Community Chat

[RedTop]

I know how to can and preserve food using the water bath method, or by pressure canning.   I know how to cook venison, and salt cure pork.   I know how to string green beans, peach and apple slices by the old method to dry them for long term storage.  I know how to make pickles that start out in alum water in a crock.  I know how to bake potatoes in the ashes of a wood stove.   I know how to cut grass with a sickle, or a scythe.   I know how to scrub socks on a washboard with lye soap, and do laundry in a wringer washer with rinse tubs.  I know how to make lye soap.  I sew and do all of our alterations.  

[Mominohio]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

I can do math on my ABACUS. I think this method dates back b.c....

My mom taught me how to count on an abacus. She used to work where she got paid by piece-work and had to tally all the tickets to get a total pay amount. She had me tally them on the abacus.

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@SilleeMee

Awhile back, in another thread about the old ways, someone rather rudely lamented that times change and people need to get over it. They said 'no one uses an abacus anymore....'. Well guess they never met you!

Cool skill!

[Desertdi]

Hmmmmmmm............I have also worked as a telephone operator..............

[Mominohio]

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@croemer wrote:

I could get up and go change the TV channel if I had a TV that required it.

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I'm thinking that is the whole reason my generation was born. Until the age of 16 (and driving) we WERE the remote control!

@croemer

[Mominohio]

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@RedTop wrote:

I know how to can and preserve food using the water bath method, or by pressure canning.   I know how to cook venison, and salt cure pork.   I know how to string green beans, peach and apple slices by the old method to dry them for long term storage.  I know how to make pickles that start out in alum water in a crock.  I know how to bake potatoes in the ashes of a wood stove.   I know how to cut grass with a sickle, or a scythe.   I know how to scrub socks on a washboard with lye soap, and do laundry in a wringer washer with rinse tubs.  I know how to make lye soap.  I sew and do all of our alterations.  

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You're Amish, aren't you? LOL

Sorry! I couldn't resist. We live among a lot of Amish and many of us 'English' girls can do these things too, but many are lost arts in much of today's world.

[luv-the-Q]

Embroidery

[Anita Hug]

I also make baskets with pine straw. Sometimes I use colorful embroidery thread instead of raffia.

I cook and bake without needing recipes for most things. 

Making yogurt, butter, mascarpone and some cheeses

Milk a cow

Shear sheep and comb and spin the wool - it's been over 30 years since I've done these, though!

Sew by hand, knit and crochet.

Grow and preserve food. Though I'm much better at preserving than I am at growing things

Making soap

It's probably obvious that I grew up on a farm, isn't it?  Tending to animals also came with the territory.

One thing I've never been able to do is navigating - even with a map and compass. I could get lost in a paper bag. Unless the sun is just rising or about to set, I have no idea which way is North, lol. I've tried and tried, but my brain just doesn't get it. I need landmarks.

[Lila Belle]

Marathons, kakaking and archery. And I bake a pretty good darn loaf of bread.

[Maudelynn]

I can't talk about it on this forum. But you would be green with envy

[Venezia]

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@sailor_moon wrote:

I can count back change.

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@sailor_moon - This brought back a memory!  About a hundred years ago I worked for a few years in a bookstore.  We were a small crew and all took turns on the cash register.

One day this old man walked up with his books.  I rang them up and then counted out his change, at which point he said "You young'uns!  Can't even make change without a register to tell you how much!"

I was flattered at the "young'uns" but I looked at him and pointed to the cash register.  "Do you see anything there that tells me how much change I should've given you?"  He admitted there was not.  I said "I can calculate the change in my head.  I never use the register!"

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr Old'un!