Lynda J

We normally cook our own meals. Just because we don't always like what the boys are cooking.

We have also had camping trips where we eat with the boys. It depends on how many boys are going.

This last trip the adults did all the cooking.

We had told the boys that if each boys advanced in rank they could pick one camping trip that the adults did ALL the cooking. This past weekends camporee was that camping trip.

I normally act as cook for the adult patrol. I like outdoor cooking. And like trying different things.

When I was a Web leader I had a new Scout come into the Den. His mother informed me that she would attend any activity that we had that was away from our meeting place. I told her that it was fine. She told me that she would be at every camping trip. I said this was fine as long as she took YPT since she would be attending with other boys there and that our CO requires that any adult attending over nights be registered and have YPT.

She did this. She said that the Pack they had been with in Wichita Kansas it was common for the leaders to require the boys to be in their tents by 9:00 and they had to have lights out by 10:00. At that point the leaders got their coolers out with their beer. I told her that if I ever saw any leader drinking on Scout property on an outing I would personally turn them into the camp ranger and then when we got back to the Council. Since in our Council it is against policy to have any alcohol on the property. She went the first couple of outings then turned her son over to us.

I can not imagin any leader taking the risk of drinking when they are camping and responsible for Scouts. I can not imagin having to tell a parent that their son was injured and didn't get the treatment he needed because I had been drinking and couldn't get him to help soon enough. And IMHO any leader that allows drinking on any Scout outing is risking being sued by a parent if a boy get injured.

Don't get me wrong. I love a good drink. But when I am responsible for the safety of a group of Scouts that isn't the time.

I have been wearing Nevados for about the last 6 years for not only hiking but for work. I own an auto repair shop and am on concrete all day. Had been having trouble with my legs cramping and my feet getting really tired. My doctor told me to change from sports shoes to hiking boots. I did and it has made all the difference in the world.

They aren't expensive, aroung $30.00. They hold up to oil, transmission fluid and all the other crud you tramp through in the shop. They are also very comfortable hiking.

In fact I only own one pair of tennis type shoes now and have about 4 pair of boots.

One other thing. When I get a pair of new boots I always put them on, stand in a tub of warm water then wear the boots until they are dry. When they dry they fit your foot. Started doing that some 50 years ago when I was breaking and training horses. That is how my dad made us break in our boots. Never have had a pair of boots that gave me blisters.(This message has been edited by Lynda J)

We try to do a group picture after each COH.

I have two young men in my Troop that are on medication. If they forget to bring their meds we have been told to give them caffeine.

Also be fully award that if you have kids drinking Mountain Dew or Big Red. They have more caffeine in them that about two large cups of coffee.

At meetings I call my boys "gentlemen" when I want their attention. At activities I call them by their name. If they have ask me a question I say

"Sir". It is a form of respect. The same I expect them to show me. And 90% of the time they will answer me as "mam". But when I am talking about them they will always be "MY BOYS".

Before a boy in our unit can take part in Popcorn Sales his parents have to sign an authorization that says he can sell popcorn. It also states that any money not turned in will be the parents responsibility. We have a sign off sheet that a parent must sign when the popcorn is picked up and we give them a recipt any time they turn in money.

We did this after a boy in the pack left owing well over $300 several years ago.

But you do need to contact your CO. They may see fit to take legal action. Ours looked into it but what happened was the boy had the money. His mothers "crack head" boyfriend stole the money. No point it doing anything. It would have only hurt the boy.

If you are with a Unit that uses equipment that belongs to an adult member of your troop. Make very sure that you inventory and mark all of your equipment. I was contacted this week by a troop complaining that when the former SM moved he took almost every bit of their camping gear. That he took all the camp stoves and lanterns. I called this person and was informed that that equipment had belonged to him personally and he was allowing the unit to use it.

So CYA and make sure that everyone knows what equipment belongs to the troop and what is on loan.

What better way to recycle leaders. My Kevin has been with the troop 3 years. At the beginning of this year I started helping one of the Web Leaders.

She had taken over the Web 2's and they were really behind. I love working directly with the boys.

So if you were a leader and your son moved up into the troop but you really like being more hands on that what is needed in the troop. Go back and give your skills and knowledge back to the Pack.

