# What aren't you good at?



## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

We all know and can identify a list of skills that would be valuable in a survival or SHTF situation. I'm also pretty sure we all know our strengths and how to play to them. 

What are you not good at though? The point of this thread is to identify your areas of weakness and discuss how you are trying to improve in those ares so others with the same weaknesses in certain areas can get ideas on how to improve and those with knowledge in the area can help guide to resources and activities that will help.

One of my main weaknesses is wild plant identification and general foraging for food and medicine. To rectify this I have bought a couple books on the subject. I haven't found this very helpful as I find reading them a little dry and without being out there in front of the plant with someone to do Q and A it's hard to internalize the information. So I've started looking for local classes and meet up groups but most are run by and chock full of extreme hippy types and I've found that to be kind of a turn off for me. The search continues and I do take my reference material out and try to identify on my own but I am nervous of making a rookie mistake that has consequences. I've looked for apps I could download but none seem very good by reviews. Has anyone found a way forward in this area I haven't thought of?

And of course I read all of the threads here and hope to one day have all the knowledge on the subject in Cottons brain


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## AmishHeart (Jun 10, 2016)

Cleaning a Kimber 1911. The little paperclip type tool throws me off. Need to work on take down, cleaning, and put back on rifles.
More practice with pressure canning...ghee, bacon would be good.
Need to practice making more difficult cheeses


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## bugoutbob (Nov 11, 2012)

Sharpening edged tools and knives. Need a lot more practice


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

I have several things that I am not good at.

1. I have to pace myself to complete certain tasks, or I will be in pain. Anything that involves my right arm, and repeated motions, such as cutting with scissors, if I have a bigger project, or scraping paint, or plaster. What some can do in a day or two can take me much, much longer. 

2. Relative to my right arm is using any type of gas operated motor with a pull cord. I can only jerk the cord so many times and then I have to quit. As a result, I have purchased electrical powered yard tools. That is okay for now, but if there was no electricity, I'd be SOL. If I could learn more about gasoline powered engines, I might be able to start them easier.

3. I am not good at having to repeat myself several times when someone does not like my answer to their question. Ask me the same question about 4 times, and I will yell the answer. It gets the message across, but I wish people would listen and not feel the need to think I will have a different answer if they keep asking me. 

4. Going to parties and large gatherings is hard for me. I am an extreme introvert. I remember one year at Christmas time when I had 3 parties to go to. I did not go to one of them. I stayed home from each of them and was happy as a clam. I had to figure this out over time. 

I am sure there are more things that I am not good at. Maybe I'll add more later.


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

I can not teach, at all, and I have no plans to learn.

Also, I'm not a socializer, so I don't go to party's, bars, or family get together.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Sewing. I can put a button on but I wouldn't even try that on dress clothes. That is not a big problem as the last time I bought a suit VISA called me to report that someone had stolen my credit card info. True story. Seriously, I can't sew a stitch. I've tried but I just can not develop the interest required to learn enough to be competent.


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## FrankW (Mar 10, 2012)

I am not good at providing first aid.
I have taken a couple of TC3 and/or first aid classes over the years but I need to be MUCH better.
Recognizing edible plants is another big weakness as is cleaning a killed animal for roasting.


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## bacpacker (Jul 15, 2011)

Plant ID is one for sure. Dressing an animal from a kill is another. Fish isn't a problem, but no experience with deer, pig, or bear.
I also have 2 herniated disk that flare up from time to time. It about puts me down when they are causing trouble. Trying to learn how to manage much of anything when you can't hardly tie your shoes is something that is on going. Thank God it doesn't do that too often.


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## sgtusmc98 (Sep 8, 2013)

CrackbottomLouis said:


> We all know and can identify a list of skills that would be valuable in a survival or SHTF situation. I'm also pretty sure we all know our strengths and how to play to them.
> 
> What are you not good at though? The point of this thread is to identify your areas of weakness and discuss how you are trying to improve in those ares so others with the same weaknesses in certain areas can get ideas on how to improve and those with knowledge in the area can help guide to resources and activities that will help.
> 
> ...


I am not horrible at plants but definitely need to work on it more.

Some advice for learning would be to get one plant at a time. One may seem silly but if you don't have a lot of time it's a start. If you are searching for specific edibles it can be somewhat discouraging and like you said could bring about rookie mistakes, ideally you would learn all the plants in the area you plan to be in, it is pretty extensive. I helped my dad inventory a mountain area when I was a kid. Good news is if you look in the right place, online or ask a university you may be able to get the list.

By learning and researching all the plants and if you look for old uses, food, herbal and rot resistant or fire resistant you may learn some other great things and you will learn poisonous plants that look like your food plants. Much of plant identification keys off of flower petal position, how the leaves are arranged and things like that. All plants in the mint family have square stems, doesn't mean they are all edible though, most plants in the potato family are poisonous.

The start will be slow which is why I said one plant, learn its characteristics and that will help with others, soon you will be much faster.


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## sgtusmc98 (Sep 8, 2013)

Electricity is my nemesis! Ham radio is a hobby of mine and I do most of the simple electrical work in the properties we have. I hate electricity, it never does what makes sense and little demons live in the wires doing whatever they want!
But necessity makes me keep trying, if tshtf bad enough I may not need the skill however!


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## azrancher (Jan 30, 2014)

sgtusmc98 said:


> Electricity is my nemesis! Ham radio is a hobby of mine and I do most of the simple electrical work in the properties we have. I hate electricity, it never does what makes sense and little demons live in the wires doing whatever they want!
> But necessity makes me keep trying, if tshtf bad enough I may not need the skill however!


First if you have any questions, if I can't answer them then probably someone else can, I'm an EE but not an electrician, although I have built my current home and have done all the electric, and plumbing in it, also know more about my well and water than I need to. One caveat, don't ask me to explain the NEC, much of it doesn't pass the common sense test...

