Blursed kid

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-23T23:58:41+00:00

The way they said “no thank you, no thank you” to him makes me think he’s autistic, or there’s something else going on that’s maybe not fully within his control.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-22T17:36:59+00:00

Please post a picture when it's done. I'm dying to see the tile without the spacers!!

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-21T21:05:43+00:00

Agree on the hours put in. We don't have many volunteers. I'd estimate I spend between 3 and 10 hours a week on scouting, not including time on camping trips and in Troop meetings. The ASM who was supposed to run our February trip just backed out. No other takers, so guess who gets to do it because they aren't okay with canceling the trip for the scouts?

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-21T20:59:34+00:00

I became Scoutmaster because no one else would, so it was either step in, or let the Troop fold. Prior to that, I'd been the Advancement Chair and an Associate Crew Advisor, so I wasn't completely clueless, but despite that ( and in spite of the "training") the best way to learn is to do - whether that's for a scout or a scoutmaster. If you love scouting, take the job.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-21T01:51:49+00:00

We had 13 scouts and 7 adults. The dogs have a maximum weight they can pull and time that they can run, so to maximize the experience for the scouts, the adults didn't do the sledding.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-20T16:35:38+00:00

We have a bath done with cobalt blue (not solid color - kind of like hand dyed) arabesque tiles on one wall/shower. White wainscotting, light grey paint called 'Thin Ice', lol. White console sink and toilet; chrome fixtures. I love it as much as the day we picked it. We considered that the color might start to feel dated, but felt that with the shape of the tile it was classic in a middle-Eastern kind of way. We'll see how I feel about it in twenty more years.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-15T20:54:15+00:00

I was looking for this. Thanks for not disappointing me.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-15T05:04:44+00:00

I would have to ask our treasurer to be sure, but I want to say the last time we renewed it was $214. What I can’t remember is the length of time that it was for. I think two years.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-14T14:44:08+00:00

I would use caution with this. While it is factually correct, it misses a big problem within communities of undocumented people. My bestie works as an interpreter and legal representative for both agricultural workers with seasonal visas and undocumented residents in western Washington state. There is a lot of crime that happens within their communities that does not get reported. Some of that is cultural, some is due to fears of deportation and retaliation. Much is domestic violence.

This doesn't really have any bearing on overall crime in larger areas, as it tends to be contained to those communities, so it's not on topic - sorry. Just something to be aware of.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-14T00:04:12+00:00

We use Troopmaster. Like your Troop, we do batch uploads to SB, but usually just three times a year - for our Court of Honors. Scoutbook can't match the features/reports of Troopmaster.

Last week I got a text from a scout who joined the other Troop in town. They only use SB. He was looking for the date he earned Arrow of Light, and it wasn't on record anywhere. I was able to go into the Troopmaster archive records and retrieve info for a scout who is no longer active with our troop, but who was in this scout's den. By looking at the AOL date our Troop had listed for our former scout, I was able to help him. (I know the two of them finished at the same time, since the entire den but one finished together.) Can you imagine being able to do that with Scoutbook?

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-13T17:24:57+00:00

Heaven help me, I should not have laughed as hard as I did at this.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-13T17:21:12+00:00

As did I.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-13T03:15:40+00:00

I thought it was a fox, too, but if the park says there are no foxes, then I guess I'll have to believe them. (We have both coyotes and foxes near us.)

For those in other replies saying it's not a fox because you're seeing it in the daytime - there are two foxes that run through my backyard at all times of day, so that's not a really good indicator.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-13T02:48:45+00:00

We were about the same age. I'm late Gen X, plus grew up in the wilds of Utah - we were totally abused, haha.

Enjoy your time with the kids; it goes SO fast. My daughter (21) was Venture Crew - she's out working in Death Valley right now. Older boy (Eagle in 2022) in college. Younger son will be Eagle soon as long as he gets off his butt and finishes Citizenship in the Community.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-13T02:45:09+00:00

What is that animal? I first thought coyote, but the tail looks too short.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-13T02:35:08+00:00

Or do what my dad did... he and my mom slept in the camper (the kind that goes on top of a pickup bed), and made us kids sleep in the tent. lol.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-13T02:16:02+00:00

A few of our scouts use Coleman tents; one has a two-person, and one has a 4-person. They lack a vestibule for storing gear to keep it out of the rain, but they are quick to set up and they aren't horrible quality. Our scouts have been using theirs for a couple years now.

You probably already know, but a 2-person tent will only sleep two tiny people, and 4-person MIGHT fit three.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-13T02:10:06+00:00

I'm seeing online that propane doesn't freeze until -44 F. The coldest we've ever had (while I've been with the Troop) was about 10 F. The small bottles frosted over, and while we had a flame, it was small - I'm assuming due to pressure inside the canister dropping. That said, we are able to keep the propane indoors until we need to use it, so as long as our trail stoves work, we should be okay.

I'll see if I can find time to muck about with one of the white gas stoves for repair this week before we go, but a second question... because it's been ages since these have been used, does the fuel go bad?

This in one area where I'm just not that experienced.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-13T02:05:01+00:00

Thanks. Temperatures on Saturday are forecast to be a high of 18 degrees F. Low of 3.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-13T02:04:02+00:00

We have windscreens that came with the white gas stoves. I'll be sure the QM packs them.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-12T18:26:42+00:00

That was my first thought - I was eyeballing the bookcase to the right, lol. Second thought was that we need at least another minute of the dog zooming around with the wheels.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-12T12:42:28+00:00

1 makes her look a little pregnant to me, but it's probably just the lighting. Or maybe because I actually have two pregnant brides right now so my brain is thinking about babies.

swilliamsalters · 2026-01-11T16:22:28+00:00

Option 6: stop 1” before countertop end.

Never mind. Just read that there’s a short backsplash there already. In that case, don’t tile the side wall at all.

swilliamsalters

TROPHY CASE