Popcorn, oh how I loathe thee....and love thee....

  I hate fundraisers.  I am such a terrible salesman for that reason.  I'm a rather persuasive public speaker.  I've been told a million times, "You should sell cars!"  But alas, sales is not my ballyhoo.  I have difficulty with being aggressive or assertive.  My son, on the other hand, has no such compunctions.  Timmy, the big brother skunk, could could sell Obama on drilling in ANWAR.  As long as he could wear his Cub Scout uniform.  He is hysterical to watch.   He sells on pure cuteness.  I've watched him sell to the grumpy old guy wearing the wifebeater with stained underarms.  I've watched him sell to CUSTOMERS at the gas station.  The kids is unreal!  Last year, we had a kid from another pack encroach on our turf on the first day of popcorn sales...the first day!  He hit the entire town before we even got our popcorn.  Yet, Timmy still sold the expected amount, with a good deal more.  (I've had a word with said other pack's Cubmaster...that won't happen again.)  As for myself, I will just sit back and watch, and thank Heaven that I don't have to do anything but drive the car full of popcorn.  I'm glad to know that Tim will never be lacking in funds to do just about anything he wants in scouting.

  This was our first pack meeting of the year, which means the popcorn spiel.  The boys always do fine with it, and frankly, the parents in our pack are extremely supportive of it.  With a few exceptions of course.  Last year we had a kid sell enough that he won a free, nice, tent and two tickets to the Husker spring game.  Sadly, the spring game was rained out for the first time in history.  Tornado warnings will do that.  They always put up a goofy prize for kids who sell $600.  They get gift cards for each milestone, but $600 gets the awesome prize.  Timmy's first year, it was a marshmallow crossbow............seriously................a marshmallow crossbow.......Outstanding!!  The second year was a Zyclone.  Pretty cool toy, with the right wind you can launch this little foam ring thingy across a whole football field.  Even better, it floats softly enough for Daniel, the skunk in the middle, to catch it.  This year is the "Blast Bow", or something of the sort.  Think Nerf Darts moving at roughly Mach 6.  The kids are excited.

  The meeting was great.  We had an extremely active summer, so I had a bunch of awards to hand out.  I even got to give belt loops to a couple of first year Tigers, because we had recruitment in the Spring.  11 out of our 18 kids won the Summertime Activity award for participating in at least three summer events.  4 of those 18 joined after we had all those events, so really it was 11 of 14.  What a summer.  I'm really excited for this year.  We have a day at the Goehner trains, a star party at a University observatory, several camping trips, and of course, the Pinewood Derby.  I've got my Dremel back, so we're going to have some fun with the derby this year.  Man, I LOVE being a Cubmaster!

I love Cub Scouts....(originally posted 8/30/12)

  One of the best things that has ever happened to me is that last year, I was voluntold to be a Cubmaster.  That means I was not really given the option of saying no.  I love it.  There is just something awe inspiring about watching these boys learn the things that boys just need to know!  I love their silly little songs, their silly little skits and their jokes that are so incredibly stupid that they are awesomely hilarious.   For example, this is one from family camp this summer:

 Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Panther!
Panther who?
Panther no panth, I’m going thwimming!

  I think I have heard this joke approximately 19 bazillion times since June, but it never gets old.  I think it’s hearing a whole passel of boys cackling that makes it great.  Learning to work with 18 boys ranging from first to fifth grade has been a lesson of patience, listening, teaching, singing, and making a complete and total idiot of myself in public.  I wouldn’t give it up for anything!  There is nothing like getting a dozen whipping cream pies to the face in rapid succession to put the world in its proper perspective.

  The hard part is losing boys at the end of the year.  Thankfully most of them cross over to Boy Scouts, but some just fall away.  What makes it easier to bear is knowing that each year, I get to welcome in a new herd.  Being a small town, I’m happy to get 4 new boys each year.  This year we got 5 brand new boys and another who is coming back after a year off.  I think he’s the one I’m most excited about!  We got him back, and he’s a great kid to boot!

  So here’s to another year of the same old jokes, the same old songs, the same plastic spiders/snakes/whatever in my sleeping bag, and the same old blessing of new discoveries!  I can’t wait!