Community Chat

[Lali1]

I crochet, knit, know how to shoot and break down a gun. I cook and I'm pretty strong I can lift some pretty heavy stuff. My hubby knows how to do all the fishing and hunting and is a darn good handyman, can work on cars and in general can fix almost anything. I was married before and he did not know how to fix anything. I had to fix the toilets when they broke. 

[sidsmom]

[Mominohio]

@Noel7

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@Noel7 wrote:

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@Mominohio wrote:

About 25 years ago, we chose to move to the country (was more countryfied back then, but has developed a bit, mostly Amish) in order to be able to be more self sufficient.

We grow a huge garden and can the harvest (less now that kiddo is grown and gone). An average garden for us has tomatoes (10 varieties at least), peppers (lots of varieties), potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, onions (several kinds), cabbage, broccoli, cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelon, zucchini, yellow squash, beets, peas, radishes, lettuce, spinach, and sometimes other things. 

We also maintain a small fruit orchard,apples (several varieties) that we make cider and applesauce with, pears (several varieties), blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, peaches. 

We have room for chickens, but I know that the work would end up being mine, so I veto that every time, but my husband has kept them before and knows how.

We have a pond, and can fish it but don't. I can fish and clean fish, though. I don't really care for fish, so it isn't something I do often.

I can shoot. To hunt or defend.

I can sew only well enough to mend something or replace a button. I can crochet, but pretty bad at that too. Considering learning more about crocheting.

I can build a fire, and cut wood. We sometimes heat with wood during a power outage.

I can live without electric (CAN but don't want to!) because we have water without power, and sewage without power, and heat without power.

My son can hunt and butcher. I've never done it, but it isn't something that I'm grossed out by or wouldn't learn if I thought I needed to.

I can cook from scratch. That is becoming more of a lost art these days.

I can make change, do math without a calculator, and dial a rotary phone (truly, young kids don't know what to do with one!! LOL).

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@Mominohio

Unfortunately, we live in a coastal area with a lot of sand, not good earth for growing much of anything.  I used to have a fabulous antique herb garden that I used in cooking, but I was always fighting the sand and it got to be too much.

My specialties were lemon verbania and other varieties of verbania.

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Herbs are something I've never gotten into, much to the chagrin of my husband, who would love me to do so.

Don't have any reason why I haven't, I just never get around to it. Maybe next spring, I'll consider it!

[Sooner]

I can do all those things you see on Pioneer Woman:  In the kitchen or on the ranch.  

[CelticCrafter]

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@millieshops wrote:

I'm impressed!  Not sure it's a traditional skill but when I need to or just want to, I know how to make good use of my money.  My friends used to tease me that if I had a carton of cottage cheese and a chicken, I could probably eat okay for a week.  Credit my mother.  Nothing went to waste in my mother's kitchen.

I don't have your survival skills -  but I'm quite certain I could sew my QVC gold into my hems, and that might help me survive a governmental collapse.  Once upon a time I could have done that on the old Singer treadle machine that had been in my grandfather's tailor shop. 

By the by -  I could probably get someone to pay me NOT to sing -  I just listen well.

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@millieshops My mom always said as long as you had potatoes and eggs you would never starve!

[q-girl]

I had to really think about this one. I am so impressed by all the skills you all have. I'm not sure any of these will count as skills, but here are mine:

I can manage, without a recipe, to make a tasty dinner with whatever I happen to find in the fridge and/or cabinet.

I have the ability to remain calm and focused in an emergency or high stress situation.

I possess an innate ability to teach information to others.

I can, and have, tracked a dead deer by it's blood trail.

Hugs. . .

[Greeneyedlady21]

My mother and grandmother taught me how to knit and crochet and a bit of sewing. I took home ec one year in junior high but forget being able to sew well now. I wish I could remake all my old clothes with the knowledge of how to do major alterations. And save the money.

I do many "heavy lifting" jobs, no man to do them and my Mom depends on me doing them. I have done them from an early age, my father was never the type to treat me like a princess. Total opposite unfortunately. School of hard knocks has taught me some skills. I like being able to do them myself.

I have never been on a horse and have always wanted to. I'm a bit scared of it but I would maybe like to try. Slowly, with a spotter.

[Moonchilde]

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@q-girl wrote:

I had to really think about this one. I am so impressed by all the skills you all have. I'm not sure any of these will count as skills, but here are mine:

I can manage, without a recipe, to make a tasty dinner with whatever I happen to find in the fridge and/or cabinet.

I have the ability to remain calm and focused in an emergency or high stress situation.

I possess an innate ability to teach information to others.

I can, and have, tracked a dead deer by it's blood trail.

Hugs. . .

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Love your responses, @q-girl :-)

It is not easy to come up with a tasty dish based on leftovers & the pantry. My mom always made it look easy. When I started out doing it, I came to the unhappy conclusion that such cooking wasn't for amateurs ;-)

Your #2 and #3 is me as well.

Thankfully, I've never had to do #4. We get deer in our yard in the early am hours. I once saw a dead fawn at the side of the road near our house and just the thought of it, even after they'd taken it away, made me sad.

[Greeneyedlady21]

A couple of years ago I saw a tiny baby deer (not even a foot long) dead by the side of the road. While I was out walking. Luckily it was perfectly clean and just looked like it was asleep. It really bothered me and still does. Every time I walk past that spot now I think of it.

It was in a park so I called the park ranger office and a very nice woman said she would take care of it. I don't know if it was abandoned and just died there, was grazed by a car or bike, or frightened to death.

[q-girl]

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@Moonchilde wrote:

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@q-girl wrote:

I had to really think about this one. I am so impressed by all the skills you all have. I'm not sure any of these will count as skills, but here are mine:

I can manage, without a recipe, to make a tasty dinner with whatever I happen to find in the fridge and/or cabinet.

I have the ability to remain calm and focused in an emergency or high stress situation.

I possess an innate ability to teach information to others.

I can, and have, tracked a dead deer by it's blood trail.

Hugs. . .

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Love your responses, @q-girl :-)

It is not easy to come up with a tasty dish based on leftovers & the pantry. My mom always made it look easy. When I started out doing it, I came to the unhappy conclusion that such cooking wasn't for amateurs ;-)

Your #2 and #3 is me as well.

Thankfully, I've never had to do #4. We get deer in our yard in the early am hours. I once saw a dead fawn at the side of the road near our house and just the thought of it, even after they'd taken it away, made me sad.

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@Moonchilde. . . . I always enjoy reading your posts. What amazes me is so often when I read them I feel as if you are speaking from MY heart and soul, but so much more eloquently and knowledgeably than I ever could. Even when your POV differs from mine, I find your post is well thought out, well written and comes from a place of knowledge, strength and passion for the subject. 

I think if we didn't live on opposite coasts I would enjoy getting together for coffee or lunch and a good conversation with you. As it is, I continue to look forward to your posts.

Hugs. . .    Beth