*Rancher *


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## sgtusmc98 (Sep 8, 2013)

azrancher said:


> First if you have any questions, if I can't answer them then probably someone else can, I'm an EE but not an electrician, although I have built my current home and have done all the electric, and plumbing in it, also know more about my well and water than I need to. One caveat, don't ask me to explain the NEC, much of it doesn't pass the common sense test...
> 
> *Rancher *


Rancher,
I appreciate that, I very well may need to do that in the near future. I wish I understood it well enough to piece things together as may be useful if tshtf but I think that will only come with experience.


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## DrPrepper (Apr 17, 2016)

What a great idea for a thread! There are a lot of things I am not very good with.


Like several other people, I have a lot to learn about medicinal plants. I am OK with edibles, but need to learn a lot more about the medical uses. I've got several books, and found a couple of apps for my phone. I also have a couple of friends who are into homeopathy/ naturopathy, so I am learning from them, too. 
I've only dressed a deer once many years ago, and never smaller animals. There is not a lot of opportunity for me to do so, but I've been watching videos and feel at least somewhat knowledgeable in a pinch. 
I have some physical challenges in my legs, although upper body strength is good. Having to walk any distance for me would be a major challenge. 
I don't know a whole lot about electricity, although I can manage simple tasks like rewiring a lamp, etc. I wouldn't trust myself to wire a house or anything like that. 
I know how to use some radios, although HAM radio is a mystery to me. I don't have one, don't expect to get one, and I have friends in town who are active HAMs so I don't think I need to dedicate a lot of time to this skill. 
I love teaching and public speaking, but I HATE having to make cultural chit chat with people. I hate going to parties with a lot of people I do not know and I am not good at making conversation with people- especially about things like sports, entertainment, or other "unimportant" (to me!) topics! 
I can sew, embroider, crochet, macramé, and even weave, but I cannot knit to save my life! I guess if it is cold after the SHTF, I'll have to stick with crocheted caps, scarves and gloves, because there is no way I will EVER get the hang of knitting!


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

CrackbottomLouis said:


> We all know and can identify a list of skills that would be valuable in a survival or SHTF situation. I'm also pretty sure we all know our strengths and how to play to them.
> 
> What are you not good at though? The point of this thread is to identify your areas of weakness and discuss how you are trying to improve in those ares so others with the same weaknesses in certain areas can get ideas on how to improve and those with knowledge in the area can help guide to resources and activities that will help.
> 
> ...


Couple tips on wild foraging.. usually books have like hundreds of plants .. total waste of time.. here is what you do... you just look around, don't overlook your lawn or common landscape plants .. redbud trees are relly just giant bean plants and pine trees are edible so are most lawn weeds like dandelions. The rule is never bother with anything that takes more calories to harvest then you get from eating it. .. but back to my point.. find the stuff that is more common and plentiful and take some samples , and take the samples down to the local college biology department and ask somebody in the botany department what they are .. or the county extension agent. and then when you know what they are, study up on them first.. what parts are edible or medicinal , when you can harvest parts for food , calories vitamins how to preserve if you have a bounty , recipes .. better to know 10 than guess at a hundred. then you can start learning the less common stuff incase all the foraging preppers eat all the common stuff.

Eat the Weeds has videos and a you tube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/EatTheWeeds/videos looks like he is up to 148 videos

website http://www.eattheweeds.com/ 1000's of plants they have a forum

Sewing and canning, RJ Squirrel ( spouse ) does most of that. no good at plumbing .. okay at electricity but could be better .. it's a chore and not fun because I don't do it very often.. watch pro's and how fast and sure and realize .. yeah I could wire it, given enough time and couple tranquilizers and three trips to Lowes. Got the smarts, lack the practiced dexterity, make the simplest things look like amateur hour .. they work, but it is no work of art. It's like my baking.. I can bake.. bread , biscuits , cookies that kind of stuff .. I can get by.. RJ is a Baker extraordinaire.. makes locally famous Cinnamon rolls , get's phone calls requesting a batch literally, name your price , as a special gift, or for birthdays , or Boss's day kind of things. Nobody gets particularly excited when I make biscuits .. praise runs to " not so doughy this time" getting better!


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## tmttactical (Nov 23, 2015)

There are too many area's were I am deficient. I lack the patience required to teach others.I also am not able to empathize with people (kicked out of a CPR class because I did not plan to give mouth to mouth to a bum / homeless person). I am a retired Industrial Engineer and understand Electrical, Plumbing, building mechanical systems (lighting, HVAC and automation controls. I do not have field knowledge of electronics. I lack any practical outdoor field knowledge or skill sets. I am too old to learn and don't have the physical conditioning to survive in an Mad Max world type event. Living off the land (rural environment) in a SHTF is not in the cards but I will survive in an Urban setting a lot longer than most. I can locate and purify water that 99 percent of the people will not know or think about, food will be the determining factor. I am checking into hydroponic farming and plan to have a very large supply of canned / dried food. Fresh meat will be available from wild and domesticated animals from time to time but I do not expect to suddenly become Daniel Boone. If a disaster lasts too long, I will end up a casualty, medical condition and age will catch up before too much time has passed. Until then, bad guys watch out. I do believe in vigilante justice once WROL happens. Think Grey Man loaded for bear. I have learned a great deal from the people on this site and hope to continue my development and preparations.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Maintenance...I'm horrible at performing routine maintenance.


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

DrDianaAnderson said:


> What a great idea for a thread! There are a lot of things I am not very good with.
> 
> 
> Like several other people, I have a lot to learn about medicinal plants. I am OK with edibles, but need to learn a lot more about the medical uses. I've got several books, and found a couple of apps for my phone. I also have a couple of friends who are into homeopathy/ naturopathy, so I am learning from them, too.
> ...


