Stosh

Scientifically speaking, habanero peppers are poisonous.

"Dame's Rocket is an invasive plant, Phlox is not but they look the same" - They do look similar from a distance but close-up, Dame's Rocket flowers have 4 petals, Phlox flowers have 5 petals - a field guide filled or web enabled pad can help make that distinction. And the point I was making,.. One does not need a field guide or web enabled pad to remember 4 petals and 5 petals. Oh, look at that pretty Phlox over there. Nope, 4 petals means it's Dame's Rocket. Hmmmm, we're out in the woods, we see a pretty flower, we note it's color shape, and distinguishing characteristics, we draw a picture of it. We study it's leaves, we notice the stem, we observe it's environment. Then after we make a thorough study of it, we go home and research it. That process takes time and that will cause a memory imprint whereas a quick look up on the ipad will produce a result in 15 seconds that will take another 15 seconds and it will be long gone from one's memory. One mistake with edible Wild Cow Parsley and there's nothing more to worry about. Stinging Nettle is a skin irritant that is highly nutritious. Dead Nettle just looks pretty in the garden and forests. Jewel Weed grows alongside of Stinging Nettle in many places and this is useful to know.

https://web.extension.illinois.edu/jsw/downloads/PlantsThatCauseSkinIrritationFactSheet.pdf

I believe that only the Venturing Crews can designate "uniforms". The headgear for Boy Scouts, like neckers, is an issue of Yes or No, not whatever. Otherwise, up here in Wisconsin half the units would be wearing the triangular cheese hats and we wouldn't what that to happen. Whereas bandanas might fit the category of head gear it is not within the realm of being a hat. I don't think a babushka qualifies either, nor does a head scarf, which would be close to the bandana issue. Sweatbands? Probably not either.

In that case, a cell phone can be an encyclopedia of information for the scout to help him make his goal, but at the same time for a homesick boy it'll take the scout away from scouting in a heartbeat. So far in my tenure, the cell phone alone has cost me 8 scouts to homesickness, never to return to scouting and one Eagle candidate had to postpone his EBOR for 6 months because of it. Other than that, I don't know if the boys brought them to camp or not. I certainly didn't know about if if they did. I just get to try and clean up messes after the fact.

Naw, it's not the only way, but given the alternatives, it's still a bit better than the others. After all is said and done, the boys still come to me when they have a question about a certain plant or animal they encounter in the woods. Even then when we are walking the urban neighborhoods, I can still point out the difference to the boys between red and white cedars. Not all evergreens are pine trees and not all evergreens keep their needles year around. Sedges are not grass. Dame's Rocket is an invasive plant, Phlox is not but they look the same. Wild Parsley is poisonous only in the daylight. All the parts of day lilies are edible, but tiger lilies are not. Identifying 10 plants and animals is a nice little game to play while hiking. Knowing why one is doing that is often neglected because it is not spelled out in the requirements.

Back when I was in confirmation, it was standard fare to MEMORIZE the entire Lutheran Small Catechism. It was a horrendous job and painfully difficult, but we all needed to do it. My internship pastor had, over his lifetime, memorized all the Psalms including chapter and verse. Boys struggling to get Scout Rank agonize over the Oath and Laws (really? 12 words in a certain order?) It is a practice that with the ever increasing use of modern electronic technology no longer is "needed"...... well until the battery dies then it may be a matter of life or death. (I didn't coin the phrase "Death by GPS") It's been 50 years and I can still recall major portions of the Lutheran Small Catechism. I learned the importance of memorizing things from my internship pastor. I know all the BSA knots and lashings, and I also know the Monkey Fist, the Turk's Head and the Truckers' Knot, use them all the time as a kayaker/canoeist. I Diamond Hitch my kayaks when I use the trailer with no rack. I know my different woods. I can drive down the road and in late summer pick out 10 different plants along the way every mile. I know my trees. I currently have 10 new plants identified so I can go find them out in the woods rather than finding them and then going to the books to figure out what they are. Observation and Bird STUDY, Mammal STUDY, Nature STUDY, implies boning up this stuff BEFORE going out and enjoying. Observing things, drawing them on paper, looking closely for small details all are a way of mentally memorizing something so that one can look it up and compare to reference books later. That "ancient" BSA practice is a fantastic way of learning and memorizing items in nature without having to drag along a smartphone and charger. I have a spot in my yard I leave to nature every year. The first crop of wild flowers is dandelions. Just a weed you say??? Ever have dandelion wine or dandelion jelly? Nope, didn't think so. Then the area turns to Ox-eye Daisies, followed by a blaze of Hawk Weed. Now it is covered by Flea Bane and the Queen Anne's Lace and Yarrow and ready to bloom. The Spider Wart is just finishing up near the edge of the forest and the May Apples and Jack-in-the-Pulpit are dying back. Soon the mushrooms will be set along with the various ferns that line the nature trail I have in the back "40". I don't carry a book and I don't carry a smartphone when I am in the yard or forest around the house. I just do a lot of memorization. It makes for a more enjoyable experience. With the old storytelling oral histories of past civilizations and their vast knowledge of herbs, food sources and animals passed from one generation to the next would find hand-written books to be rather high-tech. It's a shame we have lost that ability in today's culture.

