SSScout

Welcome to the virtual crackerbarrel! (don't let anyone try and tell you this is a campfire. Heat is bad for electronics). I hope you will consider signing on as a MBCounselor for Journalism. There are few of us left who actually remember what it meant to ACTUALLY Cut and Paste... Light Table? Wax roller? Letraset? Photosensitive? It's like mentioning cuneiform to some youngsters....

Busses... The City should definitely be willing to look into a Public Safety Issue of private busses filling up otherwise public car parking. Here in the Nations Capitol, the National Capitol Park Police are VERY strict about where busses may stop and park. Even curbing to drop off and pick up at the wrong place (in front of the Smithsonian No NO NO!) can get the driver a big fine. NOT the company, THE DRIVER! Are all the "official" close in spaces full? Well, here is the long term lot at RFK Stadium (5 miles away from the Mall!), go there, NOW! Sometimes the public needs to help solve the problem for the city. Is there a better place for the Casino Busses to stop to let off and pick up? A hotel curb or lot? A shopping center? Maybe the Police and the Traffic Engineering Departments can be interested in this, as a problem in traffic movement. Paid parking for tour busses? Ummmm, revenue source! And see if it can be couched in terms , not just of Scout Meetings, but of Public Inconvenience. Is there an issue of extra traffic coming and going that threatens kids crossing the street, say? And get the local TV "On Your Side" reporter interested. The Casino revenue may be a consideration. Go to the Casinos, and the Bus companies. No one wants a bunch of smiling mothers and grandmothers with kids in tow causing unnecessary commotion. Roll them bones! er I mean, Good Luck and Good Scouting!

That thread about the Cooking MB got me thinking. What and How do we do it? It is easy to keep "body and soul" together, any bowl of oatmeal will do that. But how to make it worth while? Here's a start: Layer Cake Stew, from WB 82-90 Serves 6 to 8, depending on the time of year and size of Scout. Prep: 20 mins. Cook: 30 mins. The directions may seem overly precise, but they are intended for beginning cooks. Utensils: *MINIMUM size 10†x 3†deep cast iron skillet, ‘seasoned’ and oiled, or equivalent (dutch oven may be used, but do not ‘top heat’) * Cover for skillet. High top, if possible. *cutting board and knife * veggie washing brush *pancake tuner/spatula or big spoon (for serving) *big fork Ingredients: *½ lb bacon, sliced 1/8†thin * 1 lb. ground beef, lean *1 fist size onion * 3 fist size potatoes * 2 or 3 nice carrots * 1 or 2 sticks celery * salt and pepper to taste * catsup on the side * water, in big pot for rinsing and washing veggies. Directions: * Prepare nice, HOT fire. HOT coals preferred. Make preparations to support HEAVY skillet over HOT fire. Cook stove may be used. * Place skillet on table or prep area. Rub Soap on OUTSIDE and BOTTOM if using open fire. (helps with cleanup) ***WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND WATER*** * Bacon: COVER inside bottom of skillet with bacon. Leave no bare spots. * Beef: Crumble ground beef evenly over bacon. * Onion: Remove skin , cut off ends and any bad spots. Rinse. Cut in quarters and slice ¼†thick. Spread evenly over beef. *Potatoes: Cut out eyes and bad spots. Do not peel. Scrub and wash well. Slice into ¼†slabs and spread evenly over onions. Salt and pepper to taste. * Carrots: Cut off ends and any bad spots. Do not peel. Scrub and wash well. Cut diagonally (fancy!) ¼†thick and spread evenly over onions. * Celery: Cut off ends and bad spots, leave leaves if green. Wash well. Cut diagonally (fancy!) into ¼ “ pieces (leaves too) and spread evenly over carrots. Try not to MOUND things up in the center. * Clean up prep area. Cuttings to compost , if possible, otherwise, “Leave No Trace†guidelines. **Place cover on skillet. If it sits a little on top of the “stewâ€, don’t worry, it’ll settle down as it cooks. **CAREFULLY lift the skillet and place on/over fire. Do not disturb for thirty (30) minutes. If there is no steam escaping after 10 minutes, the fire isn’t hot enough. *** After thirty minutes, remove from fire and lift lid. Poke potatoes with big fork. Should be soft. If not, replace cover and place back on fire for ten more minutes. Try again. ****Salivate at will. Serve with biscuits or toast and jam.

Wow, so many old names, no longer posting... Some I recognize, some more obscure. I am still retired from the transit service (Ride On in Mungumry County Murlin) and sub-teach and drive bus for our Meeting and teach CDL license to folks and do lawncare stuff. And I do Commish things in Scouting...

