Today, we review the good, the bad, the ugly from the Living Free in Tennessee Spring Workshop with The Tactical Redneck, one of our participants. All in all, things went well, folks got to learn from each other about homesteading things, a surprise session on how to capture bee swarms happened, and we even got to be intimately involved with a real aquaponics installation. It was a good time, and we hope that the relationships forged at this event will serve all those who were here well for years to come.
Make it a great week!
Song; Cilly Song, by Sauce
John Bush from Live Free Now and founder of Freedomcells.org joins me to talk about choosing freedom, entrepreneurship and crypto currency.
Direct Download
Show Resources
Main content of the show
John Bush is a radical activist, entrepreneur, and father of two based in Austin, TX. Since 2002 he has worked tirelessly to create a more free and peaceful world through political activism and the promotion of alternative institutions. He is a proponent of health freedom and operates Brave Botanicals which offers kratom and CBD. In 2015 he laid out his vision for Freedom Cells, small mutual aid groups networked with other cells to achieve common goals and secure the sovereignty of group members. The Freedom Cell Network has since grown to over 2,200 people globally and hopes to one day replace the state as a means of social organization.
Interview
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
People often ask me about what to do as a new homesteader and I always say, start one thing at a time and do it all the way. Today, I thought we could talk about some of my failures here so that you can avoid them.
Relocation Roundtable is Filling Up - Get registered: LivingFreeinTennessee.com.
Stump the Sauce
Mayonnaise - I have heard you talk about making your own Mayonnaise briefly before. Could you talk more about how you personally make it, and how long it keeps, and/or ways to extend its useful life?
What’s Up in the Garden
Main topic of the Show: 5 Mistakes I Made on My Homestead
Membership Plug
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
What are you afraid of? What is the worst that can happen? What keeps you up at night. Join me today as we take a little look under the hood of our fears.
Announcements:
Rabbit processing class
May 2nd 10am
Email Emily Morse
Deposit of $20 required to hold your spot via Venmo or PayPal
LFTN MEMBERS ONLY WEBINAR: April 27, 7pm CT, Relocation Roundtable (LivingFreeinTennessee.com)
Next week will be replays.
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: What are you afraid of?
Yesterday, as I watched my neighbor totter on a ladder while fastening roofing metal on the roof of a tools shed, I thought about safety. I really do not like to be on wobbly ladders. So much so that tall tasks do not get done unless I find someone else to do them. So much so that I have been pricing out scaffolding so that I can do more things on my taller properties. I just don’t feel safe up there on a wobbly ladder.
And safety is they key. As I watched Knighthawk on that ladder yesterday I realized that people have a strong need to feel safe. In an idea world, even as we are being raised as children, we learn to feel safe at night under comfy blankets, we swaddle our babies so they feel safe, we are driven by fear of not having shelter or food to find jobs and make money to pay for our safety. We develop the odd fear of crossing roads, going outside, bees, spiders, snakes because we fear what may happen to us if something goes wrong.
As I thought about safety, I realized that many of the decisions we make are driven by this desire for safety – and sometimes that is good and sometimes that is bad. We stop and look before we cross the road for fear of being hurt or killed by a car. Or, we choose the wrong life partner because we are afraid to be alone.
These two fears are a little different though when you take a closer look: The one is not really a fear response, but rather an understanding of consequences and the action that needs to be taken to avoid a negative one. In essence, you have looked at the fear of being hurt or killed, understood how to avoid it, erased the fear, and developed a way of interacting with cars and roads that is healthy.
The second example is a different story: you have not addressed your fear, you have fed it. You have taken the fear of being alone and given it power over your ability to make the best decision for yourself. Yes – I am putting a value judgement here on choosing to be with someone who is not the right someone because you are more afraid of being alone than you are of being enduringly unhappy in your partnership. Can you make lemonade out of lemons? Sure. But what would be different if you addressed your underlying fear and came up to the same decision? Would you do something different? And if so, would it be a better long term outcome?
Let’s look at some examples of fear and what drives them –
Afraid to Fly Story. (So you do not fly) Death/Being Injured – But why? Leaving loved ones unsupported – fix this – Unknown ---harder to address. Find the why and address it.
>Death/Being Injured (things that make it happen vs death itself)
Afraid of Ending Up Alone (So you choose to be with or stay with an unhealthy arrangement) – But why? 1. Discovery in silence of things about yourself you need to fix. 2. No one to take care of you when you are ill (see fear of death).
Afraid of Spiders, etc (So you alter your world when they show up. Bee story). 1. See fear of death.
