Check out the blog at smallscalelife.com for the following recipes:

• A super quick/super good cheesy au gratin potatoes recipe,
• How to cook a turkey and
• How to cook a ham

Thanksgiving should be a lot of fun and bring people together, so we are helping you get ready and get the dinner on the table. It doesn't have to be overwhelming; we are here to help!

As you finish up your prep and cooking, I also give a little advice on how to facilitate your family, friends and other guests who arrive at your house. It's life lessons we have learned from experience. I have been there, done that and gotten the t-shirt with some of this!

For more tips and photos, check out the post titled "Happy Thanksgiving from Small Scale Life" using the link!

Happy Thanksgiving, all! Bon appetit!

If you are new to Small Scale Life or missed Part 1 of the Homesteading for Beginners podcast, I recommend that you take a listen.  In that podcast, Captain Lumbersquatch Greg Burns, my friend Jay and I discuss starting our own Homesteading journeys by asking why.

For more links, photos and extensive show notes, please go to Small Scale Life to get more information!

My friend Jay and I can relate to those new homesteaders: we both purchased properties in 2018.  We want to create new homesteads on our respective properties, and we figured it would be great to talk with someone who actually had a homestead and was further down the rabbit hole on this journey.

Fortunately, I know a few people who do some great things due to this little podcast and blog!  I called on my friend Captain Lumbersquatch Greg Burns, and he agreed to bring his contrarian perspective (and jar full of fermented goodness) to the discussion.

For more information, show notes and links to other podcasts and information, check out the post on Small Scale Life!

Check out more and get more detail on [Small Scale Life](www.smallscalelife.com)e!

Congratulations, my friends!  Your friends from the frozen tundra in Minnesota celebrate this glorious event with you!

As I woke up this morning, I was thinking about this event and your wedding.  I woke up thinking about what I would say to you both as you begin this phase of your lives together.  I have been married for almost 24 years, and I have learned some things along the way that I would be happy to pass along to you both.  This is the same advice from the same philosophers I gave to my brother when I was his Best Man at his wedding some years ago.  It is the same advice I will give my two boys when they wed some day in the distant future.

Go with the Flow

The first piece of advice comes from a great philosopher of the modern age.  This man hails from the far north as well.  In his case, he comes from Canada and is one of their most cherished treasures.  In the timeless words of John Candy:

[tweetthis]"Go with the flow like a twig on the shoulders of a massive stream!" John Candy[/tweetthis]

Marriage and life can be compared to going down a river.  Sometimes, marriage and life is good and easy.  The waters are calm, and things take little effort.  Other times, there are rapids, and it takes a lot of effort to avoid getting hung up on the rocks.  In the worst of times, the river rushes over a waterfall.  You need to hold on to each other tight and go over to uncertain depths below or figure out a safe way around the impending disaster.  The key through all of this is to be together and work like a team.  By doing that, you will be equipped and able to take on whatever is around the next bend in the river.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

The second piece of advice comes from another great mind and talent of our current year and current age.  This is truly an exquisite mind and talent: one that is unparalleled in all the land.  I, I mean this talent, firmly believes that you should, no matter what, always try to laugh.  Life comes at you fast, and sometimes the only way to cope with it is to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, make a joke and laugh.  Don’t take yourself too seriously. Live, laugh and love.  Truly is more than a cheesy slogan on an Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest page.  It is the truth.  It is how I try to approach life, although sometimes I am better at it than others. You have to laugh together to make sense of this mad, mad world.  Even when Jay leaves his nasty workout socks on the floor or the toilet seat up.  You just have to laugh.

Congratulations!  Start Your World

Julie and I wish you two the best.  We wished we could be there with you to celebrate this event, but we will make efforts to celebrate sometime and in some place in the future.

Congratulations! Good luck, good fortune, and may God smile upon you. Start your world; it begins….now!

In case you are new to Small Scale Life, we are living simply by growing, exploring and living healthy.  To put it simply, we are focused on:

• list text hereGardening,
• list text hereHealthy living, and
• list text hereHaving adventures along the way.

Before we begin, let’s hear from some friends of Small Scale Life.

