Not too sure how ordinary the project is, but I don't clean the gutters. DH does, and trots all over the roof with no problem (the slope is very shallow). I helped with putting down [or is it laying down] the shingles once, and discovered that the closer I am to the edge, the higher my blood pressure. Because the house sits on a hill, it's easier to clean most of the gutters from the roof rather than from a ladder, but I found it's even easier to not clean them at all. I invested in mesh screens!

Congrats on joining the ranks Women Pushing Mowers! Do wear goggles and heavy shoes. And put on thin latex under the workgloves -- they help prevent blisters. Your grass will be happier if you take off no more than a couple inches or ¼ of the length, whichever is less. Give it a couple days before mowing the next couple inches off. Yes, that means you'll mow three times a week until it gets down to the proper height, but you won't damage the lawn.

As an only child with a very allergy prone father, it became my "job" to mow the lawn, starting at the age of 10. I HATED it. I broke 2 mowers before leaving for college. Once, I ran over a softball (probably on purpose) and another time I ran over this weird pipe that stuck up out of the ground (not on purpose). When I left for college, my mom hired someone to do it (she also bought a dishwasher).

Needless to say, mowing our lawn is Keith's job. I also don't clean the showers (besides taking out the trash, the showers are his inside-the-house job).

I'm trying to think of something I've NEVER done... hmm... I'll have to think on that one for a bit.

I've never driven a stick-shift automobile. By the time I came along, no one in my family had one anymore. So, I just never learned.

The quarter inch rule only applies if the grass is not taller than the highest setting on her lawnmower. It sounds as though it may be long enough to have to weed eat before it is mowed.

I can't think of anything 'normal' that I haven't done. I'm sure someone will come up something I haven't thought of.

I've never changed a tire, even though many years ago, I watched/listened while my younger neighbor's husband showed her how to do it. Fortunately--knock on wood!--so far, I haven't had to! At this point in my life, I'd just call our motor club's road service, which probably would be smarter/safer, anyway.

I've never fried an egg.

I've got some weird thing about eggs. I really gag at the thought of eating eggs as eggs. I choked down part of a hardboild egg last year at a seder, and I can manage scrambled eggs when they're mixed into the traditional family potato salad, and I might even manage cooking an omlet, but a fried egg is too much. I have to leave the room if someone else is cooking them or sometimes even eating them. No allergy, no problem dredging wiener schnitzel in egg wash and eating the finished product -- just eggs qua eggs.

A year or so ago at a gas station I met a lady who had never pumped gas. When she was young and unmarried, there was no self-serve. Then her husband did all the driving during their married life, and now she was newly widowed. So I gave her a lesson.

Robin, first of all. If your grass is up to your knees
it's going to take a long time to get it cut. Tall grass
will choke down a lawn mower motor in a New York minute.
Set your mower blades as high as they will go. Slowly push
the mower into the tall grass. You have to ease it in a
little at a time to keep the mower going. If you go slow
pushing the mower in, pulling it back allowing the mower to
catch up it will keep it from stalling. You may have to go
over it twice to get it cut. Don't ever let it get that
high again, it's easier in the long run.

I've had a lot of firsts in my life.
This past year I've had so many firsts it was about more
than I could handle. You do what you have to. It makes you stronger, they say.
I was one of those women who would drive around the world
to keep from pumping gas. Once you do it, you find out it's
not such a big deal.

Good luck with the grass, Robin.

Well since we're still somewhat in the season of taxes (plus one day lol), I'll throw in this: I am missing the gene that allows me to perform basic math. Cannot add/subtract/multiply/divide to save my pitiful soul.

Years ago I surrendered to this fact and found myself a top-notch accountant and mortgage broker. Between these two gentlemen, my household finances remain on an even keel. It's worth it to me, to pay them to deal with something that I simply can't comprehend. (Hi Winston; Hi Morry!)

Karen

I've never done my own taxes. I think my aversion to trying to understand the forms is akin to my aversion to reading the user manuals to computers, cell phones & digital cameras. They all seem equally incomprehensible to me. I gladly pay the CPA to figure it all out for me.

As for the lawn, I've mowed with a push mower (non-powered) when I was a kid, but have never gotten on the riding mower. IMO, that's "manly man" work and will remain so.

Neil, did you have to say that about eggs? I cook, use, and eat them, but can't think about them too much or I'll get turned off and then WON'T eat them for awhile!

Good for you for showing the lady how to pump gas.

i DO mow the lawns but only with my feet firmly planted on the ground..we have a zero turn rider..but I don't do things that move with me in or on them except for cars and swings..and maybe a bicycle..that is my Don't Do thing..and I do NOT like heights..I'll go up about 10 ' and that is that..i quit there..and i'm not happy that high up..but as an interior designer..it is a must do.

