It is amazing to me how adding music to a great poem can bring more life to it. This is the final in a series of four versions of the Night Before Christmas with a special song, performed live on Dec 3, 2017 in Cookeville, TN, by the Cookeville Mastersingers and the music wsa arranged by Simone.

Merry Christmas all!

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Today may be the night before the night before Christmas for us here in the US, but our friends in Australia are already there. For them, it IS the night before Christmas. A friend from down under recorded this version of the poem for us with a few adjustments made for her local environment. Thank you AussieRo.

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Join us for the second in a series for 2017 of poems read from throughout the world. This version of The Night Before Christmas comes from me, recording from Tennessee. It is followed by a performance of Jingle Bells, recorded live on December 3, 2017 in the Wanntenbarger Auditorium by the Cookeville Mastersingers and arranged by Don Large.

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Join us in the series in the first in a series for 2017 of poems read from throughout the world. This version of The Night Before Christmas comes from our friend “Jaggy Little Thistle” who listens from Scotland. Thanks for the recording Jaggy!

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Today’s show is the last one until next year! In this episode, we will take a look at 2017. The good, the bad, the sad. We will also cover holidays, navigating them, being with your family who you may love, may find frustrating, or may even find abusive. I’ll share what this time means to all of us here in the Holler Homestead. Share some recipes we will try this year. Marvel at the bounty that surrounds us, talk about bitcoin and two-factor authentication, share some cool thoughts from listeners. Today, the show is about you, about us, and about the learning from the past, letting it go, and making our future.

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Today, we have a special episode with Kurt Dugger to discuss bitcoin and crypto currency basics. In Simple terms. This is a beginner’s intro to bitcoin starting with “What it bitcoin anyway?”

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Today, we have a fun one cued up. We will  review the pig processing workshop over at Cider Hollow Farm and I will describe for you some of the things that David Oswalt built that made the whole day go a bit easier, we will dive a bit further in the the independence fund assessment for the year and what that has meant for all of us here at the Holler Homestead, and I will walk give you a much-needed goat update!

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What mother nature is providing

Tales from the prepper pantry

  • THE PIGGGGG – makin’ Bacon this week
  • Baked collards
  • Homemade Dressing This Week: grated horseradish root (or powder), mayo, balsamic infused with fig, honey, salt, olive oil
  • Acorn Squash Recipe we plan to try: Roasted with olive oil and garlic, topped with venison/pork sausage
  • Venison pork sausage: S, P, garlic powder, sage, oregano, a touch of cumin, dill

Operation Independence

  • Crypto in English – a special episode on Thursday, followed by a webinar as Kurt’s schedule lines up with mine.
  • Installed my own light fixture at our rental unit, followed by a new one at home – no electrician required

YTD Independence fund update:

  • Winter electrical wiring
  • Firewood
  • Frequent flier miles for hardware, christmas gifts, household goods, and more
  • Painted the duplex on our own instead of hiring it out
  • We also hired some things out – the coffee business needed to go faster than I could
  • Vacation rental trade
  • Smoked meat trade
  • Piggie trade

 

Pig Processing Workhop Walkthrough

Infrastructure that David installed over at Cider Hollow Farm

  • Scalding tank with pulley
  • Hanging pulley by the “shooting” pen
  • Lots of tables for processing (wood vs temporary tables)
  • The cold smoker

Upshot: Hope the charcuterie workshop is scheduled soon.

Goat Update

  • No longer escaping – I think because they are kind of fat and can’t climb the fence as well
  • Mark’s new project
  • Tethering on the bramble
  • Upshot: things are starting to look much different around here

Find coffee at LivingFreeInTennessee.com

Make it a great week!

Song: Burned by Sauce

 

Today, I want to go back to our core mission with this podcast and talk about building independence into your life. It all started with an article I read aimed at this new tax bill that congress is considering. It left me wondering when we all became so spineless and unable to take care of ourselves, quite frankly! We will examine the totally missed point of the author of the article, and learn from that for use in our own lives. Also today, I am bringing back an old segment while we can: What mother nature is providing for us.

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Today, I address a number of questions about turkey, stock, try a new coffee from Australia, talk about freedom, and much more as we head into a rural American winter. Holler Roast is growing and we are finding new pathways to standing on our own, without steady employer oversight. There is still a pig here who wandered onto the land. And, while the goats do not make an appearance in the podcast, I do say the word goat at least one time.

Also, I didn’t burn the house down on Sunday, so …

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It’s Thanksgiving week and you all know what that means. We are in full holiday season mode. It’s time to buy the children of all your friends some cheap plastic toys, go into debt buying that heirloom ham, and run frantically around attending all the parties and gatherings, including a thing called “Friendsgiving” so that by January 3rd you are broke, sick, and surrounded by clutter. This is one of my favorite times of year because if you get it under control, there is so much fun to be had.

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