An important part of the cleanup from any trip is for Grubmasters for any trip to account for food purchases so they can receive a reimbursement check.  Rather than force the trip coordinator to chase down the Grubmasters, it would be helpful if all Grubmasters for a trip be prepared to meet with the Scoutmaster or an Assistant Scoutmaster the first meeting after the trip.  If a receipt has been lost, then be prepared to account for the food.

At the Grubmaster accounting we will talk about whether you were able to stay within the budget, how the food worked out, and what you might change next time.

At the meeting this week only three of the six Grubmasters were prepared.  The remaining three should be prepared for the meeting next week.  The wrapup is important since it is not the intention of the Troop that the Grubmaster should be stuck with the cost of the food.

Admin Time

If a Scout needs to talk to the Scoutmaster, you will find him less distracted if you can come early or stay late.  I will make every effort to be at each meeting by 7 PM and I never leave before 9:30 PM.

There will be an exception for next week because the Twice-Yearly Book Migration will keep me at the Library until around 7:20.  However, there is no rule that says you cannot come to the Library to see me if you need something.  As all adult leaders should, I will be letting Scouts run the project while I stand around.

Twice-Yearly Book Migration

Next week we will once again help the Friends of Cary Library move books from storage to the sales area.  This event is a popular one, but the number of books to be moved has dropped because FOCL has gotten more selective about what they sell.  They actually make more money with less cleanup, but of course we have less work to do.

So all are still invited, but the time has been moved to 6:15 PM on Thursday, May 12th.  We will move all the books in just half an hour and then we will adjourn to the conference room for pizza and soft drinks.  From there we will go to our meetings.  This is a joint Troop 160/Troop 119 project, by the way.

Come on time because we are going to really HUSTLE.

Trip Cleanup

The cleanup from the R&G trip went really well.  As of last night all the cookkits and chef kits have been washed, all the tents have been rolled, and all the gear has been put back on the shelves.  I was impressed with the work done last night to not only roll the tents, but to check them for problems as well.  I am printing off more gear checklists so they will be available next time.

The Scout and adult leadership in this project was very much appreciated.
-Hank Manz

You already have the initial lost & found list from the Cook-O-Ree to which I am adding two items:

- 2 black clip-on pockets for water bottles
- Red Swiss army knife with a Scout logo

To that list I am adding three historic items:

- Light Blue OR-style cup
- Blue enamel plate
- Enamel cup

In addition, I have pictures of other historic items.

and view the PDF you will find there.  The pictures are of historic items which have been kicking around for quite a while in several cases.  If you spot something, let me know.  If you aren’t sure, grab me during a Scout meeting so we can arrange a viewing.

Typically, if I find an article of clothing that is not Scout-specific and which does not have a name in it, I will hang it on the rack in the large hall because there is no way to know if it belongs to Troop 160 or not.  If it is Scout-specific or if it has a name in it, it usually goes to Lost & Found and I will try to return it at the next meeting.

I have already received some e-mails claiming items on my first list.  They will be available at the meeting this Thursday.

VETERANS DAY
============
Troop 160 will be participating in the parade/walk/ceremony.  Be at the White House (the old School Admin building next to the police station) by 9:45 AM on Wednesday.  It will take about one hour because this is the short parade.  Yes, Scout or LHS service hours will be given.  There will be other Scout units there as well including Troop 119.

THE GREAT BOOK MIGRATION
========================
On Thursday, starting at 5 PM, we will be helping the Friends of Cary Library prepare for their twice-yearly book sale.  Pizza in the Library after we finish.  Picture for the Minuteman.  We will finish in time to walk to our meetings.  Troop 119 is invited to join us and we will be joined by some Webelos working on Citizenship requirements as well.

GEAR CLEANUP
============
Some Scouts and adults have already been working on the gear from the Cook-O-Ree.  We are going to try to finish up the rest of the gear in half an hour or less.  It took us around two hours last time which is too long.  Since I know we are going to finish on time this week, it will leave us plenty of time for the Scoutmaster Challenge.  All I can say about that is I hope you know how to tie basic knots.  Guides and Instructors should come prepared to teach four basic knots (Clove Hitch, Square Knot, Sheetbend, and Tautline Hitch).  I know–the Tautline Hitch is a bear, but I bet we will all know it after this next meeting.