Failure. I will build this wrong, not be successful in my presentation, etc. workshop example. (So you say no to opportunities). But why are you afraid? (1. Lose income. (See fear of death) 2. Lose respect of loved ones. (see fear of death)
Being Wrong About Something – freezing green beans. What is the worst that can happen? (See failure)
Being awkward around people – acceptance – see fear of being alone.
The house break in/camping alone/ walking at night.
See how most of these fears are the same fear? See how they can grossly alter important decisions? It is really interesting how fear can drive either good or bad depending on how far you have thought it through. Depending on if you have addressed the underlying problem.
You always hear people say things like “Get right with God” so that you can move on. How about we get right with ourselves about mortality and really understand what the consequences are that we fear. Those unnamed things that we do not want to leave undone, unsupported, or unsaid.
We talk about how freedom is a choice here – but so if fear. You choose whether to embrace fear as a positive tool toward deeper understanding or forward momentum. Or we choose to let fear stop us from taking advantage of opportunities, put ourselves in unhealthy situations, and more.
I mean thing about how much easier it is to feed a chocolate addiction that run the risk of failing to take control of your dietary intake? If you never try, you never fail. And yet, if you use the fear of an early death with diabetes and decide to take on your chocolate addiction and live healthier you end up in a better place don’t you?
So we all feel fear and like most emotions, it can be used for good in our lives to empower us to be the best we can, to take care of people and things we love – or we can let it color our decision to just try that one rabbit processing workshop idea we had.
So what are you afraid of and how are you going to handle it?
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Today is a thought of the walk on being always available. What is the thought of the walk? Well, every so often I take my dogs for a walk. This clears the mind and opens me up for thought. These short, one-topic episodes are simply my way to share thoughts with you and invite your feedback.
Schedule for the next two weeks.
Webinar on April 27, 2021, 7pm CT: Relocation Roundtable
Main topic of today's show: TOTW on Availability
The text message comes in and my notices are off for the night. I have no idea it happened. The next morning when I wake up, what has started as an unanswered question has ended with an apology for offending me. But I am not offended - I was just asleep. I reply with that information.
This happens to me about 4 times a week. It is why my phone has silent hours programmed into it. It happens when I do not answer emails immediately. It happens when I do not pick up the phone.
We have come to expect the people we are seeking to reach immediately and if we do not, we tell ourselves a story about why. We allow our insecurities to taint the story toward the other party either being angry, offended, or dead.
Our story is usually wrong.
Always Available. The expectation is of always available. This unhealthy culture fostered by tech giants, buy the devices that were supposed to set us free, and by an increasingly entitled population.
Saturday night at midnight, you realize something you bought on Amazon is broken and you hop online to return it. You use their customer support chat feature and someone processed the refund right away.
You post something for sale on Facebook marketplace and someone sends you a message at 2 in the morning. By the time you wake up, Facebook has reminded you to answer it multiple times.
Being always available is an expectation for some but it is also at the root of the following things:
It is one thing to be the person who is paid to be “always available” on night shift for a set period of time. It is quite another to be always available in every moment of your every day.
We sometimes look fondly at the past and romanticize how it was back then. But on the topic of being always available, the 80s had something going for them: the person you were trying to reach had to be home to pick up the phone. If they were on the toilet when it rang, it was unlikely they could finish and race to the wall into which the phone was plugged in to answer. We pretty much were accustomed to waiting for a callback without being offended.
And there was a negative aspect to this: When the phone rang, you pretty much dropped everything to get it.
And that set the foundation for an expectation of being always available as cell phones became ubiquitous in our lives. We took a thing that needed an immediate response to connect us to loved ones and information -- or you had to take more action to connect -- and we made it possible to carry said item in our pockets everywhere without removing the expectation that we immediately respond to calls.
Then we added text.
Then email.
Then calendar notices.
Then chat apps and social media.
The cellphone is basically a tiny, mobile computer at this point, not really just a phone and the expectation is that because we can carry it around, we should respond to any of the 20 or so ways people have to reach us.
And this is causing a terrible communication problem. If you can reach someone in 20 ways, you might as well not reach them at all because you are now depending on their built-in computer -- the brain -- to remember that chat you had, or the text you sent, or that long email they skimmed, or your comment on facebook.
Always available has transformed into -- always available on all ways. This is not reasonable. This is not good for you or me. This is one of those places where you can redefine the expectation in your lie and find yourself with more time in the garden, better relationships with those around you, and fewer dropped balls.
Just stop being always available.
Change it to reasonably available. Let those closest to you know how you set it up. Then enforce the methods. Eventually folks will no longer expect a returned text at 2am or 9pm or whenever you go into silent mode. Eventually folks will catch on that you do not have email conversations via SMS. Eventually people will learn more efficient ways to interact with you -- and from there with others.
But it is a retraining effort and the retraining starts with no one other than you.
