Darrell

I don't always carry, but I should. When I carry here at home it's usually a .380, which fits into a pocket nicely. But it's not always easy to get it out of a pocket after working for a while. I've tried a 38 revolver in a shoulder rig, but didn't like the feel. I couldn't care less about being concealed on my own property. I was leaning toward a chest rig before I asked the question, just to see what others here think. We seem to have a well-informed group, by and large. Thanks for your input.

I'll check that out.

Well, I'm going to cut across the grain here and say that I think it's perfectly reasonable to expect those who drive electric vehicles to pay more for the tags, exactly for the reason the state gave, they aren't paying gas taxes but are still using the gas-tax-funded roads. But I'll add the caveat that in Erich's case as he states it, there's something wrong. He's getting stuck with an extra tax, not something that makes up for not paying gas tax. I imagine it would be pretty tough to go through all the possible models of vehicles to figure out some kind of graduated system for paying more for tags, so maybe the state did what they could. Erich, maybe it would be worth contacting your state representative to point out that your particular hybrid shouldn't be on the electric-vehicle list. I might even think of writing to Ford and asking if they'll help. And on a positive note, I moved here from Washington, and I would have done backflips of happiness with a $129 tag while I lived there. I was floored when I found out how little I had to pay for a tag when I got here five years ago. We live in a state where license tabs are very, very reasonable. So, Erich, just average the tags together and divide by two and it won't seem so bad.

I'm usually wearing bib overalls when I work outside, so no belt. But during the summer I might be wearing shorts with a belt.

I've been using a hammer-puller for a century or so, and never knew that. And yeah, the spring holder is irritating. Thanks, Grayfox54, I'm going to use that tip next time I have to pull a bullet.

I find it difficult to carry on my own property while I'm working, and I wonder what kind of holster those of you who are active at home prefer. I'm talking about getting on and off my tractor, running a chainsaw, dragging limbs around, digging a hole, stuff like that. It's pretty easy to carry when I'm not doing a lot of bending and lifting and such, but much a harder when I am. I bought a belly-band, and that works pretty well, but it's awfully hot during the summer. I do like it, though, for wearing under by bib overalls, which is my normal outside work apparel. I'd like something that will work well with a 1911. My two big concerns are #1, that it secures my firearm. I don't want to drop a handgun in the muck without realizing it and then have to search for it. And #2, that it be comfortable when I'm doing all those kinds of things without interfering with the work at hand. I appreciate any thoughts and suggestions!

And good eyesight. I can either see the peep or the post, but not both, darn it.

I think Red333 hit it on the head twice. A business that sells firearms needs and FFL, and your non-profit needs to speak to an attorney. It would have been so much better if your donor had sold the arms himself and donated the money. Your best option might be to sell or consign the firearms at a local gun shop.

I always liked her voice.

My wife drives an Audi TT. I'm not a big guy, 5'11", but I struggle to get into it and part of my front-view is the headliner where it meets the windshield. My wife is five foot nothin, and it fits her very well.

Wow, I love that 1854 with the wood stock. Don't love the price so much, though.

And my ice-dam is getting close to collapsing:

This is the county road I must take to get to town, and my own driveway, which I cleared as best I could a few days ago. I know the county doesn't have the snow-clearing equipment to keep the county roads clear, but if it had been plowed right after the snow it would be fine now. Obviously, quite a few people are driving on it, but I'll wait another day.

For goodness sake, don't tell that story to Joe Biden!

You might want to load a few of those primers into cases without any powder or bullets, and test them out in a firearm. I bought a bunch of old primers last summer and one case of them just fizzed, so I had to dispose of them. Better to find otu before loading the ammo. Check out Berry's bullets for plinking rounds.

You can find real bargains if you look around at Ham swap meets, eBay, etc. My first rig was a Heathkit that I built, but that really wasn't inexpensive. An older radio can provide a lot of hours of entertainment, you don't need the super-whiz-bang stuff to make contacts. I think my HF radio is about 20 years old now, and I bought it new. I expect it will keep working until I die.

Well, I live at a little bit of elevation, surely not in a valley, and we have 6" of frozen snow on the ground right now, and a passable but hazardous road to civilization. My expectation is that it will melt tomorrow and Tuesday... at least I hope so.

When I was a young Jarhead I used to love to take my old pickup to Lake Arrowhead and snow camp during the winter. There was never anyone else there, and a weekend of fishing and solitude was great. You, however, are FAR tougher than I ever was if you can do that with a bunch of kids!

Five below on my porch this morning. I've had enough now.

If you are atop a hill you will probably be able to communicate 50 miles using a repeater, and maybe even without. 2-meters, which is where most of your inexpensive hand-held rigs operate, is line-of-sight. So if on a clear day if you can see the other community, you should be able to talk. Repeaters allow much longer range communications because they are often located on high ground and they almost always run more power. A mobile unit, the kind you would mount in your car, will likely have 50 watts of power. More power means longer comms, all else being equal. A decent 50W mobile rig can be found used for $100-$150. You can make your own antenna for a few bucks, or buy one for a few bucks more. You can mount a mobile unit in your home, of course, but you'll need a 12v battery or a 12v power supply. All that stuff can be found used pretty easily. Probably the easiest way to get on the air is to find an "Elmer", an experienced ham who will help you. Again, a local ham radio club will have people who will be anxious to mentor. There's a repeater in Waverly, and it's owned by the Three Rivers Amateur Radio Club. Here is some contact info: https://www.arrl.org/Groups/view/three-rivers-amateur-transmitting-societ It looks like they offer beginner classes.

I scraped the top layer off my driveway this afternoon when the sun was shining. Now I have a skating rink out there. I did a Fred Flintstone with the flying feet when I almost fell on my butt. Maybe the sun will shine again tomorrow?

Perhaps there's a ham club somewhere near you. If so, they will welcome you to a meeting and help you understand the hobby a little better. A technician license and a cheap two-meter hand-held are a good way to dip your toes in. But if, like me and GGG, you find that you like it, you can spend big bucks. Just like our shooting hobby. Like GGG, I am also an Extra, but I almost never get on two-meters. I prefer Morse, but I admit I've not been on the air much since arriving in TN five years ago. I need to get an antenna up, I guess!

For a two-meter radio, like the Baofeng, only a tech license is required. You can buy a study guide, devote a few evenings, and easily pass the test. Two-meters is line-of-site, so it may not be real useful in a "situation", though. Most of us use them with repeaters, and those may or may not work under difficult circumstances. I have two of the little Baofeng transceivers that my wife and use under certain circumstances, but they're very low power and won't communicate too far without a repeater. Well, they'll communicate to the moon or to a satellite with 5 watts, but that's a different subject.

True indeed, but under SHTF circumstances.... who's gonna write the ticket?

If I look from the end, there's actually a tunnel of ice above the gutters. So the water from the melting ice will still run through the gutters until the whole shebang slips off the roof. Seems to happen every winter and so far there's been no damage.