Small Scale Life

Welcome to Fall 2018 where the snow flies and water freezes before the leaves drop! Such is life here in the north country this year. Last week was a tough week: I was physically and mentally exhausted. Adding to the exhaustion was disappointment after my plans to head to Hogtoberfest 2018 fell apart on Tuesday. I needed a change or pace and a change of environment. In this podcast, I talk about my October doldrums, how I spent the week recuperating and retooling on a number of fronts and overcoming October blues. For more on this story and to see pictures from this podcast, check out the article titles Overcoming October Blues on Small Scale Life! (http://www.smallscalelife.com/overcoming-october-blues/)

Fall is here! October is here! Where did the time go? While I love this time of year, it is time to say goodbye to my plants and old, tired garden beds. Like summer hitting early before Memorial Day this year, winter seems to be bearing down on Minnesota and Wisconsin (some areas of Minnesota got a snow already)! In this podcast, I am going to talk about how the First Frost was the End of My 2018 Garden Season. For more about the first frost, pictures and a video, check out the blog post on Small Scale Life titled "First Frost: End of My 2018 Garden Season." (http://www.smallscalelife.com/first-frost-end-of-my-2018-garden-season/)

Have you ever had a Hell Week where everything just was a disaster? You are under pressure with deadlines looming and little time to regroup and attack the next project or issue. How did you handle it? Last week was my own version of Hell Week. I can summarize last week with one simple word: Exhausting Last week, a lot happened at work and in the basement that took me away from Small Scale Life. I simply did not have the time or energy to post podcasts, videos or blog posts. Now that I have put some distance between today and Hell Week, I can develop some thoughts about how I will deal with future projects, obligations and events. In retrospect, it was a good reminder that I need to continue to focus on develop methods and systems to help me live a simple life. For more on my Hell Week and some suggestions to deal with deadlines and obligations, check out the article posted on Small Scale Life! (http://www.smallscalelife.com/hell-week/)

Midweek Motivation is a weekly episode featuring the wisdom and stories of host Tommy Cakes. In this episode, Tommy discusses Going Full Throttle on life, projects and major efforts.  It is up to you: if you want to have success, you have to go full throttle! Who is Tommy Cakes? Live on the Small Scale Life Podcast, it is Midweek Motivation featuring Tommy Cakes. Hey, how are you?  I am Tommy Cakes.  Who am I?  I'm a guy from someplace, friends with some people and doing some things.  Don't worry about it! What I can tell you is that I am in the import and export business. I import knowledge I export that information at premium prices! I will give you a little coastal cosmopolitan insight and motivation weekly on Small Scale Life. Catching Up and Being Social with Tommy Cakes My sincere apologies that I have been noticeably absent from the series of Small Scale Life Podcasts of late.  Believe it or not, it has been since July 26th since my last Midweek Motivation Podcast, and that is a long time.  I have been

As I have stated on several occasions on the Small Scale Life Podcast, there are a whole universe of other platforms, media and social media out there for us.  Occasionally when you speak to the vast universe, it speaks back to you!  In this case, that part of the universe was Terrance Layhew from The Intellectual Agrarian. In January, Terrance interviewed Scott Hebert, and somehow he found me.  He reached out to me, and after working out our schedules in a busy July, we found a way to connect and complete the interview.  In our interview, Terrance and I discussed what lead me to start my small scale life journey, gardening tips and ideas, how and why communities are important and so much more. For show notes, pictures and more information, head on over to the article titled Starting Small Scale Life - The Intellectual Agrarian Podcast on Small Scale Life! (https://wp.me/p6NX1f-V0)

This is a [late] podcast and post about Minnesota Traditions on Labor Day 2018. These traditions include the Exodus to Lake County and the Minnesota State Fair. I had the opportunity to spend four days at the State Fair in a booth, so I had a different experience than many who went as spectators. I will also talk about my Weekend 3 Things and give you an update on Operation Outreach as well. Stay tuned, there is a lot to talk about as I head south in the Mobil Small Scale Life Podcast Studio! For show notes, pictures and more information, head on over to the article titled Minnesota Traditions - Labor Day 2018 on Small Scale Life! (https://wp.me/p6NX1f-UD) Special Note: I have to apologize to all the listeners out there: I did not intend to publish this podcast and post without any content! Yikes! As an aside, it is interesting that some folks shared this without any content….hmmm….Anyway, thank you for your patience!

