Tag Archives: gun show

Momma Bear’s October Preps

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Although October’s weather has been mild and the leaves are just barely starting to come down, it feels like THE SKY IS FALLING! After an exceptionally warm and dry summer, the acorns are dropping in record numbers. (I learned that this will lead to next summer having a mice and deer population boom (due to the surplus food), followed by an overabundance of ticks that live on them.) I felt this was a good time to study up on acorns as a food source. Acorns, like other nuts, are surprisingly nutritious and containing protein and “good fat”. Acorns do have high quantities of tannins, which make them bitter and somewhat inedible as is, but these tannins can be removed with repeated boiling. The acorns can then be roasted and ground into a meal to be used in place of, or with, flour. You can even make a coffee-like substitute. Acorns are best stored as nuts, and then processed throughout the winter as needed, because the ground meal has a short shelf-life due to the high fat content. Fall is a great time for gathering “natural produce” from your local surrounds. If you are unfamiliar with wild edibles, look for a local class offered by an expert. Here are my links to: acorn processing (with recipes) and a local nature hike for wild food identification.

The HAM radio class has been…interesting. No, I am not going to lie, it’s HARD! This class is put on by the local HAM radio club, using approved slides by the American Radio Relay League (the people who license you). BUT, what they don’t tell you is that this book/class/test has almost nothing to do with how to actually operate the radios. It covers the laws of usage, and the how and why of the science that make these radios work. For anyone who doesn’t have a science or electrical background, or who has been out of school for a long time, this is some hard stuff! There is nothing in the book or class that will teach me how to actually dial in and listen to people broadcasting, let alone how to actually broadcast myself. My class ranges in age from about 12 to 70 years old and we are all pretty much shaking our heads. Once we finish the class and take the test we will be licensed, but we are all going to have to join the club to get mentors to teach us how to actually operate the radios!

In the last month my husband and I attended our first of two gun shows together, and took our concealed carry class. If you have never been to a gun show before (my husband had not), I describe it as “Bubbas, Bellies & Bullets”. They have so many rows jammed with tables that I literally had to squeeze in between all the big bellied bubbas to even walk. As a Marine my husband is familiar with a number of interesting weapons, but he had never seen so many interesting people in such a confined space. I finally explained to him that gun shows are to the NRA what ComiCon is to gamer/sci-fi nerds. Gun shows are the ultimate showplace for our right to bear arms. We spent our time at each of the shows looking at smaller handguns that I could use for concealed carry. What I discovered was that the bursitis in my elbow prevents me from comfortably holding any weapon over about 1.5 lbs., thus limiting my options. Like everything else, we will be taking our time, heading to the range to try them out, to find just the right weapon.

What did you do to prep this month?

Gun Show Review

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of the Washington Arms Collectors’ Gun Show at the Western Washington Fairgrounds
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Washington Arms Collectors sponsor gun shows at the Western Washington Fairgrounds, in Puyallup (which is only seven miles from our home), Evergreen State Fairgrounds, in Monroe, and at the King County Fairgrounds, in Enumclaw. Annually, in Western Washington, there are about twenty gun shows. This is the fourth time I’ve gone to show here in Puyallup.

The Washington Arms Collectors is a membership organization, affiliated with the NRA. Their shows are open to all, admission is $9 and parking is free. But to buy or sell firearms you must become a member. An annual membership is $35 (admission is free to all shows with a membership), and the application must be accompanied by a Concealed Pistol License (or other approved firearms license) or you can pay $12 for an instant background check. You can get a membership at any show.

Sarah and I went this past weekend. This was her third show, we enjoy going and spending the time together, and she learns more each time she goes (whether she really wants to or not). It’s an interesting place, with lots of personalities–all the stereotypes–but mostly good, hardworking, honest gun enthusiasts. It’s fun to go and browse the huge display hall filled with table upon table of merchandise.

Of course there are guns, lots and lots and lots. Everything from the most current semi-automatic rifles, to bolt-action, to lever-action cowboy-style carbines, shotguns, more handguns than you can count, custom firearms, and even collector’s pieces.

