100 Days of Scouting: Day 81, Heading out for the weekend

Day 81, Friday, April 29th.

Today I leave to go to the Leave No Trace Trainers Course for the weekend.

I won't have a chance to get to the computer to update the blog until Sunday night, but here is what I should be doing this weekend:

Tonight we are supposed to arrive and get set up by 7:00 pm. We are staying in a regular campsite tonight. The evening classes start at 7:00 pm. They should run until somewhere around 9:00 pm, with a cracker barrel snack just following the class.

Saturday morning we load up our gear and head off into the woods to a back country campsite to spend the day learning all about, and how to better teach, the 7 principles of Leave No Trace. We then spend the night in the woods at a campsite we are setting up.

Sunday morning we pack up and head back to the main building for some more class room stuff. Somewhere around noon we pack it up and head out.

I plan on being back home somewhere between 3:30 and 4:00 pm.

While we are there, we will be doing our own cooking using our backpacking stoves. They are providing all the food in the form of backpacking meals. I can't wait to see what sorts of food they provide, as I'm always looking for ideas of backpacking meals.



For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I'm leaving to spend the weekend learning how to teach the 7 principles of Leave No Trace better, and earning my trainers certificate in Leave No Trace.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 80, load up the backpack

Day 80, Thursday, April 28th.

It's hard to believe that I've been blogging about Scouting for 80 straight days! Some days it's just too hard to take the time to update the blog before going to bed, but for the most part I've been sitting down and writing about what I did to impact Scouting each and every day for the last 80 days. It's my goal to continue doing this for the whole year instead of just stopping after the first 100 days, but we'll see how busy I am when summer hits.

Tonight I loaded up my backpack.

I'm not really going backpacking, even though I would really like to. I was so disappointed that I had to cancel my backpacking trip last weekend, and I would be happy to be able to go this weekend. Instead, I'm getting ready to go to a Leave No Trace Trainers Course for the weekend.

It's in Shepherdsville, KY. I leave tomorrow to drive down there. The course starts at 7:00 pm Friday and runs until around noon on Sunday.

So, that's where I'll be for the weekend.

So, for my 100 Days of Scouting:

I got ready to head out for the weekend to take a trainers course on Leave No Trace. This should help me be a better teacher on the principles of Leave No Trace, which is something that the BSA strongly stands behind and something I firmly believe we as Scout leaders should be teaching our Scouts.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 79, Another slow day

Day 79, Wednesday, April 27th.

Today was another slow day for Scouting.

I did manage to get some Scouting done today though. It was in the form of a text and a couple of emails.

One of my Scouts is getting close to thinking about his Eagle project, and his mom sent me a text asking a few questions about what sort of project he could do. Specifically, she asked me if his project had to be a labor intensive project or could it be about doing a fund raiser for a charity.

I told her that the project wasn't really about labor or money, but was about leadership. I'm not the one in our district that approves Eagle projects, but I know the person that is in charge of approving them, and I know what he looks for in a project. I explained to her that the purpose of the Eagle project was primarly about the Eagle candidate doing a project that he leads others in, and that if the candidate shows a strong leadership and completes his project according to the plan that is approved, then he should have no problem passing that portion of his Eagle Board of Review. I also told her to go online and read the information that is available on Eagle Projects. And lastly, I told her to have her son discuss his thought on the project with the person that approves them. He's been doing the approval of Eagle projects for a long time, and would be more than happy to discuss it with the Scout.

For my 100 Days of Scouting:

I helped steer a Scout in the right direction to finding information about his Eagle project.

I answered a few Scouting emails.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 78, Troopmaster data entry

Day 78, Tuesday, April 26th.

Today was a slow day for Scouting. It was a slow day for me for just about everything, which doesn't happen very often.

For my 100 Days of Scouting:

I spent around an hour entering data into Troopmaster.