As we roll into September, I have to ask: how is your garden doing? It has been a while since our last tour of the Small Scale Life Garden, so I figured it was time to post a Late August Garden Update and discuss my Fall Planting strategy. With cooler temperatures this week, it is a constant reminder that winter is coming, and I need to get my rear end moving to take advantage of the remaining garden season. For more information, pictures, links and a whole lot more on the Weekend Three Things, Garden Update, and Fall Planting Strategy, please see the article at Small Scale Life (https://wp.me/p6NX1f-Ue)!

This week, Greg Burns, my friend Jay and I finish Homesteading for Beginners by discussing the Definition of Homesteading.  This is the last part of a 2-1/2 hour conversation that focused on the start of our own individual homesteading journeys.  This is a philosophical discussion about the definition of homesteading, how to build experiences and how to cultivate people while building community. If you are new to Small Scale Life or missed Part 1 of the Homesteading for Beginners podcast (http://www.smallscalelife.com/homesteading-for-beginners/), 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 (https://wp.me/p6NX1f-TY)!

This truly is a verbal potpourri episode, so grab a cocktail or your coffee, settle in and enjoy the ride.  This is a comfy little podcast full of stories and tales.  The point of this podcast is to stay grounded using the Weekend Three Things threads, have some adventures on the weekend and of course learn, do and grow! In this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I am discussing the new weekly post in the Small Scale Life Facebook Group called my "weekend three things."  I also include a summary of the Zac Brown Band Concert in Minneapolis,  Julie's first triathlon and much, much more!  For more information, pictures and the awesome show notes, head over to Small Scale Life for more on this podcast! (https://wp.me/p6NX1f-TC)

As I drove through southern Minnesota this week, I saw a lot of great farms and homesteads on my journey.  Some of these folks lived on Century Farms (100-year old family farms) while others were just starting to homestead. 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! (https://wp.me/p6NX1f-Tm)

In this episode, I am on the road and talking about building community.  Humans are social creatures.  We are not meant to live in this world alone.  Sometimes we do need to “have a little help from our friends.” My questions to you are: Do you have some friends that have your back? Have you spent some time building community around you? Unfortunately in modern Western Civilization, the answer is probably no.  I have to admit: I need to work on this as well.  We are going to make some changes to Small Scale Life to help you build community around you, where ever you are.  For more on that, please head over to Small Scale Life (https://wp.me/p6NX1f-T0) to read the post that has more thoughts, information and links.

Canning is a method of saving that nutritious food for later seasons. You fill your own jars and know what exactly you are eating. That is so critical these days where we seem to have a food advisory, recall notice or flat out parasite infestation (hello McDonald's, Trader Joe’s, Krogers and Walgreens) almost daily. By growing and preserving your own food, you will have the satisfaction of knowing just what hands have handled your food and what is in your jars. To learn more about canning, go to Small Scale Life (www.smallscalelife.com) for more.

Today’s podcast, post and YouTube videos are particularly timely.  In the Small Scale Life Facebook Group, our friend and new gardener Alex has a great question: “My tomatoes are so out of control and are completely shading my peppers. I have at least 10 peppers that have stopped growing and those are my favorite.  Can I cut back the tomatoes? Can I attempt transplanting the peppers? At this rate the peppers are not going to grow so these are my only two options besides just pulling them.” – Alex from Illinois. There is no need to pull the peppers!  I think we can figure out a way to aggressively prune tomatoes and get more sunlight to those peppers. Be advised: by aggressively pruning, you will get more tomatoes from your plants!  I think you can handle it though. For more information about How to Prune Tomatoes, head over to Small Scale Life (smallscalelife.com (www.smallscalelife.com)) for the post, videos, pictures and more!

