Small Scale Life

In this Small Scale Life Podcast episode, I am going to be talking about Gardening Tips and Advice with the Texas Tornadoes Drew Demler and Michael Bell. In case you don’t know who Drew Demler and Michael Bell are, here is a quick introduction: • Drew Demler is the Director of Horticulture at Big Tex Urban Farms at the State Fair of Texas. While Big Tex is a big hydroponic operation, Drew also grows vegetables at his house along his driveway. • Michael Bell is the owner and operator of Dallas Half Acre Farms. When not planting thousands of salad greens plugs at 5:00 in the morning, he enjoys scooping rabbit poop in his backyard. Both gentlemen give some great Gardening Tips and Advice that we can all use to improve our gardens and quality of our plants. To find out more, check out the post titled "Gardening Tips and Advice with Demler and Bell" on Small Scale Life by clicking on this text for a direct link. (https://www.smallscalelife.com/gardening-tips-and-advice-with-demler-and-bell/)

In this 5 Year Anniversary of Small Scale Life Podcast episode, I am going to be talking about Practicing Gratitude for the Good, Bad and the Ugly. There is so much to be thankful for after starting this project 5 years ago. I recently posted the following quote on the Small Scale Life Instagram feed: “It’s hard to have a bad day when you START your day with gratitude.” Truth be told, I didn’t just develop this quote out of thin air. Julie says it around the house (now around the apartment) a lot, and it is true. Practicing gratitude and being thankful really does change our outlook on life and results in helping us lead happier lives. In this episode, I will be discussing 9 steps for practing gratitude in your own life. I am not an expert in this yet, but I am trying these steps out in my own life. For more information, please see the article titled "Practicing Gratitude for the Good, Bad and the Ugly" on smallscalelife.com! (https://www.smallscalelife.com/practicing-gratitude/)

This is Tom from Small Scale Life. I am glad you are here today listening to this podcast episode or watching this YouTube video! This is another member appreciation video and podcast episode where I am going to do just a little talking at the start and let you relax or meditate to wonderfully calming Wind Chimes, wind and birds in Minnesota. For those of you who want these chimes (like I do), these are Woodstock Chimes' "Chimes of Neptune." Special thanks to Small Scale Life member Danielle for her video and her windchimes. They are a true blessing and mean a lot to her and her family. It is a special honor to share these with you, so thank you, Danielle. The world seems to be a crazy and upside down, and I know a lot of us are sheltering-in-place and hunkering down in the Time of Corona. To help with that, I believe we need to get back the land and nature to unwind and become more resilient. If you want to see other Running Water, Creek and River Videos and Podcasts, check out the following: Sprin

Have you ever started a project, loved every minute of it, and then had to start over from scratch in less than optimal conditions? That is the exact challenge my friend Michael Bell faced with his Dallas Half Acre Farms. In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, we are going to discuss how Michael Bell is Starting an Urban Farm from Scratch. The last time we had Michael on the show, I talked with Michael about the Soup Gardening Concept that I used to plan my garden in 2019 (https://www.smallscalelife.com/soup-gardening/). My goal, at the time, was to grow vegetables and herbs needed that would make a hearty vegetable soup. Michael Bell and I came up with the concept, and it was a lot of fun growing those vegetables! My how times changed since the Spring of 2019! Since that episode, Michael Bell changed jobs, sold his old house, moved to a new house, sold his old half acre farm and found new farming properties. These new farming properties have provided new challenges and opportunities, and th

Happy Easter! As a gift to you, dear listener, this podcast episode is simply a way for you to decompress while listening to a relaxing stream of meditation near Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota. In many religions and practices, the folk would go to a stream, river or lake in order to meditate and pray to their gods. Water is life, and chants and prayers seem to resonate in the forest and along the shores of streams, rivers or lakes. In these uncertain times, I wanted to provide a way for people trapped in quarantines or under shelter-in-place orders in urban landscapes to have a way to connect with nature. You might not be able to be by this stream physically, but I am providing a method to connect virtually. I firmly believe that we need to by physically, mentally and spiritually fit as we come through these dark times and begin to rebuild our homes, neighborhoods and communities. Being in touch with nature and connecting with our spiritual selves will help give us strength in the days to come. I hope yo

In this podcast episode, I talk about the frustrations and pressure that seems to be mounting in this State of Quarantine and how adapting, adjusting and overcoming obstacles is the path forward. Can we do things better once this over? As things are changing, now is the time to do some thinking and introspection. We need to come up with new ways to do things. Going back to “normal” might not be an option. We need to come up with new ideas to do things: education, business, socializing, finance, etc. For more on this topic, check out the show notes and links in the article titled Adapting, Adjusting and Overcoming on smallscalelife.com. Click this text to get a direct link to that article. (https://smallscalelife.com/adapting-adjusting-and-overcoming-obstacles)