A NOTE ABOUT BEING SCOUTS
=========================
I would like to meet with all older Scouts (Green Bars and JASMs) before the meeting next week (not this week–next week) for 15 minutes to talk about leadership.  Baden Powell wrote extensively about the Scout Law and decided that Trustworthy was of paramount importance.  The original version of that Law was A Scout’s Honor Is To Be Trusted.  I’m with Lord Robert on that one, but I will also go with one that has changed since his day.  The sixth Scout Law, Kind, was originally A Scout Is Kind To Animals, an important law in an era when we depended on animals for so much and they were often mistreated.  But today Kind has changed to Kindness for others.  And don’t forget that whole string of Helpful, Friendly, and Courteous which go along with Kind.  A Scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout, wrote our founder, and that must not change.  There is a reason there are so many Laws which talk about how we should act toward each
other and I don’t mean just toward other Scouts.  But it starts with other Scouts.  Scout meetings and other events should be a place where we can all learn and play together.  Let’s talk about that for at least a few minutes.

-Hank Manz

We had some lost-and-found items.  Some probably belong to Webelos so if you can get word to them, thanks.
Gap lightweight jacket (name says Bennett Rofsky)
Small Nalgene (name says Ben Haber)
Large blue Nalgene with firefly attachment
Large blue Nalgene
Large red slimline Nalgene
Soft side cooler (Sultan??)
Chair (Ross??)
Therm-A-Rest sleeping pad in blue case
Red Lands End jacket with gloves in pocket
Purple fleece mittens — small size
Striped knit gloves — small size
Single gray knit glove
Navy knit gloves
Single ribbed gray knit glove
Dunkin’ Donuts cup
Blue Patriots knit cap with brim

Three or four Scouts did not bring a sack lunch for Saturday.  The need for that was covered in more than one e-mail and at troop meeting but we will emphasize the point more in future.  Parents note–that is the way events normally work.  We bring a sack lunch for that first meal to save time.  Thanks to other Scouts for sharing their lunches with those who did not bring one.

Even after a lot of work rolling tents, three turned up bad.  Fortunately all the problems could be addressed so everybody had a tent.  One was missing a noodle.  That means that there were two errors.  First, a Scout must have removed it in the first place.  They are tied to the tent securely with heavyweight nylon cord so somebody had to have cut it off.  Second, whoever packed the tent missed that fact.  There was an extra fly with one tent and there was a bad pole set with another.  Clearly we need to do a better job with preparing our gear.

Don’t forget two major events this week.

Veterans Day — with Troop 119 and other Lexington Scout units
============
Veterans Day Observance.  There is a parade which visits various cemeteries for the laying of wreaths.  For those who can make it, be at the white building next to the police station this Wednesday not later than 9:45 AM.  Wear your uniform.  It is a school holiday, by the way.  Service hours will be given.  Read about it at:
http://www.lexingtonma.gov/celebrations/2009veteransparade.pdf

Twice Yearly Friends of Cary Library Great Book Migration — with Troop 119
=========================================================
This Thursday we will move roughly 8000 books in about 1.5 hours, then enjoy pizza and soft drinks while we brag about how hard we worked.  This time we will take a picture for the Minuteman.  Be there by 5 PM or as soon thereafter as possible.  We will be through in plenty of time to walk to our meetings.  Service hours will be given.

The Book Move is an important event because it is a part of what makes the FOCL book sale possible.  FOCL raises money which goes to supplement what the Library can spend on new materials like those manga books you all like to read.

-Hank Manz

http://www.wickedlocal.com/lexington/news/lifestyle/celebrations/x23528458/Xuejiao-Goodrich

Second–As a troop we are terrible at knots.  If you look on our Website, you will find links to some Web sites which use animation to show you how to tie knots.  Or you can just Google a bit and you will find some.  Scouts really need to know how to tie a sheetbend, a bowline (the same knot except on a loop or bight), and a tautline hitch (also called a halyard bend.)  Learn to tie those knots so you can graduate to other ones.

http://www.troop160lexington.com/home/reference/lots-of-knots/

Third–There is a rank requirement to make a personal first aid kit.  Don’t just make it.  Carry it!  Make it small enough that it won’t be any trouble to carry in your pack.  Most injuries can be treated with your personal first aid kit.