Dr DA you probably know this about medicinal herbs , but just incase.. lot of folks get put off by the snake oil appearance of the mega lists of what an herb can cure .. seems like most herbs can cure everything.

Here is how it has been looked at by traditionalist. Traditional herbal medicine doesn't have "diseases" a unified group of symptoms that have a discrete name.. instead it has discrete symptoms. some books try to conflate the two.. That long list of things an herb will "cure" is really a long list of things an herb might do.. the one thing you want the herb to actually do, the reason you are using that herb I call the desired effect.. everything else on that long list is a contraindication/ side effect and you have to rule out all of them doing harm or making things worse . Example somebody has a fever a dozen herbs are listed for fever however some constipate and some are laxative, or actually some fix constipation or some fix diarrhea (wording and thinking exactly opposite) all the effects as listed as what they do, not what they fix .. does the patient already have constipation or diarrhea? And you go down the whole long list ruling things out as not making an existing situation worse and then not to induce additional problems . All effect on the list at either desired, neutral or unwanted side effects .. of course not all will happen , that depends on the constitution of the client . also different methods of preparation make available different constituents of the plant chemistry to different degrees. that could be important.

here is where I get weird .. I believe folks should actually try medicinal herbs that are handy and local while they are healthy, and see how they affect them.. but also because I have never confused a nicotine fit with a craving for an orange or chocolate .. I believe the body can't help you decide what would be good medicine for you in any given situation if it has never had the herb before. And I believe the body can bring to mind what would be helpful if you know to listen to it and look for a "craving". Sometimes it is subtle, sometimes undeniable.

This is also the principle behind compounding herbs .. patient has a fever .. all the available herbs either would constipate or are listed as a laxative.. so you combine two fever fighters one constipating and one laxative . to make a fever fighting compound that doesn't alter the bowel movements. Or a fever fighter/ laxative with a anti laxative.

Makes me crazy when you see somebody says "I have a fever " and somebody says "take Boneset" which is good for fever promotes sweating but is also a laxative.. or white willow bark ( basically aspirin , that is where they discovered "aspirin" to somebody with internal bleeding stroke or stomach ulcer or bleeding wounds .. see what I mean?

Here is an example of the problem http://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/boneset-herb.html
Clearly states boneset doesn't really have any, Clip from the link "Boneset is fairly free of major side effects. " not true if your patient/ client ( I prefer client, since herbal medicine is more collaborative between herbalist and client than allopathy, IMHO, or should be) already has loose stools.

But it also says it is a laxative .. so would that "side effect" make things better or worse for the client. Great for fever.. so maybe add some slippery elm or raspberry leaf or marshmallow root .. I would go with slippery elm because it is also nutritious and calms the stomach if I had it.. but raspberry leaf is easier to find and harvest in a pinch .. you can only work with what you got. Bad enough Boneset makes you sweat ( fluid loss) and is laxative ( fluid loss)

anyway , that's my process.. it's not original to me.. but way too many herb books try to conflate allopathy with traditional herbal and they are two separate systems and it really can confuse folks.

Also want to mention it is probably wiser to locally source / self harvest your medicinal herbs that you plan on relying on come shtf. Plants are smart and change their chemistry/ chemical balance based on soil and growing conditions , but also on local competition .. often the medicinal compounds are part of the plants defensive chemistry or involved in "making space" for itself in competition with other nearby plants .. the make-up of the chemicals can thus vary between commercially grown monoculture with fertilizer inputs and wild small patch grown dependent on natural soil chemistry and the fact that some big ol' Comfrey or Mullen is trying to take over the neighborhood.

Helps to know not just the herb but also the cultural uses and rituals .. religion and culture and rituals are important.. part of the body knowing what it wants and partly a cultural encoding of "wisdom" before the times of scientific process.. look at the dietary laws in the Bible, they didn't know squat about vitamins or nutrition or germs in any scientific sense .. but they had purification rituals and dietary laws and customary feast and sacrifice and taboos , that, if followed, kept them healthier and better nourished than mere random chance .

Great resource for lore and ancient wisdom, customs, rituals http://www.swsbm.com/HOMEPAGE/HomePage.html

Plant respond to music.. I am thinking they might also respond to the intentions and attitude of the people ( at least) harvesting them, perhaps even more, we know they react when something starts munching on them .. I am aware some pot smokers are big on set and setting.. so just that one plant? I think not. Plants aren't stupid .. if some grower wants a medicinal pot that helps kids with seizure's, and the plants says I get to have many protected offspring and great soil and light and a safe environment.. hell yes I am going to cooperate the minute I figure out what that large animal wants .. seems like a caring animal ..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_defense_against_herbivory so if some old grimore say harvest during the dark of the moon or at dawn on a dewy day .. consider that is possible critical information , maybe even wisdom.. check this out https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150909124114.htm

Something to ponder.. some think of spaghetti as comfort food.. but what if you just boiled noodles and poured ketchup or plain tomato sauce with no herbs or spices on them ... is that still comfort food or just plain disgusting? .. maybe it's the herbs and maybe it isn't just the flavor maybe there is something in a combination of basil oregano sage parsley that gives you a feeling ... maybe it just memory of better times, family and friends, maybe it is your brain chemistry, but what if it's the combination of herbs or an interaction between their chemistry and your chemistry? Just think about the possibilities when working with herbs there may be more going on than we think we understand. the sense of smell is nothing more or less than a chemical detector ... there may be a reason feces don't smell like strawberries


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

AmmoSgt said:


> Couple tips on wild foraging.. usually books have like hundreds of plants .. total waste of time.. here is what you do... you just look around, don't overlook your lawn or common landscape plants .. redbud trees are relly just giant bean plants and pine trees are edible so are most lawn weeds like dandelions. The rule is never bother with anything that takes more calories to harvest then you get from eating it. .. but back to my point.. find the stuff that is more common and plentiful and take some samples , and take the samples down to the local college biology department and ask somebody in the botany department what they are .. or the county extension agent. and then when you know what they are, study up on them first.. what parts are edible or medicinal , when you can harvest parts for food , calories vitamins how to preserve if you have a bounty , recipes .. better to know 10 than guess at a hundred. then you can start learning the less common stuff incase all the foraging preppers eat all the common stuff.
> 
> Eat the Weeds has videos and a you tube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/EatTheWeeds/videos looks like he is up to 148 videos
> 
> ...


