Up next in 10
Have we forgotten how to fix things—or have we forgotten how to figure things out? Shannon and I talk about the practical skills that used to be passed down from generation to generation, from changing a flat tire and starting a fire to fixing whatever broke at the chuck wagon. But this conversation goes beyond practical know-how. We talk about problem-solving, self-reliance, faith, marriage, attitude, and what to do when the thing that needs fixing is something in your own life. Sometimes you don’t need to know the answer—you just need to be willing to figure it out.
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Kent Rollins
Cowboy Cooking, Cast Iron, Outdoor Cooking, Grilling, Dutch Oven Cooking
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0:00
Kent, I would love to know what is your
0:03
one thing that you would love to teach a
0:07
listener. Like if you're passing down
0:10
>> something to fix,
0:11
>> what is the one thing that you would
0:12
teach somebody?
0:12
>> I would like for them to fix my supper.
0:14
That [laughter] way I didn't have to
0:16
cook, you know? [music]
0:22
>> Howdy. My name is Kent Rollins. [music]
0:24
I've been a cowboy and a chuck wagon
0:26
cook for over 30 years, cooking for
0:28
ranches [music] all across America. You
0:30
might have seen me on the Food Network
0:32
or alongside my beautiful wife, Shannon,
0:34
on our YouTube show where we share
0:36
cowboy cooking from the trail. [music]
0:38
But now, we're going to take you behind
0:39
the scenes to real campfire
0:41
conversations. Join us as we share
0:44
humor, cowboy [music] wisdom, and
0:45
stories full of history, heart, faith,
0:48
and of course, a little fire. So, grab
0:50
you a cup of coffee, pull up a chair,
0:53
and welcome to the podcast.
1:00
Hey, we thank y'all so much for joining
1:02
us. It has been a great week, Shann. It
1:04
has. God has answered prayer. We have
1:06
got some rain. I mean, I love to hear
1:09
the thunder in the mountains. Just rolls
1:11
down. We've been dry and it's been hard
1:13
because on the cooking side on
1:14
Wednesdays when we do our video, we've
1:16
been having to do mostly grilling
1:18
because we're in a burn van and now I
1:20
think we're coming out of it. And so
1:22
what was tricky is that so our podcast
1:25
room is essentially in the basement of
1:28
our house and after our big rain can't
1:30
comes down here and finds out that the
1:32
room was flooded.
1:33
>> So we had to move everything out. It was
1:36
like a good two inches. You said
1:38
>> we had three inches of rain that day.
1:39
But I mean in here.
1:40
>> Oh, it's probably it's to the
1:42
baseboards.
1:43
>> So the top like two two inches
1:45
something.
1:45
>> I took a bath in it before I got rid of
1:47
it. I don't know.
1:48
>> I mean so that was that was crazy. But
1:51
you fixed it.
1:52
>> Yeah. You could have come down here and
1:53
sort of panicked, you know, and think,
1:55
"Oh my gosh, who am I going to call to
1:56
get this done? I'm going to have to do
1:58
this. I'm have to do that." You just
2:00
jump in and fix it.
2:02
>> And that's exactly what we're talking
2:03
about today. So how do we fix things?
2:07
And have we forgotten how to fix things?
2:09
And not just in a sense of like, oh,
2:12
let's fix a tire, but also like the
2:15
bigger kind of issues that we face in
2:18
our life and also things that we
2:20
struggle with internally. So, we thought
2:22
it'd be interesting in this episode,
2:24
have we forgotten how to fix things?
2:26
>> Yeah. I mean, how many of you out there
2:28
can actually say, "I can fix a flat or
2:31
I've had to fix a flat."
2:32
>> But here's the thing, too. I We are not
2:35
judging.
2:35
>> I mean, no. No. because I don't know how
2:38
to fix the flats.
2:39
>> I bet you could figure it out.
2:40
>> I might be able to figure it out. But
2:41
here that that's the thing. Can you
2:43
figure it out? Can you give yourself the
2:45
time to sit down and learn something new
2:49
instead of just like outsourcing it or
2:51
giving it to somebody else or saying
2:53
forget it?
2:54
>> I mean, I've been on ranches and had to
2:56
sew buttons on my shirts because they
2:57
all fall off, you know. And one thing
2:59
that I do struggle with and you usually
3:01
have to do it for me and that's how to
3:03
tie a tie.
3:04
>> Tying a tie is a little tricky. Yeah,
3:06
that's why I try not to wear one.
3:07
>> You could look sharp in a tie.
3:09
>> Well, funerals and weddings.
3:11
>> Is that what that you're t
3:13
[clears throat]
3:13
>> That's about it.
3:14
>> So, I want to know, did knowing how to
3:18
fix things teach previous generations
3:21
something bigger than just practical
3:23
skills?
3:24
>> Yes. Because it when you were born in my
3:27
generation, even the generation before
3:29
me, people had to rely sure on
3:33
knowledge, but also common sense and
3:36
your neighbor. You had to fix something.
3:38
If something broke, it wasn't like, "Oh,
3:41
let me get on the computer. I'm going go
3:42
to Amazon, order me another Pony
3:44
Express, get it here today." You know,
3:47
there was none of that. You'd look at
3:48
something, something broke down or
3:50
something quit. Uh windmill don't pump
3:53
no more. Why? Why is it Why? What's
3:56
happening?
3:57
>> I'm gonna tell you, there's a very small
3:59
population that's going to actually say
4:01
in their day-to-day life, well, the
4:03
windmill quit working. How do I
4:04
[laughter] fix it?
4:06
>> Well, that was a big part of our life.
4:08
>> Absolutely. You know, well, and I think
4:10
what's interesting, too, is we're we're
4:13
having a little bit of a generational
4:15
talk here, too, right? I think we still
4:17
both of us still grew up with the same
4:20
values and morals, but in all fairness,
4:22
there is a difference in growing up in
4:25
different generations.
4:26
>> Yeah. And I think rural too,
4:28
>> right? And so you grew up very rural. I
4:30
did not. I mean, our t So I'm from
4:33
northern Nevada. Here's what's
4:34
interesting about where I grew up. So I
4:35
grew up in Elco, Nevada, northeastern
4:37
corner of the state. We were kind of
4:40
considered rural because population in
4:43
Nevada, you have Elco, which we were at
4:45
probably like 18,000. Then you have
4:48
Reno, which was like 5 hours away. Then
4:50
you have Vegas, which was 8 hours away.