I mowed my yard. I guess that's not really associated with Scouting, but when the Scouting is really busy I have trouble finding the time to mow. Today I mowed.

Have a great day, and remember to always keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 77, Troop Meeting

Day 77, Monday, April 25th.

Tonight was our weekly Troop meeting.

We did something that we haven't done since the first year that I took the Troop over. We did a Merit Badge class during the Troop meeting.

I just recently read the thoughts and comments from a couple other Scoutmasters on doing Merit Badges during the Troop meeting. One said that they never did them during the meetings, and the other said that they never have, and never will.

I really debated on this one.

The boys decided that they wanted to do the Cooking Merit Badge during a Troop meeting at the last PLC meeting. They asked me if they could do it, and I really didn't know how to answer them at that time, but told them I would let them know by the next meeting. One of our adults is a Cooking Merit Badge Counselor, and had already agreed to teach the class, so I decided to go ahead and let them do it. There are a couple of reasons that I decided to let them do it. One is the fact that out of our 21 boys in the Troop, only 3 have earned the Merit Badge. Another reason I decided to let them do it is because it was their idea, and their decision. As Scoutmaster I have the final say so on what we do, but I couldn't really think of any good reason to go against their wishes. If it were for a safety reason then yes I would go against it, but there is really no safety issue here. In fact, 2 of the 3 boys that have already earned the Merit Badge are on the PLC, and they voted to do it during the Troop meeting. How could I tell them no.

I realize that this goes against the thinking of some Scoutmasters, but I really think that each Troop has it's own unique situation and what works for one Troop won't always work for another. While I really respect the thinking of the other 2 Scoutmasters that said that they won't do Merit Badges during a Troop meeting, I have to think that our situation is very different than theirs and that our Troop is just different enough from theirs that it's the right thing for us to do at this time.

After all, it's supposed to be "boy led" and if we're going to follow that way of doing things I have to let them lead as they wish, so long as all rules and regulations are followed and there is not a safety hazard associated with what they are doing.

So, for my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I watched as my Scouts started the Cooking Merit Badge at our Troop wide Cooking Merit Badge Class.

Have a great day today, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 76, Happy Easter

Day 76, Sunday, April 24th.

Today is not about Scouting, it's about worship and family time.

For day 76 of my 100 Days of Scouting:

I started the day by going to the Easter Sunday Service at our church. It was nice to see a few faces I only see once a year, but I really wish they would come to church the other 51 Sundays of the year.

I had Easter dinner with my family.

I wish you all a Happy Easter today!

Have a great day, and remember to always keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 75, Cleaning Day

Day 75, Saturday, April 23rd.

Since I was supposed to be on the trail backpacking today I didn't really have anything planned at home.

Of course there are always things that needs to be done, so I spent the day cleaning and straightening things up.

I started by unloading all the backpacks that we had packed for the hike, and putting all the gear away. Then I moved on to other things, like laundry and general cleaning. With 3 kids in the house there is always something that needs to be done.

I finished the day by relaxing and watching some TV, which is something I rarely do. I just don't spend much time in front of the TV.

For my 100 Days of Scouting:

I straightened up Scout paperwork and put Scouting stuff away.

I sent out a few Scout related emails.

I took an afternoon nap (that's what Scoutmasters are supposed to do).

That was my Scouting for the day.

I hope you have a great day, and remember to always keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 74, No Backpacking for me this weekend

Day 74, Friday, April 22nd.

I am totally bummed out tonight as I sit here and write this blog.

I've had a little backpacking trip planned for the last month and a half, and it just got cancelled.

I was planning on taking my family, along with around 6 other people, down to Southern Indiana to hike a section of the Knobstone Trail tonight and tomorrow. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate with my plans, and I ended up having to cancel the trip last minute.

My plan was to hit the trail at the Spurgeon Hollow trail head and hike down to the Oxley Memorial trail head. It's around 6 miles from Spurgeon Hollow to Oxley. We were going to hit the trail around  8:00 pm and hike about a mile to an area I had picked out to spend the nights.

