True story: This one's for the birds

Perhaps you've heard this song:

Be kind to your web-footed friends
For a duck may be somebody's mother

Yesterday, I got to put that to some practical use. On Monday, a bird flew into our computer lab at work. We tried to coax it out one of the doors, but it kept flying up high into the rafters. We tried crumbling up some animal crackers and leading a trail out the door, but like Wile E. Coyote trying to catch the Road Runner, the bird wouldn't fall for our plan.

Yesterday, the bird was obviously getting tired of our lab. He was flying lower, and frequently crashing into the many windows in an attempt to rejoin the outdoor world. Eventually, he headed toward one of the corners where a door was located, so we opened up the door. Again, he wouldn't fly out. Instead, he kept flying by the door.

Eventually, he was resting on a window ledge, still trying to crash through the window to escape. I snuck up on him with an empty trash can and mange to pin him against the window. Another person extracted the liner bag and took him out the door so he could be released outside. Everybody was happy not only that the bird was out of our lab, but that we didn't have to hurt him in the process.

Scouts should be friends to all living things, not just people. :-)

Cold Weather Camping

This past weekend, our Boy Scout troop participated in the annual, district-wide, fall camporee. For early November in Rochester, NY, temperatures were about as cold as you might think -- they were below freezing overnight, and we woke up to frost-covered tents on frost-covered ground. We even saw some snowflakes on Saturday, although nothing actually accumulated on the ground.
So, why would somebody willingly subject themselves to such cold temperatures? First of all, cold-weather camping means no annoying mosquitos, gnats, moths, or other annoying insects stinging or biting you. A hot meal becomes much more enjoyable. The campfire is more than just a gathering place, it's a vital source of warmth. Also, if you get clear skies at night -- which we did on Saturday night -- there are a lot of fascinating objects to look at in the fall/winter night sky, like the Pleiades, the Andromeda Galaxy, the Great Orion Nebula, and more, with even a modest pair of binoculars providing great views of these items.
At this particular event, they held an orienteering race and a chili cook-off. One of our First Class scouts who had never made chili before came in third place among scouts, and two of our leaders tied for first place with their chili entries, one of which was made in a Dutch oven. After the camporee campfire, we returned to our campsite to enjoy an apple cobbler and a raspberry cobbler that one of our older scouts prepared in Dutch ovens.
Obviously, you have to be properly prepared for cold weather. Dress in layers, but avoid cotton as that will retain moisture and lead to hypothermia. Get a good sleeping bag that is designed for colder temperatures. A fleece blanket over the top of your sleeping bag will make it even warmer. Keep extremeties (e.g. -- head, hands, and feet) covered, even when you go to bed, as those are the places where your body will lose the most heat. And make sure you drink plenty of fluids because you don't want to become dehydrated.
So, even though it may be cold, that doesn't mean that you have to stop camping until spring. If you are properly prepared, it can still be an enjoyable event.