Here’s one idea:

http://www.survival-gear.com/personalfirstaidkit.htm

You may want to leave out the medications for your own kit and you can go a bit lighter on the bandages.  My own everyday kit is just bandaids, 4×4 gauze squares, tape, two short tongue depressors, a safety pin, moleskin, alcohol swabs, and a small tweezer.  You can wrap adhesive tape around a tongue depressor so you don’t have to carry a big roll of it.  And toss in a small plastic bag which can double as a glove or as a receptacle for medical waste.

Fourth–there are a couple of Cubs who will be at the Cook-O-Ree this weekend who have nut allergies.  Let’s exercise some caution in the snacks we bring and the food we select for our meals.

Fifth–mentioning camping and food always makes me think of Grubmasters.  If you are a Grubmaster who has not been reimbursed for the White Mountains trip, then you probably have not followed Mrs. Ho’s Four Step Method for Grubmaster Success.  See me at the next meeting.  And if you are a Grubmaster for this trip and are at all unsure of how to get reimbursed for the food you purchase for your patrol, talk to me.

-Hank Manz

Some Heavy Work Needed Tonight

The church has asked us to move some of the Pancake Breakfast equipment out of the boiler room and across to Keilty Hall.  I have expected this for some time because storage in a boiler room is frowned on by building inspectors.  So we must move four very heavy grills and some much lighter warming ovens out of the boiler room and at least temporarily stow them across the street.

We will need some adults with backs which are in good shape.  Bring work gloves and wear an old shirt that will look good with a little grease on it.

Big Movie Premiere

Saturday at The Flick will be the premiere of First Shot, the movie 119 and 160 helped make.  If you check the poster, you will see that we got a credit!!!!  And I hear we are in the How The Movie Was Made short which will also be shown on Saturday.

Tickets are just $5 at the Lexington Historical Society.  Call them or visit in person.  The tickets are going fast so don’t depend on buying them at the door.

Last Meeting and Court of Honor

The last meeting is traditionally held at the Old Res with a cookout and COH.  It is not a meticulously planned affair.  Just show up and we’ll toss another hamburger or hotdog on the grill for you.  There is some planning going on, but if you hear nothing, we wouldn’t say no to a salad or a dessert.  We will have firmer word at the meeting this evening.  Stay tuned!

We know that there will be conflicts and not all will be able to attend.  As I have said before, there are no perfect dates in June and not a lot of perfect ones in May, either.

Of course parents and siblings are invited to the cookout as well as to the COH.

Parent Ribbons and a Quick Guide to COH Protocol

When ranks are recognized, a parent usually comes up with the Scout receiving the rank.  This is a recognition of the importance of parental support in Scouting.  As a physical recognition of that, the Scout will pin a smaller version of the rank emblem on the parent standing with him.

To make that task a little easier for the Scout, each family should have a red ribbon with a pin attached to it.  As the Scout advances, the ribbon fills with pins showing that advancement.  If you have not already received a red ribbon, you will get one at the COH.  You do not have to make it yourself.

Come Early for Advancement

If you need to talk to the Scoutmaster or get something signed off, consider dropping in to the meeting early.  I am usually there by 7:00 PM.  If I am not upstairs, look for me downstairs in the Scout Room.  But don’t show up at 7:25 expecting to get 20 minutes worth of work done in the five minutes before the meeting.

T*ed.com

We have about beaten this to death, but just in case you have been away, a good course of action is to simply delete any mail which comes from this site or promises pictures from a friend via this site.  Most agree the site is mostly about phishing and spamming so they can send out lots of notes to the people in your address book.  Read more at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagged

This site was started by Harvard graduates.  Guess they never took that course in Social Responsibility I had to take at a state college …

Electronics

One more time–your Scout will have a better time at camp and at all events if he is electronics-free.  There is no cell signal at camp and Scouts with earphones or earbuds will look decidedly odd.  I mean NOBODY does it.  Not even leaders.

If there is any question about telephone call-home policy (it is discouraged), please talk to me about it.  Even I don’t call home.  Nor do I call work.  If I did it would blow my cover story that there are no telephones.  And that is very close to true.  At Camp Bell the telephone servivce is pretty close to zero and Hidden Valley is not much better.  Around Wednesday of each week you will get an e-mail letter with pictures from me and I will not tell you how much trouble that will be.

