The Decline of Do-It-Yourself
by Suzanne Hadley on 02/20/2008 at 2:32 PM
I'll admit it. I can't change a tire. I definitely can't program my VCR. And I'm nervous about doing my taxes on my own. In an article on MSN, Glenn Harlan Reynolds discusses the decline of do-it-yourself skills in a high-tech society.
Science-fiction author Robert A. Heinlein once wrote: "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
That's a tall order. Although I can only do some of those things, I approve of the principle. Nowadays, though, we're specializing more. A popular Internet essay is titled: "I Can't Do One-Quarter of the Things My Father Can." Are hands-on skills — building things, fixing things, operating machines and so on — really in decline?
Reynolds thinks so. He points out that while handiness cannot be measured they way academic smarts can, anecdotal evidence supports a loss of hands-on skills. For example, I am not alone in my fear of changing a tire, evidently.
Even the simplest of automotive tasks, changing a tire, seems to be beyond the ken of many people. According to AAA, nearly 4 million motorists requested roadside assistance last year — for flat tires.
So what's the big deal? We have new skills that replace the old ones. Isn't specialization a good thing? There are advantages to where-with-all, Reynolds says. Through hands-on projects, a person can exercise problem solving skills, gain an accurate picture of his limitations (aka humility) and increase his chances of responding well in an emergency.
We don't all have to be MacGyver, but from time to time all of us will face problems that can't be addressed with a laptop and a cellphone. In a genuine emergency, having some basic manual skills could be the difference between surviving comfortably and being totally helpless.
Reynolds applauds the home renovation boom (thanks, in part, to home improvement corporations with slogans like: "You can do it; we can help") and the Dangerous Book for Boys, which encourages fathers and sons to tackle hands-on projects like building catapults and constructing bows and arrows. In the past, fathers and sons connected through the passing down of mechanical skills and household tasks. Reynolds hopes to see this tradition revived. After reading his article, I do, too. Next time I see my dad, I think I'll ask him to teach me how to change a tire.
1. Mike Theemling said the following at 3:11 PM on Feb 20
Since America is an economy based upon services rather than goods, this doesn't surprise me. The more things people do themselves, the less work professionals have.
One of the main reasons why I don't do as many DITY projects is because I don't have the time for the learning curve. I remember once trying to install my own garage door opener and the instructions were just plain horrendous. I *might* have been able to figure it out eventually, but my time is more valuable to me than my money.
Another reason is materials. For example, some home projects require a lot specialized tools which I don't have laying around (e.g. spinkler repair). I'd rather pay someone else who already has the tools and expertise do a GOOD job on something (like cleaning carpets) than someone like myself to do just an OK job on it (if I'm lucky. If I'm not lucky I'll screw it up and have to call a pro anyway) and have to rent/buy tools I'll rarely ever use again.
But as for changing a tire, I learned how to do that a long time ago because it usually takes longer to wait for someone to help me than to just plop out the jack and fix it myself.
Some things I can do:
- Change a tire
- Solve differential equations
- Jump-start a car
- Cook/clean/etc.
- Unclog a toilet with a plunger
- Program a VCR (back in the days before TiVo)
- Do PC technical assistance
- Drive a manual transmission car (why sports cars have automatic trans is a mystery to me. What's the point?)
- Perform CPR
- Ballroom dance
- Solder a circuit board
Some things I can't do:
- Install a furnace/water heater
- Build a miniature nuclear reactor out of smoke detectors, paint, aluminium foil, and duct tape
- Remodel a bathroom
- Fly a fixed/rotor wing vehicle
- Perform surgery using only a scalpel, forceps, gloves, coathanger, and a bottle of brandy
- Build furniture
- Sing
2. Ted Slater said the following at 3:13 PM on Feb 20
You mention "VCR" in your third sentence. I've heard of that before, but am not sure what it is. Is it anything like Blu-ray?
3. Jacob MT said the following at 3:34 PM on Feb 20
I'm one victim of it. I know how to use computers well, but at 16, I'm already falling behind the new developments! To be honest, I have no idea about how our car works. I could change a tire, but not a whole lot more. Recognizing the problem, I've come up with a goal to pursue: "Universal Competence." It's basically like that quote. In fact, I've got a couple pages of things to do and learn.