Until I moved to NC, I had never pumped my own gas. Had no clue! Also had never ridden a lawn mower..I love it, and get irritated when DH uses MY mower (he's a lot harder on machinery than I am). I had never done any kind of electrical wiring, and at least re-wired a lamp.

I have never cleaned the gutters. First of all, I am terrified of heights. I can climb ladders, but I can't get down. Part of it is an unstable knee, the rest is unreasonable neurosis. I got on a roof once to help, and thought someone would have to call a bucket truck or throw me off to get me down. I don't even think about doing that anymore.

I've never changed a tire either. I've never baked a meat pie from scratch and I've never eaten brains.

I don't know how normal watching Gone with the Wind is, but I have never done that, or Casablanca.

Change a tire, I can but won't.
There are people who do that for a living.
I say, let them.

I ate brains with scrambled eggs before I was
old enough to know better.
As far as I know, unless it happened when I was too small
to have a memory of it, I have never eaten squirrel,
possum, deer, rabbit, raccoon or any other critters that
some folks boast about. If it isn't beef, chicken, pork or
fish forget it. I'm considering eliminating those from my
diet. Shhhhh, don't tell anyone I said that or I'll get kicked out of the south.

I have never changed a tire, but I am considering changing my own radiator. How hard can it be? I know that an engine issue would be beyond anything I have the tools for, but I think I could manage my radiator. It has been been over a week and although I have a loaner that I may use indefinitely, I would like my own vehicle back. My family of women have a rep for doing "manly" things, so I may as well follow suit. LOL

I have never ridden a bicycle - coming from Europe, that is really an oddity!
I have never pumped gas, either - now that I have quit driving, seems that one will not happen in the future.
I have eaten brains and some other odd food, but never eaten escargots and hope don't ever have to.
I love Mowses, my riding mower.

It took me a long time to come up with something... I don't know if I can't do it or not, because I've just never tried to poach an egg.

Since some of you are answering in more of an "I've never" manner, I'll add that, unlike what I imagine to be most others who have been on GW for years, I was never sent to "Disney" while Spike was here. I was a frequent poster on another GW form, and had quite a few heated discussions, but managed to completely avoid the teacups through the creative use of synonyms...

Oh, and Robin: Good on ya! You go girl! I imagine you'll be experiencing a lot of new firsts, and I admire your approach.

I am going to digress a little to tell my "riding lawnmower" story: We didn't have one growing up, but we did have a self-propelled mower with quite a bit of kick. My brother was the kind of kid who'd work hard at being lazy, and when he was about 11, he decided he'd "make his own" riding mower. We had an antique wheel chair in the garage. He sat in it, and turned the self-propulsion on the mower to its highest setting so it had enough umph to pull him behind. My dad walked outside just in time to catch daggers from passers by who were outraged that he was making his handicapped son mow the lawn...

Michelle, that's funny. I bet your Dad could have *brained* your brother!

I have never used a small gas powered anything. Car is as small as I will go. When I mow grass, which has been years, the last time dh's back went out and ds and dd were too young, I used the old reel mower.

I'm sure there are a lot of things I've never done before. But you can bet if the situation had presented itself, I'd have prolly tried it. Being half of a former couple is a learning experience, and if you are poor when you do it, even more so since you can't afford someone to do it for you.

Jazz I cracked up with the lawnmower story. I'm still laughing. I only got sent to Disney once, because I had an English teacher who taught us well how to pounce within socially acceptable norms, but I think when I got sent it was for something really innocent. I used the term once coined for the son of the queen who was NOT also the son of the king. It was the proper engineering term for a part in a machine.

I always told folks when I grew up I was going to be a topless jackhammer operator. Well, I have never operated a jackhammer.

It is so good to know I am not alone. It just really struck me. I mean, I'm not afraid to wield a sawzall, climb ladders up to the roof and paint eaves, drill holes with a paddle bit, whip out a pattern and sew an entire suit that I'll wear, cook all of Thanksgiving for a dozen people, but cut the lawn seemed daunting? wtf? Seemed strange that lil' ol' itty-bitty mower was roaring at me from inside the garage.

Eat things? Well, I eat what doesn't eat me first, except beets and olives. Not really anything that icks me out (unfortunately! I'm still 15 pounds overweight). And if one eats the muscle of an animal, why not other parts; muscle is icky enough... if you think about it, so don't!

Change a tire? I can do that. I timed myself once, just to see if I could do it in 10 minutes or less. Maybe I should go work on a pit crew.

No gas pumping? I think my mom has always done it, so I never even gave that one a second thought, but I probably would've if dad had always done it.

Krista, a radiator? Wow. I don't think I could do that. Ed always wanted to teach me to change the oil, but that's so messy and what to do with the oil... just easier to pay someone. My oldest brother wanted to teach me how to replace sparkplugs, but I just sorta watched in awe at his perspicacity explaining the process.

