Survival & Self-Defense

Water, fire, shelter, navigation and the lawful defense of yourself and your family. Skills you carry, taught safety-first, for men and women.

The BRO Survival & Preparedness GuideThe printable family manual: a kit and go-bag builder, water and food calculators, the core skills and a family emergency plan.Get ready, calmly

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Caulk a tub and a window so nobody can tell you did it

A pro-looking caulk line has almost nothing to do with a steady hand. It comes down to what you do before the gun ever comes out.

GuideGarden & YardSam Ortiz5 Oct 20266 min

A Kid's Garden Needs a Win by Week Four

Tomatoes and pumpkins lose kids by July. Radishes, bush beans and one giant sunflower keep them coming back out the door.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

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StoryHistoryMarcus Vale4 Oct 20266 min

The Railway Canada Couldn't Afford and Built Anyway

A young country promised a train to the Pacific, nearly went broke keeping its word, and finished five years early. Not everyone was thanked.

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Can You Fix It7 min read

Hang a Pre-Hung Door So It Doesn't Drift Open at 2 a.m.

Most bad door installs get decided before the first nail. Diagnose the opening, set the hinge side first, and the latch takes care of itself.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideGarden & YardNina Castellan5 Oct 20266 min

Water-Bath Canning Lives or Dies on the Acid

Jam, pickles and tomatoes are the safe starting point for home canning, but only if you get the acid right. Grandma's method won't cover it.

StoryHistoryMarcus Vale3 Oct 20267 min

The Pony Express Went Broke Delivering the Mail on Time

For eighteen months, kids on fast horses beat the clock across 1,900 miles of open country. The company lost a fortune doing it. The ride was worth it.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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GuideCan You Fix ItWes Dunbar3 Oct 20267 min

Sweating a Copper Joint Is Mostly About Getting the Water Out

The torch is the easy part. A dry pipe and clean metal decide whether the joint holds, and most first-timers skip both.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20267 min

Save Tomato and Bean Seed First and Leave the Squash Alone

Seed saving is easy with the right five crops and a jar of stinking tomato goo. Pick the wrong ones and next summer gets weird.

StoryHistoryDean Shaw3 Oct 20266 min

Wash Day, the Iceman and the Lamp Chimney Nobody Misses

Three machines took apart the American week your great-grandmother lived. The real story of how they got into the kitchen is better than the myth.

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Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

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GuideTravelDean Shaw1 Oct 20266 min

Same lake, same week, every summer

Novelty is overrated. The trip your kids still talk about at forty is the one you repeat, and it takes more planning than you'd think.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

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GuideGarden & YardNina Castellan5 Oct 20267 min

Your Rosemary Died Because You Treated It Like Basil

Four kitchen herbs, two completely different gardens. Split them up and you'll stop buying the plastic clamshell at the grocery store.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

StoryHistoryDean Shaw3 Oct 20266 min

The Can Came Almost Fifty Years Before the Can Opener

The zipper, the lawnmower and the can opener all took two men: one with the idea and a second, stubborn one who made it actually work.

GuideLifeCal Brennan30 Sept 20266 min

Stop saying "we should get together" and pick a Tuesday

After forty, friendships don't die from fights. They die from scheduling. A standing weekly night fixes the one problem you actually have.

Dude.com — 16 advisers who listen, talk and pray with you

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GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20267 min

Skip the Bucket and Grow Your Potatoes in a Bag

Bed, bag or bucket? One clearly wins, one is a trap, and the timing matters more than the container. What it costs and what goes wrong.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

History6 min

The Flour Sack Dress and the Neighbors Who Fed Each Other

Recipes6 min

Big-Batch Chili for Twelve, Finished in the Oven

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

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GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20267 min

Peppers Want Warm Feet, So Plant Them Later Than You Think

Most pepper plants fail before they're two weeks in the ground. The fix costs about ten dollars and a little patience.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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History6 min read

Proving up took five years and two neighbors willing to swear

The Homestead Act's paperwork was easy. Staying alive on the claim was the hard part, and at the end your neighbors had to vouch for you.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

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