Thanks for the YouTube link! I'll try it out. I also downloaded an app called flowerchecker+. It's an app the is monitored by botanists and you have to pay for identification requests which sucks but it's easier than driving to the university with each plant. I hope being able to identify and having reference material to tell me more will speed up the learning process. I'll report back with an update on how well it's working for me.


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## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

tmttactical said:


> There are too many area's were I am deficient. I lack the patience required to teach others.I also am not able to empathize with people (kicked out of a CPR class because I did not plan to give mouth to mouth to a bum / homeless person). I am a retired Industrial Engineer and understand Electrical, Plumbing, building mechanical systems (lighting, HVAC and automation controls. I do not have field knowledge of electronics. I lack any practical outdoor field knowledge or skill sets. I am too old to learn and don't have the physical conditioning to survive in an Mad Max world type event. Living off the land (rural environment) in a SHTF is not in the cards but I will survive in an Urban setting a lot longer than most. I can locate and purify water that 99 percent of the people will not know or think about, food will be the determining factor. I am checking into hydroponic farming and plan to have a very large supply of canned / dried food. Fresh meat will be available from wild and domesticated animals from time to time but I do not expect to suddenly become Daniel Boone. If a disaster lasts too long, I will end up a casualty, medical condition and age will catch up before too much time has passed. Until then, bad guys watch out. I do believe in vigilante justice once WROL happens. Think Grey Man loaded for bear. I have learned a great deal from the people on this site and hope to continue my development and preparations.


I too, have an engineering degree in Electronics,1974 after the war, 
then a Degree in Mechanical Engineering ,1978, made for a good career until *FIRST* heart attack in 1997 , was forced to leave the workforce in 2000,

My biggest weakness also is health and age. I can *almost* do anything I use to, just always add extra hours , or days for planning/scheduling.

TM, sounds like we went to different schools together, and had different parents together.

Old saying Don't start a fight with an old man.....he cant fight....so he will just shoot ya"

That about sums it up for me.

OH yeah, I'm getting less and less tolerant of people , due to their incompetence. Is that a weakness.?

I guess I'm not good at tolerating incompetence.

My wife says I'm too judgmental and hard on people , in my old age.
Didn't use to give a crap, but nowadays , it seems to affect me more, and causes my BP to rise.:dunno:

Love you Dr Diana, but guess where I'm seeing more incompetence these days, Yep, the healthcare systems, Knowing your background a little, I'm bettin your seeing it too.:brickwall:

Maybe , just because I'm using them more these days.

Did I just rant?:scratch

:rant:
Jim


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## DrPrepper (Apr 17, 2016)

phideaux said:


> Love you Dr Diana, but guess where I'm seeing more incompetence these days, Yep, the healthcare systems, Knowing your background a little, I'm bettin your seeing it too.:brickwall:
> 
> Maybe , just because I'm using them more these days.


 Jim,
Welcome to my world! Our healthcare system is FUBAR - and a total repeal of Obamacare will not fix it. Part of the issue is the overwhelming number of rules, regulations, and interpretations that must be followed. Part of the problem is the number of bureaucrats who are needed to maintain the complex regulatory structure (none of whom are medically trained). Another part of the issue is cost for the patients AND for the providers. Attitude of caregivers is another. We have many people working in healthcare not because they are called to help others, but because in today's economy, it is a stable and usually decent paying occupation. After all, what other job can you get where you go to school for 2 years and graduate into a wide open job market making over $20 per hour? Finally, unrealistic expectations of the public are a huge factor. ("What do you mean I should expect pain after you operated on my knee, sawed through bones, and jammed a big metal prosthesis into place? I should be pain free, right?" or "I know I have COPD and my lungs are in terrible shaped and I have to rely on oxygen for the rest of my life- oh wait, let me go have a cigarette before you give me that breathing treatment")

:brickwall: <--- wall is not big enough!!!!!

OK, I think I need to start another thread before I hijack this one!


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

LOL "I ache in the places where I used to play " healing music interlude .. we need more interludes it helps focus











God do I know this song


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

TECHTRONICS! Laptops, Smart Phones, etc,etc,etc,.:surrender: BP at 214-220 last night trying to put pics on laptop from dvd we managed to save from old puter. Youtube tutor was helpful but we missed something.  Or they are inside puter and we can't retrieve them?:dunno:


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

tmttactical said:


> There are too many area's were I am deficient. I lack the patience required to teach others.I also am not able to empathize with people (kicked out of a CPR class because I did not plan to give mouth to mouth to a bum / homeless person). I am a retired Industrial Engineer and understand Electrical, Plumbing, building mechanical systems (lighting, HVAC and automation controls. I do not have field knowledge of electronics. I lack any practical outdoor field knowledge or skill sets. I am too old to learn and don't have the physical conditioning to survive in an Mad Max world type event. Living off the land (rural environment) in a SHTF is not in the cards but I will survive in an Urban setting a lot longer than most. I can locate and purify water that 99 percent of the people will not know or think about, food will be the determining factor. I am checking into hydroponic farming and plan to have a very large supply of canned / dried food. Fresh meat will be available from wild and domesticated animals from time to time but I do not expect to suddenly become Daniel Boone. If a disaster lasts too long, I will end up a casualty, medical condition and age will catch up before too much time has passed. Until then, bad guys watch out. I do believe in vigilante justice once WROL happens. Think Grey Man loaded for bear. I have learned a great deal from the people on this site and hope to continue my development and preparations.