Friends of Small Scale Life

Lumbersquatches Greg Burns and Drew Sample - Good Men and Good Friends!
For this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I wanted to give a big shout out to my friend Drew Sample at The Sample Hour.  He just released Episode 171, which is all about Hogtoberfest 2017.  In case you missed it, Drew Sample and I talked about Hogtoberfest 2016 last year.  I have not had a chance to listen to this podcast yet, but given the people and personalities that attended this year, I am positive that this podcast will be simply awesome.  Special shouts out to all the attendees for showing us how small communities of like minded people can come together to do some really cool stuff.  Thanks for recording and posting this Drew!

I would also like to remind you that the Hogtoberfest host Greg Burns from Nature’s Image Farms does have comfrey left, and it is available for you at Nature's Image Farm.  As always, use discount code “SSL” for 10% off and FREE Shipping!  So, if you would like to have your own Bocking 4 of Boking 14 Comfrey cuttings, reach out to Greg Burns at Natures Image Farms today!

Healthy Lifestyle Update: Good, Bad and Ugly

So. Many. Patterns. Icing my knee this afternoon. Starting PT tomorrow. Thanks @mbell971 and @jdoms91 for keeping my spirits up. Sucks to hobble around. You don’t realize how much you rely on your knees until they don’t work right (pain free).
A post shared by Small Scale Life (@smallscalelife) on Nov 7, 2017 at 3:42pm PST
Today on Small Scale Life, I am going to discuss some of the good, the bad and the ugly related to jump-starting this journey. As you start to move, you might find out that some things need some attention and some work.  You might even find out that you are not a 2 on the healthy lifestyle scale from 1 to 10 (with 10 being the fittest person in your dreams), you might be a 1.  Right now, I am a 1.  What will it take to get to a 2?

The last time I talked about this topic was back at the end of September.  I have had a whole month, so what progress did I make?  In a way, it is like showing your homework, a project or a speech in front of the class.  Some of it might be good.  Some of it might be bad, and in some cases, just plain ugly.

The good news is that I am still here, still working on it and still moving forward.  I am working through the pain, and it has given me a serious appreciation for people like Todd Ehrhardt that are living and making progress on their dreams in spite of their physical pain.

We’ll start from the worst case and work backwards, so we end on a positive note. What can I say?  I am a positive guy and want to end on a positive note and looking forward.

The Ugly

Let’s start with the ugly.  If you follow Small Scale Life on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, you have seen a lot of pictures and posts of my knee under various ice packs.  I have been nursing a bad knee since the end of August when I worked at the Minnesota State Fair.  So, what is going on?  To answer that question, we have to go back in a time machine.

Back in my youth, I played football in high school and in college.  As a defensive lineman and linebacker, I had my share of sprained ankles and fingers.  I also had two knee injuries.  As a Senior in high school, I strained my Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) on my left knee against Robbinsdale Armstrong High School (my son Ryan’s nemesis from high school basketball).  That healed fairly quickly.

The bigger, more serious injury occurred in college.  I was chasing down a running back on a broken play in a game against Hamline College, and a guy who was subbing in for our injured safety dove right into my left leg, bending it backward.  I partially tore my Posterior Collateral Ligament (PCL) and once again strained my MCL.  I also taught the Hamline sideline a new vocabulary and language that would make Salty Seaman proud.  I was out for the year, and I decided to end my football career.

Flash forward 26 years from 1991 to 2017.  I went from endless hours behind desks and in meetings to working on my feet a lot.  In my current role, I am inspecting railroad crossings, working at events like the State Fair or presenting to people.  That means I am standing, sometimes for hours on end.

In addition, I am just a little heavier now in my 40’s than when I was 18 years old.  Just a bit!  Those old injuries coupled with extra body weight and being on my feet a lot created a perfect storm for arthritis in my knee.  Welcome to getting old and years of neglect, my friends!

*The Bad
*

Since the end of August, I have been hobbling around the house or at work and icing my knee at night.  It affected me during the 14-Day Rebooted Body Walk Challenge, and I had to sign up for the 1 mile per day challenge because I was really worried that I couldn’t go farther on a given day.

I have gone to the doctor a couple times: once at the end of September and then again recently.  I saw a general practitioner in September, and while the direction I got from them was okay, it was based on old information, x-rays and data from 2012.  I knew I had to go to a specialist.

In late October, I was able to get to see an ortho.  They took new x-rays of my knee and confirmed that I had arthritis and poor cartilage in both knees, particularly my left knee.  Apparently the x-rays revealed that my lower legs are slightly misaligned from my knee, and this alignment forces the bulk of the weight and force to my inner knee and inner foot.