My advice, if you live at home, keep learning. Don't be afraid to ask questions when your Dad is working on the car.
Actually, you might even want to watch while your car is in the shop. If nothing else, read. At least have some idea of how to do it, even if you don't know well.
I've mainly failed at this, honestly. But, it is a good goal to work after.
4. NeedACatchyName said the following at 3:49 PM on Feb 20
I think part of the problem, at least when it comes to fixing common items yourself, is that as technology has progressed, it has become harder to actually repair things yourself. Take cars for instance. Last time I tried to change a tire I wasn't able to. Not because I didn't know how, but because the tire had been put on at the dealership, and they used a pneumatic wrench to overtightened the lugnuts (I think it may have stripped them a little too). As a result, three adult men trying at the same time were unable to make the lugnuts turn enough to remove the tire. The car eventually had to be taken to a mechanic that had a pneumatic wrench because that was the only way to remove the tire (we did request that the lugnuts not be overtightened next time). Furthermore, other repairs are also more complex. While a wrench and a screwdriver were all that were needed to perform many car repairs fifty years ago, now cars have complex computer controls that require special equipment that only a mechanic would have in order to service. This is an often neglected downside of new technology, though it is far outweighed by having more advanced, safe, reliable, and efficient cars.
And it's not just cars either. Fifty years ago, it was expected that the average male could repair many household appliances, including stoves, washing machines, refrigerators, etc. using common tools. Today that's not the case, but that's mainly because even these items have become far too complex to expect the average person to have the knowledge and tools necessary to complete all but the most simple repairs. In other words, it's not so much a lack of knowledge, but an increase in complexity and tools required to do tasks that has demanded specialization.
Though as you mentioned, we do have new skills which are commonplace now that would have been specialized fifty years ago. For example, even grade school students can touch-type with fairly good speed and accuracy, whereas that level of competency was almost exclusively the realm of secretaries and other trained administrative personnel not too long ago.
And what is this VCR thing? Is it sort of like a Tivo? :)
5. Jacob Douvier said the following at 4:21 PM on Feb 20
I've been lucky to have had a wide variety of experiences in my life. My family lived, for a number of years, on a farm, and I helped do a little finishing work on the house before we moved. Then, when we moved to town, the house we bought needed some major electrical upgrades, so I was able to do a little help with that. So, I think I could DIY some electrical and plumbing if I had to, as well as some drywall. What I'm lacking is mechanical experience. I've never been interested in cars all that much, so consequently, it wasn't until getting my first car shortly before my 20th birthday that I spent any real time under the hood. That said, I can change my oil and filters and will be trying my hand at replacing some belts before too long.
When I was in high school, my home school group decided that the boys should learn how to do basic sewing, so we spent some time putting together some quilt blocks. Eventually, someone pointed out that the girls weren't having to learn anything about changing oil or tires, and the moms decided to let us off the hook.
6. Tom Neven said the following at 4:25 PM on Feb 20
I suppose a hundred years ago there were people bemoaning the fact that no one who knew how to shoe a horse or hitch up a wagon anymore. It all depends on what's necessary for day-to-day life. Even now, the need to change a flat tire is being obviated by run-flat tires and those neat little nitrogen-canister thingies that will repair and re-inflate your tire all with the push of a button.
7. NeedACatchyName said the following at 4:30 PM on Feb 20
Referencing comment #1 by Mike (gotta love those new post numbers): It's good to hear from another male on Boundless that can ballroom dance. I'm glad I'm not the only one. Unfortunately, I live in what has to be the only city in America where more males show up to ballroom dance events than females so it's not as enjoyable as it is in most cities where the females outnumber the males. :)
Oh, and I can solder a pretty mean circuit board too, though that's another task that require a lot of expensive, complex equipment for all but the simplest boards (really, it requires an entire assembly line of equipment for many boards if you're starting from scratch).
8. Rachael said the following at 5:33 PM on Feb 20
This post reminds me of my dad...and today :). Just today I was brilliant enough to leave all my keys inside my apartment, and who had my spare keys? My dad, of course (I guess because he took a particular car to work or to the park & ride). Once again my dad saved the day.