4:52
So
4:52
>> spread out.
4:53
>> We were kind of rural, but not compared
4:55
to Hollis, which was 3,000 people in the
4:58
entire county, right?
4:59
>> That's on a really good day.
5:00
>> Yeah, that's when we had all the
5:02
visitors in for Thanksgiving. I I can
5:04
remember I grew I grew up around a bunch
5:06
of old-timers that whatever you were
5:09
working on. If it was a hay bor, if it
5:12
was a plow, a windmill, kitchen sink,
5:15
the toilet, whatever it was, you could
5:18
fix it. They knew how. And somewhere
5:20
along the lines that fell out, got in a
5:23
crack and some people covered it up and
5:25
think, well, I really don't need to know
5:28
how to do that because somebody else can
5:30
do it for me. There's also we're in the
5:33
information age, right? So, I can just
5:37
go on the internet and figure out how to
5:40
do something or look it up, which I feel
5:43
like it's a good and bad thing because
5:46
wow, we have all these ways to educate
5:48
ourselves, but then again, do we have
5:50
all these ways to make us lazy at the
5:52
same time? What do you think?
5:53
>> That is one of them words right there.
5:56
I'm going to tell you, but I I think if
5:58
I look back at it from how I was raised
6:01
to what it is now in this generation, I
6:04
don't I don't know if it's so much
6:06
laziness. It's just been called it's
6:09
handier. It is more accessible.
6:12
>> Yes.
6:12
>> I mean, we didn't have cell phones. We
6:13
didn't have computers. You know, you you
6:16
had a farmer's almanac sit on dash
6:18
pickup. That might help you out a
6:20
little. Or Sears and Robuck catalog, you
6:22
know. But I I think people nowadays have
6:26
got used to thinking, "Well, I got a
6:28
flat tire. I'm just going to call
6:30
somebody to come out here and fix it."
6:32
>> Mhm.
6:32
>> You know, cuz I don't even Do I even
6:34
have a spare tire? Where the jack at?
6:38
What is a lug wrench? You know, I mean,
6:40
I've I've changed a flat one is 110. The
6:43
pavement's so hot, you know, it burn you
6:45
or you have to chip chip ice around
6:47
everything just to where you could stand
6:48
up. There's that great
6:50
self-satisfaction, too. I think you get
6:53
from being able to have it passed down
6:56
to you from generations
6:59
knowledge.
7:00
>> Well, that's the thing. So, who taught
7:02
you these these practical life skills?
7:05
>> Old-timers.
7:07
>> Now, when you say old-timers, what like
7:09
be more specific. What is that?
7:10
>> My dad, my uncle, old cowboys that I
7:13
knew. You could go down the road where I
7:16
lived and if something happened to your
7:19
pickup. Now, you might not have somebody
7:21
come by for like two hours cuz there was
7:24
a lot of traffic, but 90% of the time,
7:26
whoever came by could look at it and
7:29
say, "Oh, carburetor's messed up. Let me
7:32
go back here and get them toolbox and
7:34
we'll work on it." You know, all the
7:36
knowledge that been handed down to them
7:38
and they passed it on to us, we need to
7:40
forward it on. Not like hitting an email
7:44
where it says forward and you just send
7:46
it. We need to pass the knowledge on to
7:48
people how to survive, how to live, how
7:52
to get over anything in life. Is it if
7:55
it if the toilet's running all night
7:56
long and you don't know what to do, do
7:57
you just turn the water off?
7:59
>> You I I call the plumber. [laughter]
8:02
>> Most time you just fix it,
8:04
>> you know.
8:05
>> Uh I'm talking about saving you money in
8:07
the long run, too. But here's the the
8:10
change that has happened and it this has
8:12
happened generations that this isn't
8:15
just like some an issue that's occurring
8:17
now.
8:17
>> No,
8:18
>> you know, people from the 1800s I'm sure
8:20
looked at the different generation like
8:21
these people are soft. You know, we're
8:24
in as I mentioned an information
8:26
society. So
8:28
>> we have the internet and survival now is
8:32
different than survival back in the day.
8:34
So survival then was you had to know how
8:37
to plow a field. You knew you had to
8:39
know how to grow a garden because your
8:41
life depended on it. Now it's weird.
8:44
Survival is knowing how to use the
8:46
internet because I mean like you're not
8:49
going to die if you can't use the
8:50
internet. But you it's a huge part of
8:53
functioning now. It's just the way that
8:54
it is.
8:55
>> What if you ain't got no electricity?
8:57
Well, great point because even though we
9:01
are so tech forward, there are times
9:06
when that's going to fall out and then
9:09
what's your backup? So, the Texas grid
9:11
>> Yeah.
9:12
>> fell out [clears throat] or we've had
9:14
the hurricanes hit the south and power
9:17
goes out for weeks and we've had people
9:19
reach out and say, "Hey, thank you for
9:20
teaching us how to cook outside with no
9:23
electricity." I mean, great point. Like
9:25
even though there is this level of
9:28
convenience that we're constantly living
9:30
in, there are moments the electricity
9:33
goes out, you don't have internet, maybe
9:35
you don't have somebody to call. What do
9:37
you do?
9:38
>> You bow up. That's what they tell you in
9:40
my country. You just bow up, walk on in
9:42
there, and fix it. You know, it happens
9:44
in life and it happens when you're
9:46
trying to work on something, too.
9:47
Especially for me, you may not fix it
9:50
the first time. I don't have a 9/16
9:52
wrench. I don't know what happened to
9:54
it. Somebody got it. You learn through
9:57
them experiences to find something
10:00
that'll make it work. And we we go back
10:02
and we talk about the generations that
10:04
really passed this down to me. It was
10:07
like shaping a hat. Somebody taught me
10:09
how. And you seen other people's crease
10:12
in a hat and you wanted to be like that.
10:14
You would shape something into the form
10:17
that you wanted it to be. Was it a
10:20
straight line of fence post? Was one of
10:22
them crooked? You watch the old-timers.
