Posted in Ramblings on October 31, 2008| Leave a Comment »
A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. I think a thirteenth element should be added to the law. SAFE
With that in mind, remind your scouts to be safe in all their adventures tonight. They’re never too old to be aware of stranger danger or to have that mass of candy they bring home checked for tampering.
Posted in Charter Organization Sponsor of Troop 483, Community Service on October 27, 2008| 3 Comments »
The troop was extra busy this weekend as they not only volunteered at WTSE, they also set up, worked, and tore down the church fall festival at our charter organization church.
I had the older scouts and three other Asst Scout Masters with me at WTSE. The rope bridge was a smashing success with the visiting webelos. For our program, Robin hosted cooking demos, using some of our scouts to assist in preparing three breakfast dishes, four lunch dishes, and three desserts. Everyone, including visiting webelos and their parents, ate well if they were at our booth before each dish was gobbled up.
I can’t begin to express how impressed I was with the job our scouts did on the bridge. It was put up and after careful consideration, taken back down. The scouts decided it was too high and the assent on the rope going up to the bridge was too steep. With the decision made to put it back up before free-session started, the boys made quick work of tearing it down, moving stakes, and putting it back into place. Throughout the afternoon, a few of them took turns checking the knots and readjusting any that they thought needed tightening. Well done!
The younger scouts, and any older ones that couldn’t make it to WTSE, selected their shift (some did more than one) to work on either Saturday or Sunday. Word from the church is that the festival was assembled in record time this year with their able hands on Saturday. Sunday, they were back at it, directing vehicles to the designated parking areas. Again, in record time, they took it back down. The church has come to rely on our scouts and all they have to offer each year. It is our honor to help them.
Posted in Education on October 24, 2008| 1 Comment »
In a last minute dash to be sure I had plenty of sources available for the scouts tomorrow, I went on a quest tonight for good diagrams of lashings and knots. Of course I’ll have two copies of the Pioneering Merit Badge Handbook with me, but I want them to have easy to follow guides on hand for anything they might not be used to. One such critter is the Truckers Hitch. Of course, for this, I went over to Animated Knots by Grog because I just don’t know of anyplace cooler to go to for knots.
However, just in case they are rusty, I wanted to have the lashings available too. With a quick google of ‘lashings’, I found a very informative site that I want to be sure you all know about. It’s called inquiry.net and it is stocked full of handy skills, activities, and general knowledge for boy scouts.
Posted in Camping, Cooking on October 23, 2008| 1 Comment »
I had this very tasty treat at my training last week and just have to share.
Caramel Pineapple Rolls
4 TBS Butter
2 Cans Crushed Pineapple
1 Cup Caramel (ours used the ice cream topping)
1 Pkg Frozen Bread Dough
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts
In a sauce pan, melt the butter, pineapple, and caramel and bring it to simmer while stirring.
Pull apart the pieces of bread dough and place in a 14″ Dutch Oven or pan.
Cover with pineapple/caramel/butter mixture and sprinkle the walnuts over the top.
Bake in Dutch Oven until the bread is done.
Posted in Community Service, Merit Badges on October 21, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Each year, our troop volunteers at WTSE (Webelos to Scout Expo) and this year will be no different. A few adults and several scouts will trek up to Camp Bovay with equipment in hand to build a Pioneer Monkey Bridge. It never fails to provide a fun excursion for the Webelos who come to visit us.
This is one of those events where the boys become accutely aware of why we pay such close attention to knot tying and following procedure. It also proivdes a great opportunity to give back to our district. The added bonus is this project puts the participants on the path to earning their Pioneering Merit Badge.
Above are pictures taken at last year’s event. Our leaders take time to doublecheck the knots the scouts tie before the boys begin assembling the bridge. Once it is up, we test it with one of the older boys to be sure it will stand up to the weight of the cub scouts who will soon follow. Finally, the fun begins for the cub scouts who cross the monkey bridge with spotters on either side.
Posted in Ramblings on October 19, 2008| 1 Comment »
What does that mean exactly? Does it mean I’ll do anything differently at the troop level now that I can stitch the ‘Trained’ emblem to my shirt? Not necessarily because I’ve been surrounded for a few years now by strong leaders in the troop who have graciously shared their knowledge with anyone who would listen. Does it mean I’ll feel more confident in everything I do and that those around me can have confidence in what I’ve been taught? Absolutely!
My becoming officially trained as an Assistant Scout Master is long overdue and it finally began back in the summer. It was completed this weekend with the outdoor portion. I want to thank the leaders who take the time to train those who follow. WIthout them, the program wouldn’t be near as strong. I’ve known, or known of, all of the leaders who gave their time to us and they are shining examples of the scouting experience.
It is with honor that I carry the knowledge they have given to me as I do my part to guide the current and future boy scouts in our troop and the Big Cypress District.
