That Kid!!

[Eamonn 61]

As ever at this time of the year I spent some time thinking about what I'm going to do in the coming year (Maybe I'll post that a little later.) And looking back at the past.

 

When I do look back, I'm really happy that I was involved in Scouting (Still am!) and I look back with great love, affection and feel truly honored that so many kids have spent their youth with me.

I really have no idea how many Scouts I have been privileged to serve. However, when I pull the old photo albums or crank up the old movies I can still name each and everyone of them.

Many were just run of the mill everyday Scouts. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Some stand out for making me laugh more than others. Great kids who really enjoyed being kids and took life by the scruff of the neck shaking out every enjoyable moment.

Some Scouts seemed to have a knack of not only always getting into hot water but also somehow managed to get caught! These were not bad kids or bad Scouts, just Lads who suffered from a little "Judgment Impairment". Of course at the time I gave my best stern talk and at times threatened them within an inch of their life. While all the time remembering when I'd done very much the same sort of thing. Kinda strange how many of these Lads became policemen!

There are some faces that are of Scouts who no matter what seemed to always get hurt.

Little John Ofen takes the prize for this.

No Scout in the history of Scouting ever got hurt as much as John. If he as cooking he somehow manged to get burned, if he was using a sharp tool he got cut. If we were on a hike he was the Lad that always got stung.

One year the Troop had two patrols place first and second in our District Campcraft Competition. They went on to participate in the Central London Windjammer Competition, organized by the residents of Roland House. The year that John participated the competition entailed traveling all around London. John ran out in front of a car and suffered a broken leg.

The other Patrol went on to win the competition.

The prize for winning was having custody of an enormous plaque which would have the Troop name added to it. The plaque had for some reason a big Windjammer made out of bronze on it.

The winning Patrol took the plaque to john who was in the hospital, they placed it over his hospital bed. It of course fell hitting John on the head knocking him out and cutting his head. He needed six stitches.

A good friend of mine Jeff Biddle who was from Juanita Valley Council, used to have me in stitches telling stories about a Scout named Pletcher. I never really knew if there ever was a Scout named Pletcher?

But he was another Lad who was one of them Kids!!

While of course none of us likes to see any child hurt or harmed in any way, some stories are worth retelling.

Eamonn.

[baschram645 10]

We had one scout that disliked everything that was prepared for meals on campouts. He hated that food, or the brand or the way it was cooked, even if he cooked it. It was too hot or cold, raw or burned. His patrol let him make the menu and he still refused to eat for 1 reason or another. Pickiest kid I ever worked with. No known food allergies either, according to his parents. We never forced him to eat and we always had PB&J's available (the PB or Jelly was not his brand or was crunchy or the bread was stale). Usually by saturday dinner he would eat due to an empty belly. It all came out in the end when we had a family campout and mom fixed his plate and cut all his food. He ate everything on it. I don't know what became of him but he's probably a chef.

[Eamonn 61]

We had one little fellow who didn't seem to have any problem eating just about anything that was there was available.

His parents came to visit us at one weekend.

There he was having a full breakfast: Eggs,Bacon Baked Beans, Fried Bread.

His mum nearly passed out. She said "He doesn't eat any of that at home!

I think there were a few changes to the menu when he got home!

Ea

[baschram645 10]

I was in England for a NATO exercise a few years ago. I just love that breakfast. Eggs and Fried bread, great Bacon along with baked beans and stewed tomatoes. Thanks for jogging the memory. That and a hot cup of tea.

[AnneinMpls 10]

Now you've got me remembering the wonderful breakfast at Olave House - back in the 80s when it was still Olave House and 3 of us from our GS troop visited for a long weekend.

I've never again had thick-sliced bacon like they served - I'm smelling and tasting it as I type! But we were most blown away by the graciousness and hospitality - handing cups of tea while asking about our day, if we needed extra blankets? I hope I carry some of that with me (but I know I fail by a long way).

Eamonn, thanks for the memories!!

Anne in Mpls

[Eamonn 61]

Baden Powell House in London still puts out a very good breakfast.

OJ wasn't so sure about having stewed tomatoes for breakfast!

Ea.

[OldGreyEagle 5]

Sorry, But I have to

 

How Do you stew a tomato?

[SR540Beaver 116]

You get it really mad. Bada boom!

[SR540Beaver 116]

That kid. Boy, I know a number of them. One is near and dear to my heart though.....my son. For a while, it seemed like he got hurt on every campout. He has been cut, burned, sprained, etc. At summer camp one year he stepped on the lid of the strainer basket of the swimming pool and it gave way and his leg went in. It put a nice gash in his shin. The health lodge was about to send him to town for stitches when the doc recalled he had some surgical glue in stock and they glued him up. He also ran thru the brambles one night while playing capture the flag.

 

As to his eating, he is pickier at home than at camp. He has backpacked the Pecos Wilderness and Philmont as well as canoed Northern Tier. Even when car camping, he goes into high adventure mode when it comes to eating. Anything and everything is fair game whether he cares for it or not. Now, if we could just get him to eat that way at home.

[scottteng 11]

Those kids are not only found in scouting one of my nephews was for a couple of years on a first name basis with all the staff in his home town ER he had so many stitches and observations and whatever, fortunately he outgrew it.

As to the food thing we had a WEBELOS come along on our winter campout the mission was to cook their own breakfast. This kid scrambled and ate an even dozen eggs in his mess kit frying pan over the fire to the amazement of his dad who was along who had never seen him eat eggs. According to the kid he just did not like the way mom and dad fixed them he eats eggs even at home now if he gets to make them for himself.