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Chicken Ranch

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Everything posted by Chicken Ranch

  1. There are several cookbooks published on outdoor & dutch oven cooking. I picked most of mine up at the REI store in Denver and at the Bass Pro place at Springfield MO - both along the way when I attended training somewhere or other. There's several that I know of... (for those who don't want to experiment & publish their own books)... Cooking the Dutch Oven Way (Woody Woodruff) in both a first edition and an expanded 2nd edition Lovin' Dutch Ovens (Joan S. Larsen) The Outdoor Dutch Oven Cookbook (Sheila Mills) Camper's Guide to Outdoor Cooking (John G. Ragsdale) in a 1st a
  2. Don't let this parent (or CM?) give you a pile of poop over this. BSA policy clearly states that if a youth completes the requirements for the rank and earns the badge, he deserves to have it awarded to him - ON THE SPOT if he completes it at a meeting (assuming a patch has been previously acquired) or at the very next meeting. And, if he has been awarded the patch, he has every right to wear it on his uniform the very next day - as soon as he or his parents can get it sewn on. Nobody - not even the CM - has the right to deprive a youth member of wearing the rank he's earned. Don't e
  3. When I took B.S. Woodbadge in 1999, it was $150 for a WHOLE WEEK of training & I thought it was the best bargain ever (even if I did have to drive 250 to 300 miles to get to the other council). The only 'downer' I experienced was having to find my way to the latrine in the dark over rocks and stuff - flashlight and my knees had issues. I had loads of fun - was put in Beaver patrol (thought that was a form of typecasting... used to be called "beaver" when I was a kid). Oh well... at least beavers are productive critters. For the record, ALL the patrols are great - everyone gets to
  4. I took both my kids to Philmont when I was there in 1997, 1998, and 1999 for training - the boy got along better than the girl did, but both had a great time. Programs for boys are either troop-type activites with an emphasis on scout skills, camping, & hiking, or they emphasize more general activities for those who are less physically active. The co-ed groups focus on less intensely physical stuff and the groups take short day trips, ride horses, and do crafty things. Son attended Bear/Webelos activities 1st year we were there, Webelos activities 2nd year, & the co-ed program fo
  5. I don't care for camping much and I can't hike far because I have some physical issues, but I can be easily pursuaded to go on camping trips and summer camp with the troop if there is a need for 2-deep leadership or some additional transportation. I wind up sleeping in my vehicle a lot, and come home stiff and tired, but if I'm needed so that a campout can go off as planned, I'll go along for the kids rather than see it get canceled. It's not worth disappointing them. This unit I've been in has good kids - real good kids - and I hate the idea of leaving them if I move on. They're bright,
  6. Our troop used to provide an overview of past activities and a list of anticipated ones (when we had youth leaders keeping a calendar), so prospective and new parents knew what kind of things the troop tends to participate in.
  7. Adhesive? You glued them on? (uh-oh) Do you mean they were ironed on using the slick non-fray plastic backing as stickum, or they were applied using some kind of sprayed-on or painted-on glue substance? In either case, check with a dry cleaner to see if there's a method of removal. It might help if you could get information about what was used to adhere the patches. If they don't have a method, see if the troop number sequence can be arranged so that it will cover up the marks. Otherwise, you could be stuck (no pun intended) with the stain or discoloration. The no-fray back
  8. Sorry I haven't answered lately - been out of town the last few days. I appreciate all the input from everyone - for awhile, I thought I was just being too picky or something. Answers to the Questions posed - Chartered Org. is a church. COR is a senior deacon in the same church (also holds an elected office). The female minister acts as of she's under CORs thumb, and he seems to pretty much control most of what happens in the church. COR has Type A personality and a correspondingly uptight attitude with hostile overtones. COR possesses a very ugly temper and threatening dem
  9. The question was - how much participation do other troops expect of their junior leaders (green bar corps)? I thank all who give me input on this. To answer some of the comments... I won't go into specifics, but I will say that our troop has had some significant problems with adult interference in troop activities for a LONG time. Too many "Me-me-me" egos, too many "my son first" types, and not enough common sense. The past year and a half has been a lttle better - got a new SM last year - but the C.O.R. and a couple of adult members have presented a series of continuous problems si
  10. Oh yeah, I also helped charter a pack and a troop in the small town I used to live in.
  11. I'll take the risk of sounding redundant (because I haven't had time to read every response in this thread). If you feel the troop member holding the "responsible position" in the troop isn't doing his job for some reason, or is only doing part of the job and letting the rest slide, try having him write down his own interpretation of the job description and the perception he has of what his duties ought to be. If they differ significantly from what you (as a leader) think they ought to be, then convene an instructional meeting with him. It never hurts to remind someone, or to update their
  12. We have an SPL & ASPL who seem either unable or unwilling to do their jobs. The SPL was elected in the Nov. election, and has never held a troop leadership position other than scribe or historian before - never wanted a job like this before. The ASPL was our previous SPL & never did do what he was supposed to do unless he was either told to do it or knew he would be negatively viewed. Since our SM is relatively new and had only basic training at the time, he wasn't aware that the SPL should appoint his own ASPL, so both of these guys were elected to their positions by the other memb
  13. Hi all. Been in scouting for years - Girl scout as a youth member for 8 years, then joined as Girl scout asst. leader when daughter joined in 1st grade. Became Girl scout leader trainer for outdoor & camping skills before daughter dropped out. Joined Boy scouts with my son in 1992 - been in ever since & love the programs. Have been a tiger partner, Wolf & Bear asst den leader, Bear & Webelos den leader, acting cubmaster (in the 18-month absence of appointed person), advancement & committee chair in the pack, C.O.R. for troop & pack, unit commissioner for troop &
  14. We did a pumpkin activity when my son was in Webelos and invited the entire pack to participate. We called it "Pumpkin Gutting" and slaughtered over 26 of the poor things, then judged the final products. It was set up as a pumpkin carving night about a week or two before Halloween using those cheap little $2 carving kits with the dull implements. Judging categories included smallest, biggest, scariest, largest eyes, most lop-sided smile, most teeth, least teeth, goofiest face, etc. - tried to figure out special categories so each kid would "win a prize" (a ribbon). We like to never g
  15. If your chartered organization is a church, you might check with the pastor or youth education person about setting up a "God & Country" seminar over 2 or 3 meetings. When my son did this about a zillion years ago (1993-97), we did the work independently through the United Methodist Church and sent him to church camp where it was specifically offered.
  16. Hardtack is just dried out bread, usually something akin to sourdough. Jerky is dried meat of some variety, sometimes spiced and sometimes plain. Use dried fruits and nuts for variety. You can build a box oven using a wine box (double cardboard sides with lid still attached), heavy duty aluminum foil with a rack small enough to fit the interior, and a bit of duct tape. Line interior of box well with foil and run wires through sides to hold the rack in place about half-way up. There are instructions for this in some of the handbooks & field guides - I got my instruction sheet from the
  17. Dessert Raffle? - Great idea, but... don't you think the word "Raffle" might be the problem? Try calling it something else, like a "bake sale," a "cookie trade," or a "silent (or loud) auction" for baked goods (or other items). A "cookie trade" could be set up so that each family wanting to participate contributes $$$ (whatever amount of money the committee decides) to the troop budget to cover troop expenses such as gasoline to summer camp or extra patches for the boys (historic trails award, etc.). Their $$$ buys their right to participate (their ticket to trade) and then each per
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