Okay, open forum on how much technology is too much? I've camped 1860's style and I've done the Pace Arrow motorhome trips. The Mrs. is looking into the hiking between B&B's too. So, is a smart phone for knots better than a book on knots... or should the boy just know his knots and leave both behind? Just an opening to invite any GPS vs. compass discussions, books vs. cell phones, stump vs. camp chair, Bic vs. matches, camp stove vs. camp fire, etc. Heck hike in vs. back the trailer in is okay here too.

The boys are allowed to bring the same electronic devices I do. If it has to be plugged in for any reason it stays home. It's a good lesson to learn that if one has the DT's by Tuesday or Wednesday, then there's something seriously wrong with one's life. Yes, a bit of time with the game console can be relaxing for some, but so can drugs and alcohol or a morning cigarette and coffee. Somehow I don't see the necessity to promote such addictive behavior nor should the leaders be leading in that direction.

It was a purchase in the "Save My Starving Children" gift shop. The over-the-top pricing was to provide food for shipment overseas. It's a nice poly-cotton shirt so it makes me feel good in two different ways. Wore it today kayaking with the church youth group.

What are the other boys going to do when their batteries go dead?

When we do the patrol method camp, which is usually the case, the adults always like to cook their own food, but generally for the evening dinner, the PL's sometimes rotate out to the adult site for the meal. When I had enough boys for 4-5 patrols, that's one evening each for the PL to visit with the adults. With mess hall this year, new scouts, and newbie PL's the adults will have the PL's over a couple of times for a cracker barrel with the adults. Campfire popcorn and Koolaid usually covers the expectations. As far as bonding with the scouts in general, walking to the various parts of the camp, helping carry a heavy water jug, etc. are all good ways of scoring brownie points with the boys. Those things can happen any time, any place and don't need a meal to facilitate.

Isn't this the responsibility of the PL/APL team in the patrol? After all, if the PL is signing off on the advancement, shouldn't he be aware of where the boys are at in their progress?

as·so·ci·ate verb verb: associate; 3rd person present: associates; past tense: associated; past participle: associated; gerund or present participle: associating əˈsÅsÄ“ËŒÄt,əˈsÅSHÄ“ËŒÄt/ 1. connect (someone or something) with something else in one's mind. "I associated wealth with freedom" synonyms: link, connect, relate, identify, equate, bracket, set side by side "the colors that we associate with fire" connect (something) with something else because they occur together or one produces another. "the environmental problems associated with nuclear waste" allow oneself to be connected with or seen to be supportive of. "I cannot associate myself with some of the language used" synonyms: affiliate, align, connect, join, attach, team up, be in league, ally; More merge, integrate, confederate "the firm is associated with a local charity" be involved with. "she has been associated with the project from the first" synonyms: mix, keep company, mingle, socialize, go around, rub shoulders, rub elbows, fraternize, consort, have dealings; More informalhobnob, hang out/around "I was forced to associate with them" meet or have dealings with someone commonly regarded with disapproval. "they are at risk of associating with criminals" noun noun: associate; plural noun: associates əˈsÅSHÄ“É™t/ 1. a partner or colleague in business or at work. "he arranged for a close associate to take control of the institute" synonyms: partner, colleague, coworker, workmate, comrade, ally, affiliate, confederate; More connection, contact, acquaintance; collaborator; informa crony; informal peeps "his business associate" a companion or friend. "his old friend and hearty associate" 2. a person with limited or subordinate membership in an organization. a person who holds an academic degree conferred by a junior college (only in titles or set expressions). "an associate's degree in science" 3. Psychology a concept connected with another. adjective adjective: associate əˈsÅSHÄ“É™t/ 1. joined or connected with an organization or business. "an associate company" denoting shared function or membership but with a lesser status. "the associate director of the academy" Origin late Middle English (as a verb in the sense ‘join with in a common purpose’; as an adjective in the sense ‘allied’): from Latin associat- ‘joined,’ from the verb associare, from ad- ‘to’ + socius ‘sharing, allied.’ Associating with Adults does not imply them having to control, mentor, direct, or manage anything. I think in the modern vernacular it means to "hang out" with the boys. It would seem that a lot of the Scouting methods need a better clarification from the distortion they seem to have evolved into. Grab a cup of coffee and hang out with the boys. Anything beyond that implies taking leadership opportunities away from the boys. Go to camp, have a great time and let the boys do their thing.