There has to be a consensus here. From the taciturn teen that wants NO ceremony to the grandparents that want to rent out the local Hyatt and cater a sit down dinner with Bill Gates for a guest speaker... My favorite was the Scout whose grandparents farm was a favorite place to camp. So they organized the CoH at a campout there. Folks had to hike in several hundred yards, bringing their own camp chairs. The Scouts set up a table and there were candles and some speeches about "what Scouting means to me" and the Eagle's history with the Troop. It was very moving and appropriate. Potluck dinner, campfire fare. After the old folks went home, the Scouts stayed up with the other ASMs and SM and smooshed thru the night.... Have a BBQ on the church back lawn. Do a nice CoH , let the Scouts do their usual thing, include the Eagle Charge (some version, there are several nice versions out there, no "official" version that I know of) Invite earlier Eagles from your Troop to attend. Invite some famous people that you admire, they might come! At the very least, you might receive a nice congratulatory letter.

*sigh* "A Scout is Trustworthy". Let's remember, The Blue card has three sections. The SM signs off on the card first, giving his approval for the boy to attempt the MB. When the Scout fulfille the requirements, the MBCouselor fills in and signs the sections, keeps one section. The Scout hands one section to his Troop (SM) and keeps one section himself. I organized a multiscout trip to visit with a Railroading MeritBadge Counselor. He was an oldtimer, the Scouts love him. We met at a Model RRClub, went to a track Interlock Tower, visited a local railyard. He signed everyone's cards, gave out his name and address, etc. It was a good Saturday afternoon. A year later, one of the boy's father calls me. The boy has lost his BCard section, and the Troop records do not jibe with the council's.(he was awarded the MB at the Troop CoH). It's Eagle time! Can I sign a new card for him? Can't I vouch for him attending and passing the MB? I say I'd like to, but I'm not the MBC. They pursue the issue, and find that the MBC has since passed on. What to do? I , fortunately, have the list of boys I escorted to the session. It gets complicated, but eventually, the Council accepts that the Scout did attend and did earn the MB.

Waaaaay back when, I was in a Cub Scout softball league. We played two days a week, practiced catch and hit after school sometimes with whatever dad was available. I remember we had red tshirts with out Pack number ironed on by one of the moms (it was a Saturday afternoon activity! In a basement rec room, us Cubs helped with organizing and holding and such. It was a multi-Den meeting). Our games were regulated, but there were many time outs for helping someone adjust his glasses, or trade off a glove for a different one that fit better. We had a bag of gloves to choose from if we didn't have our own. My dad , as I remember, impressed folks because he had played semi-pro softball in his younger days, as a one handed catcher (!). I played right field and first base and center field as I remember. It fit right in with Cub Scouts, we had sports awards, and it fit some of the Wolf and Bear requirements. When I went on to Boy Scouts, I knew I wasn't going to be a sports player. I marched in the Band and did lots of other things outside of Scouts. But Scouts was always something I enjoyed and did well in. My parents , I see, followed Harry Truman's advice, and when they found something I liked and enjoyed and showed talent in, they encourage me there. Baseball? Track? not so much. Stage and drama? Scout camping? Band and music? They helped and drove me, but insisted that I "Do My Best" (where have I heard that again?). The only complaints I heard from them was how they could help me do better, not so much punishment for not succeeding, but how to do it better. I find myself often speaking of the "soccer syndrome". Parents take their progeny to practice, drop off and two hours later come back, expecting the coach or teacher to "create" their child. When the child has no connection with the parent(s) or they have a child that seems to have no moral compass, the parent doesn't wonder "what did I do wrong" but "how can the school be improved". The kid isn't going to be a pro sport legend, he MIGHT be a good, honest plumber or farmer or architect. If he or she becomes a community leader (even POTUS?) , how can one ever see pro sports as a basis for that?

Far too many things to refer to , to answer assertions directly. Hence, some general quotes/comments. "One man's miracle is another man's coincidence" - - I believe because of my study and because of my personal miracles (another time). " By their fruits shall you know them". If a person acts in a moral manner, and I so believe it of him/her, it is because they are acting in accordance with what I think is moral and correct. Hence, the ISIS terrorist is "moral" to some, but not to me. "Character is what one does when one thinks no one else is looking". Ah, but the religious person should (does?) think someone/something is looking. ALL the time. Does that matter? Are all professing Christians/Jews/Muslims/Hindus/Ba'hai's true to their defined faith's teachings and their ostensible founder's example? What a world we might have if they were! " It is a sad Reflection, that many Men hardly have any Religion at all; and most Men have none of their own: For that which is the Religion of their Education, and not of their Judgment, is the Religion of Another, and not Theirs." So the idea that one can be TAUGHT a faith is hard to prove. The young Scout will learn his parents faith, even if the parents aren't aware they are teaching it. Later, the Scout may decide , for himself, what he believes and where that belief comes from. "On my honor..." " A Scout is..." If we can convince the young Scout of the efficacy and appropriateness of those promises, it matters not (to me, at least, and I'm a Scout Chaplain) if he assigns the origin of those words to an omnipotent deity or his own reasoning, the deed has been done, his life is changed and the world is a little better for it.

