SSScout

Congrats and have fun. Rule number three: Find and train your replacement EARLY. Rule number four: Find the CChair replacement EARLY (no offense to your lovely, but if the both of you end up doing everything and the Pack folds when you graduate, don't come running to us for resuscitation instructions). Oh, Rule number one: "It's for the boys", and Rule number two: Both you and them should have fun. If this is not visibly happening, reconsider rule number one.... Cub Mantra: KiSMiF, KiSMiF, KiSMiF.

"Let me pitch this new show idea....."

Rabbit barn at the County Fair (wife is sorry I chose to come in later rather than earlier today, but choices in life. House needs cleaning too). Signs everywhere: "Do Not Stick Fingers In Cages. Rabbits May Bite!" And in espaniol... I approach a woman using right index finger to stroke bunny thru wire, she responds "I have rabbits, I am a rabbit person. I know rabbits". and stalks off. Boy, perhaps 6 years old, RUNS into barn, CLIMBS on cage and rabbit reacts by nipping his fingers. We retrieve boy, apply first aid to fingers. Where's your mommy? "She's over there" and he gestures out the door. We call the office, animal control lady comes down, and assesses the situation. Mommy shows up, "oh, Johnny what happened? How could you people be so NEGLEGENT in ALLOWING my boy to be INJURED??!! (her insistence showing). She threatens to sue. Animal control lady says. " you are certainly free to act as you see fit, but your boy is not hurt, and I am about to report you to the police for child abandonment. May I see your identification for my report?" Mom and boy walk off and are not seen again.....

In the discussions about the World Jamboree, the National BSA Jamboree, attending Philmont/Northern Tier/the Summit/Seabase, NOAC, the local Camporee, even merely JOINING Scouting, both on this site and in Bryan's Blog, I am impressed by the common comment/concern/complaint about the COST. If you go to Hawaii for a vacation, or even around the corner to buy a gallon of milk, there is a financial cost. We choose to spend those hard earned shekels , and exchange our work, whatever it may be, for those Dollars/Euros/Pounds for that privilege. Somehow, even Don Trump has made such exchanges and decisions . The benefits and experiences of Scouting that we work to provide our children, no matter what their age, will be at the expense of our time and eventually our money. I like the idea of spending what small amount I have at my disposal (and sometimes it seems that is all I am doing with it, disposing of it) on such things. The time with my family and friends becomes more valuable the older I get. I wish I had the money available to attend the World Jamboree and shake the hand of a Scout I might never see again, but had the opportunity to wish them well. I am now off the County Fair, where I will "staff" the Rabbit Barn, rubbing shoulders with folks who like rabbits (despite my allergies, I like rabbits) and enjoying the look on the faces of the kids and parents as they meet a REAL animal , sometimes for the first time close up and personal. Believe it or not, I don't think I will ever tire of hearing folks say "oh, it's so soft!" and "oh, it's so cute!" when they touch a Mini Rex. Yes, raising rabbits cost . We could've saved and spent that somewhere else (retire the mortgage earlier?) , but that's where ScoutSon worked in 4H, learned about life and genetics, and where we metaphorically and fiscally chose to put our treasure. See Mathew 6:21 Now, YOU get out to YOUR County Fair! Good Scouting to you!

Herr Schlecht Wolfe: Ein, zwei, drei, g'suffa! Mein Lederhosen ,noch einmal, so klein nicht ist.. Ein andere, bitte.... (Erlauben sie mal... Keine Umlaut....)

The first goal should be your "PROGRAM", regardless of anything else. That is what Scouting (Cub or Boy) is about, what will keep the boys in Scouting, what will gain them the benefits. As to uniforms, in the mean time, if you have a hard time getting them uniformly uniformed, try this: Get everyone a neckerchief and a standard Tshirt. Make it two. They can wear them to school., too. This is not too expensive, the necker is , after all, the one iconic thing a Scout wears. You do not need to buy a new necker for each rank, don't let the BSA tell you different. . You can even design your own and some talented parent can make them ! As the Pack saves up their money, get everyone their uniform shirt at the same time. If you tie the fund raisers (no, you don't HAVE to sell popcorn) to uniform and badge buying, I bet the boys and their parents will support it. Car washes, community yard work, bake sales, hotdog cookouts after church, whatever works. Along the way, celebrate the successes, correct the problems. Keep on Scouting!