Today, I joked with the rednecks that I was scheduling my daily breakdown for 4pm today and that I would keep them informed of my breakdowns which will happen for about an hour a day between now and April 25. This is because the to do list is overwhelming to get ready for the workshop -- it is also totally doable, just overwhelming. And while they took it as a joke it really isn’t. I have to find a way to release the pent-up emotions of this large project. So at 4pm today, I will drop everything, turn off all notifications for an hour, demand that no one talk to me unless talked to, and I will rhinoceros through some seemingly non-important task that is very important to me.
I will not be available during this time and if the Pope dies, I will have no idea it happened. If there is a family emergency, I will not know it until the hour is over.
And you know what? Any action I would take because of those two examples will not really change because I find out up to 60 minutes later that there was a problem -- even if I miss my change to say goodbye to someone in their last moments. If that person and I are close, they will know I love them and I will know they know and while I will feel a pang of regret, that fear of that pang should not keep me from creating a more balanced life by turning off the expectations of being always available.
And if you are at a place in your life where there is one person for whom you really need to be available, program that into your phone.
You see, I lied a little. There are a few people who if they sms me when my phone is in do not disturb mode can get through anyway. And they know it. And they love me and would not abuse that power.
And that is how you can take technology that is harming your ability to focus, your productivity and your sanity and USE IT to create a balance between availability and performance.
And that is the epitome of the problem is the solution, isn’t it?
Membership Plug
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. It makes a great Christmas Gift!
Community
Advisory Board
Two weeks ago, I replayed an early episode about how I do seedlings. Today, I will share you the updated methods in a post-kratky hydroponic world at the Holler Homestead.
Holler Neighbor Livestream: Thursday at 6:30pm ish
Stump the Sauce
What’s Up in the Garden
Main topic of the Show: Seedlings on a Post Kratky Homestead
Show Links
Make it a great week
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Today, we will take a deeper dive into things that hold you back, why they do, and what to do next. That’s right - Spring has sprung, Easter has passed, the year is 30% behind us, so what are you waiting for? Such a simple question and yet one that often gets in our way.
Tomorrow at 11CT I am Livestreaming – check out her channel here.
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Featured forages: Spring salad
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: What Are You Waiting For?
I am one of those people that folks tend to quickly trust with personal information. They will run things by me that they may not share with others. One time, I asked Tactical, why do people tell me things? He said - well because it is easy to tell you hard things because you don’t judge.
But that isn’t entirely true. Maybe I do not judge things the traditionally judgemental way that people do when they hear about past trauma or trials. Those things are what form us into the good people we can all be today. I don;t even care if someone once was a terrible person and has changed over time and wants to confess that. actions speak louder than words and if I can see that they are not a bad actor.
But the idea that I do not judge is not exactly right. I DO judge, and sometimes pretty harshly. Like all of us, I have very limited time to invest in projects, people and creative pursuits. That means that if I even sense for a moment that someone is not serious about doing the thing that they want my help with, I have a hard time giving time to them, even when offered money for consulting.
This is the curse of the consultant who is motivated by helping people succeed rather than by earning as much money as possible.
So really, I may be the most judgemental person you know on some ways. I just don;t see a reason to inflict my perspective on someone who isn’t ready to hear it.
As humans, we can be very fickle, facing depression, fatigue. Committing to things that we did not realize would take so much time. Wanting more more more.
Yet some of us fall prey to what are you waiting for syndrome to a much higher degree than others.
Last year, I lost 20 lbs, doubled my business after it looking like it was going to be cut in half instead, and managed to pay off my debt faster than originally thought and it boiled down to one question I would ask almost every day: What are you waiting for?
We are so easily distracted, aren’t we? <comment on technology>
What is it that you really want to do? That is often the underlying cause of this syndrome. If I do not start I will not find out that I do not want this thing I think I want.
To which I ask - so what? Start. Find out. Worst thing that can happen is you deciode to abandon course and do something else.
These are all things that make us wait:
The flip
It is not magic, it is perspective. Changing you perspective will not solve every ill, but it will do one very important thing: change the programming in your brain so that that powerful computer you walk around with every day has time to come up with a solution.
Emergency find is low? What are you waiting for? Sell some crap, drive uber, take that overtime, do something to fill it back up.
Debt keeping you from scouting out on your own? That’s great because it is easy to solve when you decide to solve it.
Your divorce messing with your head, finances and turning your world upside down? Of course it is! What will you make of yourself through it? How will you address the turmoil you cannot stop? But is it causing you to wait until it is done to start making the life you want? Why? What are you waiting for? Some magical court document confirming the situation? That could take weeks or it could take years. Meanwhile, you could be doing something to pick up and build your next masterpiece.