10:25
You watch the knowledge that have been
10:27
passed down to you from years and years
10:29
of how it's supposed to be. Take pride
10:31
in what it is. Man can shape a hat, but
10:35
God's going to shape a man. So, it's got
10:37
to be something that you you look at and
10:40
you think, I I can't do that. Uh-uh. I'm
10:45
gonna call a plumber. How do you know
10:47
you can't do it?
10:48
>> That's a great thing. I think kind of at
10:50
the heart of this episode is we just
10:52
automatically go to well I didn't learn
10:55
that I don't know how to do that so I'm
10:56
going to outsource.
10:57
>> Yeah.
10:58
>> I don't I think maybe that's what's has
11:01
been lost through slowly maybe through
11:04
generations is the try.
11:07
>> Yeah.
11:08
>> Because everything's so easy now, right?
11:10
Like we can call somebody. We can look
11:12
it up. My eighth grade science teacher
11:15
>> Oh, there we go.
11:16
>> There we go.
11:17
>> Mrs. Williams. I remember her saying the
11:21
greatest thing that you will ever learn
11:24
is not the actual facts, but it's how to
11:28
find the facts and how to find the
11:30
information. So, if you
11:31
>> good point
11:32
>> can find that, you don't have to know it
11:34
off the top of your head, but if you
11:36
know how to research and educate
11:39
yourself and find the answer, that's the
11:41
most important thing. And I always
11:43
remember that.
11:44
>> And don't give up.
11:45
>> Okay. So you're talking about all these
11:46
things like passing down from
11:48
generations these this knowledge.
11:51
>> Well, what if people don't have that?
11:53
What if people have been missing links
11:55
of people sharing information?
11:58
>> That's when you maggyverize
12:00
>> maggyverize.
12:01
>> How many of y'all ever watch MacGyver?
12:02
Guy could fix anything in the world with
12:04
some wire.
12:05
>> Macgyver in a while.
12:07
>> I I don't know that that is a really
12:08
good question. If if you didn't have
12:10
someone to teach you
12:11
>> Yeah. you know, or someone to show you.
12:13
And I really think the lessons in life
12:15
that I learned a lot of times I had to
12:16
teach myself, okay, lessons that were
12:20
not easy. The ones that might have hurt
12:22
or busted the hide off your knuckles or
12:25
you should have listened to that old man
12:26
when he said that horse was going to
12:28
buck. The ones that hurt you a little
12:29
bit, you learn them a lot quicker the
12:31
next time. If people get in a situation
12:34
to where they think, "Oh, this is broke.
12:36
I can't fix it." sit down just a minute
12:39
first before you give up and think,
12:41
let's just survey the situation. Let's
12:44
look around at all our surroundings.
12:46
Look about what's happening and think
12:48
about how could I get by? How could I
12:52
make this work? Can I patch it? You get
12:55
a hole in the tire. What happens?
12:56
>> You're not getting far down the road.
12:58
>> It's getting flat and you can you can
13:00
patch it. They make plugs you can carry
13:02
with you. Stick in the tire. I've put
13:04
screws in tires. Just screw them in
13:06
there to seal up a hole. Do I recommend
13:08
it? Nope. But it will get you out of a
13:10
bind. You have to to learn how to deal
13:13
with the surroundings that you have and
13:15
apply yourself. I think there's a lot of
13:17
it. Well, nobody taught me how to do
13:19
that. Well, first of all, you can teach
13:23
yourself
13:24
>> through trial, through error.
13:26
>> I was going to just say trial and error
13:28
is probably the best teacher of all.
13:30
Yeah. Right.
13:30
>> That's how I learned to cook in a Dutch
13:32
oven. Great point. Yeah, because Kent,
13:35
you did not know how to cook in a Dutch
13:37
oven.
13:37
>> Still don't. [laughter]
13:39
>> You know how they say like is it doctors
13:41
and lawyers? They have practices. Dutch
13:43
oven, we have a practice because it's a
13:45
constant learning.
13:46
>> Practice, practice, and more practice.
13:48
>> Right. But that's the interesting thing.
13:49
So, you were out your one of your first
13:51
cooking experiences really in outdoors
13:54
was in the Hila Wilderness. You were
13:55
cooking for a hunting camp. You didn't
13:57
know how to cook in a Dutch oven.
13:59
>> That's right. And it was kind of a fake
14:00
it till you make it situation.
14:02
>> Well, you know, it was a captive
14:05
audience. There 21 miles from anywhere.
14:07
They couldn't go eat at McDonald's. So,
14:10
I had to figure it out because people
14:11
were counting on you. And I think that's
14:13
what it is today. A lot of it, too. If
14:15
you're married or if you're not, you're
14:17
single and something breaks,
14:20
somewhere, somebody is counting on you
14:23
to fix it.
14:24
>> Even if it's just yourself. Yeah. Right.
14:26
>> And you I mean,
14:27
>> and you owe it to yourself. You have to
14:29
be able to fix yourself before you can
14:31
fix something else.
14:32
>> Oh. Oh, good one.
14:33
>> I mean, it's there's different size of
14:35
wrenches that you can put on a bolt and
14:37
there's different ways to get around
14:38
that. But if you ain't got a wrench,
14:42
what are you going to do? You you got to
14:44
learn to fix yourself first by having
14:47
the knowledge to say, I ain't letting
14:49
this beat me. I could have quit so many
14:51
time many years ago when I burned
14:53
biscuits and thinking, I ain't cooking
14:55
no more of these biscuits. Nobody likes
14:57
a burnt biscuit.
14:58
But you don't give up in life. Giving up
15:01
is not an option.
15:02
>> And I can tell you there is so much
15:05
great satisfaction coming from the end
15:08
result when you think I figured this
15:10
out.
15:10
>> Yes.
15:11
>> Talking about things like that. We don't
15:13
know. I didn't know editing
15:14
>> for and so at the very beginning of
15:16
YouTube and our social media, I was
15:18
doing all the production, all the
15:20
editing. I had no clue what I was doing.
15:22
And I would spend hours and this was
15:25
even before you could really YouTube a
15:28
lot of information. And so it was a lot
15:30
of trial and error. But I'll tell you
15:32
>> when you fix that tire or you fix the
15:36
little problem and you hey I'm like
15:39
YouTube it and figure out how to tie a
15:40
tie. You step back and you look and
15:42
you're like I did
15:43
>> I did this.
