In this installment of our series on becoming hard to kill, we continue our countdown of our top-10 skills. This week, our focus is largely on skills and training that revolve around your physical conditioning. We break down each skill as to why it is important, how it applies to your life, and actionable steps you can take regardless of your current level of physical fitness.
In this bonus episode, our guest, Ben Forester, provides us with his pro tip, book recommendation, and monthly challenge.
Today we discuss a controversial topic- hunting. Whether you are vehemently opposed to hunting, or staunchly support it, let's discuss it in a way that focuses on what we all have in common, and maybe we'll come away understanding each other just a little better. We don't have to agree, but we're all stuck with only one earth to share and care for.
In this second installment of our series on becoming hard to kill, we begin our top-10 countdown of "hard-to-kill" skills. This week, we have a frank conversation about the role that weapons training can play in this. This topic almost didn't even make the cut for our discussion, but it's unavoidable in any conversation about survival, so let's get it out of the way right up front. As we discuss in the episode, I believe that any use of weapons should be the last and smallest piece of the puzzle...
Do you know what contaminants are hiding in your tap water? If not, do you know how to find out? Once you find out, how do you remove them? In this episode, we discuss how to choose an RO/DI system that's right for you, what all of the numbers mean, and how to install it yourself. This is an easy DIY project that will only take between half an hour and a single afternoon, depending on your level of experience with tool use.
Let's work on turning an "average" human into a "hard-to-kill" human. In this series, we take a very honest look at what the real dangers are in our world and in our day-to-day lives. In the next few episodes in this series, we'll get into some very specific actions you can take and skills you can learn to make yourself and your family safer. In this episode though, we're going to lay the groundwork for the discussion, identify some of the dangers we face, and talk about something that we're goi...
In this episode, I'll give you a crash-course in how to get started with Nordic Skiing. What are the different styles of Nordic skiing? Which style is the best fit for you? What is the essential gear to get started? Also, we talk about some pretty awesome Norwegian commandos from WWII.
Here's your bonus content for the month of February 2020. If you feel like you've already failed at your New Year's resolution, this episode is to get you back on track.
Here's your handyman episode on starting to work with glass. In this episode, we're going to be cleaning glass, bonding/sealing pieces of glass, and drilling holes in glass. Drilling glass is always a little scary for me, but it's totally doable if you follow the correct procedure.
Have you ever thought about doing your own electrical work? Is it safe? Is it even legal? Do you need a bunch of expensive tools? How will you know if your work is even "up to code?" In this episode, I attempt to answer these and many other questions while I do a simple wiring project on my own house. If you've ever wondered if you could do your own electrical work, I'll lay out all of the steps to get started, do it right, and do it safely.
We wrap up our top-10 knot-tying countdown today. We cover the carrick bend, figure-8, clove hitch, sheet bend, and bowline. Additionally, I'll tell you what three knots you absolutely must know. What's my absolute, number-one, must-know knot? Listen and find out.
In this episode, we begin a countdown of my personal top-10 knots. We cover the sheep shank, prusik, Siberian hitch, taut line hitch, and alpine butterfly loop. For most of us, knot-tying isn't an interest in and of itself; it's a practical skill that benefits us in a whole variety of other activities- sailing, fishing, search and rescue, mountaineering, hunting, rock climbing, and many more.
How are we going to make $25,000 annually in 12 square feet of the house? In this episode, we "dive" into the start of a big project- setting up a saltwater reef tank. Specifically, we're going to be setting up a tank to house and breed sea anemones along with a colony of clownfish. Along the way, we'll be working on our glasswork skills, furniture refinishing, plumbing, electrical, automation systems, and a whole lot of biology, ecology, and chemistry. Better yet, we're going to make this a pro...
Here's your bonus episode for January 2020! New Year's resolutions! Financial coach Grayson Stalvey joins us this month to give us a pro tip, book recommendation, and monthly challenge.
From campfires to geothermal heat pumps, we're going to do a deep dive into a variety of residential heating systems. From a crash-course in thermodynamics to the mechanics of a variety of residential heating systems, I'll attempt to tell you what you really need to know. Also, find out why I chose to install a hydronic radiant heat system in my own home and some of the pros and cons of that particular system.
Today we're taking a break from our normal routine to work on some Christmas preparations and reflect on the Holiday and our traditions.
