What Not to Leave on the Trail

I'm getting addicted to picking up trash. My community service as a scout has been to pick up garbage along trails and roads.

One of the most common trash items I see on the trail are dog poo bags. It's worse than just leaving the dog poo there to rot without the plastic. On one of my short hikes I loaded a grocery bag with them. It's sad to see people not care enough about their dogs, trails, or other people to take such things to the garbage bins at trailheads.

Picking up trash is an easy and satisfying service project the whole family can do. Doing service turns you away from the self and to others and is so fulfilling.

Rover Uniform: When, where, and why

A while back I posted a question on the Rover Trailhead forum about when and where it was appropriate to wear the uniform. I was asking it from the context of the BSA uniform, as there are certain guidelines they have for their uniform. I got a few different answers, but the best one was to wear it whenever I did scouting. It's a good, simple answer that allows me a lot more freedom of when to wear it, especially as a Lone Scout.

So this is my take on it. I wear my uniform when I am going out to do a service project. I may also wear it on occasion when going to church to show my appreciation to my Heavenly Father for the blessings that come from scouting and to show my Duty to God as written in the Scout Promise. Wearing it at civic events, or events that promote citizenship, and events that honor city heroes like first responders, is also appropriate. I also wear it when doing scouting at home with my family, as wearing the uniform is part of the game of scouting and is lots of fun. It just looks good on me too, heh.

Rover Squire

May was a fun month. We did a lot of scouting together as a family, which makes for good times. One of the things we explored with the boys was animal sounds, and we did an animal parade at home for the  Rumble in the Jungle Adventure. We made animal masks and told jokes.  I love being a scout mom!

I was officially invested as a Rover Squire, and to celebrate, me and my two older boys went to the river parkway to pick up trash. I figured doing service would be a fitting way to start my squiring journey. I now have many opportunities for advancement and new focuses for service as I work towards more awards and my Rover Knighthood. Right now I'm on a 6 month probation before I can be knighted, which means I need to prove myself in living the Scout Law and Promise and to render service to others.

I know there's a lot of crazy stuff going on right now that can cause fear and uncertainty, but the best thing to do is to focus on your circle of influence. Help those in immediate need that you can touch, especially your family and loved ones. Don't whine if things aren't going your way; instead work harder to improve your situation.