By Bobby Tingle

 

When your co-workers arrive at work in the morning you expect to hear good morning or ‘is there coffee yet?’

This week Outside Sales Rep Candi Trahan walked in one morning and declared, ‘Last night, I became a Den Mom.’

The scouting adventure starts early in a youngster’s life. Candi’s son, Jacob, started in first grade. He has graduated to second grade and this year, mom is his den mom.

In the world of wolves, the momma wolf teaches the wolf pups to howl.

Jacob began his scouting career as a Bobcat before advancing to a Tiger cub. This year he is a Wolf.

According to Jacob, the den mother must teach those in her den to howl like a wolf. Traditionally in the real world of wolves, momma wolves teach pups to howl.

I wonder if Candi will be practicing her wolf howl from our office in the Dal Sasso building.

I hope so, it could be entertaining.

If this den of wolves continues to advance, in a few years they will join a troop of scouts. The transition occurs in fifth grade from a den to a troop.

If you hung around Mr. Wayne, very long, you would hear him talk about how he used something he learned in scouting in his life everyday.

Mr. Wayne, a long-time scoutmaster, led many young men down the path from Cub Scout to Boy Scout to Eagle Scout.

The scouting program allows a child to learn a variety of life skills. In some cases they get the opportunity to employ those skills during camp outs and later in life.

Mr. Wayne’s brother joined the army right out of high school after becoming an Eagle Scout. The drill instructor was so impressed with his ability to tie knots with ropes he asked him to put together a manual. The instructor wanted the manual to teach other recruits his skill set. Mr. Wayne’s brother told him the book was already in print. It is called the Boy Scout Handbook.

Three Rivers Council is the area Boy Scouts of America organization. They are currently organizing recruits into dens and packs and troops for the coming school year.

Scouting is a year round event, but the beginning of the school year is when they get busy with recruitment.

Big Thicket District Executive Jeanna Gonzalez is organizing a fundraiser for Orange County scouts.

The event is a Barn Dance with a BBQ Dinner and live music provided by Honky Tonk Special.

The event will be held at VFW Post 2775 in Orange Saturday, September 15 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Sponsorships and individual ticket sales are happening now.

Gonzalez would love to hear from you. You can reach her at 409-842-5240 by phone or by email at jeanna.gonzales@scouting.org.

Sponsor a table for this worthy cause.

You may help equip a young scout as well as Mr. Wayne and his brother were for life.

 

Football, family, good food and a Monday holiday

Orange Leader Editor Dawn Burleigh promised to treat her co-workers to a meal of shark last week.

But, alas, her best-laid plan did not work out.

We hope she overcomes.

None of us have partaken of the delicacy she raves about.

Her children have, and according to Burleigh, drop everything when she announces shark is on the menu.

Shark would have probably been on the menu at her house this weekend….if only.

Family is on the agenda I suspect for many of us.

A buddy and I will be visiting our grandchildren as we tolerate their parents.

Good food will be on the agenda.

A little barbeque, maybe some seafood would be nice.

Maybe Momma and Grandma will let Daddy and Grandpa have an adventure on the golf course.

Football will certainly be on the menu.

But the cowbell will have to be silent because the star attraction for this visit is only five days old.

It wouldn’t be good to startle her at such a tender age.

Whatever your plans, the important thing is to be safe.

Have a great Labor Day weekend and may my team beat your team if my team is playing your team!

 

Bobby Tingle is publisher of The Orange Leader.   You can reach him at bobby.tingle@ornageleader.com.