Starting the hike around 8:00 pm would give us the opportunity to do some night hiking too, but as it got later in the day it became apparent that it was going to be storming tonight way too hard to even consider hitting the trail. I don't mind a little rain, but with the thunder and lightning storms they had forecast it was going to be far too wet and miserable to even consider going, Not to mention dangerous too! I could just picture myself getting hit by lightning or being carried away with the flood. A good part of the trail is in the valley, and with all the rain that was forecast there was a really good chance of a flash flood. I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.

Well, there will be more opportunities to go backpacking, but I was really looking forward to the first one of the year this weekend!

For my 100 Days of Scouting:

I tried my best to provide an opportunity for the Scouts to go backpacking with me tonight and tomorrow.

I spent a lot of time communicating with some Scouts today about the backpacking trip.

That's my day 74.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 73, Eagle Board of Review

Day 73, Thursday, April 21st.

Tonight was Eagle Board of Review night. We hold Eagle Board on the 3rd Thursday of every month. I almost always go and do them. It gives me a chance to meet a lot of really neat Eagle candidates.

I did 2 of them tonight. The first was a 17 year old young man that was about 6 months from his 18th birthday, and the second was a young man that was 2 weeks from his 18th birthday.

The difference between these 2 young men was very remarkable. One of them obviously had ADD bad, and it was very apparent that his medication was just about worn off. He had a terrible time concentrating on what we were doing. There were several times that he forgot what he was talking about half way through answering our questions. I felt a little sorry for him. I know he was doing his best to stay focused, but was having a really tough time doing so. His Eagle project was okay, and he had done everything necessary to make Eagle rank, but overall he just didn't really impress me all that much. We passed him, but I was just a little concerned about how well he showed leadership on his project. Hopefully as he gets a little older he will grow out of his ADD.

The 2nd Eagle candidate was the total opposite of the 1st one. This candidate was very sharp. He was focused and really had his act together. He did a great job of answering our questions, and was a real pleasure to talk to. Everything looked good for his project, and he was obviously the perfect Eagle candidate. We had no problems passing him with flying colors.

I guess it just goes to show that there are different types of Eagle Scouts out there. They all fly like Eagles, but some just soar a little higher than others.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I did 2 Eagle Board of Reviews.

I finished packing my backpack for tomorrow's backpacking trip.

I answered several Scouting emails.

That about sums it up for the day.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 72, Scout Skills Pack Meeting

Day 72, Wednesday, June 20th.

Tonight was Scout Skills night at our monthly Cub Scout Pack meeting. The Scouts in my Boy Scout Troop came to the elementary school and set up "stations" for the Cub Scouts to visit and learn a Scout Skill. We had 6 stations set up. There was First Aid, Cooking, Map & Compass, Knots, the perfect Scout camp site, and Backpacking.

The First Aid station showed the Cub Scouts how to make a stretcher out of 2 hiking poles and a blanket, how to splint a broken leg, how to make an arm sling out of a Scout neckerchief, and how to do some basic bandaging.

The Cooking station was probably the most visited station we had. There were 3 camp stoves set up, and the Boy Scouts were making pancakes as fast as they could. The Cub Scouts and parents each had a pancake or 2. Of course being the Scoutmaster I was allowed to have several.

The Map & Compass station taught the Cub Scouts some basic map reading skills and how to use a compass.

The Knots station taught the Cub Scouts how to tie the square knot, the bowline, and the clove hitch. Most of the Cub Scouts mastered the square knot, but the bowline and the clove hitch were a little more difficult for them to remember.

The perfect campsite had a tent, a stove, and all the normal Scout camping gear that we would normally have when we camp. The Cub Scouts enjoyed getting in the tent and just sitting there. I think some had never been in a tent before. They seemed to really enjoy it.

