In this 240th Episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, Adam and Tom discuss watching drones, surviving Christmas gatherings and closing out 2024. Besides the conspiracies and parody songs, Adam and Tom discuss 9 Tips for Surviving Christmas Gatherings, which Tom admits he will be putting into play this week! From drones flying around our county to our Christmas/Yule Plans to Closing our 2024, Adam and Tom (the ANT Squad) covering a lot of ground tonight.

Maybe it was the full moon, maybe it was the winter solstice energy, maybe it was the old Yule traditions...whatever it is, we are covering it tonight. We look forward to our awesome audience providing input and questions as usual,. and I am sure we will dive down some strange rabbit holes with these topics.

Oh come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
Let's talk about
Magic, technology, Old Gods, Old Ways, traditions, the New Year and aliens....why the hell not?

The ANT Live Show is every Monday at 7:30 PM Central on the Small Scale Life YouTube Channel. We then post the audio on the Small Scale Life Podcast as soon as we can....barring any reindeer, aliens or drones!

Ho Ho Ho! Drink your drinks with your pinky out, and let's go!

Catch ANT LIVE on the Small Scale Life YouTube Channel at 7:30 PM Central on Monday evenings. Adam and I talk about mindset, small business, wellness, homesteading and other topics that come up.

Remember to learn, do, grow and be a little better everyday. And that’s a good thing! See you tonight!

~ Tom

LINKS:

🌱A Modern Frontier Website: https://www.amodernfrontier.com

🌱Small Scale Life Website: https://www.smallscalelife.com

🌱Small Scale Life Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/4raJ4BdYYnqSspeV/?mibextid=K35XfP

🌱Small Scale Gardening Group on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/share/dua9PobD1A82ANXC/?mibextid=K35XfP

🌱Small Scale Life Wellness Club Group on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/rd2j5aR2TBPgchy7/?mibextid=K35XfP

DISCLAIMER:

I am not a doctor, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or a therapist. I am not in or connected to the medical community. Always consult a professional before trying any of these activities or any practice.

Create and live your Small Scale Life at your own risk, but do it carefully and at your own risk. All actions you participate in are voluntary and at your own risk.

To see more about mindset, homesteading, adventures and interviews with some cool people, check out the Small Scale Life Podcast and our site at https://smallscalelife.com

Learn, do, grow and be a little better everyday. And that’s a good thing!

Special Guest: Adam Rick.

In this 239th episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, Adam and I discuss attending small town tree lighting ceremonies and building new barrel garden planters. We also discuss the 2024 Acres USA Eco-Ag Conference including new trends in Regenerative Agriculture and homestead and small farm business ideas.

Adam attended all four days of the conference, and he had a chance to attend presentations from Gabe Brown, Mark Shepard, and even Joel Salatin. He got to shake hands and rub elbows with a lot of leaders in the Regenerative Agriculture world Adam will lead the way and give us a recap of what he learned and what interesting things are coming down the pike in the Regenerative Agriculture space. I am curious if Joel Salatin talked about his new position as an advisor in the new administration and ant new policies he will be pushing.

At the same time, our audience provided some good feedback and interaction with us, and Adam and I had a chance to brainstorm about what we would do to start a small business on a 8-agre homestead. Adam has an 8-acre homestead and has had a lot of irons in the fire, and I had a 10-acre homestead before moving to The Landing. We come up with some interesting ideas, and our listeners appreciated the brainstorming session.

For links, support and other information, check out the Small Scale Life website at https://smallscalelife.com.

Special Guest: Adam Rick.

In this 238th Episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, my friend Adam and I discuss how to cook a turkey including brining the turkey, spatchcocking the bird vs. cooking it whole and how we serve the turkey to family and guests. We discuss our favorite side dishes and a couple failures in our Thanksgiving dinners (homemade stuffing).

This podcast will be connected to a much more in-depth guide on Small Scale Life titled "How to Cook a Turkey for Thanksgiving." In that guide, I walk you through thawing a frozen turkey to brining the turkey (with three different brine recipes), spatchcocking the turkey, quartering the turkey, and cooking the turkey.

Check out the article on Small SCale Life, and let me know what you think at [email protected]. If you have any tips or recipes, let me know!

Special Guest: Adam Rick.