Both above good ideas. Be there. Don't TELL him, let him tell you.

""We made too many wrong mistakes."" = Yogi Berra = ""The more you observe politics, the more you have to admit that the only thing worse than the other party is your own"" = Will Rogers = "" Camp, hike, carry water , chop wood. Repeat as necessary"" = me =

Local Option.... It was there alllllong time ago. I know of a RCatholic Church that will refuse membership to anyone not of their type of RCatholicism. I know of a Muslim Troop that has openly said they will accept anyone into their membership so long as they realize that this is a Muslim , observant group, in all things. Both are very Scout oriented, but from Their view point. There have been COs and Units that have used Scouting for their Youth Ministry (sound familiar?), and adjusted the program to fit. Did anyone in Irving complain about that? There have been COs and Units (and Scouters on this website!) that believed in the Truth of the Scout Promise and Law, and pointed out to Irving when the words did not agree with the actions. What has been the result of that? Is the image of The Scout tarnished as a result of this or that re-interpretation of our Promise and Law? Those haven't changed. They still stand. Compare the wording of the explanation of each point of the SP and the SL in the New SHB and FB to those in the older versions, say from the forties and fifties. What has changed in those definitions? I see only some adaptations to "modern" language. And, we are not asked to "hand over" one's Scout badge if the Scout did not do exactly as he was asked to do.... The "new" standards are , if you think about it, not so new, but only admissions as to what we really mean by our SP and SL. What happened when folks really thought about that phrase "all men are created equal".... It basically came down to admitting who was a man, after all, not whether some were more equal than others......

Another World Jamboree come and gone... http://www.23wsj.jp/index_e.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsG9JTMWYdg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFoM7jHcUtg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doJr0P8QoFg http://www.scout.org/wsj2015/content/91401

""Last, and most importantly, never invite a DE to your Scout presentation. They will mess it up every time."" Oh, ho, ho, ho,,,,, Most definitely go to Kudu's encyclopedic site.... http://www.inquiry.net/adult/recruiting.htm

In my perusal of several ongoing threads, I am struck by the suggestion that every boy/girl HAS to be a Scout, because the program is so good, so uplifting, skills promoting, etc. etc. It sounds sometimes as if we are first surprised that someone would WANT to be a Scout (but not abide by the stated requirements), then we turn around and are aghast that anyone would NOT want to be a Scout. Well, which is it? There are many other places and times in history when the youth of a nation had no choice but to be an XYZ, and follow that "program" , whatever it officially was. Die Hitler Junge comes to mind. But here, we are touting the choice of joining Scouts. There are lots of good youth programs out there, outside of the "regular" school. Some parents (we were some) see the regular school as not the optimum learning opportunity for our kids, and home school or private school. There's a choice. Some folks see other programs as a better choice. Just today, I had a long discussion with a mother of now adult children about just that choice. Four H became their choice, and they went all out there, with good result. Scouting , in their area, was not a "good choice". I could write paragraphs about her experience with those Packs and Troops, another time. If we do not provide a good reason for the kid to join (and abide by the rules, even if they are changed), why are we arguing about the dearth of joinees? It is, thankfully , a choice. If the kid does not become a Scout, does not earn Eagle, does not go to Philmont, does not earn 87 Merit Badges, that is , I hope, his (and his parents? ) choice. If the QRS Church chooses not to sponsor a Scout unit, so be it. We go on doing the bestus we can with the volunteers we have, with the boys that choose to be a Scout. And with recruiting season (I wish there was a better term. It almost sounds like we get a commission for each new Scout...... Choice season?) upon us, what reasons are we giving those boys to "Be A Scout"?