The backpacking station was by far my most favorite. Probably due to my love of backpacking. We set up a normal backpacking campsite complete with 2 backpacking tents, a couple of backpacking stoves, and all the other normal backpacking gear you would normally have on a backpacking trip. I also had a couple of loaded packs there for the boys to try on. They really enjoyed putting the loaded packs on and trying to walk around. Some were able to put it on and walk with no problems, but it was really fun seeing the little Tiger Scouts trying to walk with a 35lb pack on their back. I actually had to catch one that almost flipped over backwards!

That was our pack meeting. Since I'm both the Cubmaster of the Cub Scout Pack and the Scoutmaster of the Boy Scout Troop setting everything up was really easy. I think everyone had fun. I hope everyone had fun. I know I did!

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I attended a terrific Cub Scout Pack Meeting.

I did some other Scout type stuff. I just can't remember it all.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 71, Council Operations Meeting

Day 71, Tuesday, April 19th.

I was asked to fill in at the Council Operations Meeting tonight for a friend/Scouter that is the chair of our High Adventure Committee. He is out of the country on vacation and asked me to take his place at the meeting.

I had never been to one of the Council Operations meetings before. It was really interesting to see how one part of our Council operates.

It was held at the Target/Chip Ganassi Racing building on the NE side of Indianapolis.

The meeting itself was interesting, but the really fun part was getting to see all the Indy 500 race cars they have stored there. The Ganassi Team was kind enough to open the entire building, including their R&D area, their work shop, their fabrication shop, and the truck bay that housed the semi trucks and trailers, for us to see and tour. We were asked not to take any pictures in any of the areas but the front lobby, where they had 3 race cars on display, but that was fine considering that they let us see some of the areas that the public just never gets access to.

The whold time I was there I kept thinking to myself that it would really be fun for the Scouts to come and take a tour. That may never happen, but it sure would be fun.

So, for my 100 Days of Scouting:

I attended our Council Operations Meeting.

I spent around an hour working with the Camp Promotions Team working on ways to get more Packs and Troops to attend Summer Camp.

That was my fun and interesting night of Scouting for Tuesday.

Have a great day today, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 70, Meeting Night

Day 70, Monday, April 18th.

Tonight was our weekly Troop meeting. The Scouts spent the evening getting ready for the Scout Skills night that we're doing for the Cub Scout Pack on Wednesday night.

We're doing 6 stations that the Cub Scouts will be able to visit. We're doing a knots station, cooking station, map & compass station, backpacking station, the perfect campsite station, and first aid station.

I can't wait to see how it all turns out. The Cub Scouts should have a really great time getting to do all the different things we have planned.

Our new SPL had his 2nd meeting tonight. He still has a lot to learn, but tonight was a little better than last Monday night. If he gets a little better at every Troop meeting he should have it down pretty good in just a short time.

For my 100 Days of Scouting:

I got my Scoutmaster's Minute ready for tonight.

I met with a Scout that was working on the Communications Merit Badge to sign off on a few of the requirements before the Troop meeting started

I participated in our Troop meeting.

Thats it for tonight.

Have a great day today, and remember to always keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 69, A Scout is Reverent

Day 69, Sunday, April 17th.

We woke up this morning, had breakfast, packed up the Troop gear, and then got everything loaded to leave the Camporee.

Before we left we had a small Scouts Own Service. Now, if you don't know what a Scouts Own Service is, its like a small non-denominational church service that the Scouts put on themselves. It is usually planned by the Scout that holds the position of Chaplain Aide. It usually only lasts 10 to 15 minutes, but it gives us a way to worship while we are out camping or doing other activities that take place on a Sunday morning.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I packed up everything from the weekend.

I worshiped with the rest of the Troop at our Scouts Own Service.

I came home and put everything away.

I took a nap!

Today was a great day. I hope your day is a great day too, and remember to always keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 68, Mock Disaster Training

Day 68, Saturday, April 16th.