In this 237th Episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, Adam and Tom discuss 20 Simple Steps for a Better Holiday Season.  By using these 20 Simple Steps, we cannot guarantee that you will have a joyous and calm holiday season, but we can definitely say that you will be lined up for success since you are ready mentally and have prepared for what is coming.

Gatherings and obligations wash over us like the raging gales of November, and if we are not careful and do not plan, we can be dragged down the dark and cold depths like the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior. The Gales of November and December are starting to pick up; can you feel them?

It doesn't have to be that way.

It shouldn't be that way.

How can we do better and be better to avoid these storms during the holidays?

The answer is found byy following the advice from my Assistant Scoutmaster days: "Planning and being prepared." As I look back on what was successful during the holidays (and especially at what wasn't), it really comes down to having a plan and executing. It also comes back to being able to laugh, go with flow and not getting wrapped around the axle of agendas, poor planning and endless guilt trips. You do that by not taking yourself too seriously and not having a plan.

We have 20 simple steps, but you never know, we might come up with a few more along the way. I am super excited to talk about Step 16: Establish New Traditions.

For links, show notes and support, check out more at https://smallscalelife.com. Please note: the article has a lot more of my commentary about each of the 20 Steps.

Special Guest: Adam Rick.

In this 236th Episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, Adam Rick leads the way as he discusses how to find your first customer when launching a small business or even a podcast. To do this, Adam relates finding customers to fishing in a northern lake for big walleyes. It wasn't easy, but they ended up catching some massive fish after striking out for two days! The same thing happens in business.....

The parallels are very obvious and make a lot of sense as he walks us through a story about his fishing experience in the Great White North. After two hard days of fishing, his group found the right spot holding the right fish, used the right bait, and kept at it until they caught some beautiful monster walleyes. It took persistence and the right amount of work to land those big fish, and the same process can be used to land your ideal client.

It isn't easy. Sometimes it is a lot of hard work and isn't fun. The lake is full of other hungry fishermen that are trying to load their stringers with keepers, and it's up to us to read the lake, understand the behavior of the fish, go where they are and keep on casting (or jigging).

For links, support and show notes about the 10 Steps for How to Find Your First Customer and some more of my thoughts on the RFK Fast Food scandal, check out my post at smallscalelife.com.

Special Guest: Adam Rick.

Can you actually Manifest Your Future?  Do your dreams and goals seem to be out of reach?  For many of us, we never feel like we are good enough to achieve much of anything.  We sometimes feel like it takes all of our energy to get out of bed and drag ourselves to a J-O-B.

But we are meant for so much more than that.  The world is a big, amazing place that is full of opportunity if we are willing to work for it, but we tell ourselves we can't do better, we couldn't do better and we don't deserve better....so we don't ever try.

Let's try to break that pattern and stinking thinking, shall we?

This week on ANT Live, Tom and Adam are going to talk about Dreams, Goals and How to Manifest Your Future.

Manifesting your future is an exciting and empowering process that combines clarity, intention, action, and belief. While it’s often associated with visualization and the Law of Attraction, the underlying principles of manifesting your dreams and goals are more about aligning your thoughts, emotions, and actions with the future you desire.

I am sure you are saying, "Sure, that sounds good and all, but how do you manifest your future?"

As I have gotten older, I realized from my own experience that it is possible to manifest your future.  You can achieve those dreams and goals, but the keys are aligning your thoughts, you actions and your focused intensity over time.  It is possible, especially when we understand the execute on the 9 steps for Manifesting Your Future.

I am sure Adam has a lot to say from his own experience. After all, he is manifesting his dream with each Farmer's Market and sale!

Special Guest: Adam Rick.

How do you find your passion? Do you even know what your passion is?  If you know what your passion is, are you doing something that taps into that internal fire that lights you up?

Many of us have a skill, a talent, knowledge, experience, ability or product that we create or do without thinking about it. We have that secret something or interest that drives us and lights us up. Some of us take it to the next step and create a hobby out of that thing. Others tell us that we are "really good at that thing and could sell it or make a business out of it." Some of us take that step forward and create that business or follow that passion in our career.

There are others, however, that struggle with finding that thing. They don't seem to have that bright fire for one particular skill or thing.

