Join me for a reading of the Night Before Christmas, Cajun Style – read by the Elender family.
Today we have Michael Leonido (also knows as the chef at the Spring Workshop) reading the Intellectual Night Before Christmas followed by the traditional text in song. Merry Christmas Y'all!
Join Aussie Ro as she reads the Night Before Christmas, Australian style.
Today, we have the Scottish version of The Night Before Christmas, read by Jaggy Little Thistle.
Today we talk about preparing for a house fire, resilient living vs “prepping,” how to build a following on Youtube, and more with with Ed Hubbell of Iridium Solutions and John Willis of Special Operations Equipment.
Show Sponsor:
Brave Botanicals - Your source for high quality CBD and Kratom products at a reasonable price.
Get ready for January!
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Each year we read variations of the classic poem, The Night Before Christmas. Today's version is the Redneck Night Before Christmas read to us by The Tactical Redneck.
Episode 673 - What is My 2023 Word of the Year?
Today is our last Monday Show until after the New Year is upon us! In keeping with tradition, I will share with you the word of the year, why it was chosen, and what I hope it will mean - even though we all know we find different lessons along the journey.
I will also let you know what is happening during the time between Christmas and New Years for content.
Livestream Schedule this week:
Today’s Sponsor: Paul Wheaton od Permies.com and Wheaton Labs
Paul Wheaton has developed a truly passive greenhouse that can grow through the winter with no additional heating. Not only that, but it won't overheat in the summer months! How's that possible?
Find out by watching the Truly Passive Greenhouse movie:
Email feedback to nicole@livingfreeintennessee.com
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Weekly Shopping Report from Joe
The first stop was Walgreen's for some vitamins. Stock was mostly good, but there was only one left of a large size of "D," so we had to choose another size in order to use their buy one get one free.
Food City was next. Dry cat food was very limited, but they had a couple of 16 lb. bags of Meow Mix. They had a lot of Friskies boxed cans, so we added a box of those too.
Dollar Tree was next. We found some large 9Lives cans in there for the first time in months, and grabbed a few; not all our cats like those. The frozen food coolers were really sparse and most of the drink coolers are back to being nearly empty; I think it's the worst I've seen it. The health aisle is beginning to look picked again, but most other areas looked well stocked; there were less unrefrigerated canned drinks though. Both of the two lines they had open extended back into the aisles.
Same at Home Depot, which I ran in just to check the price of a 2x4x8. It's still $3.75. I did not look over any other areas, but it was fairly crowded, as spending season is at its peak.
Aldi was last. We got a few extra things in case we decide to put off next week's shopping, but grocery crowds shouldn't be too bad, so we'll likely go. We found what we wanted, including heavy cream. I didn't see any notable holes, but both lettuce and grapes did not look as good as usual.
Untainted regular gasoline remains at $3.999.
Frugality Tip from Margo
Here's a frugality tip on one of the most valuable things to me.....MY TIME (AND SANITY). For your holiday menu plan it out a month or so in advance. Gather the things you need and start cooking some things early and freeze it (and then take it out of the freezer the day before to thaw) Make sure you have all of the things you need the week before the holiday. I did not make rolls this year, I bought rolls and put them in the freezer, FYI Hawaiian rolls freeze and thaw very well. And save your sanity during the holidays and keep a stocked pantry y'all!
Operation Independence
<WINTERBREAK!>
Main topic of the Show: What is my 2023 Word of the Year
No year has ever been so hard as this year for finding the right word. Even last night, I knew the concept but not the word. Part of the problem is that I knew the concept I wanted but was not finding a single word to describe it. And the two word option I had was only a close fit, not the full breadth of what I wanted to focus on.
What is a word of the year?
Why do it?
Past words:
Then we have this year. I strove for MORE. I worked harder. I played harder. I undid every lesson I leaned in the year of balance. I GREW my businesses. I made it over a really important personal hump: Increased cash flow to where I could finally take some from the businesses.
What the last five years have been like building LFTN and Holler Roast Coffee.
Had to have the courage to
Where it has led -
The words that did not change: Step-change, 10x
So what could I do? There is a glass ceiling that is not ok and I need to break it. It isnt due to my gender, my background, my level of education or what anyone thinks of me. It is there because of me. My mindset. My perception of what is possible. My hangups. The glass ceiling is of my own making.