15:44
>> Yes. It's a feel-good moment and you
15:46
deserve them in life.
15:48
>> Yeah. You don't want to just sit over
15:49
there and just just pout, you know, and
15:51
think, well, I don't guess I'm ever
15:53
going to mount to nothing cuz I can't
15:55
fix it.
15:55
>> We put talking a lot about fixing tires.
15:58
>> Yeah.
15:58
>> But I know specifically in your very
16:02
unique line of work as a chuck wagon
16:04
cook, you have
16:06
>> fixed wagon wheels. Yeah.
16:08
>> And this goes way back. We're talking
16:11
about like pioneering kind of attitude.
16:13
>> I was going to get on the cell phone,
16:15
but I didn't have one of them. And I was
16:16
going to call Big O Tire, you know, see
16:18
if they'd bring me out a spare.
16:20
>> Big O Tire does not carry wagon wheels.
16:22
>> No,
16:22
>> we're talking about fixing a wheel, a
16:26
wagon wheel. No,
16:28
>> totally different than a tire.
16:30
>> And we're out at the Bell Ranch. This is
16:33
going to be a 5 and 1/2 week cooking in
16:36
New Mexico. We are an extremely remote
16:40
ranch. How big was it?
16:41
>> About 293,000 acres, I think. The
16:43
nearest pave road was like 70 miles.
16:46
>> Oh yeah.
16:47
>> We're not seeing a tire shop or a fix it
16:50
guy anywhere.
16:51
>> They ain't gonna have no wagon wheels.
16:52
No way.
16:53
>> And we've got five and a half weeks
16:56
ahead of us. So everything's got to be
16:58
right because not only are we just
17:00
moving camp, we are pulling the wagon
17:04
with a team of horses.
17:06
>> There's a lot of things that could
17:07
happen that could go wrong that could
17:08
break.
17:09
>> Yeah. Before
17:11
the works and we pull out the wagon even
17:14
starts, what do you notice?
17:16
>> Well, first of all, been really dry out
17:18
there in that country.
17:19
>> Wagon wheel made up of the hub itself.
17:23
>> Then you got the spokes, the fellas, the
17:25
dogs. Then you got the rim that goes
17:27
around a metal rim that fits really
17:29
tight on top of the wood all the way
17:31
around. And a lot of times they're
17:34
pinned through there with something. But
17:36
if it's wet and the wheels have been
17:38
soaked and the the wood swells as it
17:41
gets wet,
17:42
>> that way it keeps everything tight. But
17:44
I I noticed it was pretty dry right off
17:46
the bat.
17:47
>> And as we're getting we're probably
17:49
going 8 miles from headquarters.
17:51
>> So as we get a little further down the
17:52
road, I'm always checking things. You
17:55
know, I didn't know the team. This
17:57
wasn't my wagon that we were using.
18:00
>> Team was the best thing ever. MC Mini,
18:03
solid as a rock. But I got to noticing
18:06
the back wheel on the driver's side was
18:09
wobbling just a little. And it wasn't
18:12
just the wood that was wobbling. The rim
18:14
was sneaking over coming off.
18:17
>> Yeah.
18:18
>> Now, if that comes off, let me get to
18:20
thinking what might happen. Well, then
18:23
spokes is going to fall out. The wheels
18:25
going to hit the ground. You could break
18:27
the axle. Could scare the teen bad
18:29
enough you could have her run away. Turn
18:30
the wagon over. Break your neck.
18:32
Shannon's got to cook by herself. And
18:33
the funeral's on Wednesday and we're
18:35
going to dig a hole in pastor.
18:36
[laughter]
18:36
>> Well, and there's We were going through
18:38
some tricky hills. I mean, it could have
18:41
been bad.
18:42
>> Yes.
18:43
>> And we're not in a place where we can
18:45
call the fix it guy.
18:47
>> You're fix it guy.
18:48
>> And when we get there, you know, I'm
18:50
thinking we get to this camp. This this
18:52
can't be something that you just let go
18:54
and try to patch just a little.
18:56
>> Yes.
18:57
>> This has got to be fixed because we're
18:59
going to be moving again tomorrow. And
19:02
there's a whole crew that's counting on
19:04
you.
19:04
>> People are depending on us not only to
19:07
cook, but to get that wagon to the next
19:09
camp, have everything ready to go. So, I
19:13
called the little maintenance man up
19:15
there at the ranch. I didn't call him.
19:16
He pulled up in a pickup cuz he ain't
19:18
got no cell phone service. I said, "I
19:20
need four long bolts that are wider than
19:23
the rim on this wheel and four big old
19:26
washers for each one of them." You drill
19:28
a hole through that wood. Put a washer
19:30
on the back side of that bolt. Run it
19:32
through there to where it's sticking up
19:34
about a half inch or 3/4 above that rim.
19:37
Now, when it's sticking up there, it's
19:39
got it capped on both sides of it. You
19:41
have a washers and all, tighten it down.
19:43
Then you take a hammer. What you do, you
19:46
just bend them washers over to where
19:48
they're on top of that rim setting to
19:50
where it's sealed.
19:52
>> And now I ain't worried about it near
19:54
>> everything tight. And nobody you had I'm
19:57
guessing you hadn't fixed a lot of wagon
19:59
wheels in your
20:00
>> No, but you get to thinking when you see
20:02
what the problem is. First of all, what
20:04
do you have to fix it with?
20:06
>> Well, I didn't have nothing out there at
20:09
times some duck duct tape and some
20:11
baiting wire in that wagon. But I knew
20:13
up there at that shop at that ranch,
20:14
they would have something cordless
20:16
drill, some nuts, some more. You you
20:18
look at the problem, you assess it, and
20:20
then you think,
20:21
>> "Okay, we can fix this.
20:23
>> What do I have to work with and how do I
20:24
make it happen? we can make this happen.
20:26
And then every day thereafter, I'd
20:27
always check that. You see people, y'all
20:30
might not have seen them. I've seen a
20:32
lot of them. You get out, you know, you
20:34
be driving somewhere and you pull up,
20:35
get gas, go around, kick the tires, make
20:37
sure they all got air in them.
20:38
>> Yeah.
