Sociology learns from chickens

Today with a group of 24 girls our farm specialist was talking about the pecking order of chickens. My little Grinnell brain could only think about sociology and I began to think about class and race and how it effects my group of girls.

It was a little bit ridiculous because really we were talking about chickens and their feathers. Oh how Grinnell has changed me.

Patriotism

Patriotism is a funny thing. I myself am not very patriotic and it is even harder for me to force patriotism when our country is at war. Today I found it even more difficult than usual to teach the girls flag. But I was able to teach them fold the flag without too much anger. I suppose I lose patience because I don't want to do boring dull patriotic stuff. We almost sang a song called, just a boy and a girl in a little canoe turns out that's not very patriotic.

who would have guessed!

On my honor

This is one of my favorite songs here at Tomahawk. Come Thursday nights I always wait to see if we sing it.

On My Honor:

On my honor I will try There's a duty to be done, and I say "Aye" There's a reason here for the reason above My honor is to try and my duty is to love.

People don't need to know my name If I've done any harm then I'm to blame If I've helped another then I've helped me And I've opened up my eyes to see.

On my honor I will try There's a duty to be done, and I say "Aye" There's a reason here for the reason above My honor is to try and my duty is to love.

I've tucked away a song or two If you're feeling low, there's one for you If you need a friend, then I will come And there's many more where I come from.

On my honor I will try There's a duty to be done, and I say "Aye" There's a reason here for the reason above My honor is to try and my duty is to love.

Come with me where the fire burns bright We can see even better by a candle's light We'll find more meaning in a campfire's glow Than we've ever learned in a year or so.

On my honor I will try There's a duty to be done, and I say "Aye" There's a reason here for the reson above My honor is to try and my duty is to love.

We've made a promise to always keep And pray softly fall before we sleep We'll be Girl Scouts together and when we're gone

They'll still be trying and singing this song.

On my honor I will try There's a duty