As for changing tires...I wonder if one issue people have is lack of practice. I think I had to learn how to do it in driver's ed way back when, but most likely I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it now. A few years ago when I had a situation where I should have done it on the freeway (if I even had a spare tire in my car), I just drove 'anyway', with my bad tire, and a nice elderly man later helped me.
9. Elizabeth said the following at 8:39 PM on Feb 20
Well, I have a ways to go in learning DIY tasks. However, my mom and I have changed several tires at the side of the road, I know how to work a drill press and bandsaw, do the varied tasks necessary for gardening, assemble a computer, rotate our TV's 'rabbit ears' in just the right way to get the channel to come in, drive standard, and do home canning. I'm still scared of matches, though. :) Really, with good instructions, I think most people can learn to do most anything. It's just a question of where your interests and priorities lie, as well as the interests and priorities of your family. I wonder sometimes how we would survive as a society if our technology suddenly disappeared, and how long it would take for it to reappear.
10. Leah said the following at 9:06 PM on Feb 20
Ted, you're as bad as my fiance. He sees a film camera and says "what's that?" And tries in desperation to rid his office of paper because "paper is soooo 20th century". :P
As for DIY, it's so true that it's declining. It also makes life a lot more expensive for people. People whinge that living expenses are so expensive these days- if they actually learnt to do some things themselves, they'd find themselves saving a bit of money!
I don't yet have a licence, but I reckon I could change a tire if I had to. (I possibly wouldn't be physically strong enough to loosen/tighten the nuts on the wheel- I saw a guy doing it once and even he had to bounce up and down on the spanner to get it to loosen and tighten enough.) I could figure out the VCR if you gave me the manual. And taxes are relatively easy (if time consuming) given the computer software available to us in Australia.
I can shoot a pistol; I know how to get out of quicksand (let's hope I never have to actually do it, lol); I can do basic sewing (eg. taking up a hem) but wouldn't trust myself making an item of clothing; I can cook "a tasty meal"; I can take and give orders; I can solve relatively simple equations (maths was not my strong point in Years 11 and 12- ie. I can't stand differentiation!); I can't program a computer (it's a bit far-fetched to expect 'everyone' to be able to do that); I can operate one very competently and change details etc etc, but program it? No.
However, I must say I reckon my Dad could do everything on that list. Perhaps not program a computer (but everything short of it!) He probably couldn't write a sonnet either :P (Or not a very good one ;P).
I think the most important thing, above being good at DIY, is being able to learn. Having just started a new (temporary) job, I've been pleasantly surprised at how quickly I've picked up how to navigate my way through a computer system which, two days ago, was scarily complex. Being able to learn means that even if you can't do something yourself, you can learn how to! There are some people who just don't have a hope in the world.
I must say though that I've never seen a grade school (primary school in Australia) student touch-type with any decent speed. Even my fiance, an 'uber nerd' (Bachelor of IT) can't touch type properly :P
11. BDB said the following at 9:27 PM on Feb 20
Hmmm...if I had to choose between changing a tire and changing a diaper, I think I'd get out the wrench...
One thing about the AAA statistic is that a AAA membership includes three complimentary roadside assistance incidents per year. So, if you've gone all year without a problem, and you get a flat tire, and you're wearing a suit...hey, you've already paid for them to come change the tire.
I did stain my front door last week and painted the door frame. I'm not entirely happy with my taping job, I made some mistakes. Then I looked at all the other doors in my house and realized that the previous owner must have painted it himself, too...
But Suzanne, your list of things you need help with is even better than letting a guy open the pickle jar for you!
12. BDB said the following at 9:38 PM on Feb 20
Rachael (#8) wrote:
>>Just today I was brilliant enough to leave all my keys inside my apartment,<<
With a deadbolt, that doesn't usually happen. But with one of those handle locks...
When I bought this house, the previous owner mentioned that he had a key hidden behind the water heater because his wife would sometimes forget her keys. I remembered the comment, but he never mentioned why:
The door to the garage closes itself, and the handle locks automatically...and the washer/dryer is in the garage. Who would think of taking your keys to do laundry in the garage? In other words, his wife forgot her keys when doing his laundry. I wish he'd mentioned that part.
