Small Scale Life

This is Season 2, Episode 22 of the Small Scale Life Podcast, and today we are going to check back in and provide a healthy lifestyle progress report. I will be summarizing my work and progress, celebrating the wins and adjusting the plan to address the failures. I am not striving for perfection. After all, I am trying to move from a zero to a two, and then from a two to a four….all on my way to becoming an eight out of ten! Before we begin.... In case you are new to Small Scale Life, we are dedicated to intentional living through learning, doing and growing. We are focused on: • Gardening, • Healthy living, and • Having adventures along the way. Focus Areas and the Plan In Season 2, Episode 20 of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I discussed my four point plan for getting on track with developing a healthy lifestyle. The four main points of the plan are the following: Eating Real Food for every meal with emphasis on planning and preparation Getting great sleep every night with focusing on budgeting and using

Yaaaarrrrrr! This is Captain Tom from the Small Scale Life! Time to walk the plank, maties! It's National Talk like a Pirate Day this week at Small Scale Life, and it's time to tell ye landlubbers a tale about the garden that will feed me crew. Yes, me maties, this is what ye call...a thing! Tis true that dead men tell no tales, but tis is a good one, eh? So, take a seat on yonder stool and grab a pint of grog as I give ye a fall garden update for the week. Yes, dear friends, National Talk like a Pirate Day was this week, and in case you missed it (for some reason), you are getting a little dose of fun here on Small Scale Life. I am posting a Fall Garden Update Podcast in addition to a couple of videos showing how the garden is doing this late in the season. Keep in mind that the first day of Fall is Friday, September 22, and at this point, we are watching the forecast for the first frost. I will have more Fall Garden Updates before the end of the season since there is plenty of gardening left before

This is Season 2, Episode 20 of the Small Scale Life Podcast, and today I am fresh out of the pool and dusting off the microphone to record a healthy lifestyle podcast! (EDIT: This should have been posted last night, but the hotel internet was not cooperating with me.  Oh well!  Here we go!)  It has been awhile since the last episode where I talked about my journey towards losing weight, getting fit and developing long lasting, healthy habits.  I have intentionally not talked about this for various reasons, but it is time to lift the cone of silence and reboot, refresh and get things rolling again!   Topics Discussed for Planning a Healthy Lifestyle During this episode, I discussed the following topics: 1. Failure to Restart My Engine 2. Potential for Success 3. Focus Areas and The Plan 4. Going Forward 5. What's Next?   Links for Planning a Healthy Lifestyle During the podcast, I discussed the following links: Restarting My Engine - HELP 9 Rebooted Body with Kevin Geary - HELP 7 Rebooted Body Website 14-Day

Many people are looking for ways to ditch the commutes, stress, grind, cube farm life and endless meetings of the corporate world.  We would rather develop intentional, self-sufficient and sustainable lives.  Even though we want to be more self-sufficient, the reality is that we need to have money to pay the bills and squirrel money away for a rainy day.  Starting your own small business is one way to escape the corporate world.  I recently had Michael Jordan from A Bee Friendly Company on Small Scale Life to discuss the various business opportunities with beekeeping.  As I learned in this conversation, beekeeping is a billion dollar business if done right! Who is Michael Jordan?  Michael is a husband, father, teacher, bee whisperer and entrepreneur, and he is a MVP of beekeeping and award-winning mead maker.  To find out more about Michael Jordan and how he got into mead and beekeeping, check out the following Small Scale Life episodes: Michael Jordan's Beekeeping Journey - Small Scale Life Season 2, Episode

