanently. At the same time, Julie reminded me that I always am kicking myself that I waited too long to start seeds. I quietly disagreed, but she showed me the articles I wrote about starting seeds early in 2015 and in 2014 (on the Small Scale Gardening blog). I had to agree with her. She is really on her game this week, but I will reserve that for another post or podcast. I mention or discuss the following sites and articles in this podcast: Small Scale Life Blog – www.smallscalelife.com Small Scale Gardening Blog: Starting Seeds Indoors – http://www.smallscalegardening.com/2015/05/14/start-seeds-indoors/ Small Scale Life Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/SmallScaleLife Small Scale Gardening Group Page – www.facebook.com/groups/821558261269485