Basic Knowledge 101
A Brief Quiz:
Do you know what a ratchet is?
Have you ever used a ratchet?
If so, when, and for what purpose?
Somehow, I missed Basic Knowledge 101. Sure, I can turn on a stove, and cook dinner, but if my stove or oven were to break, I would simply use the grill or the camp stove. That is, unless the camp stove is stashed somewhere inacessible in the rafters. The problem is, I don’t know how to repair or maintain household objects, or appliances, or even my own bicycle.
I am always prepared for vehicular emergencies, but I have never changed a tire. On that note, I think I will order a headlamp-style flashlight to keep in my car, and at least watch a YouTube video on changing a tire.
In the last two weeks I have threaded a bobbin on an expletive-inducing, unnecesarily complex, sewing machine. I also figured out how to start and use the electric lawnmower.
Yesterday, I learned what a ratchet is for, and how to use one. My newfound knowledge of ratchets is courtesy of my husband, who was confidently employing one and let me try. I had no idea why he was doing something noisy to the inside of the garage doors. He was tightening nuts. Or was he tightening bolts?
A kind, if amused, friend helped with verbal and visual explanations. He even forwarded two gifs. They made sense, since I had already had a kinesthetic learning experience.
To learn, I must do it myself. Observation alone is insufficient.
A bit of background: I am not unable to create things with my hands, but words are the tools I employ regularly. I can knit, crochet, sew, embroider, cook, and grow a plant from seed. Yes, I am a woman. My education included home economics, but not shop or carpentry. My parents, apparently, did not consider learning how to build or fix anything mechanical part of my basic education. Or else I resisted learning. I was busy reading, playing dress-ups, climbing trees, journaling, and helping with housework and retail sales in a family-owned shop. Enough about the past!
What tool should I use next? For what basic task?
I await your suggestions. I also hope to figure out how to enable pingbacks. I will try to include a pingback in my next post. This one has languished unpublished for several months.
Perhaps my first goal should be to overcome my new fear of publishing and writers block: Time to ratchet up my writing!
Circe
Circespeaks 
Every once in a while I check in – somehow missed it this year. I can use all kinds of tools with competence (and results), but now lack the physical strength to clean the workbench of other people’s junk AGAIN, so I can use it.
I’ve changed tires and fixed bicycles.
Any moderately intelligent person can learn many of these tool tasks – but the world is discouraging to women. My dad taught me nothing – he had only five daughters. He could fix just about everything – and never invited us to watch and learn, and after a while, there was no interest from us. I taught myself everything from one premise: if he could do it, I could learn.