What Can't You Do?

I had a Ford F-100 '66 with a three on the tree. It took a bit of practice to learn that pattern consistently, but I grew up with stickshifts. My dad's driver training had a few quirks not found in any books.
To pass his tests, we had to drive 40 miles an hour through alleys and not hit anything, come up to a red light uphill, and when the light turned green start from a dead stop in a random direction at his command, and not stall it.
We went airbourne in a volkswagon bug, so we would know what it felt like to loose friction with the road, and how to use an emergency brake when the hydrolics fail.
We had to change oil, and rotate tires, fix a flat, and change a battery, because if you owned a car it would be expected you know how.
We always carried a mountain dew bottle in that car, for oil, because oil cans were cans and once open could not be reclosed, and that car never needed more than half a quart at a time. We learned to keep hunting gear in the trunk, so when it got stuck on snow drifts, we would hunt a while and the engine heat would melt the snow away so we had traction again. If we didn't have that much time, we would pick the car up and move it ourselves. So always have glove, and tools you might need.

I will never match my dad as an instinctive shooter. I've seen him shoot from the hip with pistol, and hit thrown bottles, or clip apple free by shooting the stems.
I will never be the cook my mother is. Fore she could make a meal of nearly anything, and you'd eat it. (With a few memorable exceptions)
From my mother, I learned to find humor in life. She could have been a comic. ( though it would probably have been slapstick) she could have you in tears laughing while she folded a map (and did) she can make you laugh when you want to cry. I will never inspire laughter with such a natural gift, or make someone feel so loved. I simply don't have that much natural talent.
I never knew we were poor. I didn't feel poor, I didn't understand why other kids couldn't plumb a sink or replace a light switch, build a wall or roof a house. If it needed to be done, we just found a way to do it. It never occurred to me, we did it because we could not pay someone else to do it.
So what can I not do? I don't really know, because I haven't found it yet. Lots of things I have no training in or the opportunity to try, but if one man can do it, so can another. If it must get done, I'll figure out some way to get it done, even if it is not what you expected.

As for sledgehammers, there is a technique, that varies depending upon what you want it to do. I've spent a lot of hours swinging a big hammer, and if you wish, I will share that knowledge.

 

Last night I found out I can't sleep thinking of all the things I can't do! The list is long and boring. I can tell you that I wanna learn to make a bow. Not saying I can't because I haven't tried. That said, I can't sit around and wait to do the things I need to can do.

 

@Yard Dart really great topic.

One of the things that I think about this is in a post SHFT world you can't do everything. So choosing what's important for survival is critical and after that you need other people.

I think melbo posted a book early this year where the guy described a situation of needing a community. So while we need individual skills we also need social skills to get along. People who depend on each other are much more polite to each other.

For me there are 3 basic categories. 1) Things you like to do and can trade, 2)things you have to do and 3)things you could do or would like to learn.

Example: I love good wood furniture. I have zero interest in learning to do woodwork. I love gardening, cooking and herbal medicine so I cultivate learning and doing in those areas. I like to crochet. I make stuff and trade it. I hate working out but I was born with a body that requires lots of exercise. I don't really like going to the shooting range but I do it because I think it's a necessary skill. I could go back to making and firing pottery if needed. God help me if I have to start chopping my own wood!

My point is that time and priorities are key in deciding what is important to each of us as individuals to develop as a skill set. In the end you still need other people

Having said all that I would like to learn to shoot a crossbow and fletch arrows. I don't see that happening for 5-6 months given my current schedule

 

I have two crossbows. Come on over, I'll teach you.

 

Lol I have made it fun going with the girls. Alot of them are new so it's fun to see them grow in confidence. I have to find ways to keep it appealing. I grew up with guns. Killed my 1st deer at age 14 and was shooting snakes long before that so it's lost its appeal. Shooting is a skill set that I think is critical and if you dont use it you lose your edge so I go. Hope that answers your question.

 

Had a lil gal last year in the Lowes parking lot that was almost car jacked.
Seems the fine young democratic couldn't drive a stick!
They picked him up on foot a few minutes later.

 

I learned to swing a sledgehammer on my first real job out of high school. I went to work on a construction site and there was a BIG man that would swing a sixteen pound hammer most of the day. He showed me that by swinging the hammer in a continuous motion without a pause, you used far less energy. Trick was to lock your eyes on what you where driving. Splitting wood with a hammer is a good example.

Set the wedge in the log with a couple tap's of the hammer, rest the hammer face on the wedge grasping the hammer handle at the end with both hands. Pull the hammer off the wedge swinging it in a circular arc. As it strikes the wedge pull it off into another arc. Repeat until desired effect is accomplished. You have to keep your eyes locked on the target or you will miss.
The same applies to riding bull's. If you look anyplace other than the neck of a bull, that is the place you will land when it throws you.. Instinctive shooting? Hmmm??

 

According to my wife, anything.

I'm about to buy a welder and teach myself how to weld.
I need to fab up some antenna and light mounts for the truck.

 

Remember appropriate eye protection. Flash burned eyes HURT! (er, so I've heard )

 

How many can find the starter switch on a 49 Ford Pickup.

 

Didn't drive stick shift until age 28 -- but then drove a manual Honda Civic for the last 14 or 15 years, so I would say I've gotten used to it.

Things I think I should learn (and think will be useful should the SHTF)..

Can't: Run electrical wire, but over the last 2 years feel that I've learned a lot about electrical, both AC and DC. Just don't feel confident and always want someone to check things. But I have run plenty of CAT5e and speaker wire (just in my own house) so I can do 'runs' and feel that I'm learning more about electrical.

Can't do wood working / carpentry. I know about as much as the average guy in North America -- which means I feel I have a lot to learn. Think that would be useful in a new world scenario.

 

I cannot gargle peanut butter and carry a tune at the same time.

 

There is something that I can do unfortunately, and that is clean waste lines (drains). I purchased a drain auger for a job and word got out that I owned one. Now whenever a friend or relative has a clogged drain they call me. Clearing drains is nasty work and as long as I have been plumbing I should not have to do it. I caught my mom pouring grease down the drain, I told her not to do that, it will clog the drain. She replied "its okay honey you have one of those drain clean things" Augggggug