I recently had Michael Jordan from A Bee Friendly Company on the Small Scale Life to discuss bees, beekeeping, small business and mead.  Michael was kind enough to take beekeeping questions from the Small Scale Life audience and followers. Who is Michael Jordan?  Michael is a husband, father, teacher, bee whisperer and entrepreneur, and he is a MVP of beekeeping and award-winning mead maker.  Find out more about Michael Jordan and how he got into mead and beekeeping in Small Scale Life Season 2, Episode 16. Beekeeping Questions for Michael Jordan [caption id="attachment_2092" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Bees hard at work in the yard in St. Louis Park, MN in June 2017[/caption] The following beekeeping questions were asked from the Small Scale Life audience: From Jay in Virginia: What are the basic requirements in terms of money and space for starting a small bee operation? The “small bee operation” is defined as enough to serve the purposes of your homestead. Honey, maybe some to sell, pollination to enc

Gratitude for Small Victories - S2E17 Welcome to August! Today in Season 2 Episode 17 of Small Scale Life, we are going to be talking about small victories, and I am truly grateful to have them. This is the first time since the end of June that I am posting up a new podcast. It was a CRAZY July, and we got a ton of work done. Between Danny’s birthday on the 4th and Julie’s birthday on the 24th, we packed up our house, moved out of the St. Louis Park house and moved in to the Minneapolis house. Since that chaos wasn’t enough, I then moved the podcast to a new hosting site and made big changes to the Small Scale Life Facebook Group. With all that stuff going on, it is time to take a minute, take a breath, take a look back at what happened last month and express my gratitude for the small victories that are indications that we are moving in the right direction!   Podcast Show Notes [caption id="attachment_2080" align="aligncenter" width="960"] I didn't think the badly damaged cucumber plant would make it. Now I

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

LIVE FROM MINNEAPOLIS! This is the Small Scale Life Podcast, and I am your host Tom Domres. Since we are Livestreaming on YouTube, I would like to welcome all of our listeners and viewers there. Thank you for tuning in, and welcome to the show! Today, we are going to discuss one topic that hangs around like a bad skunk smell: debt. We haven’t done a show completely focused on debt before, but it folds right in with our Frugal Living focus here at Small Scale Life. A lot of us have debt, and you might be wondering how to get rid of it. Well, Julie and I have been working on our debt for a long time, and we took one big step closer to becoming debt free yesterday. It is REALLY exciting, so we are going to discuss that on Season 2, Episode 15 or the Small Scale Life Podcast! In case you are new to Small Scale Life, this is a blog and podcast dedicated to developing a sustainable life through • Gardening • Healthy Living • Frugal Living and • Having Adventures along the way! At Small Scale Life, we are al

The Land of 10000 Downloads – S2E14   Is the world on fire right now?  It seems like everything is coming apart at the seams.  After a busy couple weeks, I was feeling pretty down this morning.  As I opened my computer, I saw something that REALLY brightened my day, and I have to share some great news with you.  This is Season 2, Episode 14, and in this episode we are celebrating 10000 downloads of the Small Scale Life Podcast!  It is a great way to kick off the weekend, and it is a great accomplishment. Special Thanks I have to thank so many great guests I have had over the past year and a half including Greg Burns, Drew Sample, Kevin Michael Geary, Scott Herbert, Todd Ehrhardt, Charles Hugh Smith, Khaled Majouji (The Plant Charmer), Travis Swanson, Bren Haas and of course my good friend Jay Dolan.  I would also like to thank Austin Quinn at Vlog Vibes for creating some great tunes for the podcast.  These folks are all part of this story and the development and growth of the podcast. Most of all,

What is Square Foot Gardening? S2E13 Do you remember the days of old when your parents or grandparents had a garden in the backyard?  Do you remember how the weeds used to pop up and eventually overwhelm the garden?  Did you ever have to try to weed a garden like that (and how much you absolutely hated it)? What if you could create a garden that didn’t suffer from this weed problem?  What if you could create an organized garden that maximizes your yield? This is exactly what Square Foot Gardening does for you! LIVE FROM KANSAS CITY!  This is Season 2, Episode 13, and in this episode I talk about our experience with Square Foot Gardening and discuss the advantages of this gardening system. You don’t want to miss this one! This podcast is brought to you by Small Scale Life without any commercial interruptions!  Instead, I wanted to give you an update of our lives before I start talking about Square Foot Gardening! May is Gone; Hello to June Things are progressing at the house.  Julie and I are push