In this episode, Adam and I are focusing on how to find our passion. We hope to answer the following questions:

• How can you discover your passion?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of following your passion?
• What are you willing to sacrifice for your passion?

Not everything is rose petals, rainbows and unicorns. The rose does have thorns, and there are some drawbacks of following your passion, and Adam and I will talk about those things as well.

 For links and show notes, head over to Small Scale Life Website!

Special Guest: Adam Rick.

Tonight’s show is titled: "Boredom: A Path to Mindfulness and Innovation.”

When you are super busy, you don’t have time to let your mind wander and solve problems. You just don’t have capacity. The same can be said when you are holding on for dear life in Survival Mode. Having REGULAR downtime to dream, think and create is just what the doctor ordered, especially if you are stuck.

Think about it: what WAS Sir Isaac Newton doing while sitting under that apple tree? He was bored, and an apple dropped right on his head. VIOLA! Gravity was discovered!

Adam Rick and I will be covering this and a whole lot more on tonight’s show. We must discuss the results of the Halloween on Main Chili Contest in Dousman, WI. Who won? Who lost? What lessons were learned along the way?

OF COURSE, we’ll be THE BEST damn boring Livestream on YouTube you have ever seen.

ANT Live starts at 7:30 PM Central on the Small Scale Life YouTube Channel on Monday.

For links and show notes, head over to https://smallscalelife.com.

Special Guest: Adam Rick.

In this 232nd Episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, Adam and I are discussing Side Hustles and the Gig Economy.  It seems like there is not enough money for the month at times. One way to make resources stretch is through side hustles and the gig economy.

It seems like there is not enough money for the month at times. One way to make resources stretch is through side hustles and the gig economy. We are essentially picking up second jobs to supplement regular incomes.

• If done right, these side hustles can turn into a full time small business.
  
• If done wrong, these side hustles can turn into a low wage, high expense death spiral.
  

We have to be careful and choose our side hustles wisely. Adam and I will talk about our observations and thoughts about side hustles and the gig economy. I got the feeling that Adam had some strong opinions about side hustles and the gig economy simply because he has his own business Modern Frontier Farms.

Take a listen and find out!

As always, remember to learn, do, grow and be a little better everyday. And that, my friends, is a good thing!

~ Tom

This live-stream is brought to you by A Modern Frontier Farms: https://www.amodernfrontier.com

Get all your pasture-raised beef, pork and chicken from A Modern Frontier Farms! Grass Fed; Grass Raised; 100% Delicious!

LINKS:

🌱Small Scale Life Website:
https://www.smallscalelife.com

🌱Small Scale Life Group on Facebook:
https://facebook.com/smallscalelife

🌱Small Scale Gardening Group on Facebook:
https://facebook.com/thesmallscalelifepodcast

🌱Small Scale Life Wellness Club Group on Facebook
https://facebook.com/smallscalelifewellnessclub

🌱Small Scale Life Telegram Chat Group
https://t.me/+X60kPSJ3bLY0YTUx

DISCLAIMER:

I am not a doctor, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or a therapist. I am not in or connected to the medical community. Always consult a professional before trying any of these activities or any practice.

Create and live your Small Scale Life at your own risk, but do it carefully and at your own risk. All actions you participate in are voluntary and at your own risk.

To see more about our wellness journey, gardens, homesteading adventures and interviews with some cool people, check out the Small Scale Life Podcast and our site at https://smallscalelife.com

Learn, do, grow and be a little better everyday. And that’s a good thing!

Special Guest: Adam Rick.

I stopped by Driftless Oaks Farm this week, and as I looked at the property, it hit me that it is a fast fading dream. I realized that I am turning the page and leaving the farm behind, and even though it sounds sad, this epiphany had to happen for me to move forward here at the Landing. In Episode 231, I discuss some observations, memories and epiphanies I had as I looked over the farmhouse, outbuildings and property.

It is no secret that moving to a farm/homestead was my dream. All you have to do is look back through the archive of Small Scale Life Podcast episodes, and you can see that I was working hard to move out of the city and move to Western Wisconsin. In fact, Julie and I looked at some properties in 2017 before moving from our rental house in St. Louis Park to North Minneapolis, Minnesota. The timing wasn't right until 20.