Luckily, I had a hammer in the garage...someday I'll need to replace that door handle.
As far as tire-changing, those little wrenches that come with a car are useless. Got buy a good 14-inch star wrench. You may need a metric one if you have a Japanese or German car. That will give you the leverage to get the lug nuts off safely.
Unless you forget the key to your locking lug nuts...
13. Ted Slater said the following at 9:47 PM on Feb 20
BDB wrote, "if I had to choose between changing a tire and changing a diaper."
No question, I would change one of my daughters' diapers. There's nothing like seeing their little faces, grateful to get into something "fresh," hearing their tiny requests to be changed, talking with them during the process, seeing their little efforts to try to help making the diaper-changing process easier, sensing their gratefulness when they're in their new diaper....
Dare I say that changing diapers speaks of the kindness of our Father God? God cleans up our messes, forgives us, works with us to make us more pure, and so on. When I change my daughters' diapers, I get insights into the kindness of God that I wouldn't be able to get through changing a tire.
14. J said the following at 10:40 PM on Feb 20
How timely! In the last week I have heard the specialization piece twice, and yes, I lament the fact that there are some skills that I don't have. Yes, I learned how to change a tire.... once. Could probably do it with instructions.
I grew up with a mom who could sew and a dad who did a lot of repairs around the house and to the car. In fact, it wasn't until recently that I realized how much my dad has probably saved me in car repair bills over the years.
I can do the basics of sewing, and I'm sure I could make a garment if I had to, but I have nowhere near my mom's ability... mainly because my time has been focused elsewhere. Well, I WISH I could repair things like my dad can. I particularly realize this as a single female in her upper twenties, and I am determined to learn more so I can be more self-sufficient in case Mr. Right/Handyman doesn't make his way into my life.
I'm a decent cook given a recipe, and there are lots of other things I CAN do, but in our busy lives there are also so many hours to learn and do everything that needs to be done.
15. Rachael said the following at 10:50 PM on Feb 20
Hey! Elizabeth (#9)! I think I'm slightly scared of matches too (well, if I were in a situation where I had to use them). It's possible I may have used them a long time ago, but not in recent months or years. I'm not sure if I've ever even expressed that slight fear to anyone ;) Interesting.
16. Suzanne said the following at 11:11 PM on Feb 20
Think about it guys, if I can't program a VCR, I definitely shouldn't be given access to a Blu-ray or TiVo. A part of my lack of DIY skills probably has to do with the fact that I'm lazy.
17. Jo said the following at 12:35 AM on Feb 21
As [a href="http://www.boundlessline.org/2008/02/the-decline-of.html#comment-103428046@]NeedACatchyName[/a] said, most people aren't physically strong enough to change a tyre that has been put on professionally - certainly not little old me. I am however pretty competent I think, I've done handiwork around my flat and decorated my bedroom, I can do (very) basic stuff with my car, I can operate my computer and fix little problems with it, and I can cook pretty well and sew a little. In my family, my Mum was the DIY lady who did everything around the house, and my Dad was the techno-geek who could do everything in that realm including, yes, programming a computer.
Of course, if we women can do too much of this stuff by ourselves, doesn't that make us look self-sufficient and fail to create the 'pickle jar' effect? :)
18. Louise said the following at 6:39 AM on Feb 21
Even if one is an expert in changing a tire, the AAA membership is still worth it, I believe.
There is the lug-nut removal problem that someone already mentioned, then somehow flat tires always seem to occur when one is dressed up!
And what if there is a twenty below windchill? Much better to get the car towed indoors before doing any work!
As for do-it-yourself, there is a certain amount of satisfaction, I believe, in seeing the tangible results of projects/efforts.
Last week I attended a class after hours at my office on making Valentine cards...it was nice making something for the loved ones as opposed to always buying things.
19. BB said the following at 7:05 AM on Feb 21
I've read books that say the complete opposite of what was said in this article. They say that if you make $20 an hour and it takes an hour to mow the grass, you are better off to spend an extra hour at the office and pay the kid next door $15 to do it for you. In addition, you get out of having to buy the necessary equipment and you won't have to spend time showering and getting ready afterwards which gives you even more time you could spend at the office. You've really save more money by paying some one else to mow your lawn.
