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What is your post apocalyptic talent? (Original Post) Marthe48 Mar 2020 OP
Sitting with a boog chocolate lab TEB Mar 2020 #1
always good Marthe48 Mar 2020 #3
I have a knack for solving problems lapfog_1 Mar 2020 #2
I can type like the wind on a manual typewriter. Glorfindel Mar 2020 #4
lol Marthe48 Mar 2020 #7
Do you take shorthand? n/t rzemanfl Mar 2020 #11
Absolutely. Typing and shorthand kept me out of combat in Vietnam Glorfindel Mar 2020 #15
I used to be proficient and Gregg SH and I'm missing it. Laffy Kat Mar 2020 #49
Trump would be good at short hands. KY_EnviroGuy Mar 2020 #47
Good one! LOL! BComplex Mar 2020 #54
Yup. He can sign "Me, me me," in record time. lunatica Mar 2020 #107
I hope not, but that may prove to be a very useful skill. n/t Laelth Mar 2020 #21
Constructing mnemonic memory circuits using stone-knives and bear-skins htuttle Mar 2020 #5
(are you sure your name isn't Spock?) lastlib Mar 2020 #60
I can rebuild a carb. Mosby Mar 2020 #6
I eat carbs. wnylib Mar 2020 #102
I will eat anything the Red Hen provides. LakeArenal Mar 2020 #8
I can chop wood and build a fire. 33taw Mar 2020 #9
I know how to make a gasifier and primitive weapons . Also I know how to Brew Beer . stonecutter357 Mar 2020 #10
You will be a valuable addition to the tribe Marthe48 Mar 2020 #12
You would be a very valuable person to have around during the apocalypse. lark Mar 2020 #97
I can sew with a needle and thread. Cracklin Charlie Mar 2020 #13
between my wife and I we have gardening, sewing, and cooking covered NRaleighLiberal Mar 2020 #14
I have a green thumb and 2 workable acres alittlelark Mar 2020 #16
If there is an apocolypse where we stay in place, definitely need a greenhouse. lark Mar 2020 #98
I can make stone tools. bluedigger Mar 2020 #17
I know how to darn socks. The Velveteen Ocelot Mar 2020 #18
I can address mine even more harshly than that. n/t sl8 Mar 2020 #22
Out, out, damned sock! The Velveteen Ocelot Mar 2020 #23
Well, if this is going to become a contest ... sl8 Mar 2020 #48
lol Marthe48 Mar 2020 #28
It took me a second reading - that is... 3catwoman3 Mar 2020 #38
I can cook, bake, sew, knit, crochet, mend, darn, grow food, be cheap and resourceful Nay Mar 2020 #19
Make sure you tell people Marthe48 Mar 2020 #20
Haha...me too. All of the above. Zoonart Mar 2020 #51
Damn, those are some good skills. lark Mar 2020 #99
I retaught myself to crochet after nearly 50 years without doing it yellowdogintexas Mar 2020 #104
Gardening MissB Mar 2020 #24
I think I am in love. That's an awesome skill-set. n/t Laelth Mar 2020 #34
Awww MissB Mar 2020 #43
I can cook a feral hog. Laelth Mar 2020 #25
which assumes you also know how to kill a feral hog Marthe48 Mar 2020 #32
Nobody needs a license to kill feral hog, no. Laelth Mar 2020 #36
A rifle, maybe 30-06 should do the trick. Ilsa Mar 2020 #79
civilized person here, who also knows barbecue is made with pork yellowdogintexas Mar 2020 #105
I like my slaw on the side. Laelth Mar 2020 #110
Welding, blacksmithing, and all manner of redneck metallurgy Cirque du So-What Mar 2020 #26
I can grow great cannabis, brew great beer, bake great bread, and catch fish.... getagrip_already Mar 2020 #27
I can hunt, I can fish and I also can build furniture or anything wooden with unplugged tools. drray23 Mar 2020 #29
Real-life MacGuyver. I pride myself on figuring how do do something with minimal materials/training kysrsoze Mar 2020 #30
I used to teach Homesteading Skills handmade34 Mar 2020 #31