Based on discussions with the ortho, we decided to move ahead with Physical Therapy, holding off on cortisone shots or surgical options.  One of the options was removing a wedge from both of my lower legs, forcing realignment of my legs.  This would force my weight to be more evenly distributed through my legs to my feet.  While the ortho shrugged it off and said it was like taking a chunk out of a tree (with a reciprocating saw), the thought of that did not appeal to me at all! Who wants someone sawing off part of their leg?

The bottom line is that my why’s for getting healthier are becoming even more urgent.  Life will get a lot less painful if I do the work to rehab myself and can shed some weight.

Truth be told, it has been a miserable few days since the weekend.  My knee was really sore after swimming a mile on Sunday, and I was really hobbling around the house and work.  It was pretty painful, and I could feel my other muscles tightening up and tiring out while they compensated for my knee.

The Good

Got a walk with @jdoms91 tonight in the neighborhood. When we got close to shingle Creek, we hear two Great Horn Owls in the stand of cottonwoods and other trees along the creek. Owls are awesome, and I have learned to mimic their calls. Needless to say, we stopped and I called. Two owls got excited (they are territorial) and flew into trees right over our heads. They eventually decided to move on, and they took flight. The geese and ducks called out warning calls as the two owls flew over the water. It was a fantastic to see them fly. What a night! It is amazing what you see on a walk in the urban area sometimes.

A post shared by Small Scale Life (@smallscalelife) on Oct 5, 2017 at 9:17pm PDT
There is hope, however.  Yesterday I went to the Physical Therapist.  We discussed the situation and she put me through some evaluations to see how bad it was.  Probably the most difficult part of this was squatting down.  That was pretty brutal.  She also twisted my knee around trying to check if the meniscus was bad.  That was a little painful.

She was able to see a lot of issues I have with my legs and muscles.  The fact is that my calves are too tight, as are my hamstrings.  My glutes, core and my quads need to be stronger, and my hips need some work as well.  All of these things impact my knees and my lower back, which have both been pretty sore over the past several months.

I walked away with a laundry list of stretches and exercises to start rehabbing those muscles.  I am working on that list of stretches and exercises at least two times a day, and I will be going to have therapy for the next six weeks.  I have to do the work to make this better; no one can do it for me.

It certainly has been a wild year for me.  I don’t usually go to the doctor or physical therapy.  I haven’t in years.  That all changed this year as I have truly tried to rehab my body.

• list text hereThrough Kevin Michael Geary’s Rebooted Body, I took care of some sleeping issues and got my lower back checked out.

• list text hereI can also attribute my recent trips to the doctor, ortho and therapist to the Rebooted Body Walk Challenge as well.

Maybe I should send Kevin my bills?

So, you might be asking, what is good about any of this?

The good part of this journey is that I am trying to get myself in a better place physically.  Stretching and working out again is going to help me.  I have been getting back in the pool more consistently, and last night I even tried the stationary bike.  I can tell you that the pool has felt better for my knee that the bike!  It was rather painful to spin those pedals, and my resistance level was set at 3.  Sad because I used to start at 8 or 10.

Anyway, this journey is not an overnight sprint.  It is a long, slow walk.  My progress will be measured by inches at first, and then feet.  It is going to take time and effort, but it is not too late to fix myself.

I have to do the work.  I have to commit to it.  This is important, and it is becoming more and more important as I get older.  When you are young, you can do things that and ignore warning signs.  I do not have that luxury.  As I told the physical therapist, my 68 year old father-in-law walks better than I can right now.  That needs to change.

My journey is just starting.  Stay tuned to these Healthy Lifestyle Updates; it is going to be an interesting, and sometimes frustrating, walk.

Your Challenge

Thank you for tuning into this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast.  Share this post and podcast; maybe that person you share it with will get inspired to go to the doctor and get help for their pain.  Maybe you will be inspired to get moving and start your own journey.  I am starting small, and you all can probably walk circles around me.  Are you willing to get off the couch and start?  Join me and give it a try!

Share and Interact

Please help the podcast and blog grow.  How do you do that?  Subscribe on iTunes, leave a rating and share this podcast with others.  For those of you who have left reviews and ratings, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I do appreciate it.  We have great followers and friends of the Small Scale Life Podcast, and I appreciate you all.