Moving Forward in Difficult Times with Todd Ehrhardt – S2E12 Have you ever felt like the odds are stacked against you?  Have you ever felt like the challenges and obstacles were too great for you or your family?  Unfortunately, I bet a lot of us have been there, done that and gotten several t-shirts.  I know I have, especially over the last two years.  The question is: what methods can you use to keep you moving forward through the difficult times in your life? In Season 2, Episode 12 of the podcast, I talk with Todd Ehrhardt, a  husband, father, entrepreneur, gardener, bodybuilder, martial artist and a diver.  Todd has been at the top of the world and deep in the sea (figuratively and literally), and in today’s episode, I talk with Todd about how he and his family were able to move forward in challenging times.  This is a good one with really great information, you will want to check out the show notes. Podcast Topics and Links for Moving Forward in Difficult Times In this podcast, Todd and I

Growing Grass, Not Food – S2E11 “Life moves pretty fast; if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it!” The opening monologue in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off could not be more correct!  Life has been moving pretty fast over the past month, and it is time to pull back the curtain and tell you what has been happening.  Regular followers of Small Scale Life on Instagram, Facebook, the Podcast and here at the Blog have probably picked up on a thing or two that something big has been going on in the background.  Not to spoil the fun and suspense, I will just say that I have been growing grass by the square foot, and I don’t mean the fun stuff that people grow in California, Colorado and other states.  No, I have been growing some nice turf in the yard, and growing grass was the first major step towards accomplishing our overall plan.  To learn more and find out why, you’ll just have to listen to the podcast! The last picture of the Small Scale Life Gard

Travis Swanson’s Bee 52 Honey – S2E10 Time to focus on the bee, a gardener’s best friend!  I know many of you have been wanting to hear this one, so it is long overdue!  Recently, I had the pleasure to interview a local beekpeer named Travis Swanson.  We discussed how Travis started beekeeping as a hobby, a full time position at a commercial operation and starting his own business.  In addition, we have several listener questions from the MN-WI Regenerative Agriculture Facebook Group and the Small Scale Gardening Facebook Group.  Since I am a newb when it comes to bees, I am glad my friends and listeners had questions!  I learned a lot about Travis Swanson’s Bee 52 Honey, and I appreciate the samples and Travis being on the Small Scale Life Podcast! If you want to connect to Travis and buy honey, pollen or ask questions, feel free to e-mail him at travis@bee52honey.com! Podcast Topics and Links Travis from Bee 52 Honey hard at work! In this podcast, Travis and I discuss the followi

My friend Mr. Tactical is back on the Small Scale Life Podcast!  We discuss a yuuuuge armada of Practical to Tactical Skills and Topics ranging from Hawaiian vacations (and engagements), gardening, hunt for rural property, minimalism, and tactical training (grappling and gunning) at Tim Kennedy’s Sheepdog Response class.  This is an information packed episode, so I hope you have as much fun as we did recording it! Podcast Topics and Links   In this podcast, Jay and I discuss the following topics and links: Practical Skills Hawaiian Adventure – Mr. Tactical is engaged! Health and Sleep Contrasting Showers – Wim Hof Benefits of getting more sleep – Kevin Michael Geary’s Rebooted Body Gardening Potting Soil Challenge Mason Jar Kitchen Gardens Mr Tactical’s Three Alarm Garden Soil Amendments Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew Direct Sowing vs. Buying Plant Starts Fencing a Garden Rural Property Jay’s Condo to Compound Blog Saving Plan Debt Reduction Sp