This message was self-deleted by its author democratisphere Mar 2020 #33
Prosciutto di cinghiale! (Wild boar prosciutto):the best! fierywoman Mar 2020 #35
Rock on. Sounds excellent! n/t Laelth Mar 2020 #44
I could help organize and maintain a modest library. Harker Mar 2020 #37
I am a good mechanic & fair carpenter rickyhall Mar 2020 #39
I could sit around and mope. LastDemocratInSC Mar 2020 #40
Can I sit in when I'm not at the library? Harker Mar 2020 #42
You can make people laugh. Laelth Mar 2020 #45
I can talk no end of shit. I would make a good preacher. Midnight Writer Mar 2020 #41
Mr. Fix-it is my name. If I can't fix it, I know some fool that can. KY_EnviroGuy Mar 2020 #46
Scream until everyone passes out... Evergreen Emerald Mar 2020 #50
I even used spell-check :) Marthe48 Mar 2020 #87
My sense of humor Faux pas Mar 2020 #52
I can start a fire from just a little dried grass Mountain Mule Mar 2020 #53
Making underwear out of bicycle tires. Sneederbunk Mar 2020 #55
I would love to see some examples of your work. The Velveteen Ocelot Mar 2020 #68
Thanks for the laughs Bev54 Mar 2020 #56
I laughed at the replies Marthe48 Mar 2020 #59
scrabble NBachers Mar 2020 #57
... Major Nikon Mar 2020 #58
Great thread stopwastingmymoney Mar 2020 #61
You could have one of the other posters make you an abacus :) Marthe48 Mar 2020 #63
Lists! stopwastingmymoney Mar 2020 #65
I know how to make herbal medicines sarge43 Mar 2020 #62
Yes, good thought stopwastingmymoney Mar 2020 #70
Sewing, knitting and crochet. ihaveaquestion Mar 2020 #64
I can mock the forces that caused it! marble falls Mar 2020 #66
I make things. ChazInAz Mar 2020 #67
Now I'm wondering stopwastingmymoney Mar 2020 #69
We have roadrunners, here. ChazInAz Mar 2020 #71
I wash my hands after bringing the mail in. 40RatRod Mar 2020 #72
I can serve as a bad example ironflange Mar 2020 #73
I make for a good... reACTIONary Mar 2020 #74
I am very forgetful Skittles Mar 2020 #75
I can shoot wild animals if I have to. If it gets bad enough they doc03 Mar 2020 #76
Killer weed. I have a gift. WheelWalker Mar 2020 #77
My skills include spinning wool and fibers into yarns, procon Mar 2020 #78
I can raise my left eyebrow and issue a contemptuous glare and a scathing sarcastic remark . nt tblue37 Mar 2020 #80
LOL I can do that too My daughter used to call it "the Eyebrow" yellowdogintexas Mar 2020 #106
I am good at giving hugs. FM123 Mar 2020 #81
I can teach self-defense sakabatou Mar 2020 #82
Bookkeeping, with pencil and paper only. StatGirl Mar 2020 #83
Haha me too stopwastingmymoney Mar 2020 #90
I loved Lotus 123 StatGirl Mar 2020 #95
Gardener, seed saver, equestrian, equine trainer, land planner, civil engineering. CottonBear Mar 2020 #84
Jill of many incongruous skills. cate94 Mar 2020 #85
Are you me? Marthe48 Mar 2020 #89
Hmmm cate94 Mar 2020 #92
I make killer beanhole beans Throckmorton Mar 2020 #86
I can wipe without toilet paper Snellius Mar 2020 #88
I can get kids to do what ever I want mercuryblues Mar 2020 #91
I can translate people's complaints between nine different languages DFW Mar 2020 #93
knitting NewEnglandAutumn Mar 2020 #94
I'm good with growing things. lark Mar 2020 #96
Everyone thinks they're going to be Mad Max. Codeine Mar 2020 #100
I think I am talentless but if you insist: Polly Hennessey Mar 2020 #101
I am a good cook (w/out recipies) and I can knit. smirkymonkey Mar 2020 #103
I can manage a field kitchen for 7 days feeding 65 people 3 meals a day yellowdogintexas Mar 2020 #108
Salsa dancing. lindysalsagal Mar 2020 #109