Today was the 2nd day of the Spring Camporee. It rained really hard last night. The wind was really bad too. I was really worried that we were going to loose some tents, but they all stayed up.

After breakfast, the Scouts spent the morning going from station to station learning how to deal with emergency situations. They didn't know how soon they were going to be practicing everything they were learning.

While the Scouts were having lunch, the Camporee staff quietly brought in over 50 "victims" for the mock disaster. The Scouts didn't even know there was going to be a mock disaster today. Were they surprised when the emergency vehicles came rolling into camp with their lights and sirens going!

 Several of the Scouts were caught totally off guard and thought that something really bad had happened. There were 2 large rescue units, a large fire engine, 2 John Deere Gators, an incident command vehicle, and the Battalion Chief's vehicle that came rolling into camp all at the same time.

The Camporee staff had staged a mock disaster scene back in the woods for the Scouts to practice their skills on. The scene was a simulation of a tornado disaster. There were people all over the place with all sorts of injuries. The Scouts had to treat the injuries quickly and then had to transport the injured victims back to the parking lot where the emergency personnel were waiting.

The emergency personnel then had to triage the patients, get them stabilized, and then loaded into the ambulances for transport.

After they were loaded, the ambulance would then drive to the far side of the parking lot where the victim would then get out so that the ambulance could turn around and go back for another patient to load up.

Little did the Scouts know that while they were participating in the mock disaster and learning all the skills that they were learning, the emergency personnel were doing some serious training too! The whole mock disaster was put together so that the Scouts would learn Emergency Preparedness and First Aid skills, and the emergency personnel would have a chance to train on a large scale disaster. Everyone came out winning with this one!

After the Scouts had completed the mock disaster it was time for a debriefing. The Battalion Chief said he was really impressed with how well the Scouts reacted to the disaster, how well they knew their first aid, and how well they managed to handle the situations they came across. He gave a few suggestions of some ways to make improvements, but overall he was really impressed with the job that the Scouts did. He even admitted that his emergency personnel had made a few mistakes and that there were things that they needed to improve on.

After dinner there was a quick campfire program, along with the OA callout ceremony. This is where they call out the newly elected OA candidates.

Shortly after the OA callout ceremony, we had the OA Brotherhood ceremony where the OA Ordeal members can seek to become Brotherhood members. My son Tommy was one of the ceremonialists in the Brotherhood ceremony. I really enjoyed watching them perform the ceremony.

By the time the ceremony was over it was time to get to bed.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I participated in mock disaster.

I assisted the ceremony team with their OA ceremonies.

Today was one of the best days of Scouting I've had in a very long time, and was it ever fun!

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 67, Spring Camporee

Day 67, Friday, April 15th.

Our Del-Mi District Spring Camporee starts tonight, so I left work about an hour early to get all my gear loaded up and ready to go.

I got to the church around 5:30 pm, got the Troop trailer hooked up to my truck, and got ready to pull out.

We got on the road around 6:15 pm and headed to the Camporee.

All week, the weather man has been forecasting rain for tonight, with a possibility of some really severe storms. I hope it doesn't get too bad.

We made it to camp around 7:00 pm and got everything set up. The set up was really tough. The wind was blowing so hard it was almost impossible to get the tents set up, but by working together the Scouts were able to get them all set up before the rain started. I was very thankful for that!

For my 100 Days of Scouting:

I attended the 1st night of the Spring Camporee with my Scouts.

I let the new SPL direct the Scouts in the set-up of camp without interfering with the way he was leading, which was really tough for me to do.

I had a fun time watching all the Troops set up camp for the night. It's really neat when an empty field can be transformed into a small city of Scouts in the matter of less than an hour.

Have a great day today, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 66, Roundtable and OA Chapter meeting

Day 66, Thursday, April 14th.

Tonight was our District Roundtable meeting. The OA chapter meeting was also tonight.

