4H Meetings

Our WHEP meeting did not last very long because I got stuck behind all the slow drivers coming back from Austin.  I was thankful for Lynda being well enough to present some of the wildlife habitat management skills to the group.

By the time I arrived with the boys, she was finishing up her presentation.  I was able to talk a little about the practice contest coming over the weekend.  Then Amanda asked if anyone would like to see how to feed a snake (her new red-tailed boa had not been fed in over a week).  Every one agreed that it would be an interesting experience and the the moms agreed that it would be OK...I am sure only out of curiosity but with leery approval.  It went well and Amanda did a good job of being professional...keeping everyone away as she went through the process.  I do not think I would let her do it again but it was good for the 4Hers to see the feeding.

Then we were off to set up for the monthly club meeting.  We had plenty of time and ended up sitting around for several minutes before meeting started.  Amanda was asked not to bring her snake out during the meeting.  However, she was allowed to keep it inside because it was getting cold outside.

The club meeting went well.  We only had a few announcements and it was over within an hour.  After the pledges, Katy started us out with a poem entitled "Truths for Living" by William Arthur Ward.  This went very well with our guest speaker for the evening.  We enjoyed Al from the local radio station coming to speak to us about charity and community service.

After our normal project reports, Ms. Brenda spoke to the group about the youth fair belt buckle sponsorship, and we decided as a club to not sponsor a belt buckle this year.  We would reconsider for next year.  Also, the boys (Edward, Henry, and Sean) stood up and told two things each one enjoyed about 4H Capitol Day.  It was amazing how our boys who can be so loud were so quiet when they spoke to the group.  But all went well and we hope others will join us next time.

The meeting adjourned and then I had a brief meeting with the adult 4H volunteers about the Child Protective training that we should try to view on 4H Connect.  The idea is to have as many of our active adlt members trained by the end of the month.  This program is designed to protect our children from child abuse.  I hope to see our county in full compliance soon.

So glad we were able to make it back in time for the meeting.


I also learned the 4Hers who placed at the Food Show Extravaganza over the weekend.  Here is the list of winners from our county:


Food Show

Protein
Junior
1 Taylor Castillo

Intermediate
4 Barrett Duncan

Fruits and Vegetables
Junior
3 Holden Boulware



Intermediate
7 Victoria Guy

Senior
6 Brennan Duncan

Intermediate
6 Rebecca Stringer

Dairy
Junior
1 Rozalinn Runnels

Intermediate
5 Adriana Guy

Senior
1 Corrine Caraway

Healthy Holidays Poster Contest
Intermediate
2 Barrett Duncan

Senior
3 Brennan Duncan

Food Challenge
Intermediate
3 Angelina County
Adriana Guy
Victoria Guy
Brianna Puntch
Rebecca Stringer
James Terry

Mixed
1 Angelina County Emily LaRoe
Brooke LaRoe
Erin LaRoe
Laura Long

Congrats to all who worked so hard!

4H Capitol Day

Wednesday, Michael went with the three older boys (Sean, Henry, and Edward) to the State Capitol for 4H Day.  Here is there account of the event:

After fighting traffic on IH-35, and eventually just driving through part of the city to escape said traffic, we made it and found a parking place.

After checking in, we donned our new shirts and headed up to the rotunda for a group photo.  People must have thought we were in charge, because they kept coming up to us to ask where to check-in.  After the photo, we had time to go up to the 4th floor and check out all the portraits of the various governors and presidents of Texas, which was quite interesting.  Then we made our way to our assigned spots in the House of Representatives.

For us Aggies, there was a special treat.  Johnny "Football" Manziel, the freshman quarterback of Texas A&M was being honored for his outstanding season and being the first freshman to ever be awarded the Heisman Trophy.  Even the t.u. fans in the House wore Aggie Maroon that day.

Afterwards, the House introduced a resolution honoring all the 4H members in attendance before returning to regular business.  This ended about an hour earlier than our schedule showed, so we had time for a long lunch, followed by a walking tour of the Capitol grounds.  Here we found a hidden treasure, the Capitol Visitor center, formerly the General Land Office of Texas.  There were several neat exhibits in there, especially dealing with the renovation and restoration of both the Capitol as well as the Governor's Mansion, which had been damaged by arson in 2008.  The famous short story author O. Henry had worked there as a clerk, and we discovered that several of his stories had been set in that very building.