If you have any comments on the show, feel free to leave them on the contact us page or as a comment under this blog post.  Reach out.  Engage.  You are not alone in this world.  You have friends here.  Connect with us on the blog or in the Small Scale Life Facebook Group.

Thank you again for tuning in.  Remember to grow, explore and be healthy!  This is Tom from the Small Scale Life Podcast, and we’ll see you really soon!

He is not only a mountain of muscle, but he also owns and operates Half Acre Farm.  Inspired by some of my heroes including Gary Vee, Curtis Stone and JM Fortier, Michael is carving out his organic footprint in a quiet spot six miles from down Downtown Dallas.  It is pretty cool talking with Michael, and I learned a lot from him.  Whether it is starting your own small business (not necessarily urban farming) or getting fit, I think there is something for everyone in these next two podcasts!

Topics

In this podcast, Michael Bell and I discussed the following:

Introductions

Who is Michael Bell?
What was your first gardening experience?

Urban Farming

Why urban farming?
Influences and inspiration
Property
Crops
Business model and clients
Challenges and solutions
Future projects

In Part 2 of this interview, we discuss body building and the journey to develop a healthy lifestyle.

Links for Michael Bell
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZpYPKuBQLq/?taken-by=dallashalfacrefarms
You can find Michael Bell with the following links:
Michael Bell on Instagram
Dallas Half Acre Farm on Instagram
Michael Bell on Facebook
Small Scale Life Facebook Group - Yes, folks, I added him....shhhhhh!
 
*Friends of Small Scale Life
*
Introducing Aussie Flame Weeders, a new friend of Small Scale Life!
Aussie Flame Weeders makes stainless steel flame weeder manifolds.  They are making manifold set available this month, and they expect to start shipping them all by the start of November.  The manifold set up will contain:

Custom manifold to suit 30-inch bed
Five stainless steel German made burners that can removed to be cleaned, changed or replaced
LPG equipment to suit a standard propane bottle
Flint lighter

To help promote this deal, Aussie Flame Weeders are offering all customers who purchase a custom manifold the chance to win Coolbot!  These are perfect tools for your urban farm!
To be in the competition all you have to do is:

Order a manifold before the October 31, 2017
Like the Aussie Flame Weeders Facebook page or share the page with fellow urban farming friends.
Help by providing feedback in a short survey they will email to you if you agree to participating

To find out more:
Check Aussie Flame Weeder out using the following links:
Aussie Flame Weeder website is www.aussieflameweeders.com
Aussie Flame Weeder on Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/aussieflameweeders/?ref=bookmarks

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 than the red pepper plants in Garden Bed West. That could be due to the soil conditions in this bed. I simply did not treat this bed like Garden Bed West before I planted in June. Regardless, I am pleased to see some peppers coming, and these plants benefitted from the bee activity as well.

The compost "cucumbers" turned out to be the surprise of the garden this year. I salvaged these plants from the compost pile, and I found out recently that these "cucumbers" were actually melons! I guess Julie's dad threw some melons into the pile and they sprouted. I have two melons growing now, and I can't wait to see if more fruit develops and how big they get. Compost plants are like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get!

The basil plants are doing VERY well. I harvested basil a couple weeks ago, and the new branches have sprouted where I made the cuts. Again, it is a little counter-intuitive, but if you want more basil, harvest some from your plants! The basil plants will sprout more branches and leaves.

Next Steps

I will be harvesting the ripe cherry tomatoes and planting the fall crops this week. It is time to get everything in the ground! There simply is not much time left before the first frost (less than a month), and if this cool weather is any indication, we'll have frost before you know it.

With this many seedlings, I am going to need more space for plants. This means I need to build a planter! I have teased you long enough; I am going to build a wicking bed planter for the fall crops this weekend. More on that in the near future, but I want to use this wicking bed planter as a template for my future gardens. I am pretty excited about it, so stay tuned for the next Fall Garden Update!

In addition, I need to develop a better trellis system for sugar snap peas. I have tried the single wire line system (like I used for tomatoes, cucumbers, melons and peppers), but it doesn't work quite as well for sugar snap peas. I have some ideas, and you will see how that plays out in the next Fall Garden Update.

Your Turn

How is your fall garden doing? I would love to hear a Fall Garden Update from you! Feel free to post a comment here or on the videos!

Better yet, you can join the Small Scale Life Facebook Group and share your Fall Garden Update with us there. I would love to see how your garden and fall crops are doing!