Glorfindel

(9,730 posts)
4. I can type like the wind on a manual typewriter.
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 11:39 AM
Mar 2020

That talent might come in handy in a world with no electricity. Otherwise, I'm pretty useless.

Glorfindel

(9,730 posts)
15. Absolutely. Typing and shorthand kept me out of combat in Vietnam
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 11:45 AM
Mar 2020

Also, a pre-existing top-secret clearance. It's a shame that shorthand is a dead (or dying) art.

Laffy Kat

(16,383 posts)
49. I used to be proficient and Gregg SH and I'm missing it.
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 05:15 PM
Mar 2020

I started practising again and it's coming back. There is a real beauty to it, IMO.

htuttle

(23,738 posts)
5. Constructing mnemonic memory circuits using stone-knives and bear-skins
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 11:40 AM
Mar 2020

Yet somehow, I'm really terrible at plumbing and carpentry.

lastlib

(23,244 posts)
60. (are you sure your name isn't Spock?)
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 10:03 AM
Mar 2020

That would be a logical conclusion.

"City On The Edge Of Forever"--my favorite ST episode!

lark

(23,105 posts)
97. You would be a very valuable person to have around during the apocalypse.
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 08:45 AM
Mar 2020

Wish you were my neighbor.

NRaleighLiberal

(60,015 posts)
14. between my wife and I we have gardening, sewing, and cooking covered
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 11:44 AM
Mar 2020

also coffee roasting, beer making, writing, food preservation, seed saving and music (though rusty)

alittlelark

(18,890 posts)
16. I have a green thumb and 2 workable acres
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 11:46 AM
Mar 2020

My greenhouse is filled with starts, and whenever I have to go to town I come back with a truckload of compost.

lark

(23,105 posts)
98. If there is an apocolypse where we stay in place, definitely need a greenhouse.
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 08:46 AM
Mar 2020

I do love to grow things and this would definitely lengthen the growing season.

sl8

(13,787 posts)
48. Well, if this is going to become a contest ...
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 04:38 PM
Mar 2020

I say, that's totally unfair to me. You bein' erudite and all.

Nay

(12,051 posts)
19. I can cook, bake, sew, knit, crochet, mend, darn, grow food, be cheap and resourceful
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 12:01 PM
Mar 2020

because I used to be poor. But I'm old, and I'll probably die of this shit before I can help anybody.

Marthe48

(16,975 posts)
20. Make sure you tell people
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 12:04 PM
Mar 2020

or leave instructions I'm worried about that too, plunging into Dark Ages because of a break in the continuity of generations

lark

(23,105 posts)
99. Damn, those are some good skills.
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 08:55 AM
Mar 2020

Wish I had kept up with my knitting and crocheting. When I was pregnant with my son I learned how to knit to make him blankets, then my mom taught me how to crochet when I had my daughter a few years later. Unfortunately, once I had them, I didn't keep up with the crafts, and now wish I had.

Being poor is a great learning tool, I made all my clothes (except shoes and jeans) and grew most of my food except meat for years. I need a new sewing machine because my old bobbin just produces tangled threads now, and then I could practice up and be making clothes again shortly. Hopefully you won't die soon and can contribute your skills. Be safe!

yellowdogintexas

(22,264 posts)
104. I retaught myself to crochet after nearly 50 years without doing it
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 11:06 PM
Mar 2020

I wanted to make something for my new granddaughter so went to Pinterest and found everything I needed to help me learn again. Since then I have made 3 afghans and am ready to start on another one.
You can definitely learn it again

MissB

(15,810 posts)
24. Gardening
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 12:25 PM
Mar 2020

Starting plants from seed.