Congratulations also goes out to Roxie who completed her training this weekend as well. Watch out Troop 483; you have two new trained Assistant Scout Masters!
Posted in Ramblings on October 16, 2008| Leave a Comment »
I’ll be heading out tomorrow night to finish my ASM/BSM Outdoor Leader Training. As I mentioned a few days ago, the weather is supposed to be spectacular and I can hardly wait.
There is an added bonus in that they’re holding a dual training session of ASM/BSM along with Outdoor Webelos Leader Specific (OWLS). The bonus is that I get to help train the Webelos leaders during a few periods that I already have training completed for the Boy Scouts.
Meanwhile, since I’ll be away from here for the weekend, enjoy the break from my rambling and take a stroll through posts past. I will come back with pictures and experiences to share. I do want to mention that I’m working on getting some other leaders in our troop added so they can blog about their areas of expertise. Mine is chief arm twister. Just ask anyone in the troop.
Posted in Camping on October 15, 2008| 2 Comments »
Looking around the web tonight, I found an interesting, if not distressing story about boy scouts getting food poisoning from EColi at a scout camp at the end of July. We had kids throwing up at camp too, but it’s because they could buy a pint of Blue Bell ice cream cheaper than they could buy water.
This story comes to us from the August 3rd edition of eFoodAlert.com. I couldn’t resist this bit though…
According to the Washington Post article, campers are enjoying their experience in spite of the outbreak – “…working on merit badges, learning celestial navigation on night hikes, motorboating and shooting rifles.”
Perhaps a new merit badge – Principles of Food Safety – should be added to the Boy Scouts’ syllabus.
As if camping in July for a week wouldn’t be tough enough, those poor folks had much worse things to deal with. I just hope they’re all feeling better now.
Posted in Camping, Training on October 14, 2008| 1 Comment »
If you live in the Houston area and you aren’t packing your gear to camp this weekend, you need to check out the weather. If everything holds steady, the low will be 58 and the high 82 on both Saturday and Sunday with little chance of rain. You just can’t custom order a weekend much better than that for camping.
I, along with a couple of other leaders in our troop, will be finishing up the ASM/BSM outdoor leader training. There is a unique opportunity for me in that I’ll also be pitching in during my down times with training Webelos leaders. It’s really interesting to think back on our Cub Scout days and how much we thought we needed on a campout. Things sure change and it will be my honor to help introduce them the differences.
This will be a perfect opportunity to camp under the stars. That’s right. No tent! All this gal needs is a cot, air mattress, and a backpack with my water and a change of clothes. Well, and some bug spray of course because it’s mosquito city in the woods. One thing I won’t worry about is food. I learned a long time ago that the training sessions with outdoor cooking demos are the best place to be at meal time because they pull out all the stops. YUM!
Posted in Ramblings, Scouting as an Adult, Training on October 13, 2008| 6 Comments »
Per our council:
21ST CENTURY WOOD BADGE
Wood Badge is leadership training for all Scout Leaders who are involved in the programs of the Boy Scouts of America – Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Varsity Scouting, and Venturing, as well as council and district leaders, and professionals. This new contemporary training program focuses on leadership and “people” skills, and not Scoutcraft or outdoor skills. Participants will learn techniques to make them better leaders, and also how to lead groups to achieve objectives. The 21st Century Wood Badge incorporates the best of nearly a century of Scouting experience in addition to drawing upon the most current leadership models used by corporate America, academic circles, and successful outdoor leadership organizations throughout the country. Skills developed from Wood Badge training will help a volunteer leader do a better job in any BSA program or at any level of involvement.
But what is it really? I mean… what do the leaders who take this course get out of it?
For a couple of years now, Buffalo Eagle has sung the praises in our troop of one of his all time favorite training events. Wood Badge. He eagerly speaks of his weekends spent among other men and women who unleashed their inner 12 year old boys. Yes, women can have them too. Who knew? In addition to the fun he had, he boasts of how much he enjoyed fulfilling the requirements of his tickets, all that he learned, and how it helped him know how to guide the boys with leadership development.
Many of us in the troop have committed to do it, though some of us just haven’t had the opportunity to pull it together. Yet. I’m in that latter group. But I WILL do it. This past Thursday, my husband got a last second opportunity to attend over the weekend and we cleared every obsticle from his path to make it happen.
Let me tell you, for a man who doesn’t generally sing out loud… he won’t shut up with the songs he proudly learned. He was down right gleeful when he came in last night from an exhaustingly fun weekend. His joy at showing me everything he did this weekend honestly reminded me of when my sons have come in excited (rare as that is) about school. He is truly ramped up and ready to take on anything scouts can give him.
Now that I’ve seen what he (as scribe for his patrol) can write, I’ll likely add him here to add some blogs of his own so watch out! He gets just as excited about scouting as Buffalo Eagle… and me. And I’d be willing to bet… you!
Troop 483 Blog 