Learning, Doing, Growing – S2E8 April is off and running, and we are already approaching the middle of the month!  Last week was pretty busy, and I did not post a podcast.  However, I was busy working on updating the site and streamlining the user experience!  I was inspired by a book by author, podcaster and blogger Ravi Jayagopal.  He wrote an e-book called Confessions of a Wannabe PodcaSTAR, and after reading his book, I found that I could improve the site and podcast.  It is learning, doing and growing in action!  You should notice those changes right away. In addition, I launched a new Facebook Group dedicated to Small Scale Life.  I am hoping to grow a community that is engaged in blog and podcast topics.  My plan is to let you see some behind-the-scenes items and content.  Who knows?  Maybe community members will get some other special perks as we grow!  Please join our new community by clicking on this link and continue to learn, do and grow with us! Podcast Topics and Links Flash wins first pla

Preventing Damping Off Disease – S2E7 There is nothing like the excitement of seeing your tender seedlings popping through the soil in your indoor garden area!  You immediately have visions of future harvest from these beautiful plants.  This will be the best year ever in the garden!  Then, something starts to happen: fuzzy mold appears on the soil surface, the stems become thin and weak, and the seedlings wilt and die.  You add more water to the tender seedlings because they might be drying out.  Instead, this seems to have the opposite effect: more seedlings are wilting!  Soon, the entire tray looks horrible and is a complete loss.  This, my friends, happened to me last year!  It is most likely damping off disease, and if you garden indoors, you eventually will have to deal with it.  In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I discuss 9 steps for Preventing Damping Off Disease. Podcast Topics Damping Off Disease attacking a tomato seedling in 2016   In this podcast, I discuss the followin

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

HELP Episode 9: Restarting My Engine 2017 is flying by a light speed.  January, February and March are rapidly fading into the history books.  How are you doing on your health goals? I have to be honest: I am restarting on my health goals for 2017.  I really haven't written about my health goals or talked about them at all in 2017.  As I discuss in the podcast, I punched out after Halloween last year and just tried not thinking about exercise, tracking food and pounds on the scale.  As I look at how the year ended and new year started, I failed to achieve my big goal, and I just decided to punt and regroup. Restarting my engine is critical to getting back in the fight.  I have change from always being on defense to rolling forward on offense.  You cannot do that sitting on the couch, behind a microphone, or writing blog posts.  It is time to move and get active.  This podcast summarizes my four point plan to restart my engine for 2017 and the rest of my life. Disclaimer I am not a licensed health care or fitn

Taylor's Celebration of Life on February 20, 2017, David and Julie did an excellent job writing and delivering a powerful eulogy in remembrance of their mom.  They used quotes from family and friends on Social Media and cards to create a beautiful tribute for their mother.  Both spoke, and they delivered it with grace and love. I posted the text of the eulogy below.  The sub-headings below are the sections written and spoken by David and Julie.  On the podcast, I used MercyMe's song "I can only imagine" as the final song because it was part of the eulogy.  For information about Barb Taylor, please see Part 1 of this series. David Taylor Bobbie, Barb, mom, grandma, wife. These are just a few of the names people called you during your time on  earth, but the truth is you were so much more, to more people than we can even list. You touched so many groups of people in your 66 years on earth, and though you may not know it you were a caretaker and mother to far more than the three of us. You were a loving woman fu

February is over, and we are exhausted and drained. It has been a brutal month, as my mother-in-law Barb Taylor completed her final journey in her battle against lung cancer.  My wife Julie, her dad Dan, her sister Karen, her brother David and her aunt Karen worked around the clock to help her on this final journey.  Spouses like me were home, trying to keep "normal" household operations going.  Unfortunately, small cell lung carcinoma is an aggressive cancer, and it finally took Barb's life on February 16, 2017.  This is the first of two articles and podcasts dedicated to Barb Taylor.  Part 2 can be found here. On this podcast, I used MercyMe's song "I can only image" as the final song because it was part of the eulogy. Barb Taylor's Kindness  I have known Barb Taylor for more than half my life.  I met Julie's parents when I started dating her when I was in 10th Grade.  She was there for friends and family in good times and in bad times.  She always had a smile on her face, even when she was telling you that