bringingruralback

Bringing Rural Back Podcast

I really hate that I am having to do an I’m back post. In fact I started not to do one at all. But as I look around I realize a lot of people are or have gone through the same things we have. So I decided I would share what we went though. I hope you get something out of this.

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The last time I posted an episode was last April. At the time I was working nights and still trying to produce content. My heart was in the right place but I couldn’t stay consistent. I was making okay money, but my energy level for almost everything else was in the tank.

The Friday before Independence Day I was called into the office after my shift was over and basically told they no longer needed my services and I was being let go. Calling my wife that morning and telling her that I no longer had a job was very difficult.

If you haven’t heard me say this before let me state here emphatically that my wife a awesome. She was incredibly supportive and never even appeared to doubt that I would land on my feet. With her encouragement, I looked at this time as an opportunity and that is important.

Something that I had always heard, but really didn’t believe was that the older you get the more difficult it is to fine employment. When I was dismissed from the company for which I had worked for over 5 years, I hit the ground running. I didn’t sit around for a single day without looking for opportunities, submitting resumes, filling out applications. Since I had this sudden freedom I started shooting for the really good jobs that I really wanted. I was qualified, for everything that I applied, but I shot for the moon.

After a couple of weeks with no employment, a buddy of mine asked if I had thought about getting into insurance. I had not, not at all. I have had some bad experiences with insurance agents and just couldn’t imagine trying to sell things to people they didn’t want. He told me that stigma was really on the life insurance market, he was talking about property insurance. This is the area for automotive and home insurance, but he told me if I really wanted opportunities to open up to study and take the test for Property and Casualty. This covers business insurance, worker’s compensation, automotive both private and commercial, as well as several other areas.

I did a little research and decided that maybe, just maybe I could take my outlook on the world and be one of the “good” insurance agents. I signed up for a self study course and passed the course. I scheduled and paid for the state exam and passed it as well. I learned more about the insurance industry than I really ever cared to know, but it was worth wild.

One thing that I learned was that a lot of people, especially in the poorer areas will let their insurance lapse during November and December so they can spend that money on the holidays. That means that the holidays are the time of year that many insurance agents make the least money. When you take that in addition to most insurance agents are paid on a commission based salary, my wife was not happy. There is the opportunity to make incredible money, but there is also the opportunity to make very little.

I want to state something right here. Security is an illusion. I know that, my wife knows that, we have talked about it a good bit, but she believes that somethings are more secure than others. This isn’t a lack of faith in me, this is a lack of faith in an industry. After I passed the state exam I talked with a few agents about working with them and they all wanted to wait till after the new year for the reasons mentioned above. We needed me to have employment before that.

Another friend asked if I was still looking for a job and said that there was a department in the company that he worked for that needed help pretty bad. He did warn me that is was a hard job, he was right. But I took it and before long moved into a job that was much better on me physically.

So we made it through without too much difficulty. Why were we able to do that? Were we just lucky? Do we live in an area that is more economically vigorous that other places? Or is there some secret ingredient? I would be foolish if I said the local economy didn’t have some impact, but I believe the “secret ingredient is how we dealt with the challenges we faced.

Tools For Dealing With Adversity

You have probably heard the saying that Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude. This is true to a major extent. When some challenge arises, our reaction sets the tempo for our recovery. Some people sit down and cry, others protest or picket, others just pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start off again. You can see all of these responses around you everyday.

Bringing Rural Back Podcast

In this episode we talk about freshwater fishing.

We talk about basic equipment, bait, and 4 types of fish that are common in our area.

Equipment

Jug fishing/Noodle fishing – really the lazy man’s way of fishing. Really need a boat for this type of fishing to be effective. This method has always worked well for me in winter. Primary target species is catfish. (may or may not be legal in your area.)

Cane pole – time honored, poor man’s method. With practice fishing with a cane pole can be very effective when it comes to line placement, especially when fishing in and around underwater treetops.

Rod and Reel – this is the method most people think about when you talk about fishing. The combination of rod and reel can be as cheap or as expensive as you are willing to spend.

Trotlines – May or may not be legal in your state. Must have at least one anchor or tie off point and are typically used in more narrow streams and tributaries.

Types of Fish

Bream – Probably the easiest to catch any time of year. You will have to use a bobber and adjust the depth of your hook and bait. When bream are spawning (on the bed), the will bite at almost anything. This fish has the highest creel limits of the fish listed.

Bait can be artificial or live bait. I have always gotten best results with crickets and/or grasshoppers.

Catfish – Bottom feeders. Best bait for these fish are things that are stinky, blood baits, or rooster livers. Rooster livers are tougher than hen livers and will stay on the hook better.

Crappie – In my opinion the best tasting of the fish listed. Normally fish in downed tree tops, using minnows, cane poles work great for this fish. Spring time is the best time to fish for this species. There are some artificial baits that will do well with this fish.

Largemouth Bass – This is the main sports fish in our area. Artificial bait is primarily used. Can be fished for from bank or in a boat, but a boat gives you an edge. Even when this fish gets large it still tastes pretty good.

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you do please consider sharing.

Bringing Rural Back

Enter the Listener Appreciation Contest.

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. We now have a YouTube channel and we cover all sorts of things. Hop on over and check them out, oh and don’t forget to subscribe. I have just joined Instagram if you would like you can follow us HERE. We will be sharing several things over the next year, I hope to see you there.

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Bringing Rural Back Podcast

Bringing Rural Back Podcast

In this episode we talk about wilderness survival courses.

General Information

Wilderness survival courses last anywhere from a few hours in an afternoon to a couple of months. Generally the longer the course the more intense the training. Course cost runs from $25 to hundreds of dollars per course.

Shorter courses tend to focus on surviving long enough to be rescued and more advanced courses teach bush crafting and true long term survival.

What You Will Learn

Basic Course

Suggested Gear

Firemaking

Water acquisition and prification

Basic Knots

Basic Shelters

Signaling

In a basic course you may not cover food at all.

Advanced Courses

Navigation

Basic Herbal Medicine

Foraging and Trapping Food

More Permanent Shelters

Benefits of Taking a Course

Confidence

Skill Development

Problem Solving

Who Absolutely Should Take a Survival Course

Hunters

Fishers

Hikers

Campers

Skiers

It is more optional for everyone else, but still provides all of the same benefits. If there is a low cost course in your area, I strongly suggest you consider taking one. If you have an avid outdoors-man in your family that does things the old way, you may be able to learn from them.

Outdoor activities are great fun and can be enhanced by knowing these skills. If you are a prepper these skills will cross over in to everyday life if something happens.

Bringing Rural Back

Enter the Listener Appreciation Contest.

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. We now have a YouTube channel and we cover all sorts of things. Hop on over and check them out, oh and don’t forget to subscribe. I have just joined Instagram if you would like you can follow us HERE. We will be sharing several things over the next year, I hope to see you there.

Check out The Rural Economist on Pinterest

Visit The Rural Economist’s profile on Pinterest.