The Troops are Home!

(J. in the: 'don't talk to me until I am rested mode'

Not where the term: "Happy Camper" was derived.)

 

Readers!

 

The troops are home!  *This is from last week, Readers.)

Not the troops fighting for us that our world needs and we wish could come home but our Boy Scouts. They spent Monday through Saturday up at..... the name just left me. Somewhere in the woods in Wyoming. Come on, Amanda....... Treasure Mountain!  

 

Dealing with the mess after camping can make you forgetful. delirious., so on and so forth.

 

I need to stop here and thank those troops who have served, are serving, and may one day serve.

 

(Piggy & Dirt stars = love America. etsy.com)





 

 

Thank You.

 

From what Jaden said that happened at camp some young men are learning the things that are necessary. I guesstimated he was one of those by telling me that he kept busy most of the time between 6 a.m. and midnight.

 

He was proud of what he accomplished and that was all I needed to hear. The fact 6 to 7 bears had been spotted in camp, was not what I wanted to hear. I don't know if that was the week he was there or the overall time the full time leaders spent there.





 

Yes, they {scouts} mess around a lot; cause their leaders consternation; 

 

(unpacking gear from the trip- Thanks, Leaders.)

 

but I think over all they are learning something. I hope. I know J. loves the outdoors and he and his best friend have logged in more hours of watching that one guy, Bear Grylls (sp?), so if anyone should find themselves dangling from a cliff- J. will have those episodes to tell you about.

 

Kidding!

 

He whittled a canoe for me..... so I am pretty sure he could whittle a huge one thanks to these people: bestmadeco.com (picture used with written permission from Best Made Co.)

 

This picture makes me homesick for the mountains there is only one problem- I don't know how someone in an Arizona foot brace, a walker or possibly sitting in a wheelchair to rest an ankle- wouldn't slip on the moss.

 

Can you?

 

 Maybe Bear Grylls could figure it out and I could be in the picture up there.

 

So the Scouts are back,

the 4th is over,

 heck,  - summer may as well be over because  Back to School ads are going to start appearing like lightning. And before we know it, it will really have turned into 'back in school sitting at your desk and wondering where summer went.' For J. (I can't help but suppress an evil laugh to that and at the same time not want it to end because he is full of excitement from all the stuff he does.

 

There is still time to get some injuries, however. It wasn't half a day that J. was home- with minimal wounds from camp, (mosquito bites, blisters, burst blood vessel under a thumb nail. ) that he jumped on his long board and wiped out.

 

Not only did he wipe out- it had to do with a bolt on the board which probably had to do with him not taking care of it, anyway, he biffed it on THE SAME KNEE that he let a truck fender eat last summer.

 

That knee is going to have a lot of stories to tell one day to his friends, etc. So I guess a few more scars aren't such a bad thing after all.

 

And as if things couldn't get closer to an outdoors/amped out child, Best Made Co. sent me this email:

(Picture courtesy of Best Made Co. with written permission. bestmadeco.com and someone really rugged and cool.)

This company knows the inside workings of a boys heart. The hatchet. Reminds me of a story by Patrick McManus- an author who loves the outdoors, grew up in Idaho, and his stories can make you laugh so hard you wish you had not heard it because it was too funny to handle.

 

Speaking of handles these hatchets come in different styled ones.



They also remind me of that one long haired guy named "Sully" off of the series, 'Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman' who used his hatchet to hurl it at a sign that unjustly said:

 

"No Indians or Dogs Allowed!";

 
(Norman Rockwell painting that shows a leader telling a story using an Indian head dress and a dog is at his feet. Found it on Amazon.com)
 

He might have been trying to show off in front of Dr. Q. 


to cutting some twine off in a barn to let the military in to look for Indians- which escaped through the back door. Oh, and he used it to cut Dr. Q's dress to use in an experiment when they trespassed on land that was mining for gold and putting mercury or something in the water and poisoning the town.

 

I forget where the dress came in- oh, if the dress turned black the water had mercury in it.

 Boy, I should have watched those shows back when I was in school-

I would have learned something.
 

 I have no idea why I didn't. - Didn't watch the show nor learn more because I could have been a Medicine Woman or something. now I can't get enough of learning sometimes!
And I am glad I didn't watch them back then because then I wouldn't have anything to watch while I fold laundry and give my ankle a break before it becomes broken.

Thanks, prednisone. Or Cushings. Or life.

 

Where was I?

Oh, hatchets from Best Made Co.

 

Readers, as you can see, every person, young or old, needs a hatchet.



(picture courtesy with written permission of bestmadeco.com)

There are all sorts of things that can be done with a hatchet! For instance, there is a big
 Mountain Man Trading Post that happens in the summer by Yellowstone and men wearing authentic duds and they show off their skills with a hatchet.
And try to sell you one.

For 20.00. Which, if you buy, just put it up on a shelf for looks cause the blade just fell off J's and he was sad to have used his hard earned $20.00!!

(bestmadeco.com- used with written permission from company)

Stitches can be acquired with one if you aren't careful.
Did I ever tell you of the time we hiked for a whole week starting from the Jackson Hole, Wyoming side of the Tetons and ending up on the Idaho side?

Well, on this trip, one of the teenagers that were part of our group sunk his hatchet into his tanned, wool socked calf. He was old enough to know better, but hatchets just have a mind of their own!

I had a crush on this particular teenager so when this happened and we were half way from Jackson and Driggs, Idaho- it was a big deal. Did I mention he was cute?

Or a Bow and Arrow.

 

 

 

 (picture courtesy of bestmadeco. used with written permission)

Well, this post is getting the heave ho! Off it goes from the ship of posts that I need to get rid of!
More exciting and hilarious posts to come.

You can't have a summer without a little cabin fever and Padre caught it, I think.

 (Does my name not look so cool when it is welded?????????)