The worst part is this: It is glass so I can see through it.
There are lots of reasons why it is there. Every one of them is an excuse.
The other side of that glass ceiling looks great. I want to go there. But there is this glass ceiling that needs to be broken.
And the cool thing about glass is that it will break. And 2023 is the year I break it. With whatever I can use to do so. My hands, a hammer, a rhinoceros, my head. Whatever it takes.
For every word there is a flip side too: The sharp shards that will hit me as I make my way through the glass. I expect that to be there too.
So my word of the year, which encompasses both the goal to move beyond my perceived constraints. The word that also prioritizes balance and priority to my spirit, body and heart. The word for 2023 is <WORD>.
I don’t know exactly how things will go, but I am excited to start, have already started. And you will see the first steps in January
This is the last non-interview podcast before the break so rather than our usual closing, I leave you with this - Make it a great break yall.
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
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Every Friday, we record our Homestead Happenings update, followed by a questions and answers session. Today’s podcast is the questions and answers session from yesterday’s podcast. We cover: favorite holiday cookies, where to prioritize investments into your homestead as a new homesteader, how many pets are too many, and more
Sponsor of the day: Agorist Tax Advice
Agorist Tax Advice. Do you want to give Uncle Sam fewer of your hard-earned dollars? Do you wonder if the time has come to set up your LLC? Are you confused about what kind of business to establish? Are you wanting to pass along wealth you have built to your kids, but not sure the best way to do that?
Matthew Sercely of Agorist Tax Advice can help you make sense of all the options, understand how to stay on top of tracking write-offs, and see new ways of organizing your finances so that you keep more of the money you earn in your pockets.
Matthew has a broad knowledge of business finance, real estate and rentals, end of life planning and more which means that he can help you find legal tax loopholes and understand risks.
Head on over to AgoristTaxAdvice.com/lftn to sign up for a free consultation.
Speaking at next-steps.info Feb 22-25 near Atlanta. Use Coupon Code SAUCE10 for a ticket discount.
Main content of the show
@Nicolesauce What do you think about the role of "pets" (non working/producing animals) on the homestead and when do you draw the line of "no more pets"?
@Nicolesauce what's everyone's favorite holiday cookie
@Nicolesauce if you were starting over on a homestead with all the knowledge you have now, what's the first thing you would choose to sink larger amounts money into? (ex. Fencing, buildings, garden, machinery...)
@Nicolesauce what one important thing you've learned about yourself or your land this year
@Nicolesauce straw or pine shaving for ground cover during the cold months for animals, either in runs or enclosures?
@Nicolesauce Are you planning any new perennials at the Holler in the spring?
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Today we talk about the BIG DEEP FREEZE, babies on the homestead, brainstorming local revenue ideas and more.
Forage
Livestock
Harvest Meals
Homesteading in Winter
Holler Neighbors/Community
Infrastructure
Finances
Membership Plug
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GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce. It makes a great Christmas Gift!
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Today we talk about farming, lifestyle design, getting off your dime and more with Porterhouse of Porterhouse and Teal and John Willis.
Today’s Sponsor: Live Free Academy - Check out this free webinar on Crypto Currency
Reminder: Spring Workshop Prerelease tickets go on Sale Saturday at 9am
Fountain.fm Boost o grams
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Main content of the show
Replay of the Tuesday Live on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/live/FMGRoZKwVAg?feature=share
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GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
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Today I talk with Sue Zoldak about how she has built the life she wants, her transition into Manhattan Living, and her new project counteracting big tech censorship.
Livestream Schedule This week
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Main content of the show: Interview with Sue
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GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
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Every Friday, we record our Homestead Happenings update, followed by a questions and answers session. Today’s podcast is the questions and answers session from yesterday’s podcast. We cover: rat poison, sheep,
Main content of the show
From Jenni
advice on being patient for the big picture when you want to see movement on your goals
From Ken
and when to make a decision to take a loss and switch to a different goal
From Nathan
How do you prioritize your task list?
Filling in the available time with forward progress and achievables, when things like {shortness of available time segments}{supply chain issues}{weather}{missing piece of puzzle} might otherwise leave one in a frozen "paralysis analysis" state. ?What helps you realize, that which might have temporarily sidelined <The One Big Goal That I Believe In My Heart Must Be Accomplished First> does not necessarily grind you to a halt on every bit of your life simultaneously--unless YOU yourself DECIDE to stop your own progress.