It has been a while since I have been on the Small Scale Life Podcast. I have been a busy boy doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that, traveling around the country taking care of business. I look forward to staying home and getting some of my own projects done. I want to have a level of success getting those projects done too! One thing that I have been finding is that a lot of us (myself included) can get bogged down and struggle to get things done. It can just be overwhelming at times with a long to do list. I don’t know about you, but when my list gets too long, none of it gets done. I punt on the whole list and just shut down, and then nothing gets done. This creates conflict with others including your boss, your partner, your spouse and all the other people who depend on you? How do you get through that shut down mindset, get things done and achieve some level of success? To read more, please go to the article on Small Scale Life (www.smallscalelife.com) titled Midweek Motivation Lesso

We have hit Mid-July, and we are well beyond that old farm saying “knee high by the 4th of July” for corn.  We are on the back half of Stage 2 of the 2018 Garden Season, and it is time for another Garden Update.  There is a lot happening in the garden, and I can really see a difference in my plants due to soil treatments and plants I grew in 2017.  There is a lot to see in this Mid-July Garden Update including a discussion about the main garden, new fence, vertical garden, the patio herb garden, and perennial plants.  Keep in mind that August is just around the corner, and it is going to get very busy as we start preserving our harvest! For more on this podcast and lots of pictures and videos of the garden, head over the Small Scale Life (www.smallscalelife.com) and see more!

I find myself traveling more and more these days for work and for life.  As I travel, I see things that capture my eye and interest as I roll over the back roads and explore towns of all shapes and sizes.  In an effort to capture some of my thoughts, observations and adventures on the road, I am going to start recording and posting "On the Road" podcasts.  This podcast is focused on my observations and thoughts as I explored in the areas around Tomah, Wisconsin. Recently, I went to Tomah, Wisconsin, and spent a few days in the area.  I had the opportunity to explore a number of towns in Monroe County.  I had such a great trip to that part of Wisconsin that just recharged my batteries and took me back to my roots.  Driving home, I had time to reflect about the trip, our house in Minneapolis and the future. For pictures and thougths about my trip to Tomah, please go to the article at Small Scale Life (https://wp.me/p6NX1f-PA)!

Last week during the garden update, I discussed my new vertical garden planters made from two vinyl gutters.  After I posted the article and podcast, I realized that it had been a while since I discussed this topic, and I have never discussed how to build vertical gardens on fences before. In this post and episode, I will discuss the following topics: What is a vertical garden? Benefits and challenges of a vertical garden planters Materials needed to build a vertical garden planters Step-by-step guide for building vertical garden planters What is a Vertical Garden? Vertical gardens are growing techniques that take advantage of unused vertical space to grow vegetables, herbs or flowers. There are several types of vertical gardening techniques that can be used effectively in any garden: Trellises - Making use of trellises for certain plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans, sugar snap peas, grapes, squashes and gourds, etc. Hanging Planters – Using elevated planters that put plants in the air and specif

We are rapidly rolling through June, and by now your plants should be really starting to grow.  In this episode, it is time for another Garden Update, and while our gardens might be growing, our plants are under siege from common garden pests of all shapes and sizes.  I am dealing with some common garden pests here in my small raised beds, and I wanted to give you a head’s up about some common, and one unusual, pest before too many of you lose productive plants. In addition, I expanded my garden space by adding two vinyl gutters two weeks ago!  I have discussed these kind of gardens before in the Vertical Garden 101: Introduction to Vertical Gardening (http://www.smallscalelife.com/vertical-garden-101/) and Vertical Garden 102: How to Build a Vertical Garden (http://www.smallscalelife.com/how-to-build-a-vertical-garden/) posts.  I provide some thoughts about these type of gardens in this podcast in this environment. Introduction: Common Garden Pests How are your plants doing so far this season?  We are  movin

Midweek Motivation is a weekly episode featuring the wisdom and stories of host Tommy Cakes. This week, Tommy is on the road in Central Wisconsin and up to his neck in cranberry bogs. In this episode, Tommy discusses his busy life on the road and how he is trying to adjust to it. For more information about this episode, please read more on Small Scale Life (www.smallscalelife.com).

June is moving right along, and I hope you are doing well! A while back, I had a great conversation about Homesteading in Ohio with Daniel Bokros. Daniel is one of the Ohio Get Stuff Done Crew, and he has his own homestead called the Red Dog Ranch. In this podcast, we discuss his journey from the Marine Corps to the homestead in the Ohio countryside including real community, land, Joel Salatin, building soil, bees, pressure canning, chicken pigs and cows. That is a lot to pack into an hour! Check out more and get more detail on Small Scale Life (www.smallscalelife.com)e!