Living Free in Tennessee - Nicole Sauce

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

http://toolmantim.co/

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

Today we have a listener variety show based on emails y'all have sent me. On the docket today is:

• Caring for chickens from Jennifer
• More Ice Preparedness Tips from Debi
• Do I need to order "Espresso" beans or "Espresso" roast for my fancy new espresso maker from Chris
• Thoughts on Dealing with a skittish goat by Nicole Sauce

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 to do with three year old salsa that was home canned from Jennifer

What's Up in the Garden

• Nothing. Nothing is up in the garden, but lots of things are planted!

Main topic of the Show: Listener Variety Show

Thoughts on dealing with a skittish goat.

• Food and curiosity
• Time
• Patience

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don't forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.

Community

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

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

• Beef heart tacos
• Beef heart stew
• Stuffed beef heart
• Lettuce grow operation - transplant on schedule is important!

Operation Independence

• Drywall

Main topic of the Show: Productivity Hacks

Quick Overview of #my3things

1. Plan the next day at the end of the day & Journaling Process
2. Eat Frogs First
3. Email Removed From Phone
4. Schedule 6am-11 or 12, then check email (time of day discussion)
5. Fight Interruption like the plague
6. Seek to drive all communications to a conclusion (Either I do something or they do something)
7. Use tools but do not over tool up -- Calendly and zoom combination
8. Don't give up

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

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:

• Webinar coming up March 6, 2pm CT – Pantry Management Practices with Nicole Sauce
• Monday, June 14, chicken processing workshop, 9am

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.

More...

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

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

• Road food update, homegrown year
• Reorganized canned goods
• Reorganized prepper pantry
• Sold seed potatoes
• Found a stash of canned stock
• The final jar of 2019 green beans will be consumed this week

Operation Independence

• Function stacking with the addition of a carport
• Phireon Update

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

• Moved to the holler & Island Mountain Pat, learned homesteading things
• The farmers market years and discovery of local organize and permaculture communities
• The work vs homesteading choices and mistakes
• Finding TSP and starting to go to events, Zello
• The advent of the podcast - 1 year to 500 listeners
• A personal transition from corporate work for my own health, friends
• Prioritizing relationships, hosting events here, 1st workshop, TN GSD Crew
• Friends moving to the area -- and the development from there

Lessons learned

• You get out what you put in
• Make time to go be with people in person
• Let the community guide itself and set expectations of solutions and positive action rather than bitch fests
• It will go where it goes

How the neighbors work now

• Each has their own household, land, etc
• We talk monthly about what we wish to accomplish
• Unified by shared values and priorities and the desire to help each reach their happiness
• Dealing with frustrations and boundaries
• Communication and connection
• Efforts do center on the events we do here, as well as producing high quality food
• Money matters and strategic plan
• Holler Dollars - the chicken processing workshop

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

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

• This week is when the pantry process we use here really shines
• Just opened the last heavy whipping cream that I bought in December (story)
• Planning based on what is here: Hearty foods for the cold, cooked in the crockpot (But easy to transfer to the woodstove)
• Fat Tuesday is crepe day
• Have piles of elephant garlic to process -- not getting that done this week

Operation Independence

• 2020 Business Tax Prep is done! (For the first time in 20+ years of hating coding)
• Celebration concept for 2021 (Balance)

Main topic of the Show: Preparing for the Big Freeze in the South

Why this? Why now?

Base philosophy

• Plan for what is likely
• Keep the solution simple and elegant
• Multiple purposes per one solution

Divides into areas of focus (It is all about mindset)

• Inside Oddities (city versus country)
• Livestock
• Well House and Other Outbuildings
• The Holler Family Meeting
• Entertainment and Fun

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

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:

• Headed to Florida to attend the Phireon Launch Party – check that out on their Telegram group.
• Rolling out Event and Webinar Schedule next week — stay tuned
• Workshop Waiting List and Attendee Update

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

Today, we will explore the concept of setting good boundaries and how that can set you free to thrive.

