The Scoutmaster

One summer when we lived in Vernal (and we lived there many summers), Jared went camping with the scouts.  There were two leaders and several scouts.  

Everyone was sitting around the campfire chatting when the discussion lead to bears and the scoutmaster reminded the boys to make sure they didn't leave any food out to tempt the wildlife in the night.  After all, they were in the High Uintas.   The scouts turned in and were soon asleep.

Sometime later, Jared was wakened by a noise, something brushing against the tent, making a rustling sound.  He waited, and it happened again.  He poked and prodded the other boys awake, speaking in a soft whisper.  Then they heard a growl and really started to panic...inwards.  

The bear brushed the tent again, harder this time.  The scouts were frantically trying to remember if they had left any food out or, worse yet, had any food in the tent with them.  

Just when they were ab0ut to blow, they heard laughing, the muffled laughing of the scoutmasters.  It was a camp they will always remember :o)  

The Gift

A few Sundays ago, I said hello to a little girl who just happens to be the daughter of one of Kyle's friends.  She's a pretty little thing, probably about 4 years old.  Her name is Maya and her family came from Central America.

Maya was carrying a dandelion and I told her what a pretty flower she had.  She smiled and reached out to hand it to me.  For about two seconds I was in a quandary.  Take her only flower or politely try to refuse it? When you're dealing with a child who willing shares, you are dealing with a very tender thing so I thanked her sincerely and held it properly for the hour and a half. Maya just happened to walk by after the meeting and checked to see if I was still holding it.  Which I was.

We are now friends :o)

2 x 4

We walked to the parade the other day and I didn't think to take a chair, but will next time.

I could have used one of my dad's milking stools.  Those were easier than pie to make (trust me) and extremely useful. I have made more than one in my day and could do it again.  Of course, I'd have to make it about two feet higher in order to get up off it and I'd probably want to install some of that gel topper foam, too, maybe a little spring on the bottom, handles on the sides...  

Dad used his stool probably 50 times a day while milking the cows.  I do wonder what people did before buckets and stools came along.  Rocks come to mind, but that doesn't sound portable enough and kinda dangerous as well.  Dad's stool was simply one 12-inch 2x4 nailed to the middle of another one, making a T.    It took some body-balancing and some caution to avoid slivers, but farmers are tough enough to work with that...and so are farmer's daughters.

It resembled this one, but the pieces were equal in dimension and more rustic.   
I did on rare occasion see him pop a reluctant-to-move cow with one.  She tended to become less reluctant.
Necessity being the Mother of invention, Dad was a good Mother.