Changing a tire is different and could be necessary if you are at a place with no reception but most manual labor isn't worth your time from a financial standpoint.
I won't say I agree even though I can fix almost anything on a car but I will say that I haven't changed my own oil in over 6 years.
20. Dan Gill said the following at 7:10 AM on Feb 21
The number of calls for roadside assistance to change tires is a red herring. Were all those calls made because someone didn't know how to change the tire? Hardly.
21. Loris said the following at 7:35 AM on Feb 21
Really, there are guys that ballroom dance? Do any of you live near me? My husband won't go and I'd love to take it up again.
Seriously, I can do more of the things on the list than I initially thought I'd be able to, including write that pesky sonnet. I'm tall, as was my mother before me, so I learned to sew my own dresses as a teen because nothing fit right. I can cook reasonably well and make many things from scratch. I'm sure I could figure out changing a tire if I ever had to. Haven't had to yet, though.
22. Becca said the following at 12:16 PM on Feb 21
It amazes me how much common ground there is between this sort of "conservative" perspective on self-reliance and similar perspectives coming from the other extreme.
I mean, just take a look at the wikipedia page on DIY - among other things, it talks about the deep associations between the DIY ethos and punk, anarchist, and other subcultures associated with the far left.
On a milder note, I worked on a farm once that was located in a community full of, basically, first and second generation hippies. (The farm itself had been founded by leftist back-to-the-landers Helen and Scott Nearing in the 1950s). All of them would have agreed passionately with the ideas behind this post (and all of them are doing something about it in their own actions, growing their own food, building their own houses, and the like).
It would be nice if more common ground could be built between the left and the right in areas like this. There are more than we think...
23. BDB said the following at 1:29 PM on Feb 21
Ted wrote (#13):
>>I get insights into the kindness of God that I wouldn't be able to get through changing a tire.<<
So...we now await Ashliegh's comments on what she learns about God by changing the tire on Ted's car?
BB wrote (#19):
>>you are better off to spend an extra hour at the office and pay the kid next door $15 to do it for you. <<
Come to think of it, some couples hire nannies because it's cheaper to outsource their children...well, if you only look at the short-term dollars I guess...
As far as changing a tire (or in metric, a tyre), if the lug nuts are on tight, you do get sweaty. Its easier with a good star wrench which I bought AFTER being unable to get a lug nut off with the little tiny wrench the car came with. I now do all my tire work at America's Tire, where their policy is to hand-tighten the lug nuts with a star wrench the same size as mine. That way I know I can get them off again if necessary.
Though, this car seems to have a tire-pressure monitoring system so maybe I'll never get stuck again. We shall see...I'll probably hit a curb or something.
24. Carrie Lea said the following at 1:35 PM on Feb 21
Becca,
I agree. It never ceases to amaze me that this kind of thinking is considered "liberal." I'm a conservative on most fronts, but one of my (and my husband's) dreams is to live off the land someday, in a sustainable and environmentally responsible fashion. That kind of lifestyle requires a great deal of DIY mentality. And frankly (with reference to the "Invisible Work" thread), I think it will be a lot more satisfying than our current computer jobs.
Check out this article on the environmentalist site treehugger.com. They refer to replacing the hotel room Bible with a copy of The Inconvenient Truth as "a nice touch." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that one.
It is a shame that the left and the right seem to spend more time fighting than solving problems. After all, doesn't everyone want what's best for our people, our economy, our planet, etc.? The major conflicts are over how to reach our common goals. I think we should discuss the solutions rather than constantly call one another's motives into question.
I would love to hear more about your experience on the farm. Hopefully it wouldn't be too off-topic!
25. Autumn said the following at 3:21 PM on Feb 21
Well before I got my driver's license, my dad said i needed to learn how to drive a stick shift and jumpstart a car. and because my current vehicle (which happens to be a stick shift) sometimes decides not to start, i can start it by pushing it and popping the clutch, too. also, i'm pretty good a driving in the snow/ice/sleet. my dad always told me he wanted me to be self-relient and be able to say, "yeah, i can to that" when somebody asked me.
i'm eighteen and some of my friends still aren't allowed to drive their cars in the medium-sized city that's about half an hour away from our small town, and some aren't allowed to drive anywhere if the weathermen are even calling for bad weather. i understand that we're still young, and consequently can be stupid, but i also think that my parent's philosphy of letting me learn from experience, while i lived in the house, works really well. also, they're close enough that they can come bail me out if i need them to. and that's happened a couple of times :) usually after my dad comes and helps me with one thing, i'm able to do it on my own the next time it happens.
but parents that continue to coddle their kids while they're growing up are doing them no favors at all. eventually, everyone will (hopefully) move away from home and have to do things on their own. experience really is a good teacher.
