What are your skills

[cajunlady87]

Skills are an everyday part of our lives. You may be proficient when it comes to performing certain tasks, or you may know enough to get by in a pinch until someone more knowledgeable comes along to do a better job.

I have knowledge of lots of skills to get me by, some I've never even attempted, but having the knowledge and using critical thinking will be on my side when I do need to use that skill. But have you actually thought about what you believe you can accomplish should the need arise. Here is a list of mine.

cooking
solar cooking and dehydrating
cooking on an open fire with no pots or utensils
sewing
carpentry
gardening
preserving food
raising chickens
candle making
fishing, cleaning catch
firemaking especially when everything is wet
weaving
plaiting
making cordage
shelter, rainproof and winterized using wilderness items only
dressing game
filtering and sterilizing water
teaching
plumbing
trapping
security alarms
planning and organizing
and my favorite, recycling items for use as other purposes

[Ceorlmann]

Basic 1st Aid
AR15 Armorer
Anything related to performing music
Calculating distances without a rangefinder, and being pretty accurate about it
Cooking (I had a lot of practice while on Active Duty )
Sewing (saved me a couple times also while on AD)
Physical security
Finding stuff on the internet (yeah yeah I know. Very stereotypical of me, but I must say that having to look for parts as an armorer right now has really honed my search engine skills.)
Knowing how to avoid a fight, but knowing how to finish one (IMHO one of the better skills to know as a gun owner)
Disappearing when I want/need to (mainly applies to "training" in the nearby park)

At least that's just the stuff I know and would consider I'm good at. Anything else I'd consider myself average at best.

[angelhelp]

Here's my (incomplete) list, in no particular order:

cooking (fireplace, open fire, woodstove, hobo stove)
sewing
soapmaking
candlemaking
fishing and preparing the catch
firemaking
filtering and sterilizing water
teaching
knitting
crocheting
music
reiki
foraging

[ColcordMama]

Interesting. Here are my skills:

cooking
solar cooking
canning
dehydrating, incl solar drying
pickling
winemaking
organizing
crocheting
some knitting, but not proficient
first aid, incl CPR & Heimlich cert
pretty good shot with a rifle
child care and teaching skills
raising chickens
vegetable gardening
rudimentary foreign language skills (several)
can pilot a single engine airplane, VFR only, not licensed
extensive sewing skills
some experience stringing and drawing a bow, fair shot
knife sharpening
creative arts: writer, artist (oils and pencil)

but mostly I'm not afraid of hard work. I can lie down right next to it and go to sleep any time, day or night.

[angelhelp]

I omitted my own VFR skills because I too am unlicensed and it has been 40 years since I flew. I don't consider myself at all proficient in gardening although I've certainly done it. Child rearing -- I suppose Ceorlmann and MirkwoodWanderer could attest to those skills. I've taken the CPR course but not recently (sounds like I've more homework ); first aid wouldn't be my first choice, though. Do spelling & grammar count as skills for the purposes of this kind of list?

I think we're all going to have skills to add to our lists as others post their own lists -- which is why I knew mine would be incomplete.

[olebama]

My brother told me that the only thing I could be was a speed bump.

I can garden and although it has been a bunch of years, I have experience in beekeeping.

I don't think any of my other skills will be of much use. (fit testing someone with a respirator, and other safety related skills).

[ColcordMama]

Mar 10, 2013 19:48:42 GMT -7 olebama said:

My brother told me that the only thing I could be was a speed bump.

I can garden and although it has been a bunch of years, I have experience in beekeeping.

I don't think any of my other skills will be of much use. (fit testing someone with a respirator, and other safety related skills).

Awwww.... well, if you're gonna be a speed bump, be the VERY BEST speed bump you can be! But I disagree with your brother. I hope at some time in your youth you shortsheeted his bed or saranwrapped the toilet before he locked himself in there.

[Cwi555]

Mar 10, 2013 19:48:42 GMT -7 olebama said:

My brother told me that the only thing I could be was a speed bump.

I can garden and although it has been a bunch of years, I have experience in beekeeping.

I don't think any of my other skills will be of much use. (fit testing someone with a respirator, and other safety related skills).

Lets briefly look at that. Fit testing for a respirator that is.
If you know how to fit test, then it follows that you know the in's and out's of wearing one. If knowing how to properly wear and fit a respirator in a IDLH environment isn't a survival skill, I don't know what one is.

[mountainmark]

hmmm... more that i'm not good at than good at. Lol lets see...

