Buggie

Has anyone tried those super low to the ground cots? I'm a side sleeper with a cpap hose. I was wondering about making an under-quilt for the cot for the cold months and the low to ground cots look better for winter than the normal height ones. For me, the cpap doesn't lend itself well to hammocks and we don't always camp where there are good hanging spots. Oh, and my hammock rope broke with me in it. Gravity works!!! But I do enjoy them for afternoon "rests".

I'm sure it will take time for the buzz to die down. Old items still resurface for a while, Evan after years go by. Our UK friends have stated it takes a while for it to become the norm. It is a new world and we all have to grow with it.

A separate application is required for each. I don't know about Nova Counselor things, but probably the best thing to start with is the ASM application with a follow up with the MBC and Nova applications after the ASM application is approved. Each application triggers a background check so they can be done all at once, but I've always counseled doing the first one separate.

My son was in the OA and really enjoyed it and made significant growth as a young adult. He took charge of his time there and performed as an elangomat for a lot of the ordeals he attended. He took a bad situation with the ceremony team lead and made a very mature choice. And he finished out his time doing AOL crossover ceremonies with a different ceremony lead before that changed. Recently, I was elected and I've completed my candidate/ordeal weekend. I have no idea what I'll be doing, but my heart is in giving service where/when I can. I am hopeful that my son will surprise me like I di

So @thrifty and everyone else, like someone in my troop stated when I said I wasn't going to be picking up cards to sell this year, "Well then, do you want to buy one?" 😁 It's usually a struggle to find a good venue that the scouts as a group can sell the cards at. We have always aimed for the camping outlet places in the OKC metro here, the big giant places and the smaller venues close to the troop's meeting spot. It does fairly well, but we're competing for the spots that all the other troops in the council are trying to get into. However last year the sporting goods and camping gear c

It's like drier lint. Nice way to start a fire... So many uses for many things.

Sorry I'm late on getting through the posts, but yah. I wouldn't trust BSA to store and handle any information. They can't even get their own applications up and running most of the time.

I've been eyeing the Flint Hills Nature Trail in Kansas. Not to do all of it in one go, but I'd love to spend a few days along it. Link I love the open prairie and that whole area up there. Same with the Ouachita Trail in SE Oklahoma heading towards Little Rock. My troop has been there a decade or so ago, and I'd love to see my scouts get more active and try it again. My personal goal this year is grab one of my friends and hit the urban trails around OKC for training purposes. Not ideal, but conditioning none the less. My hope is I can get my troop (scouts and scouters) intereste

I can't state how often this happens with our troop too. Paperwork tends to go nowhere at times and it is a liability if it isn't processed all the way through. Things can surprise you.

Old, mostly useless tarp, which covers the seats or floor or both for scouts returning from camping. And a few extra trash sacks for the front seats.

It would be a good topic to bring up when the scout has a scoutmaster conference for 1st Class. "When you obtain your first class rank, you are also ... And here's how it works ..." Communication is a double edge sword. You think it will solve all your problems because now people will know. However what ever is being communicated can be garbled, forgotten, or confused/contorted. It can also open up things you don't intend to, when folks become aware of something and now they make incorrect choices/assumptions on it. Honestly though, I think it is best to let scouts/scouters

I am now imagining a SM minute being yelled at a bunch of scouts.

I'm often self amused because some scouts are always having problems with shirt tails or pants held up by the tops of their boots. It's like a law that they have to be disheveled looking. I try to take action on those types of things when they are important, never when they are moving gear etc. As adults, we tend to be more conscious of how we look. And we help each other out if our necker is sitting wrong. Honestly I think some of us need reminding to hoist our pants a little more. In one of our recent troop meetings, the scouts were reminded that before flag ceremonies that they need t

That! I realize that sometimes we worry about stepping in when a parent is present. We don't want to do something to that makes the parent uncomfortable. But as adult leaders, we should always look at these scouts as ours in our capacity as the adult leader. The other thing that I've seen happen is some form of retaliation when the parent is in a position of authority or power. That's another mess. As "adult" as we all are, it happens. I'm more of a binary type of guy dealing with an analog world. It's either "this or that" to me and I struggle all the time with the points in betw

At scout day for my church I saw one of the ASMs attached to my church wearing a green tie. It matched the uniform color, but I haven't yet gone out to look to see if there really is such a thing in the scout shop that might be purposed or re-purposed for it. In any case, I was surprised to see it.

I was worried about this very thing the other week. If the adult who was being stupid had actually managed to follow through with his original plan despite my warning, my reporting would have kicked out one or two Scouters. The one who brought the scout to the event and scouter who arranged it. I could certainly see retaliation as a possibility and I was dreading it. I'm extremely thankful that nothing happened to report.

No, I was a parent for many years on the outside looking in with no knowledge of where the rules even were. I also respected my son's wish to have a place without parents looking over his shoulder. I was finally able to get in because of a job change that gave me more freedom and I joined a different troop to keep out of my son's hair. I think he had a far better experience that way. Once I got my green light to join, I was very keen on knowing the rules in general, specifically the advancement section. Mainly because I recognized how some made up or misinterpreted rules were used against

We had the annual... what I call "gun" event this last weekend. This event is your standard go out and shoot and throw at targets located located at various stations scattered super far away from each other that lasts all day. Lots of fun for everyone who wants to go. Lots of walking too. One of our scouts hit all five skeet which was cool. However for me it was a constant "Youth Protection must be observed" type of weekend. With adults getting caught in Youth Protection types of situations where we were generally of one mind and didn't have to even talk about what to do. There was only one ti

Do they throw in a buzz cut as well? And yes, it does sound like a lot of fun, though the blur between scouting and military does give me pause even as an optional thing. But that's me.

I can't speak for Eagle paperwork, but definitely for membership paperwork. When I filled out my first membership application, we had several folks go over it to make sure all the items were correctly signed and dotted because they warned that the Council was known to reject or lose things that weren't filled out properly. If rejected, they waited for you to call them as it was easier(?). Even with due diligence, some how mine got lost somewhere between the front desk at the scout shop and the adjoining council office room in charge application processing. No idea where in that chain it got lo

Should state that this is the minimum. I don't think there is a maximum recommendation. I've always held that the more you have, the quality starts to fall. Some scouts are doing great, others are doing their best to skate.

Awesome! Welcome to the virtual campfire.

Try "NotEagleDad" for that complete disconnect. Just don't argue with yourself.

I know it doesn't solve the problems, but I was thinking of a two part camping trip. Have the adults set up base camp, then the scouts hike out with two Scouters. The two scouters go only for "regulation" purposes *wink wink*. Stay out for a night or two. Come back the morning of departure. And I do mean make it a fun hike. Do some woodcraft. Or Canoe to the other side of whatever body of water. Treat it as a "how to get out of your comfort zone" type of camp out. Base camp is close enough that you can get back if needed to, but far enough away that the other adults don't wander into the

Agreed. But that is another classic battle of "we can't count on the scouts so we'll decide what to do". I'm trying to push from several directions to get folks moving in things. My aspiration is getting more fun for the scouts while outdoors and moving us all to the program. Trying to spark stuff in both directions. I've recently been more hopeful now that we've picked up an ASM who is very program minded. He has a bit more traction so I am hopeful. I don't know how he is on more activity yet.