Jaz, you have one crazily fun family. I'd love to meet them some day.

Suzy, so what did you do topless? ;)

The lawnmower was so rigged up, I can't start it. The safety is missing?! It's been sitting all winter. I saw him on Saturday and he said the sparkplug is how he turned it off?!, so "just tighten it". Sounds like a death trap to me!!! I'm hiring sis to come do it. She does it for mommy and they need the money right now. They're always asking for odd jobs, so this'll just be another.

Weebus, I can give you never having watched Gone With the Wind, but you've never watched Casablanca?? That's just wrong. IMO, forget Citizen Kane, Casablanca is the best movie ever made. I'm thinking I've seen it between 100 & 200 times & can recite big chunks of the movie's dialogue. TCM seemingly shows it at least oncce a month. Check out the scehdule & enjoy!

OK, had to report in on this one. I just did something I've never done before and that is make Butter Cream frosting for a cake I just baked. I've always liked to sneak globs of it off bakery cakes, and figured it must be very difficult to make. Ha! I'd call it no-fail.

I just decided that if I liked it so much, maybe I'd better just find out how to make it. (Thank you inet).

buttercream is etheral, did you enjoy it? amazing isn't strong enough.

Uhm.........yes, we enjoyed it too much. Do you know how much butter and shortening is in it? You may as well just unwrap a two sticks of butter and eat it. (Not to mention a pound of confectioner's sugar). It ought to taste sinful.

I think the nippy weather and working out in it have set off my baking genes. In less than five days, I've baked four loaves of bread. Made a strawberry pie and whipped up heavy cream to go on it, and now a lemon cake with buttercream icing. I stuck a pie shell away in the freezer to make a banana cream later in the week. I justify it by putting fresh fruit in all of it, LOL. Gotta get that five servings of fruits or veggie a day!

LOL Suzy. Yay for all the cooking. Way to go. Buttercream.......slurp. Good on a cake, better off your finger or a spatula or bowl, or beater. LOL. I'm overdue for some. Darn diabetes makes it a very infrequent addition to our diet. Good thing it freezes pretty well, since I usually freeze at least half the cake, sometimes 3/4.

Robin, you did good to get your Sis to do that job. Grass that long is not for the beginner. Smiles. Even starting mowers that have been sitting since last season can be a pain and require a new spark plug at the least.

LOL Lilo, Mowses. Love it. I love my lawn tractor. I call it riding the grass. It's my favorite. I often have people offer to do that for me. NOOOO. Use the push mower for the hill, weed, anything but ride MY grass. Even when I'm so crippled up I can barely get to the garage, that's my reward for making it out there.

Krista, I have changed a radiator. Admittedly a long time ago. Not super hard but get ready for some swearing since it's in such a tight place it's usually hard to get at the bolts and such. Also, it depends on what else is hooked to it, like the water pump and such, how hard it is to get out... and in. I bought a rebuilt one so saved a lot of money by doing it myself. Then again, I've changed the heads on a car. That requires you to have a working torque wrench. Those darn bolts can be torqued right off. LOL..The guys at the parts store didn't believe me. Said they're hardened steel. OOpps..

I'm not big on shelled things like oyster, mussels, clams. Think I've only tried clams raw once. I'm told I prepare them all quite well though. I've never eaten sushi.

Never rode a unicycle. Wink. Never been our of the contiguous USA. Never had a professional manicure or pedicure, nor hair dye.

Oh, that's another one... I've been coloring my hair pretty much consistently since 1988, but I've never paid anyone to do it for me.

Sidenote: Lately I've been noticing a lot of natural silver highlights. Is this normal?

Ive never watched "Wizard of Oz" in fact im so repulsed by it i have to leave the room if its on.

LOL! Pam is it the Munchkins, the witch or those flying monkeys?

Its all 3 plus Judy Garland.......

Robin asked for "Anything you can't do that is basic, ordinary, most everyone else can and does do?"
Wow that covers a multitude of things, I've never changed a tire but I know I could do it along with changing the oil etc. on a car. Can do most household stuff or have figured it out or would figure it out somehow and give it a try. I can't sew for a darn(groan!)but i still can do the basics like a button or a hem. Have never watched Citizen Kane from start to finish but have always seen that sled burning away...I guess what it boils down to what you consider basic and ordinary...I can grow a garden and I have co-workers that haven't a clue how to germinate a seed nor do they care or ever want to...some people have the advantage of hiring someone to do what they don't want or need to do...but when push comes to shove if you have the need or the desire to try something whether it works or not as long as you give it a try thats whats important...don't think there isn't anything we are not capable of doing if we give it a try...kinda like a bucket list.