Home & Garage

Fix it, build it, maintain it. The house is the biggest thing you own — act like it.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

A Sunday Roast Beef Dinner Timed for One Oven

Low oven for the beef, hot oven for the potatoes, gravy from the pan in between. Get the schedule right and the rest falls into place.

GuidePreparednessWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

Down for wind, up for gas: how to shelter in place

Shelter in place means different rooms for different dangers. Here's the order of moves, the room to pick, and what to keep in it before you need it.

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

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GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseCal BrennanOct 10, 20265 min

Panic isn't what gets people killed. The next bad move is.

Fear is normal and you can't switch it off. What you can do is slow your next decision down, and that's a skill you can practice before you need it.

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

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Food6 min read

Bake your first sandwich loaf by the dough, not the clock

A soft, sliceable sandwich loaf takes flour, yeast and a free afternoon. The trick is knowing when the dough is ready, whatever the recipe says.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

GuidePreparednessSam OrtizOct 11, 20266 min

Two ways out of every room, and a drill the kids will ask for

A fire escape plan takes one evening to build and ten minutes twice a year to practice. Turn it into a race and your kids will want to run it.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarOct 10, 20265 min

Search and rescue starts looking at your kitchen table

The search for a missing hiker begins with a piece of paper, a phone call and a time. Here's how teams find people, and what you can do before you leave.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

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GuideGarden & YardWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

Build the Chicken Coop for the Raccoon, Not the Hen

A small backyard flock is a great idea. Just check your city code, wire the coop against what's hungry, and do the honest egg math first.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

GuidePreparednessCal BrennanOct 11, 20266 min

A fan won't save you in 98 degrees. A neighbor might.

When fans stop working, where to go when the house gets dangerous, and how to check on the people on your street without being a nuisance.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarOct 10, 20266 min

The note on your fridge is the real rescue plan

A trip plan only works if someone else holds it and knows exactly when to call. Write one that does.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideGarden & YardWes DunbarOct 5, 20266 min

Buy the Skinny Fruit Tree and Pick Off the First Apples

The bare-root stick beats the big potted tree with fruit on it. Here's how to choose, space and raise fruit trees through the first three years.

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

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GuidePreparednessWes DunbarOct 11, 20266 min

Get under the table, then bolt the bookcase to the wall

Drop, Cover, Hold On takes ten seconds to learn. The bookcase behind you takes one Saturday to fix, and it's the part most people skip.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

StoryHistoryWes DunbarOct 4, 20267 min

Before Paul Bunyan Was an Ad, He Was a Few Thousand Real Men

The north woods camps ran on pine, pancakes and nerve. They built the Midwest, nearly burned it down, and left a lesson in how to clean up after yourself.