What are you waiting for? Someone else to decide? Screw that -- you decide. This life is all about you decide. You choose the life you want to live, or be miserable living a life someone else chooses for you. Do you really want that kind of control over your head? I know I don’t.
That is why we say Make it a great week here.
That is why asking yourself what are you waiting for can help move you forward
That is why when you hear yourself saying I can’t or I wish I could, or someday, the better approaches are:
I won't, or I am going to, or in order to do that in 4 years, I can do this now, or actually I don't really want that in my life.
And yes - stuff doesnt go as we planned, and it doesnt always go right. (Destroyed duplex apartment story) So what?
Guys Spring has sprung, Easter has passed, the year is 30% behind us, so what are you waiting for? Such a simple question yet it can be hard to implement.
But really, What are you waiting for?
Membership Plug
MeWe reminder
Make it a great week!
Song:
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Brian Norton of Food Forest Farms joins me today to give us an update on how his life has evolved as he dives more deeply into entrepreneurial living and following his passion.
But first
Show Resources
Main content of the show
Bio of Brian Norton: Corp big food to urban aquaponic. Now underground specialty coffee roaster, hip camp owner, Air Bnb Experience guy. Heading out on a 1 year trip to every freedom fest I can book. Going to serve beautiful coffee and find 500 souls that see what I do as art.
Interview
Membership and Coffee Pitch
LFTN21 Email Forthcoming
Make it a great week
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Today we have a wide array of questions to answer from the network. How do these questions come in? Mewe, Telegram and by emailing me. So today, we will cover the following:
Should I bring back #HollerHatWednesday?
What’s Up in the Garden
Main topic of the Show: LFTN Q and A for March 30 2021
You may remember I'm mainly in building automation at my day job. Boring but pays the bills...
I've been amazed at how red hot our business has been during whatever covid name you want to use...
The commercial buildings everywhere are empty. Owners are taking this time to do a bunch of deferred maintenance but that is starting to run out. New buildings are being rushed to completion and new ones are coming out of the ground. Not sure why...
However, our major suppliers are about to be completely out of computer chips to build controllers. The problem is Fab plants around the world are idle. A secondary issue is there are billions of dollars in product floating around on ships that can't unload to due covid restrictions.
Industry, in general, may come to a screeching halt soon.
Not wanting to focus on the negative, I feel that many people have already forgotten last years pain. I think we need to stay positive and continue to focus on shoring up our defences to be ready for the next wave. I'm pretty sure the powers that be are engineering the next wave of restrictions. they can't help it, they crave the power...
Just a thought
Membership Plug
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Today, I bring you a replay episode
Replay of Episode 127 from 2019, right as we were starting to do three episodes per week! That year, I had no idea if I could make it work so I set up a content plan where one day a week was hard core how to. This episode talks about how to transplant those seedlings that you have so lovingly nurtured into your garden.
Community
Advisory Board
Today, I bring you a replay episode from way back in my first year of podcasting for two reasons: 1) Y’all are asking me about how to start seedlings; 2) Y’all should hear what I sounded like back then. If you are not starting your podcast or youtube channel because you think you do not sound professional enough, well, this was my first year and sometimes you have to get started to hone your craft.
Community
Advisory Board
Today, I will highlight two examples to approaching someone you may want as a mentor, or from whom you would just like a little advice. Why does this matter? Because as you go through life, you will find, from time to time, that you wish to learn or try new things, -- or that you may start a business or side hustle -- and a great way to avoid mistakes that are obvious to someone with experience, but not obvious to you, is to hold an interview, go to a demo, become an intern, or find a mentor.
And in the last few weeks, I have been approached by two people with very different approaches and they got very different reactions from me. It made me think - let’s look at the two approaches and learn from that.
Announcements
Operation Independence
Main content of the show: Approaching a Mentor
There is nothing that will give a person pause as when someone asks to be mentored. That is a pretty big ask. Almost as big as getting married. Just kidding. It’t not that big. But being a good mentor takes time, thought and follow-through.
Over my life, I have asked three people if they would mentor me. Two of the three did a horrible job. But I have been mentored by many many along the way -- and gotten a hand up and helpful advice from hundreds more.
A few weeks ago, I got two emails. Neither were asking for me to mentor them, but they were both seeking direction. Bth were about the coffee roasting business. Both got responses from me. One I was not only willing, but eager to help. The other quickly transitioned into an uncomfortable conversation that was taking scarce time. The former landed a call with me, the latter has disappeared into the ether.
The other day I told some folks about these two interactions, including the email I penned but did not send that said, “It doesn't seem like you are very interested in pursuing this.” I was pretty grumpy that day and may have been missing some tone from the former email.