My mother graduated her last troop of Girl Scouts from high school just after she turned 70. She had had a troop since before I was old enough to be in. It all has to do with what my Gran use to say.

"Your community is like a tree. You are either a leaf that feeds and nurtures is our you are mistletoe that sucks it dry. Be dang sure you are always a leaf".

Its all about having fun and giving back.

It isn't just the womens uniform that is poorly designed. The pants for the men and boys are just as bad. They are not designed to be work camping.

The little "cargo" pockets on the front are like my dear old dad use to say "as worthless as ti**s on a bore hog". You can't put anything in them and they are exactly at the groin point so if you do put anything in them and try to sit down it pokes you.

I never understood why BSA ever let a fashion designer design a uniform instead of letting scouts design it.

As far as letting them make my uniform. I am a sewer and believe me there is no way you can send someone your measurments and come out with a uniform that really fits. I sew for a woman and I normally do 3-4 fittings before I finish a garment.

But they won't sell me the fabric and pattern so I can make my own.

So I just wear the pants and tailor the shirt so it actually fits me. If I get it to fit across the chest it looks like I am expecting and sorry at 58 I don't want that assumption.

Many moons ago when I was at Girl Scout Summer Camp one of the girls got home sick really bad.

One of the Counselors had her write to her parents every day. Telling them what she had done and what fun she had had that day. It was not something I would have done but it worked. The counselor said it gives them a connection with home and they get to put to paper what they had done and realized how much fun they had had.

But NEVER NEVER let them call home or have the parents call.

Check out Slippery Falls in SE Oklahome. Our troop is going there this summer. Everything I have heard about this camp has been good.

How is a new boy supposed to learn how to be a partol leader unless he sees someone doing it.

Our patrols are mixed. This last elections Kevin was elected PL for his patrol for the second time. The patrol has two new Scouts in it. He slected one of them as the APL. His thinking was that working together he passes his knowledge on to the APL. Them next elections this Scout is ready to be a PL.

She must have access to a lot of boys. Since Ultimate takes a full team. We always did it at Day Camp. Same thing with Flag Football.

It is sad when parents think more about how many awards their boys get instead of teaching them the quality of earning them.

And the honesty that goes with scouting.

I grew up in Harrison just north of Orr. My brother did all his summer camping at Orr as a Scout. We had a horse farm on top of the Boston Mountains over looking the Osage River Valley. Great canoeing and hiking country.

Just be sure to check with someone because it they have has as little rain as we have here in Texas the upper Buffalo will be so low you won't be able to float. Take your fishing gear along.

I have a dear friend from an online Widow Support group I am on. She get so upset.

She lost her husband and her brother. She says she understands that people want to remember it. But like she said every time it shows her kids get to see the image of their father and uncle getting killed again. OVER and OVER and OVER again.

She takes her kids every year the week of Sept. 11 and goes away where there aren't any TVs so they don't have to see it. She said the first year her daughter got hysterical when she saw it and she ended up in the ER with her. Like she says. We will never forget it but we don't have to be reminded of it every day with our breakfast.

After Pearl the TV coverage was nothing like it is today. They showed Pearl often but not almost every day. My dad was on the California at Pearl. Had nightmares for years after. My late husband was forced to be in the Hitler Youth Corp. He watched as his father was killed because he questioned an SS officers order. Not doing it just wanting to make sure what the order was. He was stripped and made to stand in front of their house in the snow for 4 days. He died a week later.

His family will never forget what happened. But it is nice to not be reminded of it daily(This message has been edited by Lynda J)

I know of CO's that change the BSA program all the time. Don't anyone get mad at me but the LDS program is in many cases very different that the BSA program. Rank advancement it different, camping requirements is different.

I have taken National Camp School twice. Worked harder than I have ever worked the first time. Second time was much easier. But I don't remember anywhere where they advocated everyone using the same program.

As far as everything in Scouting being standardized. What about making everything standardized? You can go into any chain store across this nation and not get the same service.

Since we deal with different people and different parts of the country it won't ever be exactly the same. Everyone's program will be slightly different. Because we are working with different people and boys.

One of the reason I enjoy taking trainings over and over is that very thing. I get new ideas every time simply because I am with different people.

We just finished our Merit Badge College this past weekend.