After lunch, we went headed back downstairs to meet with our State Representatives and State Senators.  We were early, and so we found a group of Jaycee's that had come to the capitol about the annual Rattlesnake Roundup.  They had brought several rattlers in, and the boys had a chance to see them up close and touch their tails.

Then it was time to meet our reps.  Unbeknownst to the boys and I, the meeting times and locations had been changed, but we did make it to all the meetings, and were able to participate in discussions and pose for photographs with our elected officials.

It was a good experience and we look forward to doing it again in two years.

Shooting Tryouts

While Michael was away at his Hunter's training, the boys were trying out for the shooting sports team. This is the first of four days at the range.  The boys were a little confused with the set up, but hopefully Michael can work with them during the week.

Sean was the most confused....he did not understand that he was to shoot in all three shooting positions (standing, kneeling, and prone).  He set up his target for the prone position for all three targets and shot this way.  He often stopped to watch the others...knowing something was not right but not saying anything.  I tried to talk to the coach about the situation but told me not to cause him any distress.  I am not sure what that means since he was going to be in distress when he found out he did not shoot correctly.  Oh well...it is just for fun this year and he was enjoying this for the most part.

Henry did follow the directions but was stressed since he was never taught to shoot standing or kneeling.  His form looked good to me but he says he missed most of his shots.  We will just have to wait and see.

Edward, being a junior, was allowed to remain in prone position.  He was happy to shoot as he had in the past.  He will probably have the best shot (no pun intended!) at learning the set up.  Even if it does not help him this year, maybe he can learn for the future.

I am still a little confused on how the boys are to learn how to shoot the gun and sighting through the scope.  I hope they are eventually taught to do this properly and not just make their own attempts.  We will see how it goes!

Michael did purchase a air rifle for practicing at home.  The boys were so excited to have this opportunity to work with him.  I am hoping they can go out throughout the next few days to get a better understanding of positioning and using the sight.

They will gain from any experience they are given.  I hope they are not too discouraged by their first year and will want to try again next year.

Wildlife and Hunter Education Certification

Michael spent a fun weekend in training that will help several 4H projects.  This blog post will tell his experience:


Interesting day today, started off with introductions in the classroom.  We were given two publications that are used in Hunter Education throughout much of the country.  The Hunter's Guide by the NRA and Today's Hunter, by Texas Parks and Wildlife.  (Larry said that many states have adopted the Today's Hunter for use in their states.)  We were also introduced to many of the resources that Hunter Safety educators can order for their classes.

Since both the Hunter Certification class and the 4H Wildlife and Hunting projects include a live fire activity we were also given some guidelines for running a range.  This is almost old hat to me, as I have been to many ranges over the last two decades in the army.  There is a big difference in vocabulary, however. In the Army a firearm is a weapon, but in 4H it is a gun.

After wrapping up our morning in the classroom, we drove out to a nearby ranch.  We were treated to a meal of "carne asada" (grilled beef) and tortillas.  We then drove out to a pasture where we were introduced to black powder muzzle-loading rifles.  This was  a new experience for me, but many of the same safety rules apply.  Loading a black powder weapon is complex, but not difficult, as long as you remember: "Powder, Patch and Ball/Without these/It won't work at all."  This helps you to remember the proper loading steps.  Though we did not demonstrate what happens if you don't do this properly, some people did share personal experiences.

After we all fired one round, we went on a Hunting Skills trail.  Denise (our Hunter Certification Instructor) had three dummy weapons, so we took turns as the hunters explaining how we would deal with common hunting scenarios.  We had to shoot a (simulated) deer and follow its blood trail after it ran off.  We found some turkeys and got a demonstration of the effectiveness of camouflage, demonstrated by a mannequin hidden beyond the turkeys.  This led to a discussion about ethical and safe behavior in hunting.  Since the other hunter was hidden, it would have been incumbent upon him to make his presence known to the walking hunters.  We also discussed proper use for game animals, and why some animals are hunted, even if they are not commonly eaten (such as the collared peccary).  Invasive or destructive species may be hunted, if the property owner deems them to be so. Of course, protected species are still protected.

We also had scenarios on bird hunting, covering zones of fire and safe positioning of hunters, as well as a mule deer/white-tail hybrid that was sky-lined.  (Never shoot a sky-lined target, as there is no backstop for the bullet.  However, if you do (legally, safely, and ethically) shoot a hybrid, you must tag it as a mule deer if it shows at least one mule deer characteristic.