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
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Today we talk about new winter lives on the homestead, pregnant sheep, MUD SEASON, the portable sheep shelter and more.
Today’s Sponsor: Freesteading.com
Surprise live with Sue Zoldak at 5pm Central today: https://youtu.be/fTBL3IaOxqo
Email feedback to nicole@livingfreeintennessee.com
Forage
Livestock
Harvest Meals
Winter on the Homestead
Holler Neighbors/Community
Infrastructure
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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!
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Today we talk about food shortages, inflation, aquaponics and aquaculture, panic prepping, and more with Jack Spirko and John Willis.
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Main content of the show
Replay of the Tuesday Live on Youtube.
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GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
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Today we talk about some homemade holiday gift ideas put together by the Holler Neighbors for this year.
Today’s Sponsor, Paul Wheaton of Wheaton Labs and Permies.com
Love listening to podcasts? Check out Paul Wheaton's huge bundle of podcasts, videos, and stuff so you can learn all about permaculture from The Duke of Permaculture himself!
Livestream Schedule
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Weekly Shopping Report from Joe
There's likely to be yucky weather off and on all weekend, so we went during a pause in precipitation this afternoon (Saturday). Friday evening, however, a lot of the pumps at the Weigel's I use most often were bagged. I went to my secondary choice, and it was fine. A gallon of untainted regular had dropped to $3.999; this was at both stations.
Today's first stop was Dollar Tree. The drink coolers were in better shape, but still had a lot of empty spaces. They had lots of canned goods, but we didn't see any of the lentils we've previously seen there, and the only beans were Northern White. We hadn't bought any lentils in a while, so I don't know if they've been missing for longer. The store was otherwise normally stocked. It was also busier than we've often seen it, especially for a poor-weather day.
Home Depot was next. Every open area had islands with a lot of smaller items. The prices looked reasonable. We found the couple of items we wanted without difficulty. A 2x4x8 remains at $3.75.
Aldi was last. We found everything on our list, including heavy cream (at least two boxes in the cooler). Stock everywhere looked good. They have more of that generically-packed chicken.
Frugality Tip from Christina
I find myself traveling quite a bit. Recently, I found myself on the road without good coffee (gasp!!!). Long story short - and leaving out the scary days of gas station coffee - I went to the store and bought a pack of coffee filters for $1.50 and a cheap coffee grinder. Someone could do this without the coffee grinder by also buying pre-ground coffee but I had a couple pounds of whole bean bouncing around the truck. I took out my trusty Coleman thermos, put a coffee filter in the top so it was hanging over an inch or so then filled it with coffee. I heated water and poured it through the filter. Voila! Redneck pour-over coffee. Hope this helps someone! I’ve learned so much from you and this community. I’m grateful to have a chance to give back.
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas
Past episodes on this topic:
Why homemade?
Thoughts on the expectations surrounding gifts
Declare independence from debt, but have fun gifting people
Toxicity and gifts
Ideas
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GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
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Join me for a Homestead happenings update: pregnant sheep, assessing progress, rain has finally come, black garlic and more.
Today’s Sponsor: FreeSteading.com
LFTN on Free Steading: https://freesteading.com/groups/living-free-in-tennessee/
Forage
Livestock
Harvest Meals
Winter on the Homestead
Holler Neighbors/Community
Infrastructure
Finances
Assessing progress
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!
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Today we talk about homesteading, community, using your mind to set yourself up for success, hard work, and more with Tag from Life Done Free and John Willis of Special Operations Equipment
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GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
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What are you waiting for? The New Year? Monday morning? Your next physical exam? The end of a particularly stressful time? Today is the day to start.
Show Sponsor: Paul Wheaton of Wheaton Labs and Permies.com
Paul Wheaton over at permies.com and Wheaton Labs wants you to see how easy permaculture can be! That's why he wants to share Michael Judd's webinar on water harvesting and soil building, so you can plan out your permaculture paradise!
For just 10 bucks, you can learn all about how to design water-harvesting swales and berms for your orchard and garden designs. You'll learn how to plan them out, how to create them, and all the reasons why it will make your gardens go nuts.
Check out the link in the show description to get your hands on this 90 minute masterclass in water harvesting earthworks design to make your landscape flourish with ease.