 Just in case you haven't seen this. I have seen dozens maybe 100s of hydro users but Bobby here is the best. Easy to understand. We LOVE hydroponics and plan to set back up in a few weeks.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

AmmoSgt said:


> LOL "I ache in the places where I used to play " healing music interlude .. we need more interludes it helps focus
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 The Leonard Cohen guy sounds kinda like JJ Cale singing ' Call The Doctor'.


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

bugoutbob said:


> Sharpening edged tools and knives. Need a lot more practice


 Same here.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

azrancher said:


> First if you have any questions, if I can't answer them then probably someone else can, I'm an EE but not an electrician, although I have built my current home and have done all the electric, and plumbing in it, also know more about my well and water than I need to. One caveat, don't ask me to explain the NEC, much of it doesn't pass the common sense test...
> 
> *Rancher *


If you have ever read an electrical code book you'll surely know what azrancher is talking about, I've read through a few and they will overheat your brain with all the info involved, then on top of that every few years they update the NEC. When I did maintenance/custodial work for a local school district I had a Limited Industrial Electrical license which I had to take Code classes every few years to renew, code can drive one a bit crazy, especially the one time I did a home study in which I had to pass with 70% to renew my license. Needless to say I didn't make it and didn't get renewed, had I taken a class it would have been an automatic pass. Not to worry, I retired a few years after and I really didn't care if the district called in electrical contractors as our new superintendent had no idea how much I had saved by doing electrical work in house.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

I'm lousy at doing sheetrock taping on ceilings, I really hate that, but I won't hire anyone to do it and no one volunteers to do it for me, so I just try to grin and do whatever I can to make it look presentable to my wife, don't like painting ceilings either, stressful when I'm under the hawk eyes of my wife, pointing out holidays with regularity. Love her anyway.


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

Oh God.. yes, sheetrock mud, spackle, stucco , I make some very interesting textures. I call it art ... a unique interpretation of smooth and neat. Notice the varied width and depth of the parallel lines and the composed angle to symbolize progress and endeavor. That's my story and I am sticking to it.


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## tmttactical (Nov 23, 2015)

Meerkat said:


> Just in case you haven't seen this. I have seen dozens maybe 100s of hydro users but Bobby here is the best. Easy to understand. We LOVE hydroponics and plan to set back up in a few weeks.


Meercat, thank you for the link. It was perfect for my urban bug out / relocation plan. Your provided information is the last bit I needed in my prep plan. Now I need to actually start acquiring the needed items and / or finding where they are sold / stored for future events.


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## musketjim (Dec 7, 2011)

Vehicle maintenance, I can change oil, but otherwise the internal workings might as well be the shuttle craft. Carpentry, measure once cut three times then put it in the woodstove when it's too short.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

tmttactical said:


> Meercat, thank you for the link. It was perfect for my urban bug out / relocation plan. Your provided information is the last bit I needed in my prep plan. Now I need to actually start acquiring the needed items and / or finding where they are sold / stored for future events.


 Your welcome. We learned almost all we know about hydros from MHPGardener. I think he left youtube but his videos are all still up.

If I can help you with anything just ask me.


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## HardCider (Dec 13, 2013)

Have a lot to learn about everything. Jack of all trades master of none. Would love to learn about ham radio and black smithing


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## sgtusmc98 (Sep 8, 2013)

HardCider said:


> Have a lot to learn about everything. Jack of all trades master of none. Would love to learn about ham radio and black smithing


Ham radio is great, I'd be happy to direct you and I'm sure others would too. You can get into it for $50 or so and spend millions if you want. It is fun and a good skill.


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## DrPrepper (Apr 17, 2016)

*An idea...*

This thread has been really interesting and helpful to me. I have an idea, and I'm wondering who all would be willing to participate. Each of us has areas of expertise and areas of deficits. What if the folks with expertise started a thread in their area and posted information on a really basic level to help others understand, and answered questions, etc? For example, What I know about Ham radios could not cover the head of a pin. I have no idea where to start, either. But, if someone posted information with very basic instructions about the equipment needed, etc, it would help all of us learn. People who already know about the topic being discussed could either add information, or else just skip that thread. What do you think? It could be like a Prepper University, sharing our knowledge. OF course, we couldn't cover the hands-on, but at least giving the basic theory and materials......

Just a thought......


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

I'm all for it.. I already try to give the occasional how to get started or how to look at a subject differently when I know what the learning curves is like. 

But to do it formally would be better.. especially being able to get feedback in the form of questions so you could clarify points.


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## sgtusmc98 (Sep 8, 2013)

DrDianaAnderson said:


> This thread has been really interesting and helpful to me. I have an idea, and I'm wondering who all would be willing to participate. Each of us has areas of expertise and areas of deficits. What if the folks with expertise started a thread in their area and posted information on a really basic level to help others understand, and answered questions, etc? For example, What I know about Ham radios could not cover the head of a pin. I have no idea where to start, either. But, if someone posted information with very basic instructions about the equipment needed, etc, it would help all of us learn. People who already know about the topic being discussed could either add information, or else just skip that thread. What do you think? It could be like a Prepper University, sharing our knowledge. OF course, we couldn't cover the hands-on, but at least giving the basic theory and materials......
> 
> Just a thought......


