kandas-adventures

Spring 2013 Recap

I haven't blogged in awhile.  Spring has been unfolding around me as I continue to muddle through a depressing job search (no one offers benefits anymore, or if they do, they expect you to work graveyard at minimum wage), major volunteer projects, an intensive 12 week Master Naturalist training course, busy kid schedules, getting the garden planted & re-landscaped, de-cluttering around the house, tending to the 10 cats & kittens living in my house (7 of which are fosters from the Humane Society), increasing hours helping my mom, and debilitating bouts of bronchitis and joint inflammation.  In fact, I just lost the last 4 days of my life to illness, during which I missed out on half a dozen long-anticipated events.  I hate being sick.

On the bright side, here are some photos from the last couple months that I never found time to blog about... and that prove to you that I haven't spent the last month in bed, although looking around me at all that needs doing, it seems like it.

Celebrating cherry blossoms in a random moment of happiness during a routine errand-running... between visiting the library and volunteering at the nursing home.

New birdfeeders to hang up at the nursing home (100+).  I negotiated with Girl Scouts, the retirement home, and the manufacturer of the feeders to purchase the feeders at cost.

Hanging the 100+ bird feeders (one for each resident's window).

Taking home the old feeders to clean and part-out the broken ones.  The old feeders will be donated.

A visit from Grandpa and his 80 year old sister (my Aunt Dot) who lives in Alaska.  And I am related to these people!

Flying our kite on the beach in Seattle.

A beautiful evening and sunset watching on the shores of Puget Sound.

After dark at the neighborhood stormwater retention pond, catching frogs by flashlight.

Watching them expand themselves as they sing is amazing, but even more exciting is holding them in your hand while they do that!

Last minute digging of as many flowering plants and shrubs as I can haul from the old farm property before the wrecking equipment arrives.  (I got special permission from the developer to go on the property for a few hours). 

Watching with tears in my eyes as the barn in torn down days later.

By volunteering for a long-range study we received a multi-year membership to the Science Center, saving us several hundred dollars and guaranteeing us lots of fun and learning.

Backstage tour at Seattle Children's Theater, followed by a performance.  I recently signed A up for a program that promotes the arts to teens by offering $5.00 rush tickets, and some offer $5.00 tickets for a chaperoning parent as well.  Great deal -- we've seen several shows which would have cost $40.00 per person or more, for just $5.00 a person!

LAST science fair project EVER!  Hooray!

Annual middle school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) conference for girls.

Homework in the car.

Homework, homework, homework.  You don't have to be at home to do it.  Sometimes it happens in the car on the way to volunteering.

A in her choral robe, ready for a performance.

With the girls at a nature sketching class using taxidermy animals as models.

Taking a certification course in CPR/AED.

Taking a medical skills class for Humane Society Foster Parents.  We learned to give pills, injections, SubQ fluids, etc.

A game of "Hand and Foot" on Mother's Day with Grammy and kittens (see the little black kitten under Grammy's hand?)

Part of socializing kittens involves teaching them an appreciation for cards and board games.

At a school event, wondering when my little redhead became a teenager.  A year ago she would have been running around with her friends.  Now she hits up another mother for an iPhone (I don't have one, and A will tell you that she is the ONLY teenager in the entire school district without a phone, and it is true...) and then spends the afternoon texting friends.

Girl Scout ceremony time... I meet K onstage as she "crosses the bridge" from Junior to Cadette Girl Scout.

Multiple trips to the dentist as A starts "phase 2" of orthodontia.  I am NOT convinced that the $5,000. we spent 6 years ago on "phase 1" was worth it, as now we have to pay ANOTHER $5,000. for full braces.  For Little K I declined "phase 1" and am taking her to a different orthodontist who prescribes "watch and wait."

Impromptu dinner (roasted hot dogs) with the neighbors around the firepit.  Now I feel summer coming on!



Farewell spring!

Girl Scouts Update

My days of standing outside the local grocery store in the driving rain and snow with whining little girls are over.  That doesn't mean I'm sitting at home, though.  My daughters and I decided to leave the selling to the cute little Brownies, Daisies, and Juniors while we do the heavy work of unloading the semi trucks, sorting, and packing up backs of minivans and pickup trucks with troop orders.