Sewing.

Baking.

Cooking in general, from scratch.

Canning.

I can do math too. Not sure my engineering career will do much for me, post apocalypse.

Laelth

(32,017 posts)
25. I can cook a feral hog.
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 12:36 PM
Mar 2020


Where I come from, down in JAWJA, there's only one way to cook a feral hog.

We don’t think that there’s anything wrong with killing a wild hog, btw. They are a menace. They’re naturally mean, and they are more dangerous than anything else that you can find in our woods and swamps (including cottonmouths, rattlers, bears, and gators). Wild hog is the worst.

So, here’s what you do. You dig a hole about 4 feet deep. You wrap up the hog in chicken wire (so as it doesn't explode), and then you lob the hog in the hole. You cover it with dirt. You collect all the loose wood you can, build a bonfire, and, at sundown, you light that bad boy up. Then, you sit around the fire with your friends and drink beer while somebody is blasting country music (or southern rock) from the truck that they have parked nearby. You get a little drunk and have a good time imagining what that hog is gonna taste like when you dig it up.

Next day, in the afternoon, you dig up the hog. Then you skin it, save the brains, eyeballs, and all the tender innards for Brunswick Stew (I don’t eat Brunswick Stew, btw), and then you separate all the meat from the bones. That hog meat is normally tough as shoe leather, but it will fall off the bone if it’s cooked properly—slow, high heat, with 2-3 feet of dirt between it and the fire, so the hog doesn’t burn.

Then you eat it—however you want to. Right now, I could go for a barbecue sandwich which, as any civilized person knows, is made from pork, not beef.



I have other skills, but this one might prove to be most useful in an apocalypse.

-Laelth

Marthe48

(16,975 posts)
32. which assumes you also know how to kill a feral hog
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 12:44 PM
Mar 2020

Which might be a better ability than cooking it I read that in Tx you don't need a license to hunt and kill feral/wild hogs. I told my son-in-law in case he and his relatives wanted to take a hunting trip.

Laelth

(32,017 posts)
36. Nobody needs a license to kill feral hog, no.
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 12:52 PM
Mar 2020

And yes, I can kill them, but it takes a pretty powerful weapon to do it. A little .22 shot is just going to tick it off.



-Laelth

Ilsa

(61,695 posts)
79. A rifle, maybe 30-06 should do the trick.
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 07:28 PM
Mar 2020

You don't want to piss 'em off, just drop him.

They can get big and are very destructive.

yellowdogintexas

(22,264 posts)
105. civilized person here, who also knows barbecue is made with pork
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 11:09 PM
Mar 2020

I am from KY so I prefer the thin hot vinegar sauce.

There must be slaw on the sandwich.

Cirque du So-What

(25,941 posts)
26. Welding, blacksmithing, and all manner of redneck metallurgy
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 12:38 PM
Mar 2020

Also, chemistry and electrical / electronic troubleshooting.

drray23

(7,633 posts)
29. I can hunt, I can fish and I also can build furniture or anything wooden with unplugged tools.
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 12:41 PM
Mar 2020

My hobby is unplugged woodworking. I have an extensive toolkit of 19th century tools (saws, chisels, planes, etc..) that I use almost daily. If we lose power, I can barter making stools, chairs, beds, etc.. for whomever needs it.

handmade34

(22,756 posts)
31. I used to teach Homesteading Skills
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 12:43 PM
Mar 2020

so I figure they will come in handy someday

I can keep a sourdough going
made a batch of soap this morning... I have enough here for a lifetime (or two)
my son is in my sewing room making bike bags
my partner loves to tell tall tales and keep everyone entertained

Response to Marthe48 (Original post)

Harker

(14,024 posts)
37. I could help organize and maintain a modest library.
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 12:56 PM
Mar 2020

I've spent most of my working life in bookshops.