Then there are the gun accessories, every type of holster, magazine, part, upgrade, carrying bag, or specialty item you could want; if you can’t find what you want you can probably find someone to make it for you. Literally tons of ammo, from specialty rounds to bulk sales; they have the best prices on ammo I’ve seen, including online, in part because there’s no shipping. There is also a large variety of knives, from the cheap $10 ones to custom-made blades and sheaths. The experts there are willing to answer any of your questions and are happy to give you their opinions and advice on pretty much anything.

Since this is the first time I’ve been since I started the blog, I paid closer attention to the ‘non-firearms’ related tables – instead looking around for the prepper-type items that were available. There were definitely plenty. Shelf Reliance Thrive Foods had a large booth, offering bulk and individual items, even giving out samples of their LTS foods (though I don’t own any Thrive products, I’ve heard them referred to as the best tasting LTS foods). GettingPrepped.com had a nice booth advertising classes on emergency preparedness, carrying the Wise Foods brand of LTS foods, Berkey Water Filters, and food storage containers. There were tables full of books; books on pretty much any topic related to firearms or prepping/survivalism. There were first-aid medical supplies, bags, books, shears, suture material, bandages, and complete kits (we bought some QuikClot, that I’ll cover in a future post).

If it’s part of the firearm, knife, associated accessories, first-aid, and/or prepper/survivalism venues it was probably there. Good people and much to see make it a fun day to just wander and browse; if you’re willing to search diligently, and negotiate wisely, you can find some great deals.

(Wednesday: New guest blogger, The City Cousin (aka Shawn) will write about how he preps living in the big city in a small apartment. This, Part 1, will be an introduction to Shawn and his viewpoint on prepping.)

Note: All of the pictures in today’s post were taken from internet images, no pictures are allowed to be taken inside of the Washington Arms Collectors gun shows.

What I Did This Week To Prep 2/24/12

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I work in Seattle, so most of the people I see at work live in the city. When I first started writing my blog and discussing prepping at work, there was a friendly support of my efforts, but not that much interest in the topic. As time has passed, that has started to change; people are asking more questions, awareness is increasing, and people are letting me know when their preparations (even very minor) are paying off.

Recently I was asked about prepping if you live in the city, by yourself, in a small apartment. The comment/slight complaint was that I always write about prepping for a family in a suburban home. I explained that I write about what I know; that the main purpose of my blog is a reflection of the preparations I’m learning about and making in my family’s life. My immediate thought was that any prepper who lived in the city should be actively looking for a way to move out! But then I realized that some people don’t have that option (work, family, finances, support systems) or just really like to live in the city.

I agreed that a discussion of urban prepping, on the blog, would be a worthwhile topic (it was briefly addressed in Location, Location, Location). And though I was willing to research more about city prepping, I decided it’d be better if it came from someone who actually lived that life. I approached a good friend, Shawn, who is somewhat prepper-minded and reads my blog (so he understands my baseline); he lives alone, in a one bedroom apartment on the fourth floor, near the city’s center. Shawn agreed to write the post (possibly a short series) about his insights, choices, and ideas about prepping in the big city (it will be posted the last week of March).

As mentioned above, our blog is starting to reach further. Both in people I know personally, and especially in the online community. As I look at the stats that show the number of visitors to TraceMyPreps.com I’m humbled at how many people are reading on a regular basis. It’s a validation that what I’m doing here has meaning and purpose (we all need that from time to time).

Not a whole lot else of actual prepping this week. We have some things planned for next week that hopefully will get done (finally ordering seeds, getting more compost, getting the garden ready).

Some follow-up. As mentioned in my posts Walk A Mile In Your Shoes Part 1 and Part 2, my workout regime now incorporates regular walks with Kate (our 6-month Border Collie). My new Danner boots (now nicely broken-in) work well hiking on the trails through the woods behind our neighborhood. I’m now carrying about 60-70 pounds in my pack (about 1/3 my body weight, which is kind of the recommended upper limit) for about an hour, several times a week. I’m enjoying my workouts (I had gotten very tired of just going to the gym, year after year), and–after a few weeks–I, again, feel much more comfortable and competent about walking greater distances.

FYI there is a gun show at the fairgrounds in Puyallup, WA this weekend, March 25-26. It’s put on by the Washington Arms Collectors and open to all. They, of course, have a wide selection of guns, ammo, and related equipment, but also a good variety of prepper items and books. Definitely worth checking out if you live nearby.

What did you do?