Learn how to harvest water and build your soil with simple landscape design principles derived from permaculture! Check out the webinar here:
https://permies.com/wiki/171179/Water-harvesting-soil-building-webinar?f=495
Livestream Schedule
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Weekly Shopping Report
No report this week
Frugality Tip from Margo
So we just had a little Halloween party. I put out a veggie and dip tray. So I buy a celery and a bag of carrots and the like. I cut up veggies for the tray and then make two bags to put in the freezer. One with the tops and such for stock and then dice up some veggies in another bag to add to soups and stews.
Use all the parts of the vegetables and save yourself some money in the long run.
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: The End is Near - What Are You Waiting For?
What are you waiting for? The new moon? The New Year? Monday?
<thoughts on this>
Reasons to fail are many: <List them>
Reason to succeed are there too, but we often refuse to see them
<story: not practicing classical voice>
The bigger question is this: why do we choose to fail?
The big reason: Change=losing a piece of yourself
As we sit in a very significant week: Tactical’s first year
I got to thinking about all the excuses we make to delay starting - yet starting is often the only thing we need to do to succeed - as in start every day. Without fail. And when you do fail, start again. And again. And again.
This is the time of year when LFTN starts discussing the word of the year.
So questions come up:
If yes, why not start early on next year? What is stopping you? What are you waiting for? You can do so much in the next 4 or 5 weeks.
If no, what do you need to do to focus on the most important things so that you DO finish your goals.
We often fail at new years resolutions precisely because we make a bigger deal out of the timing, rather than succeeding at the goal.
Back to T - We will be having a delicious steak meal on Thursday to celebrate one year of sobriety. And that celebration is a good thing.
But he didnt succeed by saying “Monday I will start”, or “Screw it, Christmas is around the corner, I will quit after that.”
He did it through making the hard decision every day, multiple times a day. He did it through addressing core underlying stressors. He did it by grieving a part of himself that will no longer be in his life - a part he sort of liked, I suspect.
And he started the last day of November when he realized NOW I will really make this improvement.
What about you? Are you ready to make your move? To Lose that weight? To cut those cigarettes? To add that side hustle? To plant that garden? To organize that house?
To let go of whatever you hang onto as part of your personality that keeps you delaying the start? To embrace that change is good - and also sometimes sad?
What are you waiting for? Today is your day.
Membership Plug
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Song:
GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
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Join LFTN listener, permaculturist, and Still Side Hustling Sam Billings as he tells the story of how he realized that a JOB is part of what he needs in place to build the life he wants.
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Main content of the show
Sam Billings got his permaculture design certificate in 2009 in College. He used that to create his own position on an Estate in Connecticut turning 2 acres of grass into a food forest. He then started a vegetable farm in Massachusetts, closer to his family. After the landowner could not continue to lease to him, he had to get a job working for someone else and create his homestead with his wife on nights and weekends. Turns out, that's the best balance he has found yet in his life.
- What is Permaculture, but more important, what is it NOT?
- How did "Big Permaculture" fail you?
- What are some of the things you wished you had known when starting your own farm?
(This one could be an episode in itself, we can hone it in)
- What contributed to the closing of the farm?
- How have you been able to restructure your work/life balance?
- What's next?
Membership and Coffee Pitch
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Every Friday, we record our Homestead Happenings update, followed by a questions and answers session. Today’s podcast is the questions and answers session from yesterday’s podcast. We cover: Livestock Guardian Dogs, cooking roasts, livestock and more.
Don’t forget to grab your Small Business Saturday Gift Upgrade at Holler Roast!
Main content of the show
Recorded live here:
Episode 659 - Homestead Happenings for Nov 25, 2022
Summary: This won’t stump The Sauce, but how do you personally make roasts?
LGD Update
Thanksgiving in the Holler
More
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GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
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Today we talk about what Thanksgiving was like at the Holler Homestead, update you on the state of the livestock, talk about fermenting garlic and more.
Download
Email feedback to nicole@livingfreeintennessee.com
Sponsor: Freesteading.com
Highlight Holler Roast as a Great Gift
Forage
Livestock
Harvest Meals
Winter on the Homestead
Holler Neighbors/Community
Infrastructure
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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!
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Today we talk about food shortages, owning your life, logical preparedness and more with Black Scout Survival and John Willis.
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Boost O Gram Wednesday!