Person A, Email 1
Person B
SECOND ROUND
Person A
(She was already dedicated to the path)
Person B
(In the planning steps…)
THIRD ROUND
Person A
Person B
Finding a mentor or getting advice is sort of like dating. You do not go all in at once. You take things a step at a time and when the fit isnt good, move one before you get to invest.
This isn’t very different than sales, only it is much easier to get access to folks for some quick advice than it is to part someone from their cash. It is still a transaction - they are giving you their time and knowledge, you are giving them a feeling if happiness from helping someone out. But in a world where lots of people want a little advice, it is much easier to invest this time into someone who seems like they will do something with it, has a positive outlook, does a little research, and is mindful of time investments.
The funny thing about this interaction is that I realized something after all was said and done. Remember those two terrible mentors I mentioned? They were not terrible because they failed me. They were terrible because I failed them. I needed to be clear on what I was seeking. To find mindful ways to seek improvement and to learn things in between meetings.
Instead, I got stuck in a cycle of Icantium and waiting. And the longer I waited, the less likely it was to happen.
Life lessons can be humbling.
Membership Plug
MeWe reminder
Make it a great week!
Song: Special by Sauce
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Today is a Friday so we have an interview show today with Cathryn R. Payne, author of History of a southern pig. She will talk about raising American Guinea Hogs, along with some of their historical connections on today’s show.
Announcements
Show Resources
GuinaeHogBooks
guineahogbooks.com/store
History of a Southern Pig -- the book.
https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Guinea-Hogs-Recovery-Homestead/dp/1733593209
Instagram and Twitter
@guineahogbooks
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Book1GuineaHogBooks
Author page for Catheryn R Payne
https://www.amazon.com/Cathy-R.-Payne/e/B07QCMTZPF
Main content of the show
Cathy R. Payne is the award-winning author of Saving the Guinea Hogs: The Recovery of an American Homestead Breed. After a 33-year teaching career, she decided at age 57 to leave suburbia and start a sustainable farm in rural Georgia. She specialized in nutrient-dense foods and heritage livestock breeds. She became well-known in the heritage breed community. When she started researching the Guinea Hog breed, she hit a brick wall regarding its history and set out to write a book about it herself. She now lives in Athens, Georgia, writes about heritage breeds, and promotes the breeds on The Livestock Conservancy's Conservation Priority List.
Interview
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
In honor of green beer drinking day, I thought we would have a chat with Kerry Brown a well-known community member about his journey to sobriety and how it has changed his life.
Rogue Food Conference: https://roguefoodconference.com/schedule/
Show Resources
Business: www.strongrootsresources.com
Book that changed things: Annie Grace's This Naked Mind
Main content of the show
Kerry is a 37 year old fella from East Tennessee who is living the entrepreneurial and homestead life with his wife, two cats, a dog and an ever evolving crew of livestock. He coordinates his life by following the principles of personal responsibility, working in harmony with nature and curating greater knowledge and skills.
What led to you question and change your relationship with alcohol?
How much time passed between first realizing there was a problem and taking action?
Why full sobriety versus moderation?
Can you still have fun?
Do you miss drinking?
How does sobriety and freedom fit together?
How did your friends and family react to your choice of sobriety?
What has changed for the better? The worse?
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today, I will talk about the history of the GSD Crew, what GSD is, and why you should never let the rain stop you. Not quite sure what that means? No worries. It will all make sense later!
Tennessee folks: The NON GO feed producer is having an Animal food and nutrition workshop - April 2. https://mpsfarms.com/
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: Don't Let The Rain Stop You
Do you know what a GSD weekend is? Some of you do if you have been listening for a very long time. In fact, it is the Tennessee GSD Crew that really got our network off on the right foot.
>History of the GSD Crew, the first LFTN Workshop, and our growth as a community.
This year, as you know, I am on a mission to find balance. And honestly, the idea of hosting a big group of people to help jumpstart the workshop preps was a bit overwhelming. You see, I have started the kind of house sorting that looks more like i am preparing to move out, then a house sorting. And it needs to be done so that my home empowers me rather than sucks my time.
I had so much anxiety about this all week last week because people were going to arrive, I need to feed them, and there is no avoiding them seeing the utter chaos that is here.
Jenni could see my panic last week and offered to centralize things at Basecamp, but I opted to just suck it up. These are people who know me. Who are willing to come out and dig fence posts for petes sake. If the chaos in my house makes them uncomfortable, well, then I guess they can leave.
But you know what? That did not stop the story I was telling myself and it did not stop the anxiety either. I just decided to suck it up.
The big day came, and along with it torrential rain. Starting Thursday last week, we were glued to the weather report, hoping beyond hope that there would be a break in the rains for the big project.
A friend reached out -- are we still doing this? I said yes.