Vin Armani's Class: https://www.codefromgo.com/product/mystery-novice/

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

• Chinese food mishmash
• Sous vide and defrosting meats
• Homemade dressing recipe: Mayo, balsamic, garlic powder, salt, olive oil, mustard, dash of honey
• Meal planning by jar

Operation Independence

• Signed up for Vin's class to gain deeper knowledge of what crypto currency can do for me beyond transactional things
• 6 blueberry plants with a plan to plant them

Main topic of the Show: Finding and Keeping Boundaries

Over the weekend I took on a boundary setting project. One for myself. That's right - I am quite good at community organizing, starting new businesses, communications and marketing, teaching, and helping friends. What I am not so good at is building in time for things that are important to me. Sometimes this includes maintaining close relationships, recreation and self care, exercise, detail management.

And like many of you, struggle with no - yet no is the key to setting and maintaining boundaries. Not necessarily a big ol' loud, in your face sort of no after you have let things go too far for too long - something we have all done, but just a measured no. No with no guilt. No as a matter of fact thing. And clarity - clarity of what constitutes a reasonable interaction.

Over December, I found out someone in my network was very sick. It was at an awkward time in my work schedule and I agonized over how and if to offer help. I finally decided to ask if they needed help since people are in fact more important than coffee orders. Then Mama Sauce suggested a change of wording - Do you want help.

Need versus want. A subtle change that. But an important one. It may not have changed the answer, but it did change the intention with just one word and set a clear boundary - I was willing to offer help, but was not setting myself up beyond a friendly offer to become responsible for the other person's well-being. It was an important line to draw, not for the friend who might have wanted my help, but more for myself.

It is funny how sometimes these topics pop up in our network at the same time. Right after I came home from a meeting with my mental health coach with an assignment about creating boundaries, I popped into the LFTN Mewe group and there they were, having a conversation about boundaries. Specifically boundaries with people in your life whom you do not feel you can cut ties with - and who are interacting in your life in unhealthy ways.

• Review the toxic person approach we discussed several years ago

As I watched that conversation unfold, I thought -- let's talk about some ways that it can be tricky to set up boundaries:

1. Realizing you need boundaries
2. Communicating them at the right time and in the right way
3. How boundaries make you expose your vulnerabilities
4. Clarity and openness
5. When boundaries are not respected (consequences)
6. You can only control yourself
7. Identifying who is at the core of the boundary issue

Finding models for good boundary setting and why to do it

Damage of exploding boundaries. (lemming game)

Where to focus if you are having trouble with someone breaking boundary agreements.

In the end, only you know what your boundaries need to be in your day to day life. Only you can set and defend your boundaries. Only you can define what happiness and healthiness is for you. And that is why some people have an easier time with boundaries than others. Some people really do not care if their boundaries cause temporary hurt feelings because they know that the clarity in the long run will lead to a stronger relationship if that person stays in their lives. Others agonize over the damage that having a boundary might cause never realizing that by allowing an unhealthy situation to grow, they are creating a long term relationship that perhaps should not exist. And this is why boundaries are so important. Because only you can set them, only you can defend them, and only you can only control your reaction to situations. But the cool thing is that if you control you and you do it well, that is the most powerful tool there is toward the best outcomes.

Make it a great week!

GUYS! Don't forget about the cookbook, Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce and Mama Sauce.

Community

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee

Today we have a Thought of the Walk on procrastination.

Main topic: Thought of the Walk on Procrastination

The universe gave me a gift this week. The gift of five days. FIVE WHOLE DAYS. Yup, we were supposed to have a single digit temperature night this coming Saturday and while we are prepared for the cold, nights like that in Tennessee are quite unusual and I like to do an extra round of set up. Might drain the water from the house. Need to make sure we have enough wood for the rocket mass heater. Might also use electrical supplemental heat in the house. Quite unusual.

The holler neighbors sat and made a list. Then we did not get started right away because ---- overwhelmed.

Then we did get started and everyone was a little tense.

Then, as our favorite local weather commentator, Spikey Mikey says: Butterflies farted. That is the term he uses when something happens and the weather pattern shifts to the north or south of use and causes change. The cold slap in the face moved out about five days. We sighed in relief. We now have plenty of time to be ready, to update the pump house pipes, to get wood ready for everyone, to locate, clean and set up the extra electric heaters, to make sure the animals have lots of dry, warm bedding.

