Were you ever...

a Girl Scout?

I think perhaps a lot of us were.  For a while, my sister, a friend and I joined at the same time.  We probably attended meetings for a year...maybe a bit more.  Now that I think about it, it might have been a lot less, because I don't remember ever walking to a meeting in pouring rain, or ankle deep snow. 

Anyway, we belonged to the Scouts long enough to learn the creed, and we would recite it as we walked to the meeting.  The only thing I remember of the creed is this phrase...'a Girl Scout is a friend to all and a sister to every other Girl Scout.'  I will remember this till my dying day (provided I still have my mental faculties) because as the three of us would jockey not to be the 'other' Girl Scout, or the girl in the middle as we walked along.  As I look back I can see what a silly thing that was...still it always made the walk go faster.

Girl Scouts learn a lot.  Practical things, like learning to build a fire.  I think everyone should learn how to do that.  Kids today would not survive well in an emergency...do they even know what a match is?

We learned you could carve sculptures out of a bar of Ivory Soap.  I believe I wrote about this skill before, and mentioned it is not something you should endeavor to do on a hot day.  The soap gets very 'sweat' sticky and very, very dirty.

My poor mother had to buy two big cans of tomato juice so my sister and I could make a tin can stove.  Man, we drank a lot of tomato juice that week.  You should try this some time, it was actually fun...and it worked.  First, take a large tomato juice can, with a can opener, cut one end off.  Then, with tin-snips, cut a little doorway, into the open end of the can.  Punch holes at the back of the closed end (so smoke can escape).  Build a fire inside the can.  Before you know it...well...a bit longer than that, the can will heat up.  Of course, you could not prepare a meal by any means, but I do think you could at least heat a cup of tea, or soup.  Now that I think about I don't think we tried to cook anything on them.  I probably proudly took mine home...hmmm...I don't recall ever seeing it again.

We also learned how to make S'mores.  I personally don't like them.  They are messy to make...either the marshmallow gets burned, or the chocolate does not melt.  Or the chocolate melts, but the marshmallow does not. Either way, as soon as you take your first bite, the graham cracker disintegrates to bits and hot marshmallow, chocolate or both drool all over your hands.  Gross.

There you have it, the extent of my Girl Scout memories. I honestly don't know
why we stopped attending meetings, maybe we disbanded because of lack of members, or maybe the leader lost interest, doesn't matter really.  What does matter is the Girl Scouts are still around today.  And, when shiny faced angels come to my door with their wonderful boxes of cookies you can bet your sweet bippy I'm going to buy a box, or two...or three..........