What Should I Bring to Camp?

There is quite a bit of information on our Web site, but ask if you are not sure.

The accomodations are the same at both camps.  We will camp as a troop in two-person tents with canvas cots.  Mosquito netting is felt to be necessary by some some although in the several years I have been going to Camp Bell and Hidden Valley, I have never used it and never had a rough night because I didn’t have it.  YMMV, of course.  Showers are available and their use is encouraged.  This year the Camp Bell showers will be on top of the hill rather than at the bottom.  I guess I am excited about that …

Each Scout should have at least one set of pants, shirt, and old gym shoes that he can afford to get incredibly dirty.  Think Challenge Valley.  If you don’t know what that is, you have a wonderful surprise waiting for you!

Keep in mind that some merit badges will be impossible to complete without some pre-camp work at home.  Check the merit badge classes you are planning to take and study just a little bit.  It wouldn’t hurt to bring worksheets, a merit badge pamphlet, and your Scout Handbook to camp with you.

New Scouts will participate in the New Scout program at either Camp Bell or Hidden Valley.  If a Scout is planning to attend both weeks, then he will only do the program once.  The program will give him much of what he needs to be a First Class along with much of the Swimming and First Aid merit badges.  Troop 160 considers these two merit badges as essentials since they mean that a Scout is prepared to safely participate in outdoor events.

There will be more information as the departure date for camp approaches, but the one thing I will say now is that if you plan to drive to camp, be there on time.  Late arrivals delay check-in since we must check in as a troop.  Late arrival can also cause problems with transportation of luggage to the campsite.  It is a stiff walk from the parking lot to the campsite.

Some of the links embedded in the notes may be stale at this point.  But the one thing which has definitely changed is that Harvard has just completed a study which indicates that a considerable amount of the main culprit, bisphenol-A or BPA, passes into the human body even when only water is in the bottle and even when that water has been in the bottle for only a very short time.

http://www.troop160lexington.com/home/2007/10/31/a-scoutmaster-minute-on-plastic-water-bottles/

http://www.troop160lexington.com/home/2008/04/26/a-scoutmaster-minute-april-22-2008/

http://www.troop160lexington.com/home/2008/07/10/scoutmaster-minute-extra-july-2-2008/

So do two things.  If you buy a water bottle of any type, make sure it is BPA-free and then encourage your son to carry water in it instead of exotic beverages.  There are other things in plastic besides BPA which are probably not good for people and carrying around acidic beverages in plastic containers can’t be good in the long run.

Here are the links to the news story and to the press release from Harvard.

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/19536287/detail.html

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2009-releases/bpa-chemical-plastics-leach-polycarbonate-drinking-bottles-humans.html

There is one note–while a #7 is an indication of polycarbonate material, it is not an indication that the bottle contains BPA.  Most BPA-free bottles contain a note of some sort to that effect, however.

E-mail Changes
====================

If you wish to make any e-mail changes, send a note to charles -at- hatvany -dot- com. Note that I have written the address so as to confuse those who would send us SPAM.  If you send a note, use the standard form of xxxx@yyy.com.

-Hank Manz

OA Elections This Week
———————-

As most Scouts know, there is an organization within Boy Scouts called the Order of the Arrow.  Elections will be conducted at the meeting this week by a team from the local OA lodge.  For those new to Scouting they will go over the history and aims of the organization before conducting the election.  To be eligible you must be First Class and you must have had during the past two years 15 nights of camping with five of those nights coming from Scout camp.  The five-night summer camp requirement says that you must have at least five such nights, but no more than five of those nights at summer camp will be counted in the 15-night total.  So you need to have gone on at least 10 other trips where you stayed at least one night.

We have a short list of those eligible generated from Troopmaster–Sam W., Ian D., and Matthew Sh.  But there is always the chance that the records are incomplete so if you think you are eligible, please e-mail me so I can re-check the records and verify your eligibility.  And be sure to come to the meeting!

Service Opportunities
———————

Both of these opportunities are open to both 119 and 160 Scouts.

1. The Great Spring Book Migration.  The announced time is 5-7 PM this Thursday.  Meet in the lower level near the Children’s Dept.  Pizza and soft drinks will be served.  I need at least one adult, by the way, because I will be missing for half an hour or so.  We usually do get several adults, but just in case, let me know.

