What Your Outpost Did This Week.

A church in Fulton, MS (about 30 miles away) is starting a Royal Ranger Outpost, and their Senior Commander contacted me.  I invited him (and any other staff) to come to one of our meetings.

We had four Commanders visit last week.  The boys were finishing up studying Mountaineering Equipment.  

I showed the boys how to do a "Butterfly Coil" of a mountaineering rope, how to use a rope bag, and how to hot-cut and serve the end of a rope, both by whipping and by wrapping with plastic tape.

As we were doing this, I was spot-quizzing them:

I would call out the question; they would call out the answer

Q: What is this called?     A: A D-Ring.

Q: Why is is called a D-Ring?    A: Because it is shaped like a "D".

Q: What is a D-Ring used for?     A: An Anchoring Device.

Q: What is the Tensile Strength of a Steel D-Ring?     A: 5,000 pounds.

Q: What is the Tensile Strength of 1/2" Static Rope?     A: 11,000 pounds.

Q: What is this item called?     A: A Carabiner or Snap Link.

Q: What is stronger?  Aluminum alloy or Steel?     A: Alloy.

Q: Which lasts longer? Alloy or Steel?     A: Steel.

Q: What is the Tensile Strength of an Offset Alloy Carabiner?     A: 6,000 pounds.

Q: What is the Tensile Strength of a Figure 8 Belay Device?     A: 10,000 pounds.

Q: What is the Tensile Strength of Type 7 Nylon Parachute Webbing?   A: 6,000 pounds.

I went home and told the Wife how well the boys did, and how they deserve a reward.  She said, "Then why don't you give them an Ice Cream Party?"

So....................

Ice Cream Party this Wednesday night.

Great meeting fun time. Good job Commander. Can I show up for the ICE CREAM????

Mark Jones

Well......................

Tonight, before the meeting, "Ranger Rascal" ran into his Grandmother's office, grabbed two hands full of red-hots from her candy jar and shoved them into his mouth.  I should have seen THAT for an omen.

He is 8 years old, and tried to take over Opening Pledges from our 13 year old Assistant Patrol Leader.  He was bouncing all over the meeting, and almost earned a strike.

After we did our Bible Lesson, and then we served the end of a rappelling rope with Heat-Shrink tubing and my wife's blow-dryer (I put it back before she noticed it missing), we went down to the kitchen, where I had the ice cream.

Between the two hands-full of red-hots and a couple of scoops of Rocky Road Ice Cream, I figure that, when his family took him home after the meeting, he was probably buzzing around in the car like a tomcat on the way to the Vet.

This week we did lesson 2 of Exodus and Lesson 2 of Bird Study merit.
I handed out bird identification field guides & had the Rangers pair up. I would call out a bird & they had to find it in the guide & tell me: A how big is it? B what is its Wingspan? C What is its habitat? & D Does it live in Michigan?

kids had fun with that

Next week we are going out for a walk to try ID some birds in the neighborhood.
In a few weeks we will be taking a trip to a nature area with hiking trails & lots of wildlife.

Rangers and Girls ministry Sunday. Most of the boys wore their vest and the focus was on the kids. Followed by fishing on the pier with my son and his friend and a short bout of plinking pop cans with a pellet gun. Finished the day with a wedding rehearsal. I was beat. Didn't catch anything but had a great time!

Canadarangers wrote: ...................... a short bout of plinking pop cans with a pellet gun.  

You're getting there, J.

We'll make a Yank out of you, yet.

Something that I have heard, from other Commanders, that kids are reported to like is to set up a row of cheap lollipops (sticks stapled to a plank, or affixed similarly), and shoot them with a BB-gun or pellet gun.

It makes a challenging target, and the kids get immediate feedback, if successful.

Claymore wrote:
We'll make a Yank out of you, yet.

Thanks but no thanks. I'll stick to my not having to choose between Donald or Hillary, Canadian ways.

Canadarangers wrote: I'll stick to my not having to choose between Donald  or Hillary, Canadian ways.

Question from a Cruz supporter - What was the Canadian opinion of Cruz? Did being born in your country give him a little juice?

I knew Cruzs would be with out wind in his sails so I didn't even waste any resources there.  Trump has a chance if we as Republicans can put our pride down and vote for someone that has a proven track record of making money... rest of them folks are just poly ticks.  Poly - lie  tick - bloodsucker.  

I don't want my Christian Beliefs mandated to me from our Oval Office.  I do want a man that can make America Stong again.  

I will leave the preaching where God's Word says it should be coming from..our Churches pulpits.  If we can get these called men to get back to God's Word and preach it... the feel good gospel needs to be spanked right out of the church...it's not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

I hope and pray that Trump will put Merry Christmas back in our Country like he says he will.  Political correct folks...look out a boot in the backside is heading your way. GRIN!  Praise God its' about time.

Mark Jones

Mark Jones

Hope you're right Mark... I for one am skeptical, but if you put two drink glasses in front of me and said one is poison, and the other one "might" be poison, I'd choose the one with a chance of not killing me! Not choosing is stupid because one of them is going to get poured down your throat at the end of the day.... I'll vote for Trump even though I'm very wary of him. I KNOW Hilary is poison.