20:38
>> I wasn't kicking these tires, but I was
20:40
looking at every wagon wheel every time
20:43
we moved that camp because we didn't
20:45
need this problem on the other side. We
20:47
didn't need the wagon to break. But you
20:49
was a situation too to where you
20:51
couldn't just say, "Well, we'll just
20:54
leave the wagon here, you know, and
20:57
we'll just go on without it." No,
20:59
sometimes you got to fix it.
21:01
>> You have to be prepared for what life
21:03
throws at you. You have to be prepared
21:05
for your journey. Whether it's a road
21:07
trip, you know, a new job, you have to
21:09
do some preventative things. Yes. To
21:12
give yourself a fighting chance.
21:13
>> Yeah. Because it'll stack up against
21:15
you. If the wheel falls off, then you
21:16
might break the axle. Well, then you
21:18
ain't going to get to feed the cowboys.
21:19
Then everybody's mad. Just ruined your
21:22
whole day.
21:22
>> When you're speaking like talking out in
21:25
the middle of nowhere, you I remember
21:28
you mentioning a story about a horse.
21:32
>> Yeah.
21:32
>> And a snake bite.
21:34
>> Uhhuh. Now, if this is a fix it kind of
21:38
situation,
21:39
>> okay,
21:40
>> like
21:41
>> you know, I was raised around
21:42
rattlesnakes, horses, and usually if a
21:45
horse gets snake bit, it's because he's
21:47
reaching out there to smell of what's on
21:50
the ground and the snake biting on one
21:53
side usually. Sometimes in the middle,
21:55
but usually one side,
21:56
>> one side of his face.
21:57
>> Yeah. Nostril up here on top.
21:59
>> So, and that's going to cut the air
22:00
right away.
22:01
>> When that swells, what happens? Yeah.
22:02
>> Can't breathe. horse don't breathe
22:04
through his mouth. He breathed through
22:05
his [gasps]
22:08
>> so all that swelling then you got
22:10
something can't breathe and you thinking
22:12
this ain't good.
22:13
>> Okay.
22:13
>> So I remember first time we went out
22:15
there to healing was packing in hunters
22:16
and it was in September and they got
22:18
quite a few of them timber rattlers but
22:20
also some western diamond backs and I
22:22
seen uncle bringing out these two or
22:24
three pieces of water hose about this
22:27
long you know.
22:28
>> So wait is you got like two foot of
22:30
water hose? I'd say probably two foot at
22:33
the most. Okay. You know,
22:34
>> and he just had this water hose on him.
22:36
>> Yeah. He just had it in the trailer and
22:37
he's putting it in them piards when
22:39
we're getting ready to pack and he
22:40
brings uh four of them big old plastic
22:42
deals of Vaseline, throws them in there.
22:45
I'm thinking maybe his TP's got some
22:48
kind of plumbing problem that I ain't
22:50
never heard of, you know. And he was the
22:52
uncle was not one to tell you a lot of
22:55
stuff. He'd show you one time, but he
22:57
wasn't going to tell you a lot. And so
22:59
he was one of those that was passing
23:00
down information even though it wasn't
23:03
>> something that wasn't passed.
23:04
>> It wasn't a direct how-to. It was kind
23:05
of more like by observation. Yes. Was
23:09
it?
23:10
>> And the second day in, we'd turn them
23:12
mules loose, you know, up there. We'd be
23:13
in camp, they'd be off grazing. Horse
23:16
come in one morning and I mean it's
23:18
swelled up something awful, snake bite.
23:20
And uh we caught him. Uncle said, "Give
23:22
one of them piece of water hose." So he
23:25
couldn't hardly breathe. He's down. You
23:27
know, so you get the water hose, grease
23:29
end of it with Vaseline, stick it in
23:31
that nostril, okay? And it's hanging out
23:34
like this. Now, what is that doing? It's
23:38
keeping an airway open because that
23:42
swelling cannot collapse that water
23:44
hose. Did he look good? He looked like
23:47
something out of the um the wild.
23:51
[laughter] I mean, if you seen him
23:52
coming at you, you know, and this when
23:55
he would breathe hard at it sort of
23:57
whistle through that water hose, you
23:59
know, but it kept him alive.
24:01
>> Talk about some crazy practical skill
24:03
there.
24:03
>> And then you you always had something
24:05
that you could doctor it with, which was
24:07
at the time was DMSO, which was a horse
24:10
linament. I don't recommend that stuff
24:12
because you stick your finger on it,
24:13
taste it in your mouth automatically.
24:15
But we'd mix fur with it, which was an
24:17
antibiotic, and you could put it on
24:19
snake bite, and it the DMSO would suck
24:21
the antibiotic in there so quick. But if
24:25
you hadn't had that, what happens? Horse
24:27
dies.
24:28
>> And here's the thing that's interesting.
24:30
You know, we're talking about, well,
24:31
like if you can just find the
24:32
information, that's great.
24:33
>> Yeah.
24:34
>> But in situations like that, you don't
24:35
have the time and you don't have the
24:37
access.
24:37
>> Yeah.
24:38
>> So there are
24:38
>> And they weren't even cell phones,
24:40
>> right? And there are situations where
24:41
you need to have some common knowledge
24:43
right off the bat. But
24:45
>> that goes back to what you said, too. Be
24:47
prepared for anything. It may not ever
24:49
happen, but be prepared for it just in
24:51
case.
24:52
>> I I think I've just already learned two
24:54
lessons here.
24:55
>> Yes, ma'am.
24:56
>> It's the two Ps. Be prepared and have
24:58
patience.
24:59
>> Yes.
25:00
>> Right. That can get you through a lot.
25:01
>> I mean, perseverance will always win
25:03
out.
25:03
>> Oh, another P.
25:04
>> Yeah. But my dad, he had three or four
25:06
of them. Perspiration, perseverance
25:10
brings about prosperity. Hey,
25:12
>> you know, and it's always worked for me.
25:14
But I would say if you was packing a bag
25:17
and you needed to put it in your car and
25:19
you needed always having something, I
25:21
mean, sure, first aid is a great thing.
25:23
>> Mhm.
25:24
>> But what you said about perseverance and
25:27
patience, put that in there, too.
25:28
>> Yeah.
25:29
>> And put pride in there with it because
25:31
you can fix the problems in life if you
25:34
try.