If you want to be on the Small Scale Life Podcast, send me a message on the new Contact Us form on smallscalelife.com, or send me an e-mail at realsmallscalelife@ gmail.com.

Thank you for tuning in to the Small Scale Life Podcast. This is Tom signing off. Remember to learn, do and grow as you develop an intentional, sustainable Small Scale Life.

Now, me hearties, bring me that horizon! Yo Ho!

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.

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 impacted.  I know all of my friends consider you a second mom, and Karen and Dave’s friends can say the same.  When you made a friend, they were a friend for life.

David Taylor
“My beautiful mom lost her battle with cancer today and went to be with the Lord.  We are heartbroken and cannot imagine life without her, but will be strong the way she raised us, and make her proud.  I love you mom.” – Love, Karen

Julie Domres
Mom, how do we put into words what you meant to us?  How do we go on without you to guide us?  Who are we going to call every day on our way home from work, and who is going to remind us how to make your delicious beef burgundy recipe?  These are just some of the thoughts that are swirling around in our brains.  I don’t think you ever realized how much we loved you mom.

Do you know that when my boys and Abbey were little, they would rather be with you and Dad than anywhere?  You were such a great Grandma, and Danny, Ryan and Abbey love you so much.  We will be sure that Dave and Jenny’s future kids know what an amazing woman you were, and that Grandma Barb loves them and will always be watching over them.  You taught us to be strong, you taught us to be compassionate, and above all, you taught us to love God.  We will continue to do everything we can to make you proud.

David Taylor
Since we have been full of quotes today, we thought we would end with some song lyrics by MercyMe. I am not the musical talent in the family so I will read the lyrics.
“Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus, or in awe of you be still? Will I stand in your presence, or to my knees will I fall; will I sing Hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine.  I can only imagine."

Mom, we can only imagine what you are doing in Heaven.  We are going to imagine you dancing for Jesus with your mom, your dad, Aunt Jean and all of our other family and friends, with Elvis Presley and Patsy Cline singing in the background. We can’t imagine what life on earth will be like without you, but we will envision the day we meet again in Heaven and all dance for Jesus together.  We will forever hold you in our hearts.
We will forever love you, Mom.

Thoughts
I am posting these words to stand as a tribute to Barb Taylor.  The idea is that those who could not attend the funeral could hear me reading the eulogy.  I hope that these words will comfort you in the future.
It was difficult for me to record this.  I recorded the eulogy a couple of times, but I went with the original recording because it was the best.  I felt compelled to record this podcast in the hope that if one person benefits from this podcast, it was worth it.

We love and miss you, Barb.

 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

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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="attachment_933" align="aligncenter" width="600"] I added compost around the zucchini plant stems in hopes of root formation - 8/15/16[/caption]

I have three zucchini plants in the guerrilla garden.  The plants looked pretty healthy this season, and I have been taking pictures of the flowers all season.  Unfortunately, I needed to keep my eye on the stalks. I noticed on 8/14/16 that the stalks were ripped apart.  Further exploration revealed that my plants had been attacked by squash borers.  I will be writing an article about this in the near future.  Here is a summary of the three zucchini plants in the guerrilla garden.
Plants 
Assessment 
Zucchini
Three plants planted in this space
Squash borers detected and removed on 8/14/16
Added compost around the stalks on 8/15/16 in an effort to assist the zucchini to grow new roots

Wicking Beds and Hybrid Rain Gutter Grow Systems
[caption id="attachment_936" align="aligncenter" width="600"] This is an older photo; the cucumbers are almost to the top of the trellis - 8/2/16[/caption]

The wicking bed and Hybrid Rain Gutter Grow System (HRGGS) are both showing their value and abilities.  I have a great crop of peppers, cucumbers and jalapenos coming from these two systems.  The plants in the wicking bed are VERY healthy and producing a bumper crop of green peppers and cucumbers!
Posts will be coming in the near future with my thoughts on each system and how to build these systems.
A summary of each system is provided below.
 System
Plant
Assessment
HRGGS
 Jalapenos
The surviving jalapenos are really productive
Many blossoms and fruit already
HRGGS
Green Peppers
Green peppers have struggled in the HRGGS due to soil conditions
Plants are growing and are starting to bear fruit
Not as healthy or productive as the wicking bed
HRGGS
Dill
Rabbit ate the seedlings down
Dill has rebounded nicely and is growing rapidly
Wicking Bed
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are simply loving the wicking bed
Plants are growing rapidly and almost as tall as the trellis
Each plant has blossoms
Harvested two 6" cucumbers already
Wicking Bed
Green Peppers
Green peppers are growing rapidly (almost 4' tall)
Several plants have multiple peppers on them
Growing the largest pepper I have ever grown with this system

Watch
If a picture is worth a 1000 words, then a video showing the gardens are worth millions. I have posted two videos on the Small Scale Life YouTube Channel (which you should subscribe to and share with your friends), but you can watch them right here.