The last field activity today was archery.  We discussed specifics of archery and bow-hunting, and some of us were introduced to 3-D target shooting (life-sized foam targets) at various ranges.  I remembered more of my old college archery classes than I thought I did!  On my team was one of the Texas State 4H Archery team members.  It was a very interesting experience.

We headed back to the main building for dinner (BBQ) and found a 20 question Wildlife ID course set up for us.  I have picked up a lot more from Michelle and the boys than I realized.  Though I only got 12/20 correct, the ones I missed are not ones that are usually taught in WHEP or Wildlife.  We also received four pamphlets that cover certain animals for Animal ID.  Though they are small, they are pretty detailed.  I think that they will be very useful for both W&H and WHEP.  They are Illustrated Guides to: Ducks, Geese and Swans; Small Game and Furbearers; Big Game Animals; and Upland Game Birds.

We finished up the night with campfire discussions about hunter ethics and motivations, 4H programs, and complementary non-4H programs.   I did not get to participate fully in these, as by this time my allergies were going haywire.  However, we did get a lot of good information, and I can't wait to get back tomorrow for shotguns and our Hunter Safety exams.

Day two:


This morning we headed back out to the ranch.  Our first activity was a test for those of us that had not previously received our basic Texas Hunter Safety Certification.  I did alright, missing one question because I did not read it correctly.  Oh well.

Then we moved out to the ranch's skeet range to practice shotguns.  It was very interesting.  I had shot on a moving target range, ages ago, in Infantry School, but that is nowhere near the same thing.  While I did not break the clay pigeon, I did get a piece of it.

After that, we headed back to the main building for a talk on topographic maps, compasses and orienteering.  Our practical exercise was a nifty test of pace count and compass handling, and everyone did fairly well, though it did demonstrate how a little error can produce big discrepancies.

Then we got a bunch of goodies from the 4H folks.  Including targets, posters, pamphlets and more...I think I will keep the last little bit as my surprise for the youth that decide to join Wildlife and Hunting.

Then it was back to the 4H office for a last discussion about resources and our certificates.

This looks like it will be a fascinating project to get off the ground.

Off to a Rocky Start...

...but trying to persevere.

I have not blogged in a few weeks.  We enjoyed our holiday break and then got very sick with an awful stomach virus to kick off our New Year.  We missed the first club meeting of the year and had to cancel most of our 4H activities while the virus made its way through our family.  Then the weather was bad last week on top of everything else!  It would be easy to throw in the towel but that is not the 4H way of doing things..."To make the best better" is only part of the 4H motto and pledge...we cannot forget that we also have the four H's...head, heart, HEALTH, and hands!  So we took a rest and stayed hydrated, and started eating healthy foods that helped us get well.

I was especially disappointed about missing our Photography meeitng this month.  I had it set up for Ms. Heather (another 4H mom) to teach the group about photo design.  She showed our small group about composing pictures on Photo Shop and editing photos to create design pages.  She did a wonderful job from the talk of the others who attended.  She was so kind in offering to meet with our boys at a later date when we were all well.  The boys and I look forward to learning from her expertise!

We did have a Food Challenge Meeting last Thursday.  We enjoyed making Orange French Toast after seeing the ingredients and hearing the clue:  "The French use this recipe to moisten day old bread."  Although we enjoyed the fun, we decided there just was not enough time to get together a team for competition in three weeks.  We will try again next year and hope for the best for our other 4H teams.

We have also been going out to the shooting range each weekend.  We are thankful to have Mr. Robert available, but are especially glad to have Michael home to teach the boys what he knows from his military training.  The boys are looking forward to trying out for the shooting team at the end of the month.

WHEP and Robotics have had the most neglect over the last few weeks.  We hope to get started with WHEP tomorrow and Robotics in a couple of weeks.

So, just a small update...I will post again as activities and our health improve.  Hoping that is soon!

Still Life

We met with our 4H Photography group today.  We had a small group of six photographers but it worked well for our small set up on the dining room table at my house!

We talked about keeping early attempts at still life photography to simple compositions.  The main goal is to focus on lighting, angles, and simplicity.  We worked with candles a lot!  I think everyone had a candle shot, except Katie who was determined to get a nice still life with her boots and star.  She also wanted to try to incorporate the theme for this year's 4H photo contest....Texan holidays.  I think she has several nice photos to make a good pick.