25:34
>> This episode has been sponsored by the
25:36
letter P. [laughter]
25:39
>> So, Oh my goodness. [laughter]
25:43
>> Hope they put in some ad dollars. So,
25:45
here here's a note here.
25:46
>> All right.
25:47
>> Maybe the lost skill isn't just changing
25:50
a tire. Maybe the lost skill is being
25:53
willing not to know the answer and not
25:56
willing to just be able to figure it
25:57
out. Would you say that is accurate?
26:00
>> I'd say you're pretty close. Do you
26:02
think people today are less capable or
26:06
do you think it's just there have been
26:08
fewer opportunities for people today or
26:11
of you know this generation?
26:13
>> Well, I think it goes back to what's
26:16
easy.
26:17
>> Life has definitely gotten easier. But
26:19
is that a bad thing?
26:21
>> In some ways, I think it is
26:23
>> because the lessons were not taught. The
26:26
lessons didn't have to be learned. You
26:28
know, I'm I'm all for easy. I am. I I
26:30
think it's a great thing, but sometimes
26:33
if something's too easy, it don't work.
26:36
I I mean, I'm not saying you have to
26:38
work at everything in life and it's got
26:39
to be hard and it's going to beat you
26:41
down. Sure, I like an easy day at the
26:43
wagon, you know? But sometimes I get to
26:46
wondering, could I have been doing
26:48
something else to make it better to
26:49
begin with? And I don't know.
26:51
>> I'm I'm curious, just this came to my
26:53
mind. Is there something that used to be
26:58
hard maybe and and just it's just
27:01
[clears throat] what you did? It was
27:02
just practical. It's the logistics. But
27:05
something modern came along and made it
27:08
easier.
27:08
>> Oh yes, ma'am. Post hole digging.
27:12
>> You know, I dug a lot of them by hand.
27:15
Didn't [clears throat] even know they
27:16
made one of them augers for a long time
27:17
that you could hook on a tractor, dig a
27:19
hole.
27:20
>> Just Okay. So you've got like a electric
27:22
driller that just
27:23
>> not electric hydraulic driller that just
27:25
>> and drill at home and you'd think I
27:27
don't know who the fell was invented
27:28
this but I buy him a hamburger.
27:30
>> Okay, but then let me play devil's
27:31
advocate because you got the guy that
27:33
comes along the quote unquote old-timer
27:35
that's like well boy that's just being
27:37
lazy you know hard work builds
27:38
character. What do you say to that guy?
27:40
>> I'd say ain't you got something you
27:42
could be doing? [laughter]
27:45
Give you a temp bar. You can temp that
27:46
post for me. So, so can I just say then
27:50
it's okay if modernization comes along
27:53
sometimes.
27:54
>> I'm all for modern.
27:56
>> I am. You know, I can remember having
27:58
outdoor plumbing. There was an outhouse.
28:02
>> You know,
28:02
>> I will say that is a great invention,
28:04
right?
28:04
>> And I'm all for modern conveniences.
28:07
>> I like running water where it's supposed
28:09
to run when you want it to run.
28:11
Electricity. But as a society,
28:16
I'm always going to look back at him and
28:17
think, have we forgot how to get by
28:22
>> if something happens?
28:23
>> I think that's what's at the heart of
28:25
this.
28:26
>> Yes.
28:26
>> It's not that modernization is bad. It's
28:30
not that not knowing how to do something
28:32
is bad. It's the we're getting too
28:37
complacent
28:38
to where
28:39
>> what's that word mean? Well, I don't
28:41
want to say lazy because that's kind of
28:43
a a mean word, but it is where we're
28:45
getting just too laxidasical.
28:47
>> There you go.
28:48
>> And we're not relying on our own
28:51
instincts, our own confidence. I think
28:54
maybe that's too what happens.
28:56
>> Yeah. is that we stop relying on
28:59
ourselves because we're relying on other
29:02
things or people and then our like
29:06
almost self-esteem and our confidence
29:08
starts chipping away before we even
29:10
realize it because then you get into a
29:13
situation you're like well I can't do
29:15
that because I've never done it. So
29:16
>> you've done fixed the whole problem
29:18
right there. You get in a routine and
29:20
it's what do I do now in the morning? I
29:22
get up got one of them automatic coffee
29:24
makers. Sure, I'll boil some coffee on
29:26
occasion, put it in the ice box. I got
29:28
it there. But it's convenient and you
29:31
use it. And I think people today look at
29:34
something and think this is going to
29:36
take less time. This is going to take
29:38
less effort. And really the end result
29:40
might be just as good. So I'm asking
29:43
you, do you think from your generation,
29:46
has something been lost to where you
29:49
always want to find an easier way, uh, a
29:52
quicker way? My generation is
29:54
interesting, I think, because we are
29:57
known as the generation that knew what
30:00
it was like before the internet and what
30:04
it's like with it. So, it's very
30:06
interesting for me. So, we can play both
30:10
of those sides.
30:12
>> Yes, ma'am.
30:12
>> Part of it is individualized, right?
30:14
Like, and I think it's hard because
30:17
generations, millennials, Gen X, Gen Z,
30:20
Y, whatever.
30:21
>> Who are these people? I there's a whole
30:23
list. I don't even I it's hard to keep
30:24
track of them all. They get put in a
30:27
box, you know, and so then that's hard
30:29
because then people are always thinking,
30:30
well, these this age bracket of people
30:33
are like this and that's not fair. So,
30:35
let's remember that it is very it can be
30:37
very individualized. So, for
30:39
specifically for me, I think we've I
30:41
want to say a little bit of we get the
30:43
best of both worlds because like I said,
30:44
we know what it was like without
30:46
internet and what it is with it. I think
30:49
it's it's harder
30:52
for the younger generations
30:54
to not rely on technology exclusively.
30:59
And I think that is going to be a
31:01
definitely a challenge for those younger
31:03
generations. It's going to have to be
31:05
more of an effort for them because for
31:08
you and even generations before you, you
31:11
didn't have to think about practical
31:13
skills. It was almost just like
31:16
ingrained because you were taught at
31:18
such an early age and it was passed
31:20
down. Now, I don't know if it's just
31:23
like we're relying on technology and the
31:26
internet to educate people and give them
31:29
skills.
