Armymutt

A friend of mine picked up a kid's Cub Scout memory book as part of a junk sale. I'm trying to help her find the owner. The kid's name is Jonathan Teller. He earned his Wolf in 1958. She found it in Dutchess County, NY. There is a news article that mentions Good Shepherd (there are both Lutheran and Catholic churches by that name there). It also references Pack 98 and Troop 98. It says he was born 7-29-49. I know we have some folks dating back to that era here. Any ideas?

We're having our rank advancement ceremony this weekend. I couldn't find anything that worked with our setting, so I wrote this. If anyone wants to use it, feel free. Webelos The Webelos rank represents the final Cub Scout rank on the trail to the Arrow of Light. When you became a member of the Webelos Den, you traded your Cub Scout blue uniform for the tan uniform of the Scout. To this uniform, you added the Webelos colors – red, green, and yellow. These colors represent your past and future. The yellow stands for the Cub Scout program. As a Cub Scout, you have learned many things, duty to God, duty to your community, and the outdoors. The red and the green represent your future – Scouts BSA and Venturing. On these colors you pinned reminders of the Webelos Adventures you have had. You will notice the Webelos badge is made up of part of the badge of the Scout rank and a blue W. The Webelos badge represents the transition to being a Scout. You are now beginning the journey to the Arrow of Light. You will continue to learn more about the things you did as a Cub Scout. In addition, you will begin the transition to being a member of a Scout troop. Take these final months of your Cub Scout life to learn as much as you can about being a Scout. By doing so, you will begin to live up to the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared. (Present badges)

I'm telling my parents to not buy the Cub Scout handbooks. At $25 a year, it's another expense that really isn't needed. Scoutbook has all the requirements and a little Google time will clarify any questions. My kids haven't opened theirs on their own at all. The Boy Scout handbook is probably more useful as it isn't a one year and done thing.

I did this for my COR. Apparently our council hasn't updated anything. She has a Silver Beaver along with a bunch of other knots. Nada in the awards section.

It started with me knocking over something and it wouldn't stay when I put it back up. I still need to clean out the detached garage, but I'm waiting on my shed to be built - since April. Got hit by a drunk driver in 2019 - SUV vs motorcycle. Header pipe impaled my left midfoot. My wife hates camping and isn't a big fan of road trips either. We are taking a different route of living in the country and trying to create insulation around us. Relying on our jobs to fund that. Never thought about the airBNB thing. I have trust issues.

I'd like to do the AT, but that's probably a dream at this point. Just walking around my garage cleaning it for 10 hours yesterday caused my injured foot and ankle to swell. Maybe PT will eventually fix it. I always wonder what through hikers do for a living. The couple with the 5 year old for example. There's no way the Army or my wife's job would be cool with us disappearing for 209 days. Even the Scouts in '36 - where did they find 121 days to do it? I guess the missed some school?

It's not me that needs convincing. Gotta get it past the District folks.

I haven't figure out how to register anyone in a dual roll outside of Scoutbook. I'm the Cubmaster and Lion DL simply because the Treasurer and other Lion parent is new to Scouting. Our past CC was also last year's Tiger DL and now Wolf DL. The committee wants to put me in for the DL award as the Lion DL, but there is a line for the CM to sign off as well. Might be awkward.

The reason they aren't "registered in the right position" is because in order to recharter, you must fill the CC, Sec, and Treas, but not necessarily all of the DL positions. Since we only have a small number willing to serve, we have to charter them in the committee jobs, plus the CM and ACM. Some then fulfill other roles. It would be great if parents actually volunteered, but we seem to have a high number of stay-at-home parents who don't have any extra time and very few people who work full time and have enough time to devote to the program.

If we have a committee member who is also serving as a Den Leader, are they eligible for the Den Leader Award? Since committee functions don't really take place during Den or Pack meetings, we have a couple of people who filled the committee space so we can recharter, but they are also den leaders. I suppose we can send the application up and see what District or Council says, right?

Sounds like they have a forester involved. That generally means a forestry plan exists, otherwise, why have a professional? It's a bit like hiring an engineer to build a house and believe that there are no plans. Unless the council bylaws indicate a bid process is required, I don't see that as a legitimate gripe. However, that does bring into question the argument against logging. Would the complainers be ok is there was a bidding process? Joel Armas seems to be a little over emotional. I also wouldn't call the harvesting of 9 trees per acre as a liquidation of the forested areas.

I'm curious why Tiffany Armas thinks the logging is being done inappropriately. No where does it say that the council doesn't have a forestry management plan. Here in NC, logging is a standard practice. Our pines are another crop. My land was logged about 12 years ago according to the county forester. There's not much evidence, other than some really low stumps. Historical satellite photos show the roads they made, but there's little sign of them today. Our council has an area that they sell timber from - that's paying a large portion of our settlement bill. Having attended Camp Robert Drake, Camp Joy, and Camp Vandeventer in IL as a kid. A storm shelter is a necessity. The mention of laying in a ravine during a tornado warning brought back some unpleasant memories.

I stopped by the council office today and talked to her. She said just cross them off the paper when we give it to the commissioner. Easy enough!

Had a parent tell us tonight that their Scout isn't going to continue effective immediately. We already submitted the recharter online, but haven't turned it in to the council - meeting our commissioner this weekend. Anyone know if there is a way to remove the Scout so we don't get charged?