26. Natasha said the following at 4:03 PM on Feb 21
DIY?
Well, I just learned how to replace the fluorescent bulbs in my kitchen light.I think those things are designed to irritate you! Trying to get that stupid plastic cover back on without cracking it even more than it is already cracked is, well "aaaaugh" describes it accurately. At least the bulbs are supposed to last for another 9 years and so I probably will have moved before having to do it again.
Other than that, I did (almost) change my own flat tire once. I got all the way to trying to take the tire off (got all the nuts off & stuff) but then found that the tire had rusted itself to the car. Even my manager could barely get it off & that was after whacking it with a tire iron for a while. The amount I was able to do was pretty good for a scrawny chick like me, I thought. I would like to try again some day just to know I could do it all (now that my tire hasn't got 10 years of rust) if I had to.
I plan on changing the light switches in my condo sometime, but first I'll have to convince my Dad that I won't electrocute myself doing it. He's kinda protective.
One thing that I'd really like to do is take a basic car mechanics class so that I know what all those hoses & whatnot under my hood actually are.
All in all, I'm probably a pretty typical 21st generation city girl. I do have aspirations towards becoming more of a DIY able person, though.
:)
27. Christina said the following at 4:49 PM on Feb 21
I suppose it was about 6 years ago when I got a flat tire. After calling my dad and realizing that he couldn't drop everything to come save his little girl, an older gentleman pulled over and asked if I needed help. "Sure," I said. I was so excited that he was going to do all hard work for me.
He replied, "well it's your lucky day then...I volunteer over at the YMCA once a week teaching women how to change a tire."
That's the day I learned how to change a tire.
28. brx said the following at 5:46 PM on Feb 21
There's also something about doing hands-on projects together that is positively bonding. You get to see that you've accomplished something as a team - even if it did take longer than hiring someone else to do it. Too many miss out on community building experiences like an Amish barn-raising or community cattle round-up.
Chicks with tools and mechanical stuff are cool! (regardless of how skilled they are)
http://www.toolgirl.com/
Grace, peace & adventure!
29. Jacob MT said the following at 6:55 PM on Feb 21
I'm sort of a second-generation Christian back-to-the-lander. Becca (comment #22!) is very right about the commonality with hippies et al. Up in Montana, we've got the elderly hippies and B2TLrs, Amish, Christian homesteaders (mainly homeschoolers, like us), rednecks, and trailer trash. Then we've got the granola-style treehuggers, but there are not too numerous.
All these groups, although very different, know how to Do-It-Themselves and live on their own. We, despite arguments over logging, bars, churches, etc., are all Montanans. A lot of it does have to do with the DIY-attitude.
I haven't picked up a lot of the skills I should have, so have assembled a big list of things to eventually learn to do. I try to read a lot of non-fiction, and try new things when possible.
30. Kellie said the following at 8:06 PM on Feb 21
I think my occupation (nursing) has given me many do-it-yourself skills in the area of health and beyond. I'm also a good cook and am working at becoming a better gardener. As for cars...the last time I got a flat tire was on a freeway ramp during rush hour. I called AAA and I'm not ashamed of it!!
31. BDB said the following at 11:08 PM on Feb 21
Natasha (#26) wrote:
>>Trying to get that stupid plastic cover back on without cracking it even more.<<
Yeah, when I got my house, at first I liked the mirrors in the closet doors. I've since broken two of them - bumped one with the vacuum cleaner for example. Not so enamored of them.
I remember when considering floor coverings for my kitchen, I found three types of people:
1) Hardwood floor people who always wear socks and don't use their house so it stays nice.
2) Vinyl people who say plates will break on tile.