Dr. Diana, I like your idea as well, in regards to Ham radio it is easily addressed in the communications topic. I know you posted in it earlier, I am by no means an expert but do have a few radios and am an extra amateur (the highest of the three licenses issued now). I and others would be happy to help anyone with questions regarding amateur radio.


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## hellrazor762 (May 20, 2012)

This is the best thread ever. Everyone brags about what they can do but never really try to improve their weaknesses. 

My weaknesses are:
Welding
Fishing
Edible plant ID
Trapping/snares
Understanding female humans.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

Humans and their culture, yes really, I struggle with people (who are of reasonable age/ capacity) doing things that they know that they shouldn't. 
I really have trouble with pointless ceremony and hallmark holidays. 
I recently learned that I get medium stress induced brain fog, emergencies I function very well, now that I am aware of it I can work on it. 
CBL this may well be one of the most important threads on this forum.


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

Iron sights on SKS 7.62 x 39 - I had never fired that rifle before...went out last week after correcting a issue with the gas-operated action (wouldn't eject/load rounds reliably). The bad news was that I couldn't see the forward sight...just a fuzzy blur. Damned if that wasn't a rude awakening. The good news was the action operated flawlessly. It took me 4 shots to start hitting the target by compensating. I used the ring sight on the rear to simply line up the barrel with the target, sighting a bit low over the muzzle. It's not an accurate method at much distance, but out to 100ft (I know, that's my medium handgun range, too) I was able to place 4" groups. I'll need to practice the point-and-shoot method as one would for tactical handgun shooting with iron rifle sights...developing and relying on muscle memory for faster, reasonably accurate short-range shooting. It may take several hundred rounds and some time and patience, but I should be able to get more accurate out to at least 50-75yds with open sights, though. I prefer iron sights for low-light, so I want to be more capable with them.

For distance shots I'll have to rely on scopes...no two ways about it...give me a scoped rifle and the bullet will find the target. Even when I was a kid I couldn't hit a bird with a shot-gun, but give me a scoped rifle? I may have early Cataracts forming...can't afford time off work to get that corrected right now, but it's on the list.

There's a laundry list of other things I need to work on...in time...as mentioned above, identifying wild medicinal and edible plants, as well as edible fungi...not that there's much of them around here, but, you don't really know until you can identify them. And, as mentioned, online info can be vague and books are not a cure for that. It takes time and lots of hands-on to learn about everything in your area...gotta get out there and start looking around.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

My list of weakness list is longer than I listed in my original post. Reading some of these posts has added quite a bit to my list I didn't consider. Work got a little nuts lately so I haven't even gone out in the back yard with my app and reference material for wild edible edumacation. I guess my new weakness I need to work on is making sure I dedicate time to practice and learn. Time management and balance can be a bitch. I have a bunch of half finished projects I just seem to lose steam on.


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

cbl long long time ago there was a daytime talk show , and they had a famous lawyer on, promoting his latest book ... a member of the audience stood up , like the audience was doing to ask questions, but instead just blurted out that her husband was a lawyer and worked all the time for his clients and never found time to write a book and Mr. Big Famous lawyer must be a lousy lawyer if he could find time to write books instead of taking care of his clients legal affairs.

To which the famous lawyer replied " Lady, I have never found time to do anything in my life, I have always had to make the time"

Mean while back in my world, I had, at one time ,one less than optimum Commanding Officer.. you probably know the type.. absolutely everything was top priority .. and nobody knew what he wanted them to do first.. so random things were getting done or not in a random fashion while the CO sat in his office doing reports or practicing his coffee drinking or whatever officers do .. I don't judge .. it's none of my business , so long as they keep their hands above the desk top. So one day I walked in to get my butt chewed about something that was a top priority that didn't get done because everybody was working on another top priority .. and I finally in my own defense simple had to tell the man that it doesn't work for everything to be a top priority, in fact it doesn't work to even tell people what your priority is or priorities are.. the only thing that works is for the commander to accept and understand that his number one priority is where he is and what he is doing at any given moment .. doesn't matter if he even thinks it is his highest priority or not.. by the mere fact he is present and engaged in something makes it , for all intents and purposes, his highest priorities .. so if he really wants his vehicles condition and maintenance to be his highest priority that morning he needed to get his butt down to the motor pool ( said in proper military manner with almost all due deference to rank and position, okay, a little frustration may have leaked out around the edges , it happens) 

Anyway I found this to be true.. I have also found I get a lot of push back from folks who do not want to accept that their highest priority at times is playing a computer game. But like it or not where you are and what you are doing at any given moment is your highest priority .. it may be for a hundred different reasons and considerations, many of which you have never examined or thought about or realized.. it may be a thing , a conflict, between want to and have to or something you never really analyzed and it's just habit or what you always do ..

But like it or not , where you are and what you are doing is the currently most important thing to you in your day/ at that moment. Once you realize this truth... you probably start over thinking things and examining your life and how you spend your moments ( say moments to yourself instead of "time" ) after a while it gets to be automatic and less of an intrusion but it will change how you look at time and priorities. but be kind to yourself , remember, rest, relaxation, and taking care of yourself is a valid priority too.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

AmmoSgt said:


> cbl long long time ago there was a daytime talk show , and they had a famous lawyer on, promoting his latest book ... a member of the audience stood up , like the audience was doing to ask questions, but instead just blurted out that her husband was a lawyer and worked all the time for his clients and never found time to write a book and Mr. Big Famous lawyer must be a lousy lawyer if he could find time to write books instead of taking care of his clients legal affairs.
> 
> To which the famous lawyer replied " Lady, I have never found time to do anything in my life, I have always had to make the time"
> 
> ...


One hell of an insight there AmmoSgt.