Since I've taken a new position with the OA chapter I decided I should be at the monthly chapter meeting, so I skipped the roundtable meeting and went to the OA chapter meeting instead.

A few weeks ago I was asked by the Chapter Advisor if I would assist the chapter by taking the position of Associate Advisor, in charge of ceremonies. I really enjoy helping the ceremonialists with the ceremonies, so I decided I would take the position. I know I have a lot to learn still, but I'm determined to do the best job I can, and that starts by making sure I'm at all the meetings and other functions.

For my 100 Days of Scouting:

I attended the OA chapter meeting tonight.

I started work on a list of all the ceremonialists that do ceremonies for the chapter.

Thats my contribution to Scouting for today. It was a really fun day, and I really enjoyed attending the OA chapter meeting.

Have a great day today, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 65, Workout night

Day 65, Wednesday, April 13th.

Today was a busy day. The phones rang off the hook the first half of the day, and the second half of the day I had to run all over the place doing stuff.

I'm not complaining about being busy. It usually means that we're making more money. It also makes the day goes by a lot faster. The problem with being too busy is that I don't always get everything done. Today was one of those days. I didn't get everything done that I wanted to.

I finally got caught up by around 7:00 tonight, so I decided to go to the Y and work out.

That was my day today. Even though it was crazy for most of the day, it ended well.



For my 100 Days of Scouting:

I followed that part of the Scout Oath that says To keep myself physically fit.

I caught up on my 100 Days of Scouting blog.



Have a great day and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 64, New Phone

Day 64, Tuesday, April 12th.

Not a lot of Scouting today. I sent out a few emails about the Spring Camporee that's coming up this weekend.

After work I went to the Verizon Wireless store and bought a new phone. My Droid was only a year old, but the battery wouldn't last much past lunch most days. That is one of my biggest complaints with the Droid phones. The battery life is not very good. I decided to get the iPhone4. The salesman at the phone store said that the battery would last a lot longer. I guess we'll see.

For my 100 Days of Scouting:

I sent out emails to the Scouts and their parents about the Spring Camporee.

I started getting my camping gear ready for the weekend.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 63, Songs & Skits

Day 63, Monday, April 11th.

We had a great time tonight at our Troop meeting. We hosted a Cub Scout Pack and did the Map & Compass Belt Loop for them. We broke the Cub Scouts into 4 groups. We had Tigers, Wolves, Bears, and Webelos all separated into groups. We then assigned several of the Boy Scouts to each group. The Boy Scouts taught them how to use a compass and then how to orient a map. I'm not sure the Cub Scouts ever really fully understood it, but at least they got the basics and had a good time.

After they were done with the Map & Compass stuff we had a campfire with skits & songs. That's when the fun really started. We did 5 or 6 skits and sang 4 or 5 songs in between the skits. The Cub Scouts and their parents seemed to really enjoy everything.

Hopefully this will keep the Cub Scouts interested so that they will all stay in Scouting.

After the campfire was over we went to the Troop room to have a short Troop meeting.

For my 100 Days of Scouting:

I went to our Troop meeting.

I had a Scoutmaster conference with one of the new Scouts.

I spent a little time after the meeting talking to our new SPL.

I had a really good time tonight. It was a lot of fun watching the Boy Scouts entertaining the Cub Scouts.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 62, Keeping Scouting Fun

Day 62, Sunday, April 10.

A friend of mine that reads my blog asked me the other day why I always close my blog with the words "remember to keep your Scouting fun!".