What is a Modern Victory Garden in 2020? For this special episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast and Small Scale Gardening Podcast, I have assembled a panel of gardeners, farmers and homesteaders who have grown food for a living and to prepare for tough times. Our panel hails from California, Colorado, Wyoming and Minnesota, and through our combined experience, we provide some thoughts and information for folks who might be starting their gardening journey in 2020. History of Victory Gardens Looking at history, one thing is clear: when times get tough, people get gardening! During World War I and World War II, people in America and around the world started victory gardens in their yards and in their communities to provide food for their families, neighbors and armed forces. A new foe is here, and people are once again faced with rationing and shortages “on the home front.” What is the response from Americans and people around the world? Return to the Land! Return to the Garden! Many of you are starting

This is our 167th episode of the show, and for this one, I ask the question: What is Resilience? As we watch the country’s systems (financial systems, banking, supply chains, health care system, education and entire industries) grind to a halt with this global pandemic, it begs the question: how fragile is our system? The answer seems to be: very! Although I don’t act like it at times, I am an engineer. I look at problems and issues and look for solutions. Our country’s systems are impossibly complicated. It is almost too big for one person or a small group of people to impact one way or another. While we cannot take on and change these massive systems, we can take on and change how we live our lives. For those of you who have been following Small Scale Life for a few years have seen this platform change and shift. We have gone down some rabbit holes, and at times it might have seemed that we were flailing and blowing in the wind. I have to admit, I have felt the same way! Two recent events have chang

I completed the Whole30 Challenge on March 2, 2020. How did it go? In this post and podcast episode, I discuss Whole30 Challenge results a week after completing the challenge and answer the next question: "Whats next?" By the way, if you want to try the Whole30 Challenge, we are just starting Round 2! You can join Team Rhino and get this done! It is not too late. Nothing stands in the way of a rhino! To join Team Rhino, get the Small Scale Life 24 Hour Plan or see the show notes, please see the article titled "Whole30 Challenge Results and Thoughts" on smallscalelife.com! (https://www.smallscalelife.com/whole30-challenge-results-and-thoughts/)

Today’s Small Scale Gardening Podcast episode is a real treat. When I started Small Scale Life Podcast, my good friend Mr. Tactical Jay was my initial cohost on the show. We have remained friends for a few years, and he is our guest on the Small Scale Gardening Podcast! In this episode, Mr. Tactical Jay and I discuss growing mushrooms and gardening in Virginia. Even though the homestead appears to have a lot of space, the property is on the side of a mountain and slopes away from the house. Mr. Tactical is looking at different approaches to growing food on his 2 acre homestead. Some of these method include growing mushrooms, microgreens and a ton of food in his 3 wicking beds. It's all about wellness and sustainability, and Mr. Tactical Jay is looking to improve his skills while using everything his property has to offer: from berries to gardens to mushrooms. My hope is to inspire you to look at your location to find ways to use your resources effectively and grow food. This was part of a 2 hour inter

What is Whole30? Julie and I have been talking a lot about it recently in the Small Scale Life Facebook Group and on Instgram.  For many of you, our focus on Whole30 came out of the blue, and you are scrambling to figure out what we are up to this month!  Don’t worry, friends!  In this post and podcast episode, I discuss developing a healthy lifestyle at Small Scale Life, what is Whole30, what we are doing here at Small Scale Life this month and provide resources for Whole30. You might feel that you have blown your health and fitness resolutions and goals for 2020, but we can always rise and start again.  It is what you have been waiting for: Welcome to the Health and Fitness Renew You Part 2! For show notes and important links, please click on this link to go to the article titled "What is Whole30? How to Reset Your Body and Mind" on smallscalelife.com! (https://www.smallscalelife.com/what-is-whole30)

It is that time of year again: it is time to make My 2020 Garden Plan! I have been looking at my snow-covered garden and getting the itch to grow something, taste something fresh and make some delicious pickles, relish or salsa. Who is with me? This long slog from January to April in the northland really gives a gardener cabin-fever, but it is these quiet, cold nights where we come up with new ideas and our garden plans for the new season. It is also almost time to start growing those seedlings! If you are new to gardening, you might feel overwhelmed. Maybe you want to grow everything in that shiny seed catalog! Maybe you just don’t know where to start. For veteran gardeners, you are probably so used to growing the same stuff that you don’t think about it too much. You might be curious how other gardeners “DO IT,” and by that I mean creating a 2020 Garden Plan. You can get your mind out of the rain gutter now! In this podcast episode and post, and I am going to talk about the following: • Looking

The one year anniversary of the record-setting Government Shutdown happened on January 25th, 2020. The anniversary came and went without fanfare by most, but for those of us who were impacted by that particular Shutdown, we remember it all too well. Last year, Julie and I breathed a sign of relief as the Shutdown ended and we realized that we had enough money in our Emergency Fund to survive. This weekend, I toasted Julie as we took a few moments to remember where we were and how far we have come in a year! We have a fully funded Emergency Fund with 6 months of expenses, and Julie and I got there even after going on a trip of a lifetime to Hawaii (which was all paid in cash). Of course, we didn’t start out that way. No, dear Lifers, we did not. We were horrible with money, and Julie and I were in survival mode and living on the edge. It was not the way to operate a household budget and certainly injected a lot of stress and uncertainty in our lives. It took a lot of time, but we finally came to our sens