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

that is very kind of you to say, thank you.. it is sometimes hard to accept at first and people can get tangled up trying to figure out why they do stuff.. but if you don't take it too seriously, or probably better said, too strictly , and use it make the time to do the things that are important to you. by not doing the things that you can't find good reason for. Both the mind and the body needs down time, but sometimes that becomes a habit instead of a purpose. Why do we cut the lawn.. for me I decided it did it to conform, in fact I started to wonder why I had a lawn at all, because everybody has one...

One day I was out walking in an older but well kept section of town, Historic District actually, going to visit a friend.. it was a very pretty day, clear blue sky with large white fluffy clouds.. moving large shadows across the landscape. I came across a small white cottage that, as the cloud cleared, had this amazing spill of the most dense henbit blooming a striking blue-purple hit by sunlight making it very bright that for all the world look like it was pouring out from the porch steps widening as it spilled out to the road . The white of the cottage hit by sunlight the blue spill dividing the bright green of the grass .. it was very beautiful.. charming .. it made me happy in my heart as such beauty will do.. on my way back from my friends place the owner was out in his front yard with a mower and you could tell he was taking great pride in his lovely little cottage with the well manicured lawn .....

My lawn in the front does get occasionally cut, but only after I have harvested some of the dozen of edible and medicinal weeds.. and I cut around the ones still growing and not yet ready for harvest or that I am letting go to seed .. I have considerable Red and White clover 










the really cool thing about clover is it is technically a legume teeny tiny beans in the flower head.. legume and grain = protein

Dandelions wine and tonic .. not that spring tonics do much for folks that have apples on valentines day and watermelon for Christmas .. but back before any food any season and living on squash and boiled venison thru a winter the vitamin kick from a dandelion spring tonic ( first green of the season) if fact.. it isn't native to the Americas.. it was deliberately brought over by the very first colonists as a critical survival plant for the vitamins.

The Hen Bit I mentions is edible and sort of wilted in a frying pan with a couple slices of bacon is pretty yummy.. it is also a lesson in edibles .. all mints are edible and all mints have square stems and no harmful plants have square stems .. just because Hen Bit is a mint doesn't mean it tastes minty it is just another no terrible tasting green that works in stews or as I suggested wilted not fried in a pan with two almost done bacon strips and lots of bacon grease always cook bacon well done so the timing of when you throw in the greens is important.. I do it by eye just before the bacon is finished so the green are warm and well coast with bacon fat. 
It's like berries .. any wild berry with a crown opposite the stem end is good to eat http://grist.org/food/how-to-forage-for-wild-berries/

two quick rules of thumb square stem on greens and berries with crowns and now you can have a nice lunch if you have a can of bacon http://www.mredepot.com/Yoder-s-Bacon-p/yd1412.htm that's $15 can.. it has really gone up used to be like $10 .. shop around but MRE Depot is usually the cheapest and if you get on their email list the discount it and / or do free shipping

Anyway.. I used to be average to poor at time management those two tips on making time and discovering my priorities instead of just making them up helped a lot.

most lawn weeds don't grow very tall, if you keep a portion of the lawn normally trimmed all the time and all the lawn trimmed some of the time most folks will wonder , but probably never complain or catch on. Especially if you have some kind of what looks like rotating colors of blooming flowers thru the spring and summer popping up in different areas of the lawn.

So I guess what I am not good at here is keeping my lawn cut and weed free... :dunno:


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

AmmoSgt said:


> that is very kind of you to say, thank you.. it is sometimes hard to accept at first and people can get tangled up trying to figure out why they do stuff.. but if you don't take it too seriously, or probably better said, too strictly , and use it make the time to do the things that are important to you. by not doing the things that you can't find good reason for. Both the mind and the body needs down time, but sometimes that becomes a habit instead of a purpose. Why do we cut the lawn.. for me I decided it did it to conform, in fact I started to wonder why I had a lawn at all, because everybody has one...
> 
> One day I was out walking in an older but well kept section of town, Historic District actually, going to visit a friend.. it was a very pretty day, clear blue sky with large white fluffy clouds.. moving large shadows across the landscape. I came across a small white cottage that, as the cloud cleared, had this amazing spill of the most dense henbit blooming a striking blue-purple hit by sunlight making it very bright that for all the world look like it was pouring out from the porch steps widening as it spilled out to the road . The white of the cottage hit by sunlight the blue spill dividing the bright green of the grass .. it was very beautiful.. charming .. it made me happy in my heart as such beauty will do.. on my way back from my friends place the owner was out in his front yard with a mower and you could tell he was taking great pride in his lovely little cottage with the well manicured lawn .....
> 
> ...


Great videos and info. Thanks! There are some woods behind my house and I can't wait to see what comes up in spring. The lawns in my neighborhood are all treated with turfmaster so its all Non edible and "weed" free unfortunately. Suburban McMansions with hoa . Plenty of woods around at higher elevations than the treated areas to explore though. Although my list of projects is kind of long it's at least exciting. Making leather gun belt, practice with wild edibles, finish and test supershelter, finish my modified medium alice pack into the bug out bag I have envisioned, continue to work on physical fitness, make a ton of money doing stuff i like and most importantly continue to build a strong healthy loving marriage and maintain the close relationship we have with the rest of the family. It's good to have a full plate when those are the kind of things on it.


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

I'm thinking we are so needing an AMEN button, and probably a Hallelujah button as well.


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## fteter (May 23, 2014)

What aren't you good at? I doubt that this server has enough space to store my list. As part of becoming more self-reliant, I'm continually recognizing, prioritizing, and practicing those things I'm not good at. Shrinking that list is part of being prepared. And, frankly, I have another lifetime of work in front of me.


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## AmmoSgt (Apr 13, 2014)

That's a big Amen . it's one thing to be able to do something in good times and when you know you are going to do it. Set aside the time, get what you need together.. get a good nights sleep before hand ...

