How scared and inneficcient have we become?

[formariz 11,988]

Sure that from our position of comfort and privilege we can make all kinds of comments and criticism regarding the individuals here and their activities, but to me its just a reminder of how scared and inefficient we have become due to our comfort and privileged lives. It reinforces my thinking that although we can share our views and knowledge on how to do things we are far from being any type of authority on telling anyone how to do things. I look at this not with critical eyes, disdain or horror, but rather with humility and appreciation for the resourcefulness, talent and creativity that ones living circumstances instill in a human being.

 

 

 

Edited December 20, 2020 by formariz

[WVHillbilly520H 10,374]

When I worked in the machine shop at my old job I made lots of things there because of the availability of different machines (mills and lathes) but with enough thought some basic hand tools (and material) I could most likely do a lot of it here at home. Definitely ingenuity is the mother of invention... I personally grew up decades behind most as my grandfather and father used all horse drawn equipment converted to use with an Allis Chalmers B to prepare gardens (and potatoe patches to sell for profit) also to make hay for the cows, if they didn't have something they needed they made it, for instance as young child (6-12 I would say) and before , for snow removal they used 12-16" wide 1" thick rough cut oak lumber to make a "V" plow (weighted down) to pull with that same AC tractor when snow was over 6-8" to open our 1/4 mile long dirt/stone driveway. Yes as a whole we are very spoiled here these days but I can say I appreciate every modern amenity that I have become accustomed too and own, but can also be humble enough to do without when budget doesn't allow. Thanks for reminding us where come from.

[ebinmaine 68,481]

I don't think I have to tell most of the people on this site how lucky I am have the significant other in my life that I do. We're both just slightly twisted enough to purposefully try to do some things by hand that most would not even put consideration to.

A great example would be the front steps that we installed a few years ago. What I do it again? No no no no no. But it was a heck of an experience.

 

Resourcefulness is something that Trina definitely was passed down from her mom but the funny thing is she got all of that gene pool and it seems maybe her sisters didn't get any of it. Lol.

 

 

[formariz 11,988]

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

I don't think I have to tell most of the people on this site how lucky I am have the significant other in my life that I do. We're both just slightly twisted enough to purposefully try to do some things by hand that most would not even put consideration to.

A great example would be the front steps that we installed a few years ago. What I do it again? No no no no no. But it was a heck of an experience.

 

Resourcefulness is something that Trina definitely was passed down from her mom but the funny thing is she got all of that gene pool and it seems maybe her sisters didn't get any of it. Lol.

 

 

Just think. How many times do we go up and down steps or come across them during our day. Countless times. How many times do we really look at them or even think about them and their function? Probably none. I can however pretty much guarantee that no one will go by those steps without taking a second look and probably making at least some mental comment to themselves. Why? Because they are not just steps .Its not just about what they are and their function. Its about the kind of individual that has an idea and the mental fortitude to devise a way to get that accomplished with what is at hand, the end result being something so special and unique that in essence has a life of its own .I can still hear my beloved mentor saying "Those things have soul".

[formariz 11,988]

3 hours ago, WVHillbilly520H said:

Yes as a whole we are very spoiled here these days but I can say I appreciate every modern amenity that I have become accustomed too and own, but can also be humble enough to do without when budget doesn't allow. Thanks for reminding us where come from.

Well said Billy. We should all realize how lucky we are specially at times such as we are going through now. Its not good for us now but it is not that bad. Appreciate every day what you have and take a good look around us in the world to learn how much worse things can be. Its a very short step to that point.

[ebinmaine 68,481]

11 minutes ago, formariz said:

Appreciate every **MOMENT IN TIME AND SPACE*** ... you have and take a good look around us in the world to learn how much worse (OR BETTER)  things can be. Its a very short step to that point. 

 

Louis L'Amour once wrote something to the effect that (paraphrasing)

A man's idea of shelter is based his current position. One can be on the windy side of a rock and simply move to the leeward side and everything changes. He now has shelter. A place to be warm and safe. And a better chance at hope. 

 

I've thought about this many many times. Both in the literal explanation because I WAS on the windy side of a mountain OR figuratively in that sometimes it only takes a tiny change to bring a person above (or below) their own version of "ok". 

 

 

[Digger 66 3,488]

I was born a hundred years too late . Period .

[ebinmaine 68,481]

7 minutes ago, Digger 66 said:

I was born a hundred years too late . Period .

Us too

[stevasaurus 22,882]

@Digger 66 & @ebinmaine  What is to say you weren't alive that long ago...and you are still carrying on.  If Wheel Horses can have a number of lives...why can't the guys who keep them???  

[ebinmaine 68,481]

2 hours ago, stevasaurus said:

@Digger 66 & @ebinmaine  What is to say you weren't alive that long ago...and you are still carrying on.  If Wheel Horses can have a number of lives...why can't the guys who keep them???  

I'm open minded enough to say I know I don't know everything. 

Perhaps that's why I have such a liking for the western lifestyle.... Louis L'Amour is the Man. 

[Handy Don 12,476]

2 hours ago, Digger 66 said:

I was born a hundred years too late . Period .

This is an idea I've pondered often, wondering about my ancestors who, obviously, found ways to survive. What did they do? What traits of theirs came down to me? How would I fare in their environment?