Welcome to the Small Scale Gardening Podcast on the Small Scale Life Network! Why is Small Scale Gardening important? You might be new to gardening, a grizzled veteran of many summers or new to this Small Scale Gardening platform, and you might be asking that very question. After all, what can you really do with a small garden? Can you grow anything in a small garden? What is the point? After all, bigger is ALWAYS better! Au contraire, my friends! In this post and episode, I am defining Small Scale Gardening, and I discuss why it could be a game-changer for new gardeners; veteran gardeners; older or physically challenged gardeners; and renters. This post and podcast episode will serve as a framework for future gardening projects, articles, podcast episodes and videos. Let’s begin! For more on this topic and to see the show notes, please go to the corresponding article on Small Scale Life titled "Why Small Scale Gardening?" (https://www.smallscalelife.com/what-is-small-scale-gardening)

It is New Year’s Resolution time. Everyone makes them; most people break them. We discussed New Year’s Resolutions last year about this time, and you can read or listen to my article titled Four Tips for Keeping Resolutions here (https://www.smallscalelife.com/four-tips-new-years-resolutions/). What if you took a different approach to your 2020 New Year’s Resolutions? What if you focused on your mindset and approach to life rather than diet, healthy lifestyle, finances, or some other resolution? What is if you adopted some or all of 12 Unique New Year’s Resolutions from a Caldera in Hawaii? You might be asking: what is a Caldera and what can I learn from it? You might be wondering if old Tommy Cakes drank too much or smoked something funny over in Hawaii. Trust me, my friends, I am completely sober and drug-free, and I will explain everything if you stick with me. In this 160th Episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I am going to briefly discuss our wonderful trip to Hawaii, define a Caldera, discuss

Happy New Year, Lifers! 2019 is now in the rearview mirror, and I have to say it was an interesting year here at Small Scale Life. I am writing this 2019 Year in Review to wrap up the year and close this chapter in the history of the blog and podcast. I have to say: what a year it was! In this post and podcast, I am going to talk about three major topics of Small Scale Life in 2019: Health and Fitness Renew You, Financial Freedom and Gardening. I will also share 2019 Year in Review: Top 10 Podcast Episodes and Top 10 Blog Posts of 2019. I will finish this post by talking about what is on tap for 2020. For more links to the podcast episodes and articles on Small Scale Life, check out the show notes on Small Scale Life by clicking this text! (https://www.smallscalelife.com/2019-year-in-review/)

There is nothing like putting together or receiving Do It Yourself (DIY) Christmas Gifts. This is a special gift that someone made with you in mind. At the same time, if you create a DIY gift, you are using your resources (time, skills and materials) to create something special for friends or family. It can be a great experience when it all turns out! Yes, I am not including Pinterest fails here! If you want to buy something from a company or vendor, time IS running out, friends! If you have been following Small Scale Life, you know I recently posted an article titled Holiday Gift Ideas from the Small Scale Life Community. (https://www.smallscalelife.com/holiday-gift-ideas-from-the-small-scale-life-community/) This was an opportunity to provide links to folks who we have met through Small Scale Life, and it felt good to give folks from our community the exposure. So what happens if you miss the shipping cutoff (which is around December 18th or so)? Well, wait no longer! It is time to pull out one or mo

In this podcast, I am going to talk about my November travels, and then we are going to talk about the future of Small Scale Life. As a Life Alchemist, I am mixing together equal parts of my own content, content from people in our community, content I find interesting and some good old fashioned fun. For more information and the show notes, check out smallscalelife.com. SMALL SCALE LIFE SHOW NOTES: https://www.smallscalelife.com/giving-thanks SMALL SCALE LIFE COMMUNITY: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smallscalelifepodcast

As we close in on our 100,000th download of the Small Scale Life Podcast on our current host Fireside, I wanted to get some bonus material out to our Lifer Community. This is one of those pieces of content. I took a great kombucha class on Saturday from a gentleman who's great tasting kombucha got me interested in making the drink back in late October 2018. Taking the class highlighted the need and importance of mentoring. Often we start projects or efforts and get lost in the complexity and minutia. What if we got a mentor in our area that experienced some of these same challenges? What if we learned from and perhaps improve on that experience? We might save ourselves a lot of money, energy and time by connecting with a mentor, listening to their advice and executing on that advice. That mentor could be a young person or an old person. Whomever it is, they have been there and done that, and they probably know the right way to do it for your local conditions. They might know a shortcut or two and

Life for all of us gets crazy and out of control. We are on the run and go, and it can feel like we are getting out of control and stressed out. It is when we are out of control that we find ourselves making snap decisions that can cost us in the long run. Our Lifer Community on Facebook has been providing some great tips and ideas for saving money all year. In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I am going to discuss 10 Kitchen Thrifty Thursday Tips from our members, and hopefully you can use some of these tips to take back control of your life and budget while saving some money in the process. Topics in this podcast episode include the following: Introduction Thank you for Ratings and November Lifer of the Month 10 Kitchen Thrifty Thursday Tips Next Steps Your Turn: Challenge Yourself For more information and links, check the show notes in the article titled: https://smallscalelife.com/10-kitchen-thrifty-thursday-tips.