It is two weekends, two weeks apart. The scout can select 3 badges to work on. There is home work given out to be done between the two sessions. Classes start at 12:30 and go until 5:30. I have taught a class for the past three years. Did First Aid this year. The Badge was set up for a 4 hr session each day. There were 47 boys in the class with about 6 instructors. We split the badge up and each of us covered one section. The boys did a 2hr session covering the basics them splip out into smaller groups and rotated for things like splints, wounds, first aid kits, cpr, carries. Covered a lot of information. Made the boys practice. It was a good session.

There are always good and bad on anything like this. Kevin had a Cit of the Nation counselor this year that he said didn't know anything about the badge. Set in his chair. Read the first couple of pages of the work book them told the boys to do the homework. This guy probably won't teach next year. But for the most part our MBC is a good one. We had almost 1200 boys attend. Had almost 500 counselors and helpers. I don't know how many badges were covered. I do know that my boys had a ball. Some didn't complete all their badges but are about 80%.

We update our medical file each year before summer camp. Each boy has a cover with his information in it.

We also have a section with all the adults training information in it. We take our training cards and make copies of them and put them in the folder. Since our medical file goes with us on every outing then we also have any adults training information with us in case we need to show YPT cards or anything.

I wonder what happened in the 5 months from the time that the counselor approved the requirement as written and the final sign off.

Also this scout isn't tied into this counselor. Any approved counselor can sign of a Blue Card.

We have to do this all the time with badges earned at summer camp or at merit badge colleges.

I had a young man come to me last month. Had completed a badge but the counselor had moved.

He left his worksheet with me. I read over it then met with him and went over the work again with him. He had done a very good job on the requirements. I signed off on the badge.

My dad was a very wise man. He always said that the most important thing you can do in business and life it remember names. That it makes people feel you are interested in them as a person and that they have importance.

I can not imagine being Cub Master and not thinking it is important to know the boys names in your Pack. Unless you have a pack that has 400-500 boys. I directed our districts day camp 4 years. Had well over 100 boys each year. By the 3rd day of camp I knew almost every boys name.

I also remembered the names of the boys that came back the next year.

Any adult that thinks kids don't appreciate having their names remembered as it is an adult, isn't connected with the real world.

In my business it is vital I remember customers names. I also remember what car they drive. And for the most part what we did to it the last time it was in the shop. It makes my customers feel that they are special.

Remembering a childs name makes them feel special.(This message has been edited by Lynda J)

Sorry about your loss

We have had two big black cats at our repair shop for the past 18 years. Since May we lost both of them. They were desk cats and customers would come in and play with them. It is hard.

Over the year I don't want to even remember how many I have lost.

I also understand about deer. My dad's farm was posted and you always knew a couple of days before deer season starter without looking at the calendar. Because all the deer seemed to join forces at our place. They would come right up into the coral around the barn and eat with the horses. The funny thing was that only during deer season would they do this.

I sleep on a cot because of an old hip injury. I went to the fabric store and got the quilted material that you line drapes with to insulate them. I contact sprayed it to the cot, works great for keeping cold air from transfering up under me. I then put a fleece liner inside my bag. And I do wear socks, but I wear socks at home too. But leave them in the bag until I get in.

I have camped to 22 and not been cold. But it does take about 10 minutes to warm up the bag once you are in it. And to be honest my bag is not an expensive one. It is rated to 25. I have always been told to take the temp rating of the bag and add 10 to it and that is what it will really be warm to.

Others have talked about setting an example to other Scouts when this boy is denied the Rank of Eagle. What about the example that if you make a mistake you will never make Eagle, that there is no second chance. What about setting an examply that as adults we are not so rigid that we can not understand making a mistake. I hear kids talk all the time about adults expecting them to be perfect all the time. That so many adults don't understand what it is like to be a kid. My dad always said try not to do anything that you can't look yourself in the eye over. And if you do then take responsibility for your actions. Make it right and stand tall.

I refuse to kick someone when they are down.

If we are going to demand perfection of kids then we had darn sure be ready to live under a magnifing glass 24/7. Never break any law, including speeding even 5 miles an hour over the posted speed limit.

GWD. Believe me there are some things in my past that I an not so proud of. And I was blessed to have someone along the way that was willing to reach out a hand and lift me up and not push me down.

I think sometimes as adults we want kids to be so perfect that we forget to forgive.