What diocese are you in? The Diocese of Raleigh sees Scouting as an integral part of the church. It's amazing to see the variation across the country. Here is the most recent release from the diocese: https://dioceseofraleigh.org/scouting/catholic-scouting

No, but I like this. I have been trying to get our Pack Meetings to be something to look forward to, but I'm not a showman. We normally do the flags, pledge, oath, and law, then greeting. After that, the CC makes any announcements. We might have a den skit, then advancement. Then, it's kind of dead air for a minute and we retire the colors. Would be nice if I could get the parents to get involved. We tried to go with a monthly theme, but it's not working out.

My grand plans for sustaining the growth in my Pack are coming to a halt. Friday I found out that the Army has decided that I need to move to a different job than I planned to take this summer. The new one is 9 hours away. Depending on many factors, I'll be there by myself and my wife will step down from being the committee chair. I have one person in mind to replace me as Cubmaster, but no clear CCs. My kids will still be in the Pack as long as it exists. I may see if I can swap into a committee position that doesn't require attending weekday meetings. Our committee meetings are all done online, so maybe I can be the treasurer. Thoughts? My bigger disappointment is the OA. I am really active in our chapter and am trying to get our ceremonies team back on track/in existence. On the far end, I won't have much to do in the evenings. Hopefully I can find a unit that will let me be a leader of some sort.

To me, this wouldn't work. I need it to be a regular thing if I'm going to stay interested. I am very subject to inertia. Even the 3 weeks off for Christmas is causing me to lose interest in the Pack. Something else filled that Tuesday night void and now I have to re-spin back up. Working on my son's PWD car is helping, but I'm going to need more help to make the January pack meeting fun.

We do the same - monthly except summer. The Pack meetings are pretty short - a skit, a little talk, and awards. Flag ceremony to give each den a chance to do one as needed. Until I get more help in doing them, they will remain short and to the point. I'm an outdoors person, not a showman. My ACM is even more introverted, so it's unlikely to change soon.

I think the BSA is right to a degree. They had no way of vetting volunteers for most of the history of Scouting. All of that should have been done where the rubber meets the road. Once the information reached BSA's level, it should have acted to revoke the charter and make sure the local police were notified. Ultimate responsibility should lie with the COs.

The no alcohol thing threw a wrench into my plans at the last B&G. At home, we parboil our brats in beer before grilling them. I had several cans of Bud on the counter ready to go and then realized that we couldn't have alcohol at Scouting events. I have a mom that smokes and I had to remind her several times about smoking on the Cuboree. I can't wait for her daughter to turn 11. She's nice, but I really hate having to babysit 30-somethings.

There's a difference between what is and what it was supposed to be. The 1992 OA Handbook does not identify this among the purposes of the Order. Three out of the four focus on camping. The fourth focuses on leadership in cheerful service. Somewhere along the way, the purpose got muddled and then diluted. Probably why our attendance is so low and our officers are in their position because they were the only ones who happened to show up that night. To bring this back around to the topic, the OA is an example of an option for youth that started locally and grew nationally. The problem today is that there is little room for a Scout to stretch their wings and get creative. Too many helicopter leaders produced by too many rules that came about from a too litigious society. My SM in the late 80s had been in the troop since 1932. His rule was essentially do what you want, but don't get hurt. He put it on us to take responsibility for our safety. That meant sending someone down to check the depth of the water before we jumped off the cliffs. That meant learning how to tie a Swiss seat and snap in correctly before rappelling down a rock in the state park. The older Scouts looked out for the younger Scouts, and when the "older Scouts" happened to be 8th graders, he and the ASM (in the troop since 1955) stepped in to train that Scout. They forced us to be leaders at an early age, including risk assessment. There's a reason they weren't too concerned when my buddy and I were riding a log down a swollen river. We had a contingency plan and executed it without panic.

I'm confused on the issue. Are you talking about Pack Meetings or the B&G? For our Pack Meetings, we're still trying to find our stride. Neither I nor the ACM are extroverts, so we aren't big on singing and dancing. I try to assign each den a role - usually a skit. We only have the building for the hour, so we have to factor in set-up and tear down. I usually find a program online, modify it to suit me, and roll with it. Our B&G last year was a cook out at a local park. We figured out what was needed, created a spreadsheet and asked everyone to contribute. Did not go over well - some contributed a bottle of ketchup while other brought multiple packages of bratwurst. Some families RSVPd for 2 people and shoed up with 6. This year, we approached it differently. While the kids were making gingerbread houses at the December pack meeting, we pulled the parents together and told them that we needed a chair for the B&G and one for the PWD. No volunteers, no events. We now have volunteers. Our B&G will be on a Saturday around lunch. No idea what it will look like because we don't have a legacy to match it against.

How do we tie this in with Citizenship in Society, being the only merit badge with no pamphlet, requires a MBC that has attended special training, and can't be conducted in a large group?

I view this thing from the spirit of it. The intent is to avoid a situation that puts youth at risk. Since I turned 18 at the start of my senior year, if such a rule existed back then, I would technically be unable to be on my school sports teams, room with my buddy in the Hague when we went for model UN, or meet up with him at the Scout hut to get things ready for a campout. I'm sure the school would not let me have my own hotel room simply because BSA said so. These days, it's the same thing. One of my Tigers came over to play with my daughter while my son stayed to play with her brother. I made hot chocolate for them and let them go do whatever it is that Kindergarten/1st grade girls do. My wife came home about 10 minutes later. I guess technically, I was in violation, but then I'm in violation every school day. I transport all 4 kids to school and the 1st grader girl or her brother are always the last to exit the vehicle. For a brief second or two, we are alone in the car. According to the G2SS, this is a violation. I guess I should dismount the vehicle so that we are not alone at all, but it's impractical.