I've come to the conclusion that I'm glad to be where I am. I'm already two decades beyond the normal life expectancy of 100 years ago, more comfortable, and healthier (I think). Yes, I had advantages like a stable family, shelter, food, clothing, schooling, and some talents I could use to earn a living. Still, I'll take now over then,

Its fair to ask what the cost has been to the planet of all this, especially the astounding growth in population, and also fair to ask if this is sustainable (difficult to say, the future is never what we expect).

Perhaps too philosophical or even out of bounds for this site.  If so, please let me know.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

Funny that I just watched that turner make the rolling pin and plate!

 

I'm an old Boy Scout, somewhat of a self sufficient preparer and I think I could live a few days in the wild with my bug out bag.  I've spent a lot of time thinking about what I would have to have to get by for those few days and then just a couple days ago I got to thinking how I'd get by if I had nothing but maybe my clothes.  No Bic, no mini flashlight and no knife.  I kept coming back to having no knife, no steel, very limited ways to cut and decided that if I couldn't find some flint or similar to make a cutting edge I might as well just call it quits and walk back home!

 

How the heck did "WE" make it through the "Stone Age"?

[ebinmaine 68,481]

15 minutes ago, DennisThornton said:

How the heck did "WE" make it through the "Stone Age"?

Didn't need steel. We had flint and sticks. 

And conditioning to our existing environment. 

It's surprising how much one changes in just a few days in the wilds of the Great North Maine Woods. 

 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

30 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

Didn't need steel. We had flint and sticks. 

And conditioning to our existing environment. 

It's surprising how much one changes in just a few days in the wilds of the Great North Maine Woods. 

 

I got sticks.

Send me some flint. 

[AMC RULES 37,134]

 Making something out of nothing has always been a way of life here.  

It's the next generations that I feel sorry for!   

[rmaynard 15,627]

12 hours ago, DennisThornton said:

How the heck did "WE" make it through the "Stone Age"?

 

11 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

Didn't need steel. We had flint and sticks. 

 

Didn't live long.

[DennisThornton 4,769]

2 hours ago, rmaynard said:

 

 

Didn't live long.

If I found myself in the woods alone with what I normally carry and the weather is not brutal I could make it for a few days, hopefully longer, but take my knives and I'm in trouble!  I have lighters, flashlights and knives ALL over the place and usually several near me.  One of my comments is that I want to be able to see it, cut it up and burn it!  But take my knife and I'm screwed!

Edited December 21, 2020 by DennisThornton
"it" to "is"

[ebinmaine 68,481]

5 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

 

 

Didn't live long.

Also true, given an overall average. 

 

The species as a whole was certainly more dependant on self reliance and maintaining a healthy person. 

 

[stevasaurus 22,882]

I was 21 when I got married.  Back then, I thought I would not live to see 30.  Now I am 71 and still married to the same girl...something just ain't right.    

[formariz 11,988]

2 minutes ago, stevasaurus said:

I was 21 when I got married.  Back then, I thought I would not live to see 30.  Now I am 71 and still married to the same girl...something just ain't right.    

I agree. Poor girl putting up with you all of these years. Not fair.

[ebinmaine 68,481]

19 minutes ago, formariz said:

I agree. Poor girl putting up with you all of these years. Not fair.

Hahahahaha

[rmaynard 15,627]

1 hour ago, stevasaurus said:

I was 21 when I got married.  Back then, I thought I would not live to see 30.  Now I am 71 and still married to the same girl...something just ain't right.    

I was married at 22. Ever since I was 10 I thought that I would not see 30. And like you, I'll be 71 in a couple months, married to the same girl for 48 years. 

But I'm not sure about the "something just ain't right" thing. 

[wallfish 17,084]

On 12/20/2020 at 4:39 PM, formariz said:

Appreciate every day what you have and take a good look around us in the world to learn how much worse things can be. Its a very short step to that point.

Just the other day a guy I met was complaining about how this country sucks now and making statements how little he has and how tough things are. My reply was you live in a house with furniture, running water and plumbing, you have enough to eat and access to health care. You own a car and have a cell phone and probably feel safe. You're rich compared to the people that live in a mud hut and go without any of those things.

We are blessed to be born in this country, at this time in history and be Americans. Not being Bill Gates doesn't make you poor.

[formariz 11,988]

17 minutes ago, wallfish said:

Just the other day a guy I met was complaining about how this country sucks now and making statements how little he has and how tough things are. My reply was you live in a house with furniture, running water and plumbing, you have enough to eat and access to health care. You own a car and have a cell phone and probably feel safe. You're rich compared to the people that live in a mud hut and go without any of those things.

We are blessed to be born in this country, at this time in history and be Americans. Not being Bill Gates doesn't make you poor.

Its hard for someone born here to sometimes understand how different things are elsewhere. They have never known anything else. I have known something else. When one is down on life sometimes despair sets in and there seems to be no hope. The one thing that I always noticed living here, is that despite ones circumstances, there is always hope. There are always other opportunities and possibilities. That does not exist in many other places.

I am thankful every minute of my life for the moment I stepped on this blessed land and cannot even imagine what my life would have been like otherwise. When asked I never hide what my origin and I am proud of where I came from, but make no mistake as to whom my heart and loyalty belongs.

[bc.gold 3,403]

Howard Hughes, after years in the public eye, became a recluse late in his life.

Edited December 22, 2020 by bcgold