Our District is one of three in our semi-urban Maryland county. It is about 15 miles E-W and about 30 miles N-S. Before I became RTC, I was very pleased when the present meeting site was established. It is in the education/social building of a big Baptist Church, central location, easy to get to. They do have one habit that is sometimes a challenge. They sometimes CLOSE the church for certain official holidays, like Veterans Day. So , come this November, I have to reserve a "plan B site". One time, I was fortunate, I thought, to have a local UMethodist church with a nice set of social halls allow us to relocate there. My Cub RTC is a devout Jew, and (surprise!) when he arrived that night, he told me he could not enter the RT site because the social hall was under the church's sanctuary. Fortunately, his Asst. RTC was able to take care of the meeting. And I learned something that I will remember the next time we have to relocate...

""If the police officer/Marine vet had spoke to me, I would not have been embarrassed. I would have thanked him for his attention to detail, and said we'll do better next time. "" Yep. My attitude exactly. He thanked me for the Scout's being there and we parted with a shake of hands.

As a ADC, I was once asked to help organize a 9-11 memorial. At a local mosque. We elicited a couple dozen Scouts from several units, collected Troop, County, State, and US flags. The day of the event (many politicians, media, various faiths represented) , our Scouts gathered, elected a Color Guard Captain, and with the organizers of the event, set up the routine, and even practiced the entrance and exit once. The event went well. The crowd was respectful, the Scouts resplendid in their uniforms. The parade in (led by the US flag) went without a hitch, the speeches were meaningful. When it was time to close, everyone on the dais paraded out, the flags reversed order and paraded out. The US flag, by opinion of the Scouts, stayed on the dais some seconds longer, and paraded out the very last, with Scout escort. We had many compliments. As we were packing up to leave, a county police officer took me aside and told me he was a Marine veteran, and did I know we did the ceremony WRONG? He said in no uncertain terms, he realized that Scouts might not be expected to know that the US flag NEVER follows another flag, but he could forgive us our ignorance. I thanked him for his comment, but told him the Scouts had decided that the US flag should be the very last thing folks saw at the end of this ceremony, and did he not see the extra spotlight on it as it stood center on the stage, before it was carried out? He said that sounded better, but he still thought it should have LED the other flags out.

"The work is done by whoever shows up". As has been said, people come and go here, as in all of life. How in the world did my agency go on serving the citizens after I retired??? I hope BD stayed around long enough to see the Ode to Scouter here on his behalf. Godspeed, Basement dweller.....

Hit the wrong button..... I have heard stories of brothers and mothers lost at sea and towers brought down by mad men. Everyone ends with a toss of a piece of old flag into the flames of a simple campfire out in the woods surrounded by folks dedicating themselves to the youth of our community and nation. After everyone has had a chance to speak , and occasionally there will be a "pass" and that's alright, our SM speaks of the unity of our diversity before he tosses the Union in the fire. Then someone leads singing Scout Vespers or Taps (never scripted, but someone always does it), and we leave the last tending of the fire to the "service" Patrol as the rest of us wander off to (?) bed or cracker barrel.

The flag is "only a colorful piece of cloth" unless we give it meaning and symbolism. "Field of Valor"? Maybe, but it is the "Union" , it represents the States united. Before the Civil War, folks talked about "the United States are..." After the CIvil War, it became more often "The United States is..." Do you see the difference there? This was pointed out to me by Shelby Foote in the TV series about the CIvil War. I was taught a nice routine at our IOLS. Our Scoutmaster/instructor takes one or more US flags and we cut them into strips and a union. After the fun skits and songs, he passes out a fragment, a piece of "colorful rag" to each participant around the campfire, and we talk about where this flag may have flown: over a school or carwash or library or private home, over America. He then proceeds to tell his story , about his immigrant grandfather and eagerly "American" father and mother, how they lived and served in the wars and in their community. He then often connects this with some other short stories about "newcomers" to our shores. He then tosses his fragment into the fire and invites anyone else who might have a story to tell about our country to let us hear it. I have heard funny memories, heartbreaking recollections of jumping walls to freedom, Scout hikes thru foreign woods, heroes loudly lauded and humble. I

Mom2A, Why are you insisting that the parent have a good time with their child? You don't want to come between the parent and THEIR good time, do you? Heaven forbid the parent should have to connect with their progeny. I remind folks (why the need? ) that if they have no connection/bond with their boy by the time he is twelve, they will have no connection with him when he is 18.... Thank you for your efforts in creating good citizens, in spite of the parents efforts to the contrary. What better citizens can we have than ones that live life by the Scout Promise and Law? "A Scout is T,L,H,F,C,K,O,C,T,B,C, and R."