Garden Update
https://youtu.be/3mFledD3efc
 
 
Wicking Bed/Hybrid Rain Gutter Grow System Update
https://youtu.be/2lMrk8Z-ngM
Listen
You can listen to the Garden Update Podcast by clicking on the player below.  You can also use the following link to listen to the Garden Update Podcast on iTunes.

If you are using 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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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

1) Further discussion about transitioning from Small Scale Gardening to Small Scale Life. Facebook has been a bit slow due to rules in place for pages, but that change should occur this weekend. UPDATE: I made the change on Valentines Day 2016.

2) I am kicking off the Growing Green Challenge this weekend. For this challenge, I am going to grow enough greens (lettuce, spinach, kale, etc.) in my basement to effectively knock those items off our grocery list. I am setting up and planting the first round of greens on Valentines Day weekend.

Links:
I mention or discuss the following sites and articles in this podcast:

Small Scale Life Blog - www.smallscalelife.com
Small Scale Gardening Blog - www.smallscalegardening.com
Small Scale Life Facebook Page - www.facebook.com/SmallScaleLife
Small Scale Gardening Group Page - www.facebook.com/groups/821558261269485
Beatsby_Roi Lemon Water Chronicles Volume 1 - Beatsbyroi – Lemon-water-chronicles-vol-i

Links for this podcast:
1) Small Scale Life Blog - www.smallscalelife.com
2) Small Scale Gardening - www.smallscalegardening.com
3) Cranberry-Jalapeno Jelly - http://www.smallscalegardening.com/2016/01/13/how-to-make-roll-tide-cranberry-jalapeno-jelly/
4) Indoor Gardening - http://www.smallscalegardening.com/2014/12/02/indoor-gardening-made-easy/
5) March of the Aphids - http://www.smallscalegardening.com/2015/01/19/2015-failure-march-of-the-aphids/
6) Square Foot Gardening - http://squarefootgardening.org/
7) Beatsby_Roi Lemon Water Chronicles Volume 1 - https://soundcloud.com/beatsbyroi/lemon-water-chronicles-vol-i
8) Jay's A Crash Into Life Blog - https://acrashintolife.wordpress.com/

This is a "reboot" of the introduction podcast for Small Scale Life. In April of 2016, I adjusted the sound quality and cleaned up the podcast.

Small Scale Life is a podcast and blog dedicated to learning, doing, and growing. We hope to inspire you to learn new skills, complete projects and grow mentally, and physically. We are all about getting stuff done, particularly when it comes to fitness, weight loss, finances, gardening, preserving the harvest and adventure.

In this Podcast....

In this podcast, Jay and I introduce ourselves, discuss the vision and goals of the podcast and discuss three questions asked by Jon Acuff about 2016. We will discuss the answers to those questions in Season 1, Episode 3.

In addition, Jay and I discussed the Kwitchyerbellyakin Fitness Challenge. This is a fitness challenge designed for all types of people from beginners to seasoned fitness veterans. It is a points scoring system based on duration of exercise. There will be weekly winners (you can only win one week) and overall winners. Registration closes on January 5, 2016, and see Small Scale Life (smallscalelife.com) for more information.

Thank you!

A special thanks goes to the following people:

Dillon from The Soapbox Collective Podcast (http://thesoapboxcollectivepodcast.com/) and his brother Austin from Beatsby_Roi for providing permission for using The Lemonwater Chronicles, Volume 1, on the podcast (https://soundcloud.com/beatsbyroi/lemon-water-chronicles-vol-i). Check out their work!

Jay for being a great co-host. Check his blog out at A Crash Into Life Blog - https://acrashintolife.wordpress.com/

My wife Julie from Julia's Blooms (http://www.juliasblooms.com/)who has believes in the concept, shares my vision and supports my quest for achieving a Small Scale Life.