3) Tile people who have plastic plates (and complain that dropped knife will damage vinyl.)
Turns out I'm a tile person, and my odd number of (remaining) dishes and glasses confirms it...
Tile doesn't mix well with glass picture frames, either. Neither do light bulbs. I'm just not a glass person I guess...
32. Becca said the following at 12:28 AM on Feb 22
Yeah, homeschooling (and midwifery, also mentioned upthread) are areas both sides have in common - all the younger couples in the mostly hippieish community I was living in while I was farming homeschooled their kids and did homebirths.
Speaking of which, when I was living out on the farm I did encounter a number of members of the Twelve Tribes, a sort of culty-seeming but nonetheless intriguing Christian movement that does all of the back-to-the-land kind of thing and more. They were definitely making an effort to reach out to the nonChristians in my community.
Anyway, Carrie Lea (#24) asked me to write a little more about my experiences on the farm, so...
(Apologies in advance for the rambliness!)
Pretty much everything we did there, we did ourselves or with help from neighbors. The nearest convenience store was about a half hour away by car (and the people I was living with only had bikes!)
Building:
One younger couple I knew told me about how when they first arrived, they built a tiny shed and lived in that while they built their house together (and while they got some advice from neighbors on that, one of them told me that they made ample use of Home Depot guides and whatnot for certain parts!). One man in the area owned a sawmill, and he let them use it to mill the lumber for their house from trees on the land they'd cleared. The summer I was there, they were using the pigs they were keeping (advised by an older neighbor who'd kept pigs for years) to root up the remaining tree-stumps.
This is key, by the way - doing it yourself is important, but I'm inclined to think that doing it ourselves, as a community, is even more important. (Yeah, I'm grotesquely idealistic...)
Food:
The farm I was working on, like most of the ones in the area, was very small. We used our produce mostly to feed ourselves, both during the growing season when we could eat it fresh - and in the winter when we ate from the greenhouse and cold frames (collard greens, chard, and other cold-hearty things) and from things we'd canned during growing season.
We shared with our neighbors, and our neighbors shared with us. We had too much lettuce, so we gave it away. One neighbor had too many tomatoes, so we got some. One had too much corn, another too many blueberries - and so on.
Soil:
We grew our produce using only material from our own land, with the exception of some seeds (we got the ones we hadn't saved from previous years from a New England based seed cooperative). Mostly, that meant a lot of composting (which meant we were taking care of our own waste, too - including human waste, as I've mentioned in another thread), a lot of crop rotation, and a lot of rainwater (from the rainbarrels).
Energy:
We had electricity, but it came from our solar panels. Since we were outside all the time during the day and were good and tired by the time it was dark, it worked pretty well. I haven't lived there during the winter, so I don't know how it's going these days.
We also avoided using gas-powered machinery, though for some things (like the sawmill) we had to use it. We used scythes and sickles for cutting tall grass and weeds (which all went into the compost, or got used for potato mulch), a push mower for our patch of lawn, a woodstove for heat and cooking, solar heaters or wood for hot water (though folks mostly saunaed rather than showering), and, as I mentioned, bicycles instead of cars.
Fun:
We sang a lot, played a lot of music, danced, talked, told stories, and read aloud. These are things I'm usually not very good at, or at least they're things I'm usually too anxious or shy to do - but it came naturally there. Something about doing physical work with other people makes you trust them a little more, and not worry so much about what they'll think of your voice or your dancing or your ideas.
Miscellany:
Most people in the area used medicinal plants that the grew for minor health issues (mint for nausea to plantain for cuts, and so on). There was a woman who was particularly studied in medicinals who some people went to for more serious things. I don't know how seriously I take that kind of thing, but I was pretty amazed at how effective her tincture for sore throats was...
Also, most of us grew at least one cash crop to pay for various expenses (like ice cream!)
Before I arrived there last June, I'd never done these things myself. But it's not so daunting if you have people to learn from.
And now I'm going to stop, because I've gone on for way too long!
33. Carrie Lea said the following at 3:32 PM on Feb 22
Becca (#32),
That's awesome. Thanks for sharing! How cool to be able to learn from people in the community. Most of what I know so far comes from books.
