Last spring, I couldn't get my tomato seedlings to grow. I tried everything. After using multiple different seeds and seed companies, trying different pots, changing the lighting, watering differently, and even replanting everything, I threw up my hands in despair. Maybe I just wouldn't be growing tomatoes for the year... But then I thought of the one variable that I hadn't considered before: the potting soil. Later into ...Continue Reading
Breaking all the Homestead Rules
By definition, homesteading is a culture of rule breakers. That’s part of the reason I love it. Yet even the most contrarian clubs tend to develop rules of sorts. It’s funny how that works. As I’ve watch the online homestead culture explode over the years (the topic of my podcast this week), I’ve realized that I’m not great at coloring within the lines— even in the world of homesteading. Here are a few of ...Continue Reading
What’s in My Earbuds
They say you’re the average of the five people you hang around the most. But to take it one step further, I’d add that you're also the average of the information you consume the most. Since moving to the middle-of-nowhere 15 years ago, I've been inspired to start businesses, learn new skills, take daring leaps, and push past obstacles all thanks to ideas I learned from books, courses, and mentors. These days, podcasts and ...Continue Reading
When the Old Ways Make More Sense
A few weeks ago, I had professional make-up artist do my make-up (No, this is not a regular occurrence... It was for my book cover photo shoot.) As she was working her magic, she commented on my face several times. She said she rarely sees skin that's so evenly and deeply moisturized. (Considering I live in one of the driest, wind-blown places in the United States, this is high praise.) So which of the high-tech modern skin care ...Continue Reading
A Different Type of Weeding
I’ve been doing a lot of weeding lately. No, not in the garden. (It’s still buried under many feet of snow.) Instead, I’ve been weeding and pruning other areas of our life. The last few years have been a period of expansion for us. I love growth. It’s fast and wild and breathless. But in periods of growth, whether it’s in the garden or life in general, things fall by the wayside. And as we've pressed pause on expansion ...Continue Reading