So many of you have heard me quote Andy Andrews, one of my favorite motivational speakers, when I describe myself.

One of my favorite quotes was “I was never the class clown in high school.  The class clown was the guy that ran naked across the football field at half time.  I was the guy who convinced him it was a great idea.”

Andy and I are kindred spirits for sure.

One of the places I get to let a little loose each year is what I have been affectionately been calling “Scout School”.  Where I live, the Scout Councils in Alberta throw a week-long training camp called FTE (Family Training Event) where three of my sons and I spent a week in August this year (here is a great write up from Chandra).  They spent the week playing and learning with new and old friends and I spent a week gaining my Woodbadge II certification in Scouts.  Somehow I also found time to laugh and cry, learn and teach, cook and clean, etc.  I even found time to teach fellow Scouters the proper etiquette for ratchet strap usage.

the muffin man wanted to get wet… and he did

Last year I went with just my Cub (now a scout) but this year I took my Beaver, Cub and Scout and the four of us set off on a week of adventure.  This year, many new things put a smile on my face but some have stood out…

In hind sight, putting all the funny things in one post will be much too long so I just deleted them all and just left tonight’s incident…

At FTE we do an opening and flag raising as well as a closing every day.  This often is attended by 300+ people and at least a couple times each year, someone is speaking and uses the “A” word.  Yep.  You would think that they would know better but it happens.  In the scouting world, when someone says something as innocent as “I just have a couple quick announcements…”, especially in the company of the Scouter formerly known as Mischief (he is now The Muffin Man or Scouter Duane to boring old people).

There is a slight delay of .6 seconds and the crowd roars to life…

Announcements announcements announcements
A horrible way to die, a horrible way to die
A horrible way to talk to death, a horrible way to die

We lost our cow  (crowd moos)
We lost our cow  (crowd moos)
We have no need  (crowd moos)
for your bull now  (crowd moos)

Announcements announcements announcements
A horrible way to die, a horrible way to die
A horrible way to talk to death, a horrible way to die

…and 10 or 15 verses later we get to hear the announcements… hopefully without the speaker saying the A-word again (yes, that has actually happened)

(L to R) len, the muffin man and walter

There is no secret that this is instigated every year by the Muffin Man himself, as is the scouting dance dance revolution at the campfire, but that is another post.

So today we are on our way to my father-in-law’s 172nd birthday (give or take a few years), and my wife uses the A-word and my Beaver, Cub and Scout in the back of the van burst out into song like carolers on Christmas Eve.  I couldn’t believe that they remembered the chorus let alone any of the verses.

So we end up hearing this for 30 minutes as they go through the trials of recalling every line from every verse I have ever heard.  We are two hours into the party, I am working to set up US Netflix for the In-Laws (yes, that was my birthday gift because I am a cheap geek) and the adults are all starting to play poker.  I get the kids out to the van and we start to drive away.

We aren’t a block away and Randal (the 11-year old Scout) pipes up… dad, what’s the last line of the wisdom one?

“The wisdom what?” seemed like a plausible response until they started up in harmony…

Words of wisdom, words of wisdom
They’re so boring, they’re so boring
Boring words of wisdom
Boring words of wisdom
What’s the last line???

After ten minutes I proved to my kids just how smart I was… i tossed my phone to my son… told him the unlock code… and got him to text the Muffin Man for the answer so I could sleep tonight.

scouter ratchet and the muffin man: feeling the pain

Scouter Duane… you are my hero tonight and the hero to my kidlets!  Is it ironical that this was the only single word I could not remember?

Words of wisdom, words of wisdom
They’re so boring, they’re so boring
Boring words of wisdom
Boring words of wisdom
Dumb dumb dumb
Dumb dumb dumb

I will leave you with one of my favorite Andy Andrews moments… you will love it!