Maybe someone with some administrative experience and greater drive would be better for the top job.

KY_EnviroGuy

(14,492 posts)
46. Mr. Fix-it is my name. If I can't fix it, I know some fool that can.
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 02:46 PM
Mar 2020

There's going to be a massive surge of stuff that needs fixing after this disaster.

Now if I can just figure out how to put some lead in this fancy pencil.......

Mountain Mule

(1,002 posts)
53. I can start a fire from just a little dried grass
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 05:48 PM
Mar 2020

And I'm the best campfire cook you've ever met. I can even bake bread on the coals from a campfire.

Bev54

(10,053 posts)
56. Thanks for the laughs
Thu Mar 19, 2020, 05:58 PM
Mar 2020

Reading all the posts here had me laughing out loud and we need that right now.

stopwastingmymoney

(2,042 posts)
61. Great thread
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 10:06 AM
Mar 2020

I can cook, can, garden, make fire, scavenge for food

My valuable accounting/computer skills become worthless I suppose

I’m also good at organizing everyone, maybe a community cooperative of some sort, heh 😏

sarge43

(28,941 posts)
62. I know how to make herbal medicines
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 10:13 AM
Mar 2020

Know how to use a stove top and/or camp fire pressure cooker and have a binder full of recipes.

Know gardening.

Have a bunch of "How to" books from building a chicken coop to making bricks.

Have three bee hives and the equipment to process the honey.

ihaveaquestion

(2,545 posts)
64. Sewing, knitting and crochet.
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 10:50 AM
Mar 2020

I can also cook and type. I may be hampered by bad eyesight when eyeglasses become scarce, because I need reading glasses.

ChazInAz

(2,569 posts)
67. I make things.
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 11:32 AM
Mar 2020

Besides being an actor, I can make any number of necessary, useful items.
I do blacksmithing, and make high-quality knives. Before you ask about steel...I have smelted it using primitive methods and local materials.
Need shoes and clothing? This Hungarian will kit you out! Tan hides, too.
Where to get a hunting rifle to obtain those hides? Right over here, flintlock coming right up! Oh, yeah, and when the gun humpers burn through all their modern ammunition? Your Humble can whomp up some smelly old black powder.I
Start a fire, build shelter, cool a meal, make soap?
Heck, I'd be voivode in no time!

stopwastingmymoney

(2,042 posts)
69. Now I'm wondering
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 12:43 PM
Mar 2020

If any of my neighbors has the skills and equipment to shoot turkeys, they’re plentiful around here

Skittles

(153,169 posts)
75. I am very forgetful
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 07:16 PM
Mar 2020

when I took stuff from work to work from home, upon opening the trunk to stash them I found a 9 roll pack of TP, along with tissues and paper towels......they must have been in there from last year

WheelWalker

(8,955 posts)
77. Killer weed. I have a gift.
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 07:23 PM
Mar 2020

On Edit... Outdoor, natural light, under shelter house, controlled photoperiod, with established facility in place.

procon

(15,805 posts)
78. My skills include spinning wool and fibers into yarns,
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 07:27 PM
Mar 2020

weaving and dying using natural plants and other organic materials. I can also do large batch canning to preserve meats and produce. I can also make rope. All learned during my "hippy" years of off the grid minimalism.

yellowdogintexas

(22,264 posts)
106. LOL I can do that too My daughter used to call it "the Eyebrow"
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 11:14 PM
Mar 2020

She says she always knew if I was really ticked when I gave her "The Look"

I can do it with both eyebrows, but the left is much better than the right

StatGirl

(518 posts)
83. Bookkeeping, with pencil and paper only.
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 08:01 PM
Mar 2020

I figure post-apocalypse, someone still has to do the accounting. Debits on the left, credits on the right.