2. Run-of-the-Mill 5K Race help

I have pasted in a note from the race co-director who sent it to me a few minutes ago as I was sitting down to write this e-mail.  The one catch is that I cannot be there since I will be in Western Mass with family.

This is a fundraiser for Estabrook School, by the way.

===============================================

Hi Hank,

My name is Gretchen Reisig and I am the Co-Director of this Sunday’s 2nd Annual Run of the Mill, the Estabrook 5K.  We are looking forward to a great day again this year, but find ourselves in a bit of a bind as we are short on volunteers.  Any chance you could round up a few of the boy scouts to help us out?

We need people to staff the race course and to work the finish line, helping the timers.  We ask that the volunteers be at Estabrook no later than 10:20 and they will be finished by noon.  There is a post party with lots of free food and all volunteers get a free t-shirt (as well as community service points).

I realize this is very short notice, but anyone you could send our way would be most appreciated.  If you are able to find some help, please have them contact us at estabrook5K@gmail.com or they can call me directly at 617-407-9317.

Thanks in advance for your help.

- Gretchen Reisig
==============================================

I wish all of you have been able to go on this trip, but since you didn’t, we are going to devote the program time this week to a moderated discussion of what was learned on this campout.  The lessons learned will be applied when we go on the Deep Freeze.

Come prepared to offer your own two cents.  And if you went on the trip, then be prepared to be on the panel.  If those who went on the trip could be at the meeting a few minutes early, it would give us a chance to go over what will be going on during the discussion.

We will also be folding tents and doing a few other housekeeping chores.

-Hank Manz

If you are even thinking about attending the 100 Anniversary of Scouting Jamboree in 2010, then you don’t have a lot of time to make your intentions known.  Herewith word from Dave Osborn:

===========================================
Hello Hank,

Next week, the Jamboree committee will decide whether or not BMC will be sending 2 or 3 troops.  If it is two, they are basically full.  If there are additional Lexington Scouts (160 or 119) who might want to attend, they must sign up (on the Council web site) ASAP, but no later than 31 Jan.

Please pass the word as would hate for one of our scouts to be closed out because of inaction.

YIS

Dave Osborn

Yes, there is room in the class.  First meeting at 3:45 PM in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room on the second floor of the Town Office Building on Monday, January 12th.  That is the building to the left of Cary Memorial Hall as you look at it.  It is just past the Post Office.

Meeting Planning

Joey and Jeff led an impromptu brainstorming session at the last meeting.  I was impressed by the input.  Stay tuned for something different for the next meeting.

A Scout Is Helpful

I hyperextended my knee recently so it is a bit unstable and I can’t bend it fully.  It doesn’t stop me from walking, I can shovel snow, and I don’t limp, but it makes me just a little fearful of a fall which would certainly tear something and little slips can be painful.  That, plus the recently icy sidewalks, have reminded me of what it is like to have less than full mobility–how winter affects many of our neighbors and limits what they can do.

Today a bunch of us got together to shovel out the driveway of a person who couldn’t reasonably do the job all by themselves.  The way I felt last week when I was trying to dig out my driveway and just couldn’t move the heavy snow.  My neighbor came by and helped me with the heavy stuff so I then helped him with the lighter stuff.  We can all do something, but nobody can do everything.

This note is to remind you to look around you.  Besides digging out those hydrants and keeping the street drains clean, be alert to those around you who may need help with driveways and walks.  Just digging out that berm the snowplow leaves, a relatively easy job for some, may save a neighbor hours of work and in some cases, it may allow them to actually get their car out instead of being trapped because they cannot move that much snow.

It might not even be mobility.  Perhaps there are other stresses in lives like needing to get to work at odd hours or spending all available time caring for family members so small favors you can do like shoveling a walk may well help them a great deal.

There are other things you can do as well.  My daughter noticed that a elderly neighbor of ours had gotten off the bus with some bags of groceries, but then cars were not stopping to let her cross the street.  So she helped.

“A Scout Is Helpful.  A Scout cares about other people.  He willingly volunteers to help others without expecting payment or reward.”

That comes right from the handbook and it comes right from Robert Baden Powell.  I think the rest of what Scouting stands for flows from that simple statement–A Scout Is Helpful.