You see, I am from Oregon and if you let the rain stop you, you will never get anything done in Oregon.
On the agenda for the meetup was to install a fence. And a third composting outhouse. We had a tractor coming. We had an auger. We had posts and concrete. We had a fence stretcher. But I am not a total jerk. Jenni and I touched base about inside priorities in the event that the rain became too much to handle for outside work.
But guys? When you have a tractor coming, you try to optimize tractor time. Rain or shine.
A few months ago -- toolbox fallacy.
We do this all the time
Swimming example.
And rain is just another toolbox fallacy.
Mark, Nancy, Jenni, Landrik, Tactical, KH, Autofab, Chris, Ken, Jake
GSD Accomplishments
Lessons Learned
And back to the rain -- Don;t let it stop you. Sure, maybe in an downpour it is a bad idea to plant potatoes, but the rain should not stop forward momentum on something. And a little sprinkly should not stop the potato patch from being installed.
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today we will discuss how herd shares free you up to acquire foods deemed “unsafe” by the powers that be and how they work from the consumer standpoint.
Unloose the Goose Tonight at 7:30: Topic is Tokenization
Stump the Sauce
From Ali: Why are my pickles “soft”?
Context- I made pickles for the first time in 2020. I used fresh fresh cucumbers, followed all the directions to the T and now when I open them they’re all soft. But just my dills...not my mustard pickles or pickled beets. What gives?
What’s Up in the Garden
Main topic of the Show: A consumer view of herd share
The magical spring moment has arrived: I woke up to a text from a local goat farm asking if I wanted to be in the herd share program again this year. Starting next week, I will gain access to a gallon of fresh, raw goat’s milk every week until fall. That’s right - CHEESE season is on!
Last year, I was using it in my coffee but I find that I prefer to have a higher fat content in my coffee so this year, we will have goat cheddar, goat moz, goat parm, feta, chevre and more. I hope to eliminate the need to even bother with buying cheese at the store by just making cheese all the time here.
Last year, when the stores were totally out of dairy, I had milk every week and was not worried about running out because I had an established relationship with the farmer.
Last year, I did not have to breed and milk my own goats.
Last year was a good year because herd sharing is an option in Tennessee. Here is the consumer perspective of herd sharing.
Now is the time to look around your community and see what resources are available to you whether you want premiums meats and eggs, awesome vegetables or raw, local milk. Cottage food laws are a great place to start and some states have better options than others. It is worthwhile to spend a rainy afternoon learning about your state’s laws and finding those spaces where you can add stability and know your food source - plus the quality can be seen and there is nothing like truly fresh foods.
What about you? What have your local food experiences been like?
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today, we will talk about ways to make time when you have no time.
Announcements:
Email feedback to nicole@livingfreeintennessee.com
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Edible Walks
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: Making Time When There Is No Time
I called a friend. He is very busy, overwhelmingly busy. He texted back - I will be driving in ten minutes. Ten minutes later, my phone rang. We chatted for fifteen minutes, then signed off. That is probably the last time I will hear from that friend on a phone call for a month.
He is that overcommitted. No more calls for a month at least. And yet he has time to spend with his family, to be alone, to get exercise and to work on hobbies. He has time to hear podcasts done by friends. He is probably listening to this one thinking, she is talking about me. Yes. I am.
Meanwhile, I have another friend. Her job is very demanding. She is frustrated because she is too tired when she gets up to do a few things for herself before she leaves and so mentally taxed when she gets home that all she has energy for is to eat some takeout, pour a glass of wine, pop on a video, and sit there until she falls asleep. Weekends are a rush of laundry and errands that never seem to get caught up. She managed to go see her friends and do fun things but feels a little guilty while she does because her garden is being ignored.
She is that overcommitted. She is exhausted. She is grumpy all the time. She hates her job and can’t wait to move on in a few years.
The funny thing about both these people is that they will hear this, they will probably know who they are, and that is a good thing. My first example in fact has more hours required of him professionally than the second example, and yet he has time to have some fun. He has time to nurture important relationships. He says no to so many things, including to things I as a close friend request of him, And he rarely complains about anything. He just does stuff.
My other friend spends lots of time worried about her failings, her lack of control and her backpedalling - which is leading her more deeply into the cycle of never having any time for anything.
I heard from both of these friends recently and it really got me to thinking about how we make time for things. It was a timely thing to run into because here I am, also with a very aggressive set of commitments (You’d be surprised how long it takes to produce a podcast of this nature) and a desire to build my next five years into increasing success with time to do things I love to do. Will I end up like my male friend, or my female one? I know which boat I want to be in and it seems to boil down to making time, not having it.
