Weekly Mileage #81 and all the Glow Forging

totem etched on leather

We went home from Wood Badge with more homework than I anticipated: finish our patrol project, finalize my ticket (5 projects I need to complete in the next 18 months), make a patrol flag, meet with my patrol twice, meal plan and shop, and prep to plant a tree for the course service project. We're doing our own cooking this weekend, so we have to bring everything for it. Since I know what I need when it comes to being gluten free, I volunteered to do the food shopping. It's one more thing on my plate, but it means I won't have to worry about my food, so it's worth it.

pocket hangers with our totem

Needless to say, last week was super busy and I didn't get everything done that I needed to. Exercise didn't happen, other than walking around while sourcing. While not fast walking, it's tiring on several levels- walking up and down every aisle, the standing while scanning items, the very hard floor, the bright lights, all the different colors of packages, the noise... Those last three are all related to my being a highly sensitive person (HSP). Too much visual and auditory stimulation is exhausting for me, and is why I like things quiet and uncluttered.

smaller feathers for hiking poles, larger for patrol flag

I volunteered to head up making the patrol flag, and I was thinking about how I'd do it as I drove home from Wood Badge Sunday night. My initial thought was to use canvas, but then I realized I had leather and a Glow Forge. I could etch our totem on some leather and use that for our flag. I could also do some little dangly things with the Glow Forge. Then I got thinking about the pole for the flag, and I realized we had some wood that would probably work, so I wouldn't have to buy a broom handle. Then I thought, maybe we have enough wood to make hiking staffs (staves?) for everyone.

I checked the shed, and sure enough, we had the wood I thought was there. We bought the wood years ago for a project, then moved and never built what we'd planned. Two moves later, we're still hauling that wood around, and it's time to start using it.

I met with my patrol on Saturday to put the flag together and discuss all the stuff we need to have ready for Friday. We finished earlier than I thought we would, so I took advantage of the fact that nearby was a Walmart and a Target across the street from each other that I'd never been to. I found some good finds to send in to Amazon, then headed home.

I still need to foam the owl decoy in place on top. It's been sitting in the shed for several years after serving its purpose of scaring woodpeckers away from our porch columns. We were spit-balling ideas for the flag and someone mentioned using an owl decoy, which reminded me that we had one. It's hollow, so it doesn't make the pole too top-heavy.

Weekly Mileage
Monday- 2 miles walked around stores
Wednesday- 4 miles walked around stores
Friday- .5 miles walked around stores
Saturday- 2 miles walked around stores    
total- 8.5 miles

22 hikes towards #52hikechallenge
2.14 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge

303.44 foot miles towards #365milechallenge
265.00 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
570.58 miles total