I drive bus part time for our Yearly Meeting Camping program. We take the campers to the canoe put in, pick'em up at the end of the trip, that sort of thing. Yesterday, I drive to the pick up point in company with a counselor driving the pickup truck and canoe trailer. We are to pick up 3 counselors, 14 campers and 9 canoes (one counselor paddles solo). When the float arrives, the kids jump out of the boats, eagerly help unload and carry the boats and gear up from the landing to the bus, truck and trailer. One boy looks me right in the eye and smilingly asks "are you here to take us back to camp?" The bus has a rear door, which is open to facilitate loading all the wet detritus. I am sitting in the driver's seat, the kids are rolling around in the passenger seats, getting together with their particular seat partners. One girl jumps up and announces "I guess you are our bus driver!" I admit, yes, I have that responsibility. Are YOU my camper? She giggles back and nods. Boy on the back seat yells "Should we close this door back here?" I shout back, yes, that would be a good idea, do you know how? He shouts back, yeah, I opened it to help load last week!. I was once asked by a parent as we prepared for a camp trip, what would they do if it rains? When I replied they would get wet, he hesitated and then nodded with grave, serious expression. Any more for Captain Obvious to mull over?

Thankee, Darcyedit. I stand corrected, and will then point out again, that multiple registrations can be a large economy size problem when Eagle time comes . Good Scouting to you, and your Scout, Sanve001. Keep a copy of everything!

I cast my vote for the sympathy ("too bad Jessie Cub was sick that day. Here's the materials, and some instructions. Maybe he can make'm during the lunch break. Oh? He just didn't get up in time and you decided it wasn't worth the effort ? Well, that's okay too. Here's a volunteer application...".)

There are many Scout memorabilia sites, facebook, etc. you can check with. I say it is older than the 1950's. I had a compass from that era and it was more decorated, the compass had a Scout fleur de lis on it. I think it is a leathercraft project, and a little compass was maybe provided to fit. Nice item, even so. Further back, we did not worry about square boxes for map aligment, a compass pointed north, with an angle circle, that was enough. The compass here looks like one my uncle left me (he was a Scout in 1928?) but I have misplaced it.

Yep. Even AMTRAK has holding tanks.

"It depends"..... He can be registered "OFFICIALLY" only in ONE Troop for BSA purposes. If he transfers to a new troop in another Council , he will get a new registration number. They seem to be Council specific. All this will become very important if and when he applies for Eagle and all the badges and service hours and PORs need to be tracked. You don't want two registration numbers, trust me, I had to clean up that problem once. RULE: Always use only ONE version of your name. Always John R. Jones, not Johnny Jones or JR jones or... That does not prevent the Scout from participating with another Troop until he is sure he wants to be a fullfledged member there. He can camp and hike and whatever with any Troop he and his parents desire. The importance of communication between SMs then becomes important, and the subsequent transfer of his Scout records to the new Troop. We had a young man from Georgia come to attend a residential school nearby and attend our Home Troop for a period. All his activity was transmitted to his home Troop in Georgia for his credit. Venture Crews are often (not always) associated with specific Troops. A Scout can belong in a Troop and a Crew.

The CO has always had the right to limit the membership and leadership as it sees fit. That is nothing new. It can limit membership in it's Scout units to folks that are adherents/members of its faith, only members of it's individual house of worship, only male, separate male - female units of Venturers, almost any way they see fit to match their vision of Scouting. Look at our LDS friends, how they "adjust" the Scouting program to match their view of how they want to treat their youth. Muslim sponsored units are similar in their arrangements of male- female.... Orthodox Jewish units, there you are. I don't see BSA insisting they change. As a Commish, I have seen COs insist in such things, notably a RCatholic church of my acquaintance ( It is a small Troop) will politely refuse membership to folks not of their membership, and I refer them to other units. "Nothing to see here, move along please..." BSA will adjust and move on. Some will join, some will form their own activity groups, some will never have the benefits (?) of Scouting, some will join other "clubs". So has it always been, so it will be.