31:30
>> That's really one of the big things for
31:32
me. We relied on the people around us on
31:36
the things that we've been taught. And
31:38
sure, I I use a computer a lot. I do.
31:41
and I have to look for stuff on
31:43
occasion. But I think maybe in society
31:46
today,
31:48
people have lost the desire or the
31:50
connection to rely on someone else, to
31:53
rely on a neighbor, to rely on somebody
31:56
in your family. Call them and say, "Hey,
31:59
I'm going to tell you right now, the
32:00
dishwasher's leaking. Didn't you fix
32:02
yours? Can't you help me fix mine?" You
32:05
know, it's a way of reaching out. Well,
32:08
in a broader sense, maybe we've also
32:10
lost a little bit of community, right?
32:12
But here's the thing. Here's the silver
32:15
lining. Here's the good news. That's not
32:17
gone.
32:18
>> We have people all around us.
32:21
>> Yes.
32:22
>> So, it's not that that has died. It's
32:24
just our lack of reaching out, which is
32:27
something you can fix. Y
32:29
>> you can easily do, right? Yes, ma'am.
32:31
Like, that's that's something
32:32
>> it's easy.
32:33
>> We've talked about fixing the tangible
32:36
things.
32:37
the the water leak, the toilets running,
32:41
the wagon wheel. But there are things we
32:45
can't fix in life with a wrench.
32:47
>> Nope.
32:49
>> Grief.
32:50
>> Yes.
32:50
>> Failure.
32:51
>> Yeah.
32:51
>> Broken relationships, burnout.
32:54
>> Yeah.
32:55
>> How do we fix those things?
32:56
>> Number one, I fix mine with God. I fix
32:59
it with faith. I fix it with prayer. and
33:03
I fix it having someone in my corner
33:05
which is you that is not only support
33:08
but also help and a lot of love you're
33:12
you're going to go through I I remember
33:14
when my dad died and my mother told me
33:15
she told the doctors she'd had some
33:16
heart problems she said I have a broken
33:18
heart
33:19
>> how you fix it
33:21
>> number one it's going to take a little
33:22
time but then you got to fill that hole
33:25
in your heart with joy which was her
33:26
name
33:28
>> but you also got to fill it with people
33:30
around you people that will come into
33:33
your life and help you. But first, fill
33:36
it up with God. There's broken stuff in
33:38
life besides water pipes.
33:40
>> Mhm.
33:41
>> You know, and broken bones. And some of
33:44
the things that hurt more than anything
33:46
else in the world is broken hearts,
33:49
broken commitments.
33:52
People that give up. People that have
33:54
think they've been dealt the worst hand
33:56
that they've ever seen in life. And it
33:58
just keeps piling on day after day after
34:00
day. And then you just sink down in a
34:02
corner and you lay there in that mud
34:04
hole and you think, "I ain't getting
34:05
out. I don't want to get out. I'm
34:07
finished." How you fix it? You call God.
34:10
Hotline's always open.
34:12
>> You are a fixer.
34:14
>> Yes, ma'am.
34:15
>> And I think a lot of men
34:18
are fixers because, you know, we always
34:20
get like especially in a marriage, I
34:23
always hear the same complaint. The the
34:25
wife is telling the husband something.
34:27
It's like, "I don't want you to fix it.
34:28
I just want you to listen." You know, I
34:30
think of Ben in particular are fixers.
34:33
They just want to they see the problem
34:34
and they want to fix it. But
34:37
>> as you mentioned, sometimes you
34:40
>> I can't fix it.
34:41
>> You can't fix it. Sometimes you at home,
34:44
you can't fix it. You have to outsource,
34:46
right?
34:48
>> And that comes in a lot of different
34:50
things. Number one is God because you
34:53
don't need anything else. You just call
34:56
him up.
34:56
>> Yeah.
34:57
>> It's just you and him. And the next
34:59
thing is who's around you, your friends,
35:01
your family.
35:03
>> You need a good support system to fix
35:05
things.
35:06
>> Yeah. You got to be surrounded with the
35:08
right tools, whether they're in a
35:09
toolbox or their people around you in a
35:10
family or their neighbors or their
35:12
friends. Don't be afraid to reach out.
35:16
You know, a lot of it, and it used to do
35:18
me this way. I'm thinking, well, I
35:20
should have been able to fix that.
35:21
>> Yeah.
35:22
>> And I couldn't. By God, I ain't asking
35:24
nobody else to help me. I look bad if I
35:26
can't fix it. Oh, that mentality. Oh,
35:29
you guys, you got to fix that.
35:31
>> Yeah. I mean, it wear me out. I'd lay
35:33
awake at night thinking that's a 412
35:36
pitch on that house and I got three
35:38
pieces of tin and one of them ain't near
35:40
long enough. What am I going to do to
35:41
patch it? You know, I can do it. But
35:44
then you you might fail or you might not
35:46
make it work the first time and a lot of
35:49
you going to what?
35:51
>> Give up.
35:51
>> That's right.
35:52
>> But you can't fix everything yourselves.
35:55
Like that's another along with the P's.
35:58
Let's bring this in as the big lesson
36:00
for today.
36:02
>> Sometimes you can't fix it all by
36:03
yourself and that's absolutely okay. But
36:06
where are you going to turn?
36:07
>> Yeah. I've been blessed more than I ever
36:09
deserved. And I've run across a few
36:12
things in life that I couldn't fix, but
36:15
I knew where to turn and it wasn't the
36:18
internet.
36:20
>> And I think that's a lot of it. Sure,
36:22
you can find anything on a computer, but
36:26
is that computer actually going to come
36:27
out there and help you? Is it going to
36:29
be physical labor? Is it going to be
36:32
mentally you might can get something off
36:33
there you need? Let's rely on more on
36:36
the tangible stuff in life that we know
36:40
will get you through it. God, family,
36:43
friends. Ken, I would love to know what
36:47
is your one thing that you would love to
36:51
teach a listener. Like if you're passing
36:53
down to fix,
36:55
>> what is the one thing that you would
36:56
teach somebody?
36:57
>> I would like for them to fix my supper.