Yep. Another example of "I'm the new boss(s) and I have to leave my mark on things". Join, meet requirements, become a "Scout". You didn't become a Scout when mom signed the check for dues? Tenderfoot used to be the Newbie's badge...

Prof: I keep reminding folks, this is not a campfire! Fires melt electronics! Campfires have skits! They are fun and inspirational! (how often is this place fun AND inspirational!?? ) This is better typified as a cracker barrel! We nibble on ideas and suggestions , and sometimes remind each other of how things were in the (sometimes) good (much) old(er) days..... Oh, and welcome, Ann F. KiS MiF !

My response to such a note: " Dear Ms Scoutmom: I am always willing to meet with any Scout at any time for any topic. He may have his parent with him if he wishes. We will follow Youth protection Guidelines, and meet in the hall way by the back door. If your desire is to meet with me privately , I am certainly willing to meet with you , at the same place. Mr. Baker, our ASM will be there too. Regards....." (cc: Mr. Baker, Mr. ComChair, )

Well, yeah, BSA has run Scout PSAs . Council /local driven. Get up early sunday morning, you can see'm. The local TV stations, if not owned by a national company (?Gannett?) will try to fulfill their "public service" requirement, but they are not "required" to show them in "prime time", just averaged out over the week. That South African ad is certainly the best I've seen in a long time. How many of us use our Scout training in our adult lives? I tell my Scouts, they may never need the ideas and knowledge and skills they learn in Scouting, but when it is needed, they will be glad they have it. Knot tieing, survival skills when the power goes out, cooking, spare tire changing, first aid, much less CPR.... From the first Artificial Respiration training I had as a Scout, I say I have learned at least 6 new, improved variations. The science of life saving has evolved and improved. I was not called upon to utilize that skill until I was in my mid fifties. It all came back to me very quickly, as I was the only one in the crowd that was NOT standing around hoping someone would DO something, and the only one that TOLD someone to call the rescue squad. Download it. Screensaver it. Stream it. Show it at your Roundtable. Show it at your Troop meeting.

"Paddle Boarding" You do realize that corporale punishment is against BSA rules? Oh , wait... Well, maybe for some of us older folks it would be ...

I knew a Troop that set up shop in a shopping mall and sold "Flag Folding" . For a price, they would fold "your" American flag. (and then, behind a screen, unfold it). They said they made some money at it... But I have to say, my favorite fund raiser was my own Troop of my yoooth: On a given Saturday morning, we would gather at the church parking lot about 6am. Soon, one of the Troop dads would arrive in his station wagon FULL of freshly minted Krispy Kreme glazed donuts, maybe 300 dozen. We would divvy them up, Scouts and moms and dads, and go out to knock on neighborhood doors and sell'em . People started to expect this ("where were you last month?"). We'd sell three, four dozen to some folks, they said they wrapped them in plastic and froze them. My dad and I and my buddy Paul would easily sell 30 dozen by 11am. We had regular routes. Ah, those were the daze...

An organization around here holds a "virtual" Mother's Day Tea ". Around May 1st, they send out a letter with a tea bag attached, asking folks to make a cup of tea, consider all the things Mom did for them ("M is for the many things ...) , and send in a donation in honor of their mother.

Don't you just love this new Faith and Chaplaincy Forum?

BDPT: Well, yes, that too, but I was thinking more of Mathew 25:35.... and maybe Luke 10:33.....

B&O Railroad Museum offers Merit Badge Day! If you're in the neighborhood..... Railroading and Scouts: B&O Museum Welcomes Scouts for Railroading MB, Electronics MB and Inventing MB. Cub Scout Stuff, Too! Saturday 26 September, 10a to 4p For one day only the B&O welcomes all Boy Scouts to meet merit badge requirements toward Railroading, Inventing, and Electronics. Hands-on activities that are age appropriate from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts will be offered throughout the day. Contact the B&O Museum: http://www.borail.org/Calendar-bo.aspx AND.... STEAM IS NOT GONE…. October is Steam Month at the B&O Museum… http://www.borail.org/railfest.aspx " Even if you're on the right track, but you'll get run over if you just sit there!" = Will Rogers =