Monday, November 28, 2011

Forgotten skills?

I guess I just never thought about it as much until just now. What is it that you forgot or perhaps never learned. You know, basic skill of life. I just saw a woman give a lesson on how to hold a knife. Its easy, don't hold the pointy end.

Answer some of these to yourself. If you had to, could you:
  • Do without toilet paper and a flush toilet?
    • Avoid poison ivy/oak leaves where possible.
    • Corn cobs are mostly myth and not that readily available nowadays.
  • Skin an animal?
    • Estimate how many squirrels, deer, fish of any breed, birds (any kind) have you actually cleaned to a cooking quality condition?
    • How many meals have you prepared from the item above?
    • W/Out the benefit of the internet, could you do it today?
    • Know where to find one of the above varmints to kill and prepare?
    • Have the equipment to acquire if from the wild for eating purposes.
  • Recognizing that veggies grow mostly in the spring and summer. 
    • How long do you think it would be before you had veggies for supper?
    • Since having canned goods in the pantry count, how many meals is actually in the cupboard?
    • Potatoes are not vegetables but did you know how to wrap them in newspaper and put them in a cardboard box, under the bed to keep them longer?
    • When was the last time you cooked dry beans for a meal?
    • In your cupboard, after one year, what would you have left to eat?
  • Transportation
    • How much fuel, in mile, do you have right now? then
    • How much thats not in one of your vehicles?
    • If your car/truck/motorcycle/4 wheeler/etc did not run, do you have an alternate means of transportation? (feet count).... but you need two.
  • Utilities
    • If the electricity/water/gas all of a sudden stopped coming to your house. How long could you stay there?
    • How many battery powered, usable thing, do you have? (lights mainly).
    • How many batteries for those things?
    • Do you know how to make a "outhouse"? (do you know what the name of the buggs in the bottom of the hole are?) and what they actually do down there.
  • Destination
    • If you have a place, away from your home, to go in case all of the above stuff happen?
    • Are you the destination others will want to come to?
      • Do you want them?
      • Who would you accept and who would you turn out?
    • Have you ever thought about how you would get there if the main roads were so choked with vehicles that nothing moved? I.e. back roads/trails/?
    • Would your escape plan involve camping out? or going to someone eases place.
  • Contribute
    • If you were going to someone elses place, were ask "what can you contribute", what would you say?
      • Food
      • security
      • equipment
      • manpower
      • ?
AS you already know, there is no correct answer, only thoughts that might keep you awake a few minutes at night. I would guess many will say Pshaw, what stupid questions. Nothing is ever going to happen here. This is the Untied States, we have more of everything than anyone else, why should I worry. Someone will take care of me.

I have a coliseum in New Orleans you can use if you want. Course, I've told other folks the same thing, so you might have company.

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