And the list kept growing. And growing. And things we thought would take a little time took lots of time. And we come to Friday. The weekend is upon us. It would be so easy to just do weekend things. Catch up on housework. More work on my taxes. Put off getting ready for the cold, getting ready for the new membership portal launch, put off the crisis cold to do list. But that would be the wrong move, wouldn't it?

Procrastination is nothing other than instant gratification. We find something to do that gives us the feeling of happiness, or accomplishment, that is not really the priority because we are looking at an overwhelming and difficult things we must do and it is so much nicer to have that feeling than to face the overwhelming task. My laundry is folder oh so nicely and put away when I am faced with a really tight deadline and a really hard task. And the food I cook - stellar all from scratch. And sometimes this causes me to miss deadlines which is much more damaging to my long term goals and psyche than just diggin in and doing the hard work.

And that is the thing: If we all just learn to do our homework on a regular basis, we can get so much further in our respective journeys than if we cave in and satisfy the siren's call of prorastination.

Jack Spirko reminded me of an old article that I read either by or about Zig Ziglar's methods about planning your time as if you are preparing to go on a vacation at work. (Tell the story)

Turns out that he is right - if you approach the end of your week as if you are going to be gone for the next week or so, you find that you quickly identify the truly important things and do them and it cuts all the procrastination things that get in the way.

So back to procrastination - are you falling into that trap? How is your tax preparation going? Have you taken the first step toward starting you new side hustle or growing the one you have? Are your kids in the back seat this weekend when they should be part of your focus? Are you, as I am, staring at a very unorganized junk drawer instead of sending invoices to clients?

And if so - which of these things are procrastination and which are your priority. Might be something to think about tonight after dinner, as you flow into your weekend. Maybe put thoughts or talk about things that are making you feel overwhelmed? Then ask yourself how you can eliminate the negative impact from your life by making positive steps toward handling them?

What really got me to thinking about this today are some drains and the impending cold. We have been fighting with a pretty nasty drain installation project for months and today it is beautiful. Assuming that the drains would be all laid out, I decided to take a break from shipping coffee to order a skid steer for the weekend to cover in all the ditches. The homesteading benefit of this is immense - we can move firewood with it, we can smooth places out, we can scrape sod on that new garden space. So I ordered it.

Come to find out, the ditches are still not right. Two days of hand digging are already invested in it and let me tell you, that kind of work is back breaking stuff.

So I paused for a moment, despite wanting to get this podcast out, despite needing to start the dishwasher and finish mailing the coffee and thought about the big picture. I consulted with all involved and thought, if we don't address this now, we will procrastinate the hell out of the project until two or three more weeks from now, we will feel overwhelmed about not making progress and all the other important things that need to happen in spring will be delayed.

And while I did have an important schedule of achievements that need to happen today, including if the coffee is not out when the mailman comes, I have to drive an hour to drop off packages, I took more time to find a solution. Because while accomplishing all my other things would have felt good, procrastinating the solution to this one project had much deeper and more painful implications.

So the whole day has been rearranged. The holler neighbors have traded around some responsibilities for the day so that everything that is important is covered. And we have a solution that will dig the dang ditches, and leave us ready for that skid steer work that will boost us ahead.

We chose to look at the snarl and solve it rather than avoid it with instant gratification in the form of achieving other things instead. And this makes me even more excited about what can be done this weekend to move all our lives forward.

So if you are feeling overwhelmed - spend 30 minutes, just 30 minutes, thinking about the what and why of it, ask yourself what you would do if you had to leave town this Sunday evening, and do what you need to do to get ahead. Because addressing the procrastination trap a little at a time is what will build your habit for long term growth and success, and being h onest about what must be accomplished is how you establish a better balance as you do it.

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

• Mewe Group: https://mewe.com/join/lftn
• Telegram Group: https://t.me/LFTNGroup
• Odysee: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@livingfree:b

Advisory Board

• The Booze Whisperer
• The Tactical Redneck
• Chef Brett
• Samantha the Savings Ninja

Resources

• Membership Sign Up

• Holler Roast Coffee