I read through a lot of the Humanure Handbook when you first posted it. Pretty thought-provoking! Here are a couple of good links I've come across:
- Natural Home (passive solar design where you can do the block-laying yourself)
- Oxygen Bleach Overview (environmentally-friendly alternative to chlorine bleach)
My next DIY goal is to start a food garden.
34. Rachael said the following at 8:43 PM on Feb 22
BDB, thanks for sharing your house adventures and car adventure(s)! I guess I've had a few car adventures in my day; one time (a few years ago?) my sister somehow cited some outrageous number that I had been in at that point in time -- who knows if there was any truth in her statement. Fortunately, no one was hurt in a single one. I can understand why some of Autumn's friends are not yet allowed to drive, though my biggest auto adventure (falling asleep) occurred at some point after age 20, so I really don't think age is necessarily the issue, though it certainly seems it could be in some cases. I think a lot of my adventures happened because of distraction (being in a careless hurry) or misestimation/lack of experience (getting stuck between a truck and the curb by a gas station one day). People don't have to be really young to make mistakes in those areas. I would venture to guess though that some young people might try to be 'cool' by driving quickly and carelessly, though, so I can totally understand the thought that they first grow out of that reckless stage before braving the roads.
35. BDB said the following at 11:49 PM on Feb 22
Rachael (#34) wrote:
>>I guess I've had a few car adventures in my day; one time (a few years ago?)<<
Oh, and then there was the time when I was 20 and got into not one but TWO accidents in a snow storm trying to drive home for Christmas.
First, I hit ice, and rear-ended a group of college girls. They had a Subaru with all-wheel drive and could stop faster. (I put on their chains for them, they didn't sue me...)
About 500 miles later I hit an icy spot and ended up underneath the trailer of a semi. We were moving slowly, but I had a little car. I was able to back out from underneath it, but I had to use a star wrench to put on the spare tire.
Alas, I was 20 and had no cell phone or AAA. Being under a semi is quite unpleasant, so I did call my dad. I got his voice mail. So I left a message saying I had a flat tire, threw my bumper in the back seat and drove 150 miles home through the snow.
My car was in the shop all durig Christmas. I had to promise that I'd drive back on the coast to avoid snow. These days I fly up and rent a car...
36. Leah said the following at 6:22 AM on Feb 23
Carrie Lea- you seriously think DIY is considered liberal? No way! DIY is, like, common sense... it's using your money efficiently... how is that liberal??
Autumn- I don't think your friends' parents are disallowing them to drive in bad weather because they might do something stupid. I think it's more likely that they simply think their children don't have the experience or wisdom to make the right choices in possibly dangerous situations. It doesn't necessarily have to do with stupidity.
BB- what if it's a toss up between sitting in front of the TV and paying the kid $15 to mow the lawn, or going out there and doing it yourself?
37. Ellie said the following at 11:05 AM on Feb 23
My house does not have a working heater. Granted, I live in Southern California, so this might not seem like such a big deal. But it does get 'cold' here sometimes, and when it does inside my house can be the same temperature as outside my house (as low as 30 degrees at night, usually low 50's). What my house does have is a working, wood burning fireplace. So I have learned how to chop wood for it and build wonderful, warm fires. Unfortunately, I am not strong enough, nor do I have the tools, to split large logs, and my dad and brother have not yet actually done that, so we have to buy pre-split logs. Of course, we have a ton of logs that *need* to be split, so we don't go and buy the firewood. So this winter the wood I've been burning has been pretty rag-tag. But it's wonderful to actually be able to chop up smaller branches, use an axe to make kindling, and tend a fire while reading in front of it, and raising the temperature in the house considerably.
38. BDB said the following at 1:13 AM on Feb 24
Ellie wrote (#37):
>>Unfortunately, I am not strong enough, nor do I have the tools, to split large logs,<<
You mean in one stroke? You're right, not everyone can do that. (Though I will admit that when I got strong enough, it WAS fun to whack a log and send the split pieces flying. I'd probably need shoulder surgery if I tried it now.)
But when I was a kid, I could split logs using a wedge and a sledgehammer. It takes longer when you're not strong enough to do it with an axe. But it is possible.
As alternative, get one of these Super Spear log splitters.
http://www.logsplitter.com/Qstore/p000005.htm