A lot of what I would call adult intervention is normally handled by my PL/APL teams in the patrols. If there is a concern about one of the boys that needs to get kicked up to the adult level (we haven't had a SPL for many years) then that is addressed with a PL/SM conference. If the PL can't handle it, the SM is invited to address the issue. Much of the "How'd your day go." conversations are done around evening campfire, both patrol and multiple patrol fires. If I have multiple patrols, one PL goes to the SPL meeting and the other PL's gather with SM for any concerns going on that the SM needs to know about. The NSP needs extra attention but then they have a TG to run with problems there. They generally go to the First Year program and thus don't need to run all over the place looking for their next MB area/class. The older boys don't need to be escorted around to find their place. The PL's generally keep an eye on the one or two that need the attention, but it is all handled on the boy level. The adults, with coffee in hand, are free to roam the different classes to check on the validity of the instruction, evaluate the staff, etc. first hand before getting evening feedback from the boys. "The staff doing the wood carving MB wasn't any good." "How's that, I was over there this morning and he had a big bunch of boys, but it all looked like everyone was having a good time. What was it that made it not good for you?".... One has their bases covered, and they didn't interfere with the work of the PL/APL teams. As Remember said, the mess halls are way too noisy for me. I have enough hearing loss that I find it difficult to hear normal conversations with any background noise, like an A/C running, a fan or in a vehicle. I just smile nicely and nod occasionally, but hear nothing. It's a relief to get out of those places and if I can get a place outside where it's quieter, I'm all for it.

Whenever I see some sort of "tendency towards bullying", i.e. the PL mandating a boy go get water or clean a latrine, I simply ask the questions, "Is this how you "help other people at all times?" It generally clears up the situation rather quickly. After a while, one can hear the PL's using that line as well. "Helping other people at all times" pretty much takes bullying off the table without having to make any rules, regulations or by-laws to deal with it.

I haven't eaten with the boys for any outings now for about 10 years. I seldom even sit down to eat. I like to wander the woods and enjoy my coffee and meals as far away from the cacophony of the boys as possible but still be available. "Train 'em. Trust 'em. LET THEM LEAD!" William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt - One can't trust them if they have to constantly hover over their shoulder.

I have boys that just turned Tenderfoot after a year. What's the rush, they'll do just fine...and by the way, they are having fun. Sometimes a little maturity makes learning easier. Studies were done a number of years ago about kids who had participated in pre-school and those who didn't. By the end of kindergarten they were all on the same page. No advantage for the pre-school'ed kids. They didn't offer pre-school or kindergarten when I was a kid. Just started at first grade. I hold a Master's Degree. Some of those degrees along the way were magna and summa cum laude. I'm thinking that some just take their time to get to the same place. If a boy at 11 can Eagle by 14 a more mature boy could start at 14 and Eagle by 18. Adults seem to over think this whole Webelos III for their boys right up until they Eagle.

@@HopefullyEagleSoon Welcome to the forum. Newbies can go back and drag out any and all old threads they wish. As a matter of fact, even us Oldies can do that when we get a new thought on an old subject. By the way, I met my outdoorsy wife outside of scouting.

Hello, my name is Stosh and I am a Camping Addict. I make no bones about it and haven't been sober for years. I use my house for sleeping whenever I'm in the neighborhood. I have an enabling wife who is just as addicted as I am. We are co-dependent.

That's the importance of a somewhat supportive ankle bracing. Rolling an ankle on the trail could bring the trek to a quick conclusion. I wore synthetic hiking boots that came up and gave ankle support but were not the heavy leather. As the week wore on, I relied more and more on taping my ankle for support. I was 4-F from the military for flat feet and needed extra attention on the hike with the extra weight of the pack.

This is how all rules end up catering to the lowest common denominator.

LGBT issues, Christian CO

I learned how to deal with closed toe shoes and blisters. If done correctly one can maximize safety and don't need sandals. 9 days in Philmont, no blisters. One boy who mirrored what I was doing did not get blisters either. Everyone else did, some were pulling off bloody socks at the end of the day. Trading cuts for blisters doesn't need to be an either/or choice.

Welcome to the forum @@jwest09! On can do it any way they feel comfortable with. I for one don't wish to deal with the liability of backing off on the issue of safety.... rules or not.