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Wednesday Live with Black Scout Survival
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GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
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Today, I am joined by Gretchen Catherwood to hear about the progress that has been made on the Darkhorse Lodge project.
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Once completed, there will be five, 5 bedroom guest cabins, each room named for one of the 25 men lost from the Marine Corps' 3/5, Darkhorse unit. When our 19 year old son, LCpl Alec E Catherwood, was killed in action on October 14, 2010, it felt as if the world had ended for us. After realizing that we wouldn't honor him by giving up, I stayed up nights, wondering what I could do for those who did come home. Once I had the basics down, my husband added improvements to the plan. Finding my new purpose in life has given me a reason to get up each morning and face the challenges ahead. We will need A LOT of money to complete our build. 5 guest cabins, a staff cabin, and a shower house/dining facility (named for US Army National Guard, Specialist Tim Bowman, who committed suicide on Thanksgiving Day, 2005 after returning home from Iraq). Our employees will be combat veterans as well, including those who will take the participants fishing at one of the most beautiful spots in the south (oh yeah, we'll need boats and gear donated as well). The buildings at Darkhorse Lodge will be handicapped accessible to accommodate as many of our veterans as possible.
Gretchen Catherwood
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Every Friday, we record our Homestead Happenings update, followed by a questions and answers session. Today’s podcast is the questions and answers session from yesterday’s podcast. We cover: rat poison, sheep,
Main content of the show
Replay of the Tuesday Live on Youtube.
Episode 654 - Homestead Happenings for November 18, 2022
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Today’s show is an update on my word of the year, courage, and how it is progressing, lessons learned.
Livestream Schedule
Tales from the Prepper Pantry
Thank today’s sponsor, Paul Wheaton
BLACK FRIDAY STOCKING STUFFER!!
Wanna learn or teach about permaculture while playing classic card games with your family this holiday season? Grab a couple decks of permaculture playing cards for stocking stuffers this year!
https://richsoil.com/cards.jsp?f=495
Weekly Shopping Report from Joe
We made our usual three stops this Saturday, plus one other. Our first stop was Dollar Tree. The coolers are mostly empty now. They still have some Rip-it, but even that cooler wasn't even half full. The food aisles still look good though, and other shelves are also stocked. Before parking, we passed by where a new Michael's (a craft store; competes with Hobby Lobby) will be opening soon. I'm surprised it isn't open yet, but we'll check it again if we go out next weekend. That's unlikely to be Saturday this time, due to the beginning of the holiday feeding frenzy.
Next stop was Home Depot. The open areas are now full of islands, as they too get ready for the impending rush. There was a price on the 2x4x8 studs this time; $3.75. The store looked busy already, including employees putting more stuff out. Battery quantities looked good, with fewer and smaller holes.
Third was Aldi. The produce area was nicely filled, stuffed even. We found what we wanted, including heavy cream, which I've seen some people report has been missing in some areas. They also had Butterball turkeys in at least one cooler. The bill seemed a little steeper than usual, although I did get a whole pork butt (a new cut for them; they've had half-butts for some time now) and a package of generically-labeled chicken breasts. I didn't see any holes in anything.
The final stop was a thrift store so Sonia could looks for some books. Untainted regular gasoline remains at $4.199/gallon.
Frugality Tip
I came across a 1 3/4 pound container of organic ginger root at Sam’s Club. This was just what I needed to begin my honey fermented ginger.
Ginger is always a tough thing to peel, but I have seen several videos of an easier way to peel ginger not using a knife. Just use a common every day spoon.
I just drag the spoon across the ginger. It takes off the outside peel, and doesn’t take off much of the ginger flesh. This saves so much usable ginger, and put less in the compost bin.
Operation Independence
Main topic of the Show: Courage, an Update
What is the word of the year and why I chose Courage
How the year started - Everything at once, getting ahead of the schedule, learning to say no, and learning to let go of the script in front of large audiences.
The dark side of courage
The hard thing about courage is that you have to accept that things are your responsibility to change if you do not like them, particularly flaws within yourself. Not succeeding in changing yourself is literal laziness. That one hurt.
Things I have done
The bright side of courage
Overall, courage was a good fit for the year. This is the first time that a word of the year has really felt like it will be finished by the time I get through December.
Membership Plug
MeWe reminder
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GUYS! Don’t forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.
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