We also discussed reflection, which often goes along with still life photography.  I showed the trick of adding water to a large shallow glass dish to place an object to reflect.  We also discussed the dew drop pictures that have an image (flower, face, etc) reflected inside it.  Brooke had done this and showed an awesome picture of a colorful swirl reflected in a dew drop.  We will need to play around with this concept and see if the boys and I can duplicate that effect as well!

The main thing I showed the group was the easy way to set up a still life 'studio' with tri-fold boards purchased at a local craft store (various colors to choose from) and an overhead light.  We used my dining room light but a lamp, flash light or natural lighting can be used as well.  The other thing is to avoid outside light creating shadows or excess light in the picture.  This can ruin a good shot.  We were able to close all the shutters and lights in the other areas so we could focus the light as needed.

I really let the 4Hers take over and play with the concept or composing a shot and determining the needed light.  I could compose photos fro them but I like to see their creativity.  I look forward to seeing what the group has learned and what they bring out in their holiday pictures over the rest of the month.

Not sure what we will do in January but it sounds like a lot of interest in special effects and story boards so we will see what comes of those two ideas.

There are no projects for the remainder of the year..so hard to believe I will not be posting again until January.  I hope I do not get of the routine of posting on the blog in the next month.  See you in 2013 as we will find new ways "to make the best better!"

Night of Giving

Tonight we had our monthly 4H club meeting.  The main part of the business meeting was the norm for our club....project and committee reports with a little new business thrown in.  However, I wanted to focus on three things that occurred tonight that made the meeting a night of giving back to our community.

First, we had an awesome idea thanks to some great thinking on the part of some of the moms.  We wanted to do something different for refreshments this month.  Really in the past years we have not even had a club meeting in December so the issue of what to do for refreshments has never come up.  This year (due to our meeting date changed to earlier in the month) we had a regular meeting.  In the past we exchange our regular club meeting for a community service outreach (Salvation Army bell ringing...Christmas caroling...etc).

I thought we could combine our refreshments with a community outreach project.  We could have an old-fashioned cookie exchange!  However, instead of taking cookies home ourselves, we could give the cookies to a charity organization.  I sent a message out to the other moms who were signed up for refreshments and the idea grew into a full blown Christmas charity for a local women's shelter.  We made contact with the shelter and the director suggested that we gather cleaning supplies and toiletries for the families at the shelter.  It turned out that we had the same number of families in our club that were at the shelter!  It was a perfect match!

In reality, it turned out better than could be imagined.  Our club members were very generous in their donations.  We had enough cookies to fill a nice size tub with an assortment of goodies.  We also filled a basket for each family with various cleaning supplies.  These will be taken to the shelter tomorrow for distribution.  This will also include several special items that club members made or purchased above and beyond the requested items.  And...there are blankets and a quilt that we had set aside from last spring to add to the assortment of gifts.

Then we discussed serving lunch at the VA Clinic.  The last couple of months have difficult for our club to keep this activity going.  I was not sure if our club wanted to continue for the next year.  I could not continue to lead the activity myself (although we want to help), so I gave several options (including stopping the activity altogether).  The main thing that was needed was someone to lead the activity.  After the meeting, I had two moms volunteer to help lead.  I think we will be able to continue to help our local veterans each month.  I am so glad because it means so much to our family to see the veterans served in this small way.  I am looking forward to continuing this effort.

The last thing that I wanted to share from the meeting was our guest speaker.  At the last minute, the planned guest speaker lost his voice and could not attend our meeting.  Kevin (our Vice President) quickly thought of a replacement...his church youth pastor.  A great choice...as he was very comfortable talking to youth and he had a great message (it went right along with what our family had as a focus for our daily Advent devotion!).  He talked about the angels announcing to the shepherds the Good News (Luke 2:8-20).

What I thought was so fitting was the connection he made in this one line of the passage.  In Luke 2:14, we hear the angels say, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."  The pastor spoke about this in two parts.  First, Jesus comes to give glory to His Father in heaven.  Second, Jesus comes to give us peace on earth.  It is the two levels of being that are connected because of Jesus.  God in heaven is glorified and men are given peace...the greatest gift we can give to God is glory and the greatest gift He can give to us is peace. God does not need a gift but he is always deserving of glory.  We desperately need peace and can only find it through the sacrifice Jesus offers us by becoming man and dying for our sins.  Jesus bridges he gap between heaven and earth!  Praise be to God!

A great meeting and a wonderful way to lead us into the Christmas season.  I am so glad we were able to share all of these gifts as a 4H club...in all ways we were able to truly share the spirit of 4H to "make the best better!"