Sometimes things can be hidden from you by free do-overs, and alibi's that just happen, without any real consequences.

I have a suggestion if somebody wants to experience what I am talking about .. and it is good training , it also may be "free" used to be. But I have been out of the game for a while.

This is strictly about learning a general lesson.. I assume most folks have a pistol for self defense and I assume that most folks with pistols shoot occasionally with it , maybe even train with it

First visit to IDPA ( http://www.idpa.com/ )used to be a freebie ( might still be .. or at least they didn't charge you membership .. maybe a range fee $10-12 here) and of course you had to bring your own gear weapon and ammo ...

Maybe you have the perfect weapon that is perfectly reliable .. I thought I did, always worked at the range.. it was accurate if I did my part... I was thoroughly familiar and comfortable with it... and so I went to my first IDPA shoot .. a casual affair, small group ,only about 10 folks , very friendly.. treated me as a proper guest..

When my turn came .. I was briefed on the scenario .. had about 9 silhouette targets one the moved back and forth on a rocker ( rocked side to side ), a pop up.. one was a double silhouette one behind the other the front target marked by a black hand ( that how you know it is a victim and not a bad guy.. you can't shoot the targets with a black hand , but you have to engage to visible portions of the silhouette behind it maybe 4 or 5 inches exposed all along the left side with a foot between the targets front to back ) The rest were just naked cardboard man sized silhouettes sprinkled around .. two plywood walls three shooting stations , you have to go to all three stations to see all the targets .. You are armed hip carry under large floppy vest to represent concealed carry you start about 10 feet from the first firing position carrying a grocery bag full of empty plastic soda pop bottles to represent a bag of groceries and you have to engage the target in the order you see them you pistol is cocked and locked 8+1 and you have a spare mag of 8 thus forcing magazine change... depending on the scenario you may have to retain the empty mag or you may sometimes be able to drop it .. and then there is this guy with this loud alarm sounding thingy that is also a timer and he lives just behind you about two feet away and takes off points for "Technical" improper technique / shooting targets out of order and stopping the scenario if you commit a safety violation. You get points for hits, center mass is highest three ring with lesser points for the other two rings and you loose points for time and technical's .

The horn goes off and you walk briskly to the first firing point , seeing the first target you drop the bag draw and engage.. damn take the safety off .. bam bam bam first three down second firing point dang you see a target before you are the box ( technical damn) snap shot bam damn FTF limp wristed that one stumble to the box trying to clear the jam bam bam missed black hand bam got it bam got the last one start to leave pop up in sight of the send box click damn reload bam got it .. do to third firing position Bam Bam BAM .. done my oh GOD must have been 5 minutes .. ump says 28 seconds not bad for a first timer... I want to know where the POS pistol that did an FTF came from
















So I start thinking.. always a bad thing.. but yeah.. that FTF happens a lot actually with that pistol , no biggy at the range , so practiced at clearing it, it's not even noticeable, just rack and go on.. that it happen only 2 maybe three times in a 100- 150 rounds in an hour at the range.. hardly notice it any more... now it is a BIG FREAKING DEAL arrrghhh


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## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

I found out today that *I'm not good at ...*
*waiting a long time in a checkout line at WalMart,*

I didn't say LONG lines , I said a long wait...

Yep 1 person in front of me , Lots of stuff, and she is buying for 3 different people/organizations, and keeping it all separate , with coupons, 
and the last batch of stuff was on food stamps.

I was so exhausted , just standing and waiting.... a real weak point for me.

Other lines that were 6-8 people deep were out the door before I got to check out.

Jim


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

phideaux said:


> I found out today that *I'm not good at ...*
> *waiting a long time in a checkout line at WalMart,*
> 
> I didn't say LONG lines , I said a long wait...
> ...


Oh yeah, been through this many times and just when you switch lines, someone in front has a problem with their credit card and so there you stand burning more time, which is why I let my wife do the shopping while I sit out in the vehicle listening to the radio or taking a nap, unless there is a sporting goods store I can browse in for awhile.


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## Flight1630 (Jan 4, 2017)

I'm still having problems understanding my wife after 13 years of marige. My daughter. And our cat and dog which by the way are both female. Way to much estrogen in our house lol


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Flight1630 said:


> I'm still having problems understanding my wife after 13 years of marige. My daughter. And our cat and dog which by the way are both female. Way to much estrogen in our house lol


You figure that one out you best becoming back here to let us in on the secret!!!


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

AmmoSgt said:


> That's a big Amen . it's one thing to be able to do something in good times and when you know you are going to do it. Set aside the time, get what you need together.. get a good nights sleep before hand ...
> 
> Sometimes things can be hidden from you by free do-overs, and alibi's that just happen, without any real consequences.
> 
> ...


I love idpa shoots. Used to love polite society as well but that kind of dried up in my area. I would love to get into some 3 gun shoots but the closest range that does them is a good bit away and shooting enough to really improve is an expensive proposition. Working on 22 solutions to make it less costly and I don't feel the need to shoot often with a shotgun to get better at that part at those distances.


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## Flight1630 (Jan 4, 2017)

Lol been trying


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

Wild plant for food & medical is a low point for me,too.
I only know about 20 plants.


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## Sybil6 (Jan 28, 2013)

Condensing my supplies into something easily maneuverable. I've considered switching from LOF to a bike with saddle bags, a luggage rack, and maybe even under seat storage + my dogs who enjoy their backpacks. However I'm struggling to make hiccup understand she can't just lay down when leashed to the bike. Lol!


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## learn2live (Jan 31, 2017)

Edibles on the go is where I'm struggling. Plants for nutritional or edible value, and game cleaning. It's been a long time, and I've been putting off re-learning.


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