Eagle's Ridge

We purchased the Eagles Ridge property with a dream to build a house, garden and pole barn there. It was a 2 acre property on the Apple River just north of New Richmond, Wisconsin. We worked hard clearing buckthorn, prickly ash and honey suckle (all invasives) from the property and clearing the top of the ridge so we could see the river. We also cleared down by the water and put in a long switchback path down the 60-foot bluff from the top of the ridge to the river.

COVID, riots, and global shortages pushed the cost of building a home to astronomical heights, and we decided to pivot and go a different direction. Early one morning, Julie and I woke up early, and she convinced me to put Eagle's Ridge on a shelf and start to move on from that fading dream. It was not the right time to build a house.

Driftless Oaks Farm

Julie's brother in Texas was looking at homes and properties for us, and he found Driftless Oaks Farm. We took a look at the property and the price, and we fell in love with it. A major dream had been accomplished, and we couldn't wait to move in as soon as possible!

Not all that glitters is gold, however. We were overwhelmed by the amount of work there, and we also ran into a massive roadblock: the house. We bought the farm with the intention of hosting gatherings there with our family and friends. I even started planning homesteading gatherings at the farm where folks would come and listen to great homesteaders and gardeners talk about things that they were doing on their homesteads. Think Self-Reliance Festival in Maiden Rock, Wisconsin!

The house was small, and we found out that contractors were not keen on working with and adding on to a 1900-era house. The farmhouse was small, and it would have been difficult to add on to the house with the stone foundation in the front and cellar in the back. Contractors recommended bringing in a bulldozer and starting from scratch.

Did we have fading dreams once we did some diligence? Yes, absolutely. It happened fast on the farm, especially after major life events in 2022. After Danny passed away, we decided it was time to sell and move away from the little farm. We did not see how we could improve the farmhouse economically and make it work for us, so it was time to put it on the market and move forward.

This Week's Epiphany

When I stopped by the farm this week and observed it from the neighbor's hill, it suddenly occurred to me that the young man that purchased the property made some significant changes for the better. He had the creativity, audacity, tenacity and the network to make some things happen. I realized after looking at our little farm for a while that our farm life was one of many fading dreams, and it was time for me to turn the page and move on forever.

For links and show notes, head over to the Small Scale Life website at https:///smallscalelife.com.

Our topic this week on the Adam and Tom Live (ANT LIVE) is “Mindset and Milestones: Prepping for a Life Upgrade.”

Before you step out on that limb and begin a new venture, there needs to be a shift in your mindset as and your prep for a life upgrade. Starting a new job, new small business, a new project, going in a different direction or starting over again from scratch takes planning, preparation and execution.  A Life Upgrade IS a big deal and will change who you are and where you are going.  Trust me, I know!

There will be ups and downs along the way. Let me repeat that: there WILL be ups and downs along the way.

Prepping for the lows (and the highs) is very important. It can take time for things to come together and start to flow the right way. How do you get over those valleys and keep going? What can you do to soften the blows and damage from the inevitable setbacks and storms?

Adam started a small business and has been methodically building it over the past couple years. Julie and I ventured into the wild and tried our hands at homesteading on a small farm. One of us is still working on their dream; the other one pivoted and went in a different direction.

What worked? What didn't? What did they learn along the way?

A life upgrade is typically not easy and something that just happens overnight. A lot of planning and hard work are involved.  I mean, usually when change happens THAT fast, something dramtically good (winning the lottery) or dramatically bad has happened.  In my experience, it tends to be the later, and I wouldn't necessarily call that a "life upgrade." Serious illness, bankrupcy, job loss, financial ruin and death are definitely massive life changes, and those are not life upgrades.  Maybe once you walk through that dark valley and climb out on the other side, something good can happen, but again: it takes a lot of planning, hard work, help and therapy to get out of the pit.

For this discussion, we are focusing on the mindset, milestones and prepping for a POSITIVE life upgrade.  We'll descend into the valley in a future show for you cannot have light without the dark, and that discussion is very important as well.  This is all part of the inward journey of our Small Scale Life. Do not fear the darkness because it reminds us of how good the light can be and feel.

The ANT Live Show is on the Small Scale Life YouTube Channel every Monday night at 7:30 PM Central. For links and show notes, head over to Small Scale Life website at https:///smallscalelife.com.

Special Guest: Adam Rick.