I told her the reason I always end with that little quote goes back to the Cub Scout training classes I teach. You see, I'm on the Del-Mi District training team, and between myself and a couple of other trainers we do about 95% of all the Cub Scout training in the district. One of the things that I try to always stress in my training is that if you aren't making the Scouting fun, the boys are going to quit doing it. They sit in school all day and listen to their teacher talk. The last thing they want to do when they come to a den meeting is to sit and listen to the den leader talk some more. They need a fun, energetic program that will keep them interested and entertained. If you as a den leader are not keeping it fun, forget it. They won't want anything to do with your program. However, if you keep it fast paced and interesting they will keep coming back for more. The best advise I can give to a new den leader is to keep changing it up during the den meeting. Do a little of this, a little of that, and keep it moving. They may still enjoy doing some of the "boring" sit down stuff, but just remember to do a little of that and then change it to a game or something fast paced for a little while. Keeping it interesting isn't always the easiest thing to do, but when done right it makes for a fun, fast paced den meeting that any boy will enjoy.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I helped my son work on a couple of songs and skits that he is participating in tomorrow night at the Troop meeting. We're hosting a Cub Scout Pack and doing a campfire program for them.

I organized some of my Scouting stuff that had gotten spread out in several different places. Now everything is filed where it should be.

So, like I said in my blog, remember to keep your Scouting fun! Now you know how important it is!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 61, Spring Cleaning Day

Day 61, Saturday, April 9th.

Today I spent the day at the church doing some spring cleaning. It wasn't the type of spring cleaning you might be thinking about. It was some Boy Scout spring cleaning.

First I cleaned out the Troop trailer. It never ceases to amaze me at the amount of "stuff" that accumulates in there. There was a whole box full of lost and found type stuff. There were 4 boxes with all sorts of leftover food items. Nothing spoiled or gross, but stuff like cans of corn, jars of peanut butter, bottles of pancake syrup, boxes of oatmeal, and stuff like that. I went through and cleaned it all up. Now it's ready for our next campout. Then the process can start all over again.

I also cleaned out the Troop storage closet in the Troop room. I discovered we have a dozen flags that need retired that I didn't even know we had. Several of the businesses around town give us their flags when they have become worn out, or are in a condition that makes them unsuitable to fly. We then give the flag a proper retirement at a flag retirement ceremony. We do this when we camp, and some times when we have Webelos visiting.

My son Tommy had a Merit badge class all day today. He went down to the EcoLab at Marian University and took the Forestry and the Soil & Water Conservation Merit badges. I asked him how he liked them and he said that they were really interesting. That's good. That's the way a Merit badge class should be.

So, for my 100 Days of Scouting:

I cleaned out the Troop trailer.

I cleaned out the storage closet in the Troop room.

I listened to a dozen more Scouting Podcasts.

It was a beautiful day out today, and I had a really great time spending it doing the things I really love doing.

I hope you had a great day too, and remember to always keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 60, Podcast Overload

Day 60, Friday, April 8th.

I spent a lot of time driving today so I decided to listen to some Scouting podcasts while I was driving. I think I must have listened to around 6 hours worth of them. I especially enjoy SMM, True North, and Scout Nation. There are a few others I listen to, but these 3 are my favorites.

I went to the YMCA tonight to work out and decided to listen to a couple more podcasts while I was on the treadmill. I listened for another hour.

After 7 hours of podcasts today I think I have podcast overload!  Well, probably not. I'm sure I'll listen to some tomorrow.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I answered a few Scouting emails this morning.

I listened to several Scouting podcasts. Every time I listen to one I pick up some new ideas to take back to my Troop and my Pack.

That was my Scouting for today.

Have a great day and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 59, OA Ceremony Team Practice

Day 59, Thursday, April 7th.

Tonight, my son Tommy had ceremony team practice. The practice turned into a phone calling session trying to find someone to help with the Brotherhood ceremony at the Spring Camporee. They were able to find someone, but didn't get any actual practicing done. I hope they're all ready. The ceremony is in less than 2 weeks.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I stopped in at the Scout Shop and dropped off the paperwork for our unit account.

I took my son to his ceremony team practice.

I discussed our ceremony team needs with the Chapter Advisor.

Have a great day, and keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 58, Another Night Off

Day 58, Wednesday, April 6th.