Hunting
Fishing
Wildcrafting (foraging)
raising livestock
butchering
sugaring (syrup, sugar)
smoking, curing meats
making cheese (and other dairy products)
wilderness navigation
EMT
weather prediction (reading clouds, wind, etc.)
cooking
firemaking (though not by friction, yet)

Now, what i'm not so good at...

Mechanics
carpentry
gardening
canning
military tactics
Anything having to do with chemical, biological, nuclear threat. (though i do know quite a bit about food born pathogens) and i have learned quite a lot from cwi's posts.
oh, i'm sure i'll think of more later. but that's enough for now

[cajunlady87]

Any skill can be beneficial to incorporate and accomplish other tasks.

For instance I listed carpentry. Now I most certainly have never built a home and using a circular saw scares the heck out of me. I know how important braces and brackets are to keep things held together and having horseshoe nails and staple guns are great assets to mount fencing onto woodframes to make a decent cage for animals which can be done using scrap or recycled lumber. I'm not so great at toenailing but I do give it my best shot.

In fact years ago I built a chicken coop for a small flock I had at the time. Had never done it before and gave it great thought. That coop lasted for many years and served its purpose well.

I've never built a longlasting shelter in the woods. But through reading I know if it came down to it I could build one using only items I'd find in the woods. And, it would definitely be rainproof and extra warm from winter temps. Just because I've never built one doesn't mean I can't.

Just maybe there are easier ways and materials I could use to accomplish things but if I don't push myself to get jobs done then I'm only existing and doing nothing to better myself. Knowledge is power and it's all a matter of what you do with it to put your mind to it in order to accomplish getting things done.

[fenster]

Quick off the top of my head:

Hunting
Fishing
Tracking
Cooking
Shooting
Archery
Shelter Making
Dressing Game
Organizing

Some skills that need work:

Carpentry
Gardening
Sewing
Leather Working
Filtering/Sterilizing water
Fire Making

[xwing]

Ok.... a list huh?.... Did you pack a lunch
1. I can work on or repair most any vehicle that doesnt require a degree in computer science
2. I can weld, both gas and electric.
3. I have basic carpentry skills.
4. I have basic plumbing skills
5. I am QUITE good in the kitchen or on the grill ( Granny ran an Italian rest. and taught me to cook)
6. I have basic electrical skills( I can wire a room etc.)
7. I have good computer skill ( I can build a website )
8. I can operate most pieces of heavy equipment ( dozers, backhoes, skidders, forklifts, frontend loaders, etc)
9. I can drive ANY big rig with ANy type trailer-tanker & I can go backward just as well as I go forward.
10. I can put a trailer anywhere you want it.
11. I am a capable farmer and have run a couple of farms in my younger days.
12. I am an avid hunter and can find game where most would not.
13. I can skin & clean any animal, wild or domestic.
14. I can process my own meat
15. I can track most any animal, 2 or 4 legged
16. I am a good fisherman and know alot of ole'timer tricks
17. I have alot of patience with kids
18. I can build shelter with just a knife and cordage ( man-made or make my own.
19. ....did I mention I can make my own cordage
20. I can flintnap tools like knives, arrowheads etc.
21. I can build a fire using a bic/zippo, a firesteel, a bowdrill, a magnifying glass etc...
22. I can sharpen most anything to a shaving edge.
23. I am qualified range officer and a very good shot
24. I train regularly in handgun/rifle & shotgun competion to keep my skills sharp ( currently a Master Class in USPSA)
25. I can repair most anything on a firearm , including AR's and I can can do scary things with Glocks
26. I can load my own ammo.
27. I can stay alive off local wildlife and vegitation as long as needed.
28. I know how to find water and make it safe to drink.
29. I can use a map & compass
30. I can run a chain saw( did alot of pulp wooding and logging in school)
31. I can dissapear in plain veiw when I want too
32. I can safely load cargo and evenly distribute it
33. I know all kinds of handy knots.
34. I am a little better than ok @ hand to hand fighting( quite good in a bar fight )
35. I can work wonders with a multi-tool and my survival knife
36. I have a working knowledge of most miltary weapons...both old & new...

But, my most important skill is my ability to look at a problem and come up with multiple ways to address it. I think on my feet and on the move well and I dont suffer from indecision.

[mountainmark]

If some of us were single this would make for a great "personals" add.

[xwing]

Mar 11, 2013 9:38:18 GMT -7 mountainmark said:

If some of us were single this would make for a great "personals" add.

Preppers/Survivalistmeet.com

[cajunlady87]

Oh come on xwing don't be modest. I just know you can do better than that. ;D

All right all you lurkers, put those thinking caps on and let us know what your skills are no matter how big or small, what is it that keeps you going. Even shopping and making deals takes a skill to pinch those pennies.