Now I have to say that I am not looking to end up like my former friend -- he spends way too many hours working and not enough hours sleeping. But there are things I can learn from him, and from the second example about setting myself up for success -- and I hope it will set you up for success too.
The important thing here is that when you work on making time for things that are important to you, is that you do it to have the kind of life you want, rather than to live up to someone else’s expectations of your life. And the keyword here is expectations.
We talked about boundaries last week. Setting clear boundaries with others results in clear expectations. Clear expectations reduce frustration -- at least for you. But to make time, you also need to set boundaries with yourself and make sure your expectations on yourself are clear.
So if you hear yourself telling people NO to invitations because you “don;t have time” or “can’t” - take a deeper look at what is going on. DO you really not have time, or do you prefer to do something else? Is it can’t or won’t. Even if the answer is that you are needed at work and don;t have time to go kayaking, the answer is better framed to yourself as “I refer to earn money than to go kayaking Wednesday at 10am” because by talking to yourself in this way, you are being honest about the tradeoff. I mean sure, kayaking Wednesday at 10am sounds fun, doesn’t it? But if you skip work you are giving up $100 or $1000 in income to do it, when you could just shift it to Saturday at 10am and both earn some money and have some fun. This is all about perspective and as you build the habit of taking responsibility for your tradeoffs, you will find that sometimes you choose not to earn the paycheck and rather to go to that wedding, or dig in the garden. Because when you own your tradeoffs, it is easier to see the value of what you are trading off.
So making time when you have no time starts with getting your perspective right, then setting better boundaries with yourself and everyone else. If a friend is a real friend, they can take a no. You can take a no too. And when you know why you are saying no to one thing and yes to another and it is absolutely clear to you which is the priority, it is easier to let go of the guilt, which in turn no longer slows you down. You will find that you used to say yes to lots of things that take time and that you both do not like doing, and that do not bring value into your life.
I know you are sitting here listening to this thinkin, but Nicole I really don;t have any time, I am too tired, or the demands of my family/job/homestead are too much. I really cant make any more time.
Oh yeah? Really. Then try this: Write down three things you want to have time for. It can be a walk. It can be organizing a cabinet in your kitchen. It can be writing something. Changing your oil. I don’t care what it is. Write it down. Tomorrow, set your alarm for 2 hours earlier than you usually get up. If you usually get up at 4, set it for 2. If you get up at 6, set it for 4. When it goes off do this:
Try this one time. Then do your day as normal and right after dinner, grab a piece of paper and reflect for 5 minutes on how your day went. I think you will be surprised. Making time takes tradeoffs -- in this approach you have traded 2 hours of sleep to complete one thing that you wanted to do and did not have time for. Turns out you did have time -- and sure, maybe you do not want to get up 2 hours early every day, but the method works even if for you the tradeoff ends up being becoming more efficient with your email answering time so that you get 45 minutes a day on the rowing machine, or eliminating interruptions while you pay bills each month which opens up half an hour to spend with your kids playing badminton.
The thing that you have to start with his this: You CAN make time and the buck stops with you to do it and today is a great day to start making this change.
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today, I was supposed to do a short show - a thought of the walk. And this week, I prerecorded an interview with Tim Cook. And I looked at what y’all are talking about on Mewe and on Telegram and I realized that you need to hear this interview NOW, not a week from now. So we will have a nice chat with Tim, from the people’s republik of Canada, about lessons learned from starting both his content creation business and his handyman one.
Show Resources
Where you can find all things Toolman Tim Related
Toolman Tim’s YouTube Channel
https://youtube.com/c/AllSeasonsMaintenance
Toolman Tim’s ODYSEE Channel
https://odysee.com/@Allseasonsmain:5?r=6XJVWQErBkw1GYRdm5McEYze16CmGRKa
Main content of the show
Tim Cook gave up working for the man three years ago and never looked back(well almost never) At the encouragement of his wife Becky he turned his side hustle into a full time gig.And together with the help of their 11 year old twin girls, they run All-Seasons Maintenance. A small town handyman business in the frozen tundra that is East Central Alberta. He may be better known to some of you as Toolman Tim on his YouTube channel where he encourages would be entrepreneurs and handymen on their individual road to financial freedom and success. A couple of Friday’s a month you can catch him answering questions as part of the expert council on the Survival Podcast.
Does this coming weekend cause you excitement or anxiety? If it is anxiety, then take some time this weekend to evaluate why and fix that. Because building the life you want to live should be fun work, not misery.
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today we have a listener variety show based on emails y’all have sent me. On the docket today is:
Pantry Management Practices Webinar is this Saturday at 2CT - there will be a recording if you sign up and miss the actual webinar - sign up here.
Stump the Sauce
What’s Up in the Garden
Main topic of the Show: Listener Variety Show
Thoughts on dealing with a skittish goat.
