Down to Earth Skills

[Akita Suggagaki]

I just think we are way too dependent on technology and even electricity. And with our pathetic power grid I think we need to be ready to survive a bit without it. So, thinks like gardening (and really knowing what you are doing), cooking, sewing, plumbing, even blacksmithing, almost any kind of craft can be helpful and fun. Know a bit about gardening but even at 66 I have a long way to go.

What skills do you have when the power goes out?

 

[Darkhorse]

Getting the generator running!

Actually, many more than that, including general electrical & plumbing work, auto repair, horsemanship (no horses anymore though), cooking from scratch, and raising different animals.

My mom was a country girl who grew up without plumbing and electricity.
They had a car, but horses and a buggy also.
Lots of edible animals (pigs, steers, chickens) too, and a coal stove (also burned wood).
A hand-operated pump on the outdoor well (those pumps are still made & sold).

She was quite an inspiration

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Very good.

I think I might be a Prepper.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/we-should-all-be-preppers/611074/

 

[Hazelelponi]

While I don't believe we will ever face any crash of our power grid (widespread and long-term) I do think everyone should have the tools to survive on a short term basis without electricity or even water.

There have been times in all of our lives (certainly in mine) where we faced things like a frozen water line that left us without running water, a hot water heater that went out leaving us without hot water for several days, a weather or other situation that left us without electricity for days or weeks etc.

Everyone who lives should have a basic capability to make it work when bad things happen, to be able to react appropriately for the survival of not only themselves but their families under their care as well.

Do I have any specific skills? My skill is the ability to rise up when real work needs done, and the ability to think on my feet.

The only thing I don't have is a green thumb, but my husband has that skill covered...

 

[bèlla]

I have enough know how to run a homestead. I cook, bake, sew, garden, can and preserve food, knowledgeable of natural remedies, make soap, candles, bath and body products, have some carpentry skills, not afraid of guns, eat nose to tail, and know how to rough it. I'm not worried about power loss or a doomsday situation. I learned these things because I like them.

~bella

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I just think we are way too dependent on technology and even electricity. And with our pathetic power grid I think we need to be ready to survive a bit without it. So, thinks like gardening (and really knowing what you are doing), cooking, sewing, plumbing, even blacksmithing, almost any kind of craft can be helpful and fun. Know a bit about gardening but even at 66 I have a long way to go.

What skills do you have when the power goes out?

That depends entirely upon how long the power is off. Even the best prepared won't survive a long power outage very well.

 

[1rreducibly Complex]

Definitely not as prepared for a post electricity world, as this guy with his steam powered bicycle.

 

[d taylor]

I have a river a block from my house, dig a few worms and go catch a catfish. Tap a water well for water and clean out the fire place to cook and for heat (if it is during the winter).

But really it is kind of a joke to have skills, unless you have say a blacksmith shop in your backyard. Or if you are going to eat off of a garden, if you realize how long it takes for plants to yield their food sources.

Unless someone has a generator on hand and ready to go, with a barn stocked full of food that can be consumed. A person is basically just going to have to go through a hard time and many will not make it. That is if this was say a power outage for a long time 6 months or more.

Society now is just too dependent on life the way it is now, for most they just would not be able to survive. Either from being killed by the ones who will have no hesitation in taking lives to get what they want to remain alive. Or just die from mental collapse or lack of good water or food.

Tv has fooled people into believing how easy it would be to be able to live off the land type of person. That takes many years to develop the know how and skills.

 

[d taylor]

I will also add how much of a problem it will be for people who are dependent on pharmaceuticals, after the supply runs out what do you do.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

The best thing to do when the power goes off is to pray that it comes back on soon.

 

[bèlla]

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Self-sufficiency is a process. The majority didn’t grow up on farms or possess the skills they needed at the start. What they lacked in ability they made up in commitment. That holds true for everything.

Time, effort and consistency will always yield fruit. You may not become an expert. But you won’t be a novice or clueless.

I’ve never had a garden. I watched gardening shows and spent a season on a farm. That shortened the learning curve. We didn’t have the liberty of putting things off. We had a schedule to maintain. The products had to be delivered on time.

Farmers don’t always leave the market empty-handed. They’re stuck with the items that didn’t sell. I brought several bags of produce home every week. You’ll learn how to handle excess without wasting it. And I wasn’t canning then.

But I knew how to cook and ate seasonally. One thing built upon the next. That’s how it works. I learned how to cook by watching PBS and The Food Network. I became adept through monthly challenges and culinary classes.

We selected two books every month. One for cooking and baking. I built my collection through the challenge and learned a lot. Most of the participants were chefs and foodies. By the time I went to school I had a well developed palate.

I don’t have a homestead. I purchase my meat, produce, and dairy from farmers and dry goods from a buying club. I get a lot of items in bulk and make many things myself. I use alternative sources frequently.

Sometimes you have to think outside the box. Develop a plan and work towards it. Defeatism isn’t the answer. Use what you’ve got and let God do the rest.

I believe difficult days are ahead. We should make the most of our time in this season. Rally your friends and loved ones and work together. Pool your skills and resources. And always remain in prayer. Trusting your keeping to One who saves.

 

[mnphysicist]

The biggest thing is learning to work with and depend upon others. Without electricity, self sufficiency is fools game. Once I run out of acetylene in my tank, my cutting torch is useless. Once i run out of gas for the genset, using a bellows on my forge means it will take much longer to get something done... and what about raw materials? its not like I can have Grainger overnight me some tool steel, or a melt crayon for hardening/annealing. Some friends put on a vintage weekend every couple years, where they do blacksmithing and farming without modern conveniences... and its really hard, but even then they are dependent upon electrically manufactured items. Sure, I can make new nuts and bolts if need be, and I have at times to save a trip into town... but there is a finite limit to the amount of raw materials, until the power comes back on.

But when you have the brain power of others, maybe you don't need a nut and bolt, maybe you can solve a problem another way. Maybe something which takes a day, now takes a month, but you have others to care for your family while you work on it.

This is not to say don't be prepared, but that there is a world of difference between a few weeks of a regional power loss, in contrast with a total loss of the grid/generation capacity over a long period of time.