In this episode, we make our own apple cider vinegar at home. Listen to learn all about what makes vinegar, where it comes from, different uses, and different types of vinegar. Why does some balsamic vinegar cost hundreds of dollars for a small bottle? What are the key ingredients in vinegar and where do we get them from? What is distilled vinegar? How long does vinegar last? What gives vinegar its distinctive odor and flavor? What is the science behind the vinegar-making process, and how did an...
Bonus episode for the month of December 2019! No guest this time, but we're going to start trying to make a habit of having guests on the bonus episodes more often. For this month, the pro tip is on how use time and temperature to your advantage based on the cut of meat you're preparing. Our book for the month is "Tribe" by Sebastian Junger. The challenge for the month is to do something truly kind for another person without that person or anyone else ever finding out what you did. Merry Christm...
In this episode, we follow up on even more of our previous projects. How did the blackwater aquarium turn out? What changes have we seen to our three-acre pasture? Have our habitat-improvement efforts paid off? Are the mushrooms growing yet? How about our cheesemaking endeavors? Find out all of this and much more in this episode.
In this episode, we follow up on a whole bunch of projects from previous episodes. How did our refurbished cast iron cookware hold up over time? How is the vermiculture (composting with earthworms) project progressing? How did the cheese press work? Have we kept making yoghurt? Listen in to hear updates on all of these projects and more.
We are stepping up to some "intermediate" level cheese making. Let's put that cheese press to use. These cheeses make use of various active cultures, involve a few more steps, and often require aging for a prescribed period of time. Today, we're following a recipe to make a dill Havarti cheese.
Conclusion of the project where we began building a pantry can dispenser. In this episode, we go into detail on some of the tools we use in the project including jigsaws, measuring tapes, drills, and drivers. If you're overwhelmed when you walk into the hardware store, we're working to demystify some of the tools and materials (and many many options) you may encounter. Additionally, we actually build the prototype can dispenser, try it out, and discuss some of the changes we'll make when we buil...
Ever been overwhelmed by all of the options at the hardware store? Let's start to break it down and simplify it. In addition to building can dispensers for the home pantry, we're going to do crash-courses on all of our tools and materials. For this project, I'll cover everything I think you need to know about plywood, dimensional lumber, and screws. Tools that we talk about on this episode include the circular saw, measuring tape, jigsaw, drill bits, and driver bits.
Bonus Episode!!! Here's your bonus episode for November 2019. Shorter than the last bonus episode, but still fun. Want to start making scrambled eggs like a boss? Well, that's exactly what we're doing for this month's pro tip. Our book recommendation (and one that I've read several times and can't recommend highly enough) is "Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. Finally, our challenge for the month is to do some type of squats every single day of the month (heavy barbel squats, du...
This is the first in a series of easy DIY home-improvement projects. In this episode we tackle installing cedar paneling in a bedroom closet.
This episode concludes our discussion of tractors. This is the good stuff. By the end of this episode, you'll be ready to walk into a tractor dealership and test-drive a tractor.
All about tractors! If you know nothing about tractors, have no use for a tractor, and have never driven a tractor, this is for you. By the end of this two-part series, you'll have the knowledge to walk into a tractor dealership, feed store, or local ranch supply and have an intelligent conversation about tractors.
We are building a bat nesting box today! Why would we want bats around? There are so many good reasons including pollination, insect control, and reforestation. Since they go to work when most of us are asleep, and since they don't typically live near large population centers, most people don't realize how common bats are and how much they do for us. With that said though, bat populations are currently in decline globally, and these incredible animals need our help. If you have any concerns abou...
We are in the early stages of building a wine cellar (also cheese cave, root cellar, and canned goods storage) into our basement. In this episode, we talk about some of the planning that went into this in our house design, marital disputes, koi ponds, tractors, orchards, and vineyards.
Here's another monthly bonus episode! We're going to start having some guests on the bonus episodes to give their own pro tips, book recommendations, and monthly challenges. This month, we talk to Charlie. We learn about how to properly light a cigar; the book recommendation is "The Ugly American." Charlie's challenge to us is to teach something to someone. Hope you enjoy the conversation; it's the longest bonus episode by a long shot. I promise I'm working the bugs out of the "remote recording"...