""How to Shit in the Woods"" by Kathleen Meyer..... Go to the expert, this is the authority as to hygiene, sanitation, packing in/out, NPS Back Country requirements, all that stuff. Order on Amazon, if not available at your outfitters.... http://www.amazon.com/How-Shit-Woods-Edition-Environmentally/dp/1580083633

Contact the local Military District and ask the Corps of Engineers to come out and work a station on building things. Our CSDC had them out, they did a pavilion for a whole week, and cost us zero. Ask NASA for help . Call the local Jr, College, they might have a Physics lab that likes going "Boom" for people. Natural science: Dept of Agriculture Extension Agent will help with soil conservation, erosion, plant genetics, killer bugs, bees disappearing,,,, Fishing can be very scientific. Aviation was our theme some years back, we did fabulous things with that. And don't let them kid you, your camp is YOUR camp, adapt it as the spirit leads you. One year, the Council announced our theme was "Wild and Wooly West" We chewed on that a while, and decided to do the Lewis and Clark Expedition! It was really popular! (dare I say educational) Each day was another 500 miles toward the Pacific Ocean... If you think "Science " is too broad a spectrum (!), adjust your theme....Do it all in Aviation, or Space Exploration. Or Agricultural Science. The local Extension Agent will love to help . The Scouty stuff will fit easily, you'll see. ... ""I study nuclear science, I love my classes I got a crazy teacher who wears dark glasses Things are going great, and they're only getting better I'm doing all right, getting good grades The future's so bright I gotta wear shades......"

Oooops.... "Assembly" is NOT what you hear before a horse race. That is called "First Call". "Assembly" is a whole lot different. But 2cubdad has the right idea, Bugle is a POR of a different holler. And that reminds me of a story about an undertaker's vehicle and a bakery sweet, but no matter. It is time to be off to play (if I were in camp) "Tatoo" and then "Taps". G'nite Gracie....

Farm Mechanics Merit Badge? And do they know Eric Sloane? Any possible connection to the local County Parks Department? Our County Park & Recreation has a "Agricultural History Farm Park" that is very popular. It is used by local Scout Troops for hikes, Blue Grass festivals, threshing festivals, birding clubs, it is the headquarters for the County Extension Agent and the 4H too. They have an "old timers" club that built a big barn to store equipment in, work with the county fair. I would say there is some public event there at least once a month thruout the year. http://www.montgomeryparks.org/facilities/ag_farm.shtm Kids, both young and not so, love to watch the saw mill cut big maple logs , powered by a belt driving Case tractor engine.... The only thing we haven't seen there is Cub Scout Day Camp, because of we have a superior site on which to hold it, and therefore haven't seen fit to ask! Camporees are out, there is a policy against overnight stays on the property, so the manager says.

About a year after my first wife and I parted company (A Scout is Courteous) I met a young lady who was also recently divorced. I had a 5 year old daughter, she had a 6 year old son, both of us had "custody". I thought we got along fairly well in our first few dates. I was not ready, and neither was she, to introduce our kids to each other, but they had each met the other adult, and had it explained that even mommies and daddies had "friends". The problem came when I suggested, after some observation, that her son needed a mother more than his mother needed a "friend" of 8 years old....

“â€We have taken many paths we would not have chosen, and we have done many jobs we did not want to do. We have carried burdens we did not want to carry and dealt with impossible people we did not like. “â€It is strange that the road we did not want to take is the one that brought us more quickly to the place we wanted to be. At times, the way was hostile, but when we needed a hand there was one. When we needed courage, it was there. What we call problems and unjust circumstances have a way of teaching us integrity and how to be peaceful. ҠIt makes us wonder how many other rewards we have missed because we resisted something that looked like too much responsibility. Ҡ= Joyce Sequichie Hifler = from "A Cherokee Feast of Days"