(Old enough to remember when a "spreadsheet" was made of paper.)

StatGirl

(518 posts)
95. I loved Lotus 123
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 12:37 AM
Mar 2020

Excel is still my second favorite program (after SAS). It is so flexible, I use it for a zillion things.

CottonBear

(21,596 posts)
84. Gardener, seed saver, equestrian, equine trainer, land planner, civil engineering.
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 08:05 PM
Mar 2020

Ukulele player and kazoo player too!

I’m a Cub Scout leader, so I’ve got outdoor cooking, camping and survival skills.
I can start fires, build emergency shelters and provide basic first aid.

I can kayak and I have a kayak. I can canoe as well.

cate94

(2,811 posts)
85. Jill of many incongruous skills.
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 08:32 PM
Mar 2020

I don’t need a recipe, usually I can make a decent meal out of whatever is available. I was a nurses aide while in college, so I can take care of people if they need help with basic skills. I can clean. I can drywall and tape and I can paint. I can make a fire and cook on a campfire. Oh and I took a wild edibles class once, although I only remember a few of them, they are fairly ubiquitous. I can make art, in case anyone has a desire to look at it. Otherwise I think my later life skills won’t be needed. Spec writing and purchasing will be so yesterday.

Throckmorton

(3,579 posts)
86. I make killer beanhole beans
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 08:34 PM
Mar 2020

Using a recipe handed down to me by my grandfather. He was a lumber camp cook from around 1902 until after WWII.

Snellius

(6,881 posts)
88. I can wipe without toilet paper
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 08:47 PM
Mar 2020

And other old backpacking and military tricks. Humanity went through many centuries before 2-ply was invented. Even older than the Sears catalog. When you have to, amazing what you can figure out. Will leave the solution up to you.

DFW

(54,404 posts)
93. I can translate people's complaints between nine different languages
Fri Mar 20, 2020, 10:18 PM
Mar 2020

I'm sure EVERYBODY wants to hear them, right?

If not, I can play a pretty mean Leo Kottke style 12 string guitar, too.

lark

(23,105 posts)
96. I'm good with growing things.
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 08:42 AM
Mar 2020

But thats only helpful after shit has calmed down. During a revolution or zombie apocalypse I'd be toast, I have terrible eyesight, am old and overweight and am slow. I do have perseverance & patience and can walk quite a ways, so maybe it wouldn't be as bad as I fear.

 

Codeine

(25,586 posts)
100. Everyone thinks they're going to be Mad Max.
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 10:50 AM
Mar 2020

Really most of us will just end up part of a decorative skull tower somewhere.

Polly Hennessey

(6,799 posts)
101. I think I am talentless but if you insist:
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 10:57 AM
Mar 2020

Reading, preferably with my two dogs beside me and either a cup of tea or iced coffee, depending on the weather.

 

smirkymonkey

(63,221 posts)
103. I am a good cook (w/out recipies) and I can knit.
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 07:29 PM
Mar 2020

Can also do PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets and Word documents, along w/ a number of other computer apps.

yellowdogintexas

(22,264 posts)
108. I can manage a field kitchen for 7 days feeding 65 people 3 meals a day
Sat Mar 21, 2020, 11:28 PM
Mar 2020

I actually did that. It was an actual kitchen but somewhat rudimentary. Over the years I cooked many a meal in that old place, usually for at least 30 hungry cavers. Some of the most fun I have ever had was hanging out with those folks.

Besides that, I can cook both with and without recipes, bake a damn fine cake, cookies or brownies, grow a garden if I need to, crochet, teach English, history or biology (and probably civics).

I have canned vegetables, made Kraut from scratch, as well as jam, jelly, preserves and pickles. I thank my grandmothers, aunts and mother for teaching me all these things when I was growing up in the country.


I suck at housekeeping so I need to be paired up with a clean freak. When I did that field kitchen, my partner came right behind me and cleaned up the mess.

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