It's a day of heavy labor, but we enjoy it.  It is incredibly satisfying to assist in moving tens of thousands of boxes of cookies out of the rented storage staging area in a matter of hours.

Neither of my daughters are in troops anymore.  It gets difficult as they get older and the demands of homework, extracurriculars, and emerging social pressures call them away.  After leading troops for years, I'm actually relieved to no longer be planning meetings, crafts, skill building exercises, and campouts.   I'm no longer a troop leader, but I'm still an active volunteer at the Service Unit (citywide and regional) level.  I single-handedly created and maintain the teen and leader websites.  I run the wild bird program, which includes scheduling, sourcing materials, and meeting with troops.  I'm liaison for Girl Scout programs at the local nursing home, which includes getting girls in there to sing to and visit the elderly.  It keeps me busy.

Each year when registration comes around I pause and wonder if I should sign on again.  I used to do it automatically without a second thought, but after a few years of  fiascoes with the regional office, I tread carefully and think about what I volunteer for.  I believe in what Girl Scouts has to offer, and want to support the organization.  For my daughters and me, Girl Scouts is now basically an avenue for doing more community service.   We've mastered the outdoor skills, gone camping multiple times, earned dozens of badges through the years, done far too many crafts, and served our time selling cookies in the rain.  We even visited the Girl Scout Chalet in Switzerland, which felt somewhat like a good culmination of our Girl Scout experience.

So that is where we are.  I'm not sure if we'll continue with Girl Scouts, but either way, you won't find me at a card table in the rain selling cookies anymore.

Outdoor Skills Weekend!

 
So the big weekend arrived with heavy rain and low temperatures.  The girls were enthusiastic, however, and so was I. 
We arrived Friday evening and the girls made their troop flag, took their written test (on outdoor skills and safety), we attended the opening ceremony, and headed back to the cabins in the dark around 9pm.   It rained hard all night.  The wind blew the rain in and we had to put garbage bags over our sleeping bags because they were getting wet.  The bunks were "girl size" so my feet stuck out the side of the cabin a good 6 inches if I stretched out.  If I curled up on my side my knees hung over the edge of the little bunk because it was too narrow.  Oh well, better than a tent given the storm, I suppose.  I'd given the girls a detailed packing list, which included what NOT to bring, such as any electronics.  The moms, however, had to have theirs.  (Not me, I just brought my camera). 
I'd brought a pack of cards, but apparently they weren't necessary for the adults!
I was glad to see our girls and another troop playing a game together. 
At night 2 teen camp counselors came to our cabin to sing songs.  One of our girls had been frightened and crying for over an hour, so these teens sang the most beautiful Celtic lullabies, and soon the whole cabin was asleep except for me.  I hadn't brushed my teeth yet, and couldn't tear myself away to go do so because the songs were so lovely.  Later we were serenaded by 3 owls.
A all bundled up, since it was in the high 30s at night, and DAMP.

The next morning the girls set up their "stations" for the competition in the cook shelter.  We were lucky to get it.  The other troop was assigned the fire ring, but of course our troop insisted the other troop come under cover and share with us.  It was too wet for them to get a fire started in the fire ring. 
The girls review their assignments.  For 4 hours the girls would be on their own with three judges, and during that time they would be expected to start 2 different fires, make veggie pastry in a box oven, chicken casserole in hobo packets, and grilled sandwiches in pie irons.  They'd finish the meal with chocolate cake in a dutch oven.  The judges would watch their every move, especially how they worked together and problem solved. They'd also have to demonstrate first aid, knots and lashing, leave-no-trace, knife skills, 10 essentials for hiking, cleanliness of their cabin, thoroughness of their clean-up, and more.
Troops being assigned their judges.  Our troop was last to be paired with their judges, so there was a lot of tension for them! 
Off they go!  They had two older teen counselors and an adult leader for judges. 
Leaders and parents were banned from the competition area, so we hung out in the lodge.  Had it not been so rainy, we might have gone hiking.  Instead, I caught up on my mending.  Others read, knitted, and napped! 
We returned to the campsite in time to witness the last minutes of their competition.  The girls were lashing while a judge looked on.   
After the competition we spent the afternoon with the girls, baking fresh bread in the box oven, working in the camp garden, and celebrating the fact that the sky had cleared and the sun was out!   One thing the girls spent hours doing was whittling with their pocket knives.  For many of them, A included, having a knife was a new thrill and responsibility. 

