Weekend before last we decided to Sneak Away for one last camping trip before the snows came.
Snows came? What? That sounds like a phrase from the 1800’s.
“Ethel, tomorrow I’m taking the horses up the canyon to bring the cattle home for the winter. You probably should salt some meat and churn the butter and maybe think about restuffing the feather beds before the snows come.”
Anyway, the leaves are Technicolor, the weather was beautiful, and we didn’t get eaten by bears. It was a win-win. Win-win-win.
Zach is a Webelos scout and I am his leader. Luckily for me, he’s the only boy in Webelos, so everything we do for Scouts, we also get to do as a family. I am so double-dipping. For Pack Meeting a few weeks ago, we made these awesome fire starters out of newspaper, string, and melted wax. Of course, in the rush to get out the door on Friday afternoon, we forgot them. As it turned out, we had to come back home during the day on Saturday for a birthday party for one of Spen’s buddies and to practice the Primary Program. So on Friday night, after the tent was pitched and the roasting sticks put away, we made a long list of things we’d forgotten, including the firestarters.
Let’s just say . . . we were way more organized Saturday night than we’d been Friday. Sometimes it takes me a couple of tries to get it right. See My Marriage. So what.
In fact, maybe that should be my approach to Sneak Aways from now on – get out the door as fast as possible, arrive at our destination, evaluate what I really need that I didn’t bring, and go back home to get it. Because that would be totally efficient.
Besides the firestarters, the other fantastic Saturday Second-Round Addition was five camp chairs. Let me tell you, relaxing around the campfire is decidedly easier sitting down. I think we all felt a little Lord of the Flies-ish on Friday, standing around the fire pit, watching the flames. If we hadn't been so tired, we probably would have done some crazy pig ritual, leaping through the flames, painting our faces and whooping it up. Man, my ignorance has to be shining through -- that was the one book on my high school English reading list that I did not read. Sorry, Mrs. Storey. I really have no idea what happened in that book, short of something about pigs and a conch shell and all hell breaking loose when boys go camping. Duh. Clearly William Golding never went to Scout Camp. If he had, he would have realized that his little narrative is totally stating the obvious.
Anyway, Bear Warning signs were posted everywhere – there was a very sad accident last summer involving a bear in that canyon – so the kids were on High Alert about candy wrappers and pop cans. I took the opportunity to steal an object lesson from my friend ReNee and teach my kids about following counsel with exactness. Even two pieces of candy, little tiny pieces of candy, can be enough to entice a bear. My favorite kinds of lessons are the ones where you die if you don’t obey. Nothing like hyberbole to illustrate a point.
Anyway, of course I have no pictures, so you’re just going to have to take my word that as far as camping Moms go – I am SO the hottest thing going.
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3 comments:
you ARE SO the hottest thing!
p.s. you are hilarious too.
You have so much energy!
Matt left a pizza in his car the other night and a bear broke the window rummaged through his whole car leaving claw marks and bear hair everywhere...and he got the pizza!
You are so hilarious really. I have to get my laughs from your blog since summer has officially ended!You are such a fun mom to do all of this with your kids. I need to do more fun things with my little ones!
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