36:59
[laughter] That way I didn't have to
37:00
cook. You know, I'd say the skill of
37:02
cooking, actually preparing a meal
37:05
because it's not that hard. uh and it
37:08
will bring you and whoever you're
37:10
cooking for not only nourishment but
37:13
contentment and that fixes a lot more
37:15
problems there. Get a skillet. Watch one
37:19
of our YouTube videos if you have to but
37:21
fix something for dinner that you can
37:24
feed your family. Don't call. Don't
37:26
order out.
37:27
>> Door dash. Can we do can door dash? Is
37:29
that cheating?
37:30
>> No, we cannot door dash. Actually
37:32
prepare a meal at home. Fix it. There's
37:35
so much gratification that you fixed a
37:37
meal that your family has eaten and
37:38
you're sitting around a table,
37:40
>> it's fixed.
37:41
>> Can speaking of that, can I just give a
37:43
little tip? So, I was watching Tik Tok
37:45
[clears throat] cuz I'm sometimes
37:46
addicted.
37:47
>> Go.
37:47
>> And it's the viral Tik Tok pasta. Some
37:51
of you have made it maybe made it, but
37:52
if you're not a cook, put this together.
37:54
Even if you are, it's super easy. It's
37:56
one of those it makes it look gourmet at
37:58
the end. It's the pasta, tomato, and
38:02
feta. I use the bouan cheese instead of
38:05
feta, but if you look that up and it's
38:06
got onion in it, that's awesome. So,
38:09
that's a great that's a great fix.
38:10
>> Easy fix, too.
38:11
>> It was wonderful.
38:12
>> Yeah. Fix supper, fix breakfast, fix
38:14
lunch, but just get in the kitchen and
38:17
fix it up. You'll be happier for it. I
38:19
promise you.
38:20
>> I want to give a little challenge to
38:23
everybody this week.
38:24
>> I thought it was just for me. I was
38:25
going to say, "No, I'm not up for it."
38:26
>> Y'all have gotten a pep talk today, but
38:29
fix something. Yeah.
38:31
>> Okay. Maybe it's the cabinet door. Maybe
38:33
it's the leaky water. It's the tire.
38:35
Maybe it's calling a friend that you
38:37
haven't called in a while. Maybe it's
38:39
apologizing to somebody. That's a tough
38:42
one.
38:42
>> That's a hard one.
38:43
>> So, just fix something. Not only to just
38:48
solve the problem, whether it's bigger
38:50
or if it's smaller, but also to remind
38:53
yourself that you can do it.
38:54
>> Yeah.
38:55
>> To remind yourself what confidence feels
38:58
like and that you can figure it out. You
39:01
don't have to know the answer right off
39:03
the bat, but you got to know how to find
39:06
the answer. And that I think is the
39:09
important thing.
39:10
>> Yeah. And don't just keep covering it
39:11
up.
39:12
>> Mhm.
39:13
>> You know,
39:13
>> it's it's that to-do list, right?
39:15
>> Yeah. I mean, miss a spot painting up in
39:18
the corner, but it's been 12 years. I
39:19
don't know how many people might have
39:20
seen it. You know,
39:22
>> what do what do you say? Sometimes it
39:24
doesn't have to be perfect. My favorite
39:27
line ever. Done is better than perfect.
39:30
>> Yeah.
39:31
>> And that's hard for me because I'm a
39:32
little I'm a perfectionist.
39:34
>> Yes, you are.
39:35
>> But it's absolutely true.
39:37
>> Yeah. I mean, it's just keep trying.
39:40
>> Yeah.
39:40
>> You know, and don't give up. Fix it. And
39:44
if it ain't broke, don't worry about
39:46
fixing it. But if it breaks, don't be
39:48
afraid to get your hands dirty.
39:49
>> I love it. Well, I just want to thank
39:51
everybody for uh tuning in. We hope this
39:54
gave you a little bit of encouragement
39:56
to go out and rely on yourself. Yes. And
40:00
I do also want to note that this is
40:02
Major's our dog's favorite day of the
40:04
week because he gets like a 45minute
40:07
nap. And a lot of you have been clocking
40:09
it of when is he actually alive? Is he
40:12
breathing? You will notice sometimes he
40:13
does in fact
40:14
>> he does move on occasion.
40:16
>> But he loves a podcast. We hope you all
40:19
>> love it as much as as Major does. We go
40:21
through life all the time and sometimes
40:25
we fix it, sometimes we don't.
40:28
>> Don't give up. No, you're not in it
40:30
alone. God is with you. We are with you.
40:33
Am I going to come fix your leak under
40:34
the sink?
40:36
I don't know. I hate plumbing.
40:38
>> No, you're not. Because you have a list.
40:39
I've got a list for you to do. So,
40:41
you're going to start there.
40:42
>> But don't quit.
40:44
>> Yeah.
40:44
>> That's the main thing. And know that
40:46
there's going to be a failure here,
40:48
there, and yonder. And uh I think we've
40:51
said it before many times, but that
40:53
builds character.
40:54
>> Mhm.
40:54
>> You know, I'm glad God fixed me up with
40:57
you
40:58
>> and the life that I get to live. I'm
41:00
glad that he fixed it to where we could
41:02
have a podcast and we get to visit with
41:04
uh [music] our family because as we've
41:06
told you before, you're not fans. Your
41:09
family does. We love each and every one
41:10
of you. And uh be sure this week,
41:13
[music] I'd like to challenge them, too.
41:14
>> Oh, what's up?
41:15
>> Be kind.
41:16
>> Yeah.
41:17
>> Open a door for somebody. tip you have
41:19
for somebody. You in line at the coffee
41:21
shop, buy that guy's coffee in front of
41:23
you or behind you. But let it let people
41:26
know you care. That's what life's about.
41:27
[music] That's something we can fix
41:29
every day. And um Chen, thank you so
41:33
much. Sugar Mage, glad you enjoyed the
41:35
nap. But a very special shout out as
41:37
always to all our servicemen and women
41:39
and all the veterans who have kept that
41:41
old flag of flying over camp. We commend
41:43
you all. We do. And we lift you up in
41:45
prayer daily. rest of you. God bless you
41:48
each and everyone. Fix it if you can. If
41:51
you can't, just keep on trying. It'll
41:53
eventually get there. Y'all have a great
41:55
week and we'll see you down the podcast
41:57
trail.
41:59
[music]
42:07
Pioneer
#People & Society