Fresh baked buns and cocoa on a cold afternoon! 
We made good use of the kettle, and were happy to have a propane stove in our shelter (some locations didn't have them).  I'd brought my favorite coffee, filters, sugar, and a drip cone from home to fresh brew my own coffee.  I even brought cream in a Sigg stainless steel bottle.  The other moms laughed at first, but then came running when I offered to share.
Over the weekend we got to have 3 meals in the lodge.  It was typical camp fare, and the usual procedures were followed: saying "thanks" (the PC term for prayers), family style serving, a hopper for each table, scraping the plates after, and each table singing songs and cheers in turn.  For A, who'd never had the true camp experience, it was pure bliss.  She was so excited to be there, despite the bland food. 
Soon it was time for the awards ceremony.  The competition is open to 4th, 5th, and 6th graders.  It was our first year, but some troops were back for the 3rd time and prepared to win big.  What kind of hokey award would our girls end up with?  The "Nobody killed anybody" award?  The "Didn't burn down the cook shelter" award?  The "Didn't give the judge food poisoning" award? 
As expected, the overall (grand, second, third place) awards went to the older troops who'd come several years before.  Then the theme awards were given, followed by the "consolation" awards (like "perseverance," i.e. "didn't prepare but didn't storm off crying").  Above, A is turning to look at us leaders when she realizes the troop who is being awarded the excellence in outdoor cooking is hers.  We were all surprised to win it our first year trying. 
I guess all that practicing in the rain and cold, starting back in November, was worth it!

Why Knot?

 
Prepping for Outdoor Skills competition means memorizing how to tie six different knots and learn lashing. 
So you take 25 bamboo poles of different lengths, yards of rope, and 12 Girl Scouts, and you have a shelter, a stretcher, and a chair in no time. 
Throw in a Boy Scout, and things get really interesting!  I don't think that's in the Girl Scout handbook...
The girls building the "Mega-shelter." 
A fun time was had by all!

Winter Wanderings with my Girl Scouts

 

Despite being winter, the girls are still active outdoors with Girl Scouts.  Above, we're on a winter hike to Rattlesnake Lake.

 
The views in winter are quite stark in places.  There's not much wildlife to spot, but the girls make a good effort anyway.

 
Since there weren't any real animals to be seen, a park ranger donned an elk antler and told a story about how the antlers and grown and shed each year.

 
Another ranger talked about bear safety...

 
Then a ranger wearing a skin came running into the room...

 
But Mishka the bear dog got him safely corralled so no kids were harmed.

 
Lots of fun, hands on activities... here the girls make plaster casts of animal tracks.

 
The girls at their "rededication" ceremony in January.  They were supposed to have this in October, but no one wanted to volunteer to run it.  I'm a believer in Girl Scouts, but our service unit is so disorganized and poorly run that it's a real challenge sometimes.  Troops are disbanding rapidly and disillusioned leaders, parents, and girls are giving up.  Very sad!

Meanwhile my two troops chug along.  Here the Juniors (and little K, the tag-along) takes another stab at outdoor cooking.  The girls assemble the box oven.

 
Fire safety and fire starting is reviewed.  See that charcoal?  Instead of briquettes, we accidentally got mesquite chunks, which burned hotter and burned nearly everything on the menu.  Lesson learned!

 
We used a charcoal fire, a wood fire, and a propane camp stove, and cooked in a box oven, dutch oven (above), foil packets, and in a pot.  As a leader, since we get no support or script from the service unit, it was like the blind leading the blind the first time we did outdoor cooking.  This time was better, thankfully.