I was watching the birds fly around in my back yard the other morning. Among others, we have a pair of cardinals who have returned for the last couple years. Here’s a picture my wife took as they relaxed in our magnolia tree. I’m not absolutely sure it’s the same birds but a friend told me that cardinals mate for life.
Certainly, this pair of cardinals is attracted to each other, but the reason they’re in my yard is most likely because I put out one of their favorite foods, sunflower seeds, during the winter. Just this morning I observed the male sitting on the feeder having his breakfast.
It’s the “law of attraction”: Put out sunflower seeds and you’ll attract cardinals, bluejays, orioles and other colorful birds. Continue reading “The law of attraction”
I doubt there’s anyone who hasn’t felt frustration at how poorly or inefficiently our Scouts go about doing tasks at one point or another. We all know how to set up a tent – and could beat almost any Scout in a competition – how to cook in the outdoors, how to lead a meeting, plan an outing, pack a trailer or shop for groceries for a campout.
Recently, a friend let me read a letter of recommendation written by his son’s high school baseball coach. His son is applying to college and the letter was to introduce him to the head coaches at the various schools. It spoke of his strong skills and talent on the field, his exemplary work ethic, and how he inspires his teammates, arriving early for practice and being the last one out of the locker room. His academic credentials are top-shelf as well, as is his dedication to other extra-curriculars and community service.
It’s been said that the Boy Scouts of America is the largest user of dead trees anywhere in the world. The number of printed publications has been legendary – handbooks, pamphlets, forms, guidebooks, magazines – seemingly one for every purpose and sometimes several.
I recently attended a presentation on the new Cub Scout Adventure program. Aimed at Scouters who will be implementing the program starting later this year, it was conducted by a member of the national task force that created the new program. He offered insights into how the committee arrived at its findings and what it hopes to accomplish by moving Cub Scouting forward .