And now, back to Ranger discussion. We're going on our first Pow Wow this year! Haven't gone yet for one reason or another, but we'll make it this year. Sounds like it's going to be a good time.

Good job. I am heading up tommarrow for work week on our District Pow Wow Campground. We are building a low ropes course Probably dig some more orienteering stake receivers s well. All good stuff. Painting, building, hauling, cutting and more.

Mark Jones

I made 33 of them 2 weekends ago out of red paracord and some blue and white beads. attached them to the compasses.

strods wrote:Ever have them make Pacecount beads?

joecool wrote:

Canadarangers wrote: I'll stick to my not having to choose between Donald  or Hillary, Canadian ways.

Question from a Cruz supporter - What was the Canadian opinion of Cruz? Did being born in your country give him a little juice?

I am the wrong guy to ask. I know nothing of him other then he was born in Canada. I don't really follow much politic in the US. kinda hard when it the only thing on the news.

Now how many of YOU guys can name the Prime Minister of Canada, without looking it up?

I will admit that I can not. All that I can remember of him is that he is a Young Starring Liberal with little-to-no experience.

Claymore wrote:Now how many of YOU guys can name the Prime Minister of Canada, without looking it up?

I will admit that I can not.   All that I can remember of him is that he is a Young Starring Liberal with little-to-no experience.

Trudeau. And the only reason it stuck in my head is that it's another dynasty, like the Bushes.

Claymore wrote:Now how many of YOU guys can name the Prime Minister of Canada, without looking it up?

I will admit that I can not.   All that I can remember of him is that he is a Young Starring Liberal with little-to-no experience.

He is riding on his daddy's coat tails. His father was Prime Minister in the early 80's.

Jeremy, you have just doubled my knowledge of your current P.M.

(And possibly multiplied the knowledge of some by 1,000%)

Yep. Multiplied my knowledge about Canada by 1000% and it's still just above zero.

But hey, I liked it when I was there 20 plus years ago...

I probably know more about the US then you guys do about Canada.

My best friend in HS was Canadian. We've always kept in touch and get together once in awhile. He became a US citizen about 10 years ago, because he needed a security clearance for work.

Took 2 days of vacation time and went up to our District Royal Ranger Campground. We had about 10 men up there working on average all week some coming and going. My little part in it all was 20 orienteering holes, with numbered stakes, placed in the ground in 3.5" x 3.5' by one foot deep receivers with a cross welded to the sides of it to keep it at ground level. Posts are 36' tall with a metal rub plate.

Layed out the Red Compass course and put in perm post receivers for it. Used 4 digital compasses and then went to Walmart for a 5 dollar magnetic compass as the digitals were not accurate enough to do the job.

Pulled up the Stage house wrap around deck that goes around the stage and removed the decking and put in new 2x6 CCA all around it.

Drilled and set 13 telephone poles 15 feet tall for low ropes course. Tamped in gravel around them to make them rock solid.

Fixed a bunch of other things. The more stuff we build up there the more maintaince it takes to keep it from falling apart. It's a nice facility. We are renting it out to our neighboring No. Missouri District RR for their pow wow and for the Trail Life group that split off from Scouts.

Good stuff. Pulled 6 splinters out of my hands yesterday.
Got back in time to find a lawn mower with a blown 9hp engine and my wife wanting to mow.
Happy Mothers day!

Mark Jones

We went to the trouble of booking our Fire Dept to come and talk to the boys are fire safety and such. They brought the truck, pulled out all the gear and were ready to start talking....Oh we have to wait for the girls to come down because they want to see it all too. Ok, how long are they going to be?about 2-3 mins. they are just finishing up something important. So we get the boys in thier seats and they start to fire questions and random stories to the fire fighters. 5 mins pass, I run up to see where the girls are. they are still not done yet. 3 more mins, honest they say. I go back down and as I walk into the room I hear their alarm go on the handheld radio they have. "Engine 1, Medical assistance requested to lift....." A brief conversation between the fire capt and the dispatch, and then he says "we are no required on this one, carry on". Still no girls at this point so we start to divide the boys in half. one group to stay inside and listen to the firefighters talk and the other to go out and see the truck and gear. 5 mins into the presentation....Alarm goes on the radio again. "Engine 1, Medical assist, code 3...." they all rush out to the truck and then the girls came down just in time to wave goodbye as they leave.

Important Lessons learned tonight:
#1. The fire Dept can be called away for very important jobs at any time.
#2 They do more then just put out fires.
#3. Don't wait for girls.

Funny thing was that the boys were ok and very understanding about them having to leave. Some of the girls however, were crying. We all gathered together and prayed for the fire crew and for whatever they were racing off to deal with.

I now have to arrange it all again for next week. Sorry girls if your not there you will miss out.

Canadarangers wrote:

I now have to arrange it all again for next week.  Sorry girls if your not there you will miss out.

Well, if you can get the "lesson" to sink in, you may be saving some future husbands a lot of aggravation.