Old School: Wisdom From Grandma & Grandpa

Common sense, hard-won lessons and the way our grandparents did it, from the people who lived it. Still works.

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

Do's & Don'ts: Men

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A very small oven with a very big opinion of itself

Grandpa looked everywhere for the oil. He never found any, but the little countertop oven won him over anyway. Mostly.

GuideRecipesWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

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.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

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GuideWoodworkingDean ShawOct 5, 20267 min

Build a pair of sawhorses you're allowed to cut into

Five two-by-fours, one afternoon, and a design that expects you to saw through it. The best first shop project there is.

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

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Gadgets6 min read

The doorbell that talks back, and the mailman who saw through it

A smart doorbell can greet the mail carrier from your phone. Grandpa tried it from the garage, with the garage door wide open.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideFoodWes DunbarOct 5, 20266 min

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.

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.

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

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StoryCarsDean ShawOct 4, 20266 min

Detroit's best idea was a big engine in a cheap car

The muscle car began as a loophole, a price tag and a few engineers who knew exactly who was buying. That's still the formula worth chasing.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

StorySportsMarcus ValeOct 4, 20266 min

Thanksgiving Football Began With College Kids and a Radio Man

Yale and Princeton started it in 1876. A Detroit radio owner made it permanent. Your town's high school still does it best.

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.

Ask BRO

Plan a cook for eight people

Ask it

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.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

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GuideTradesDean ShawOct 3, 20266 min

Read a tape measure in one glance, sixteenths and all

Stop counting little lines from the inch mark. Read off the landmarks, call it like the crew does, and quit wasting lumber.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

GuideGarden & YardSam OrtizOct 5, 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.

StoryHistoryDean ShawOct 4, 20267 min

The Wright Brothers Flew for Five Years Before the World Believed It

Kitty Hawk was the easy part. The hard part was the cow pasture, the newspapers that yawned, and the years they chose not to fly at all.

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GuideHomeWes DunbarOct 3, 20267 min

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.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

Garden & Yard6 min

Water-Bath Canning Lives or Dies on the Acid

History6 min

The Railway Canada Couldn't Afford and Built Anyway

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarOct 3, 20267 min

Fire Without Matches Is a Tinder Problem, Not a Spark Problem

A ferro rod, a bow drill and a 9-volt battery will all make fire. Only one should be your plan, and none of them work without the boring part.

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Garden & Yard7 min read

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.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

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