Another slow day of Scouting today. I actually don't have anything on the calendar for tonight, which is very unusual for me. It must be because this week is Spring Break.

For my 100 Days of Scouting:

I took another night off from Scouting.

I did, however, listen to 5 or 6 Scouting Podcasts from PTC Media today. I guess that counts as some Scouting!

Have a great day and keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 57, Rest

Day 57, Tuesday, April 5th

I stayed at the office today until well after 8:00 pm. When I left to go home I had such a headache I just decided to go home and go to bed early.

So, for my 100 days of Scouting today:

I took the night off and got some rest.

There, that's what I did. I took a night off. Not very normal for me, but that's how it was.

Have a great day and keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 56, Skit practice

Day 56. Monday, April, 4th

Today for my 100 Days of Scouting:

I met with the PLC back at the church again tonight so they could practice their songs and skits for the campfire program that they are hosting for a Cub Scout Pack on Monday, April 11th.

I met with the Troops new Adult Quartermaster to help with the transition into the position

I helped the new Adult Quartermaster take an inventory of everything in the Troop trailer.

Not a very busy night tonight, but a fun one still.

Have a great day and always remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 55, PLC & Troop Committee Meetings

Day 55, Sunday, April 3rd.

Went to church this morning. Our Pastor is on vacation, so the student Pastor, Jane, preached the sermon. She did a pretty good job considering that she is still a student. I'm sure some day she will make a good Pastor.

After church we came home and had lunch, then went back to the church to work on Scouting stuff.

Today for my 100 Days of Scouting:

I met with our new SPL from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm and worked on who would fill the various youth leadership positions.

I met with the PLC from 5:00 pm until 6:00 pm for our PLC meeting.

I met with the Troop Committee from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm for our Troop Committee Meeting.

I had a total of 5 hours of meetings tonight.

That's my day. Even though it was very long it was still fun. I really enjoy my Scouting.

Have a great day today, and if you're Scouting, keep it fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 54, YMCA Joining Day

Day 54, Saturday, April 2nd.

I joined the YMCA today. I don't know why I didn't do it earlier. I've been telling myself that I needed to start working out on a regular basis for a long time, but just never took the time to do anything about it. I lead a pretty active lifestyle. I hike a lot, ride my bike some, and generally stay pretty active with the Scouts, but just can't seem to get to the weight I want to be at. According to the new Boy Scout Health Form I should be no more than 172 lbs. I'm holding steady at around 178 to 180. I'm not necessarily obese, but I'm heavier than I want to be. The other thing I notice is that I just don't have the stamina that I used to have a few years ago. They say that Scouting makes a man "well rounded" and that's starting to be true for me. So, enough is enough. We'll see how it goes.

Today for my 100 Days of Scouting here's what I did:

I put the finishing touches on the planning for my backpacking trip.

I called our new SPL's mom and set up a time to meet with the new SPL before the PLC meeting.

I answered an email from a Cubmaster about a campfire program the boys in the Troop are doing for one of the local Cub Scout Packs.

I put together my part of the Troop Committee Meeting for tomorrow night.

That's my contribution to Scouting today. What was yours?

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 53, Backpacking Planning

Day 53. Friday, April 1st.

I spent tonight planning my upcoming backpacking trip. I'm leaving on April 22nd and coming back on the 23rd. I've invited everyone from the Troop to come with me. So far I have 14 people coming. This could turn into a really big group. I'm planning on going to the Knobstone Trail on this trip. I really enjoy backpacking there. It's often called the "Little Appalachian Trail", with elevation changes between 300 to 400 feet in several places.

This should be a quiet weekend for me. Other than our PLC meeting and our Committee meeting this Sunday, I don't have a lot of Scouting stuff planned. The PLC meets at 5:00 pm and the Committee meets at 6:00 pm.

Other than the meetings it should be a pretty quiet weekend.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and if you're doing any Scouting, remember to keep it fun!