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today we have eight hacks for improving your productivity. Over the last two months, I have taken a good hard look at finding ways to find a better balance between working other important pursuits. Because grow= less personal time, but it does not have to.
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: Productivity Hacks
Quick Overview of #my3things
WHAT ARE YOUR HACKS?
Make it a great week!
Song: Suicide by Sauce
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today we have an interview show with someone who has had an interesting life journey from engineer to founding an organization dedicated to farthing sustainable lifestyles. David Bolt joins me to talk about building sustainability into your lifestyle and talks about the Sustainable Future Center in Knoxville.
How to get on an interview show
Save the dates:
Listener Feedback from Jenni - Little steps result in long term stability
Show Resources
Sustainable Future Center https://www.sfcknox.org/
Main content of the show
In 2012 David Bolt was selected as a White House “Champion of Change in Corporate Environmental Sustainability.” That award recognized the central theme of David’s life and his career. David has long sought to eliminate waste, promote efficiency, and preserve the world for future generations. He leads by example, whether by converting his home to Net Zero energy, making his building net producer of energy or by driving a car fueled by the sun. In short, the name of the non-profit says it all: Sustainable Future Center. The name is the vision. His work is to support others that want to live more sustainably.
Interview
Make it a great week
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today by listener request, I explain how the Holler Neighborhood works as a community, as well as cover some of the history of how we ended up here.
Icemegeddon Update
Webinar coming up March 6, 2pm CT - Pantry Management Practices with Nicole Sauce
Monday, June 14, chicken processing workshop, 9am
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: How the Holler Neighborhood Works
People often ask me about how to build community because they see what a great network we have in LFTN and the hear the stories of the Holler Neighbors and wish they had something like that near them. Sometimes it is hard to really say what each needs to do.
This podcast has doubled in size since last year and it is on track to double again this year. That means there are a bunch of you who were not around for the dawning of the Holler neighbors.
History
Lessons learned
How the neighbors work now
So far we have been successful as a community but that does not mean there has not been frustration, struggles with mental health, financial durres, and arguments. The deal is that we have agreed to open lines of communication, discussion of healthy boundaries, and putting hurt feelings aside to find solutions together as a family. It also really helps that everyone is king of their own castle. I cannot imagine how it would be to have someone telling me what color I can paint my home, etc.
The Holler Neighbors work because of shared values, love and good will and the most important shared value is that we buy into individual liberty and the non aggression principle -- this means that what you do, so long as it does not harm others, is none of my business. As a friend, I will tell you if I see it harming you, but at the end of the day, you can do what you want and I don’t get to stop you. You do you. That is what works -- we do not have a bunch of rules. Just mutual respect and supportive friendship. And this community has been empowering to all of us in many different ways.
Make it a great week!
Song: Thanks Dave
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
The BIG FREEZE is upon us and today, I will share with you what is necessary to get ready for such a weather event on a homestead in the south - because we do not build for this kind of weather even though it hits about every three to five years.
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: Preparing for the Big Freeze in the South
Why this? Why now?
Base philosophy
Divides into areas of focus (It is all about mindset)
Weather happens and it is one of the easiest things to plan for. The benefit of being ready for weather, if you do it right, is that it prepared you for other things. Approaching your household planning in this way not only gives you security through the storms of weather, it can also be the foundation to get you through the storms of life.
Make it a great week!
Song: The Flood by Sauce
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today I am joined by David and Karen Magee, founders of the Station at 19e and recent hosts of the freedom cell meetup in East Tennessee to talk about designing your retirement business.
Next week:
Show Resources
The Station at 19e on Roan Mountain https://thestationat19e.com/
Main content of the show
David and Karen Magee are the owners of The Station at 19e Roan Mountain TN on Mile Marker 395 NOBO on the Appalachian Trail. A hybrid 3 bed hostel/airbnb, 350 craft beer pub/restaurant, Roan Mountain Music Hall, shuttle service. 2nd location hobby farm. Grow food for the restaurant and glamping sites coming soon. 4th year running hostel. Owned large Travel Nurse Staffing Company. Lived in 4 horse living quarter trailer and followed the weather around the country for 5 years. 5 Years on a 2X7 mile island called Culebra, PR off the coast of mainland PR and 10 miles from St. Thomas.
Interview
Make it a great week
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources
Today we have a listener feedback show. It’s all about YOU! We will talk about: Do you have a reading list that I could work on to increase my critical thinking & independent thought skills? from Lydia; A recipe for using up salsa from Hillary and Joshua; A sketchy real estate tale from Pat; and Masks and Vaccines from Garth.
Main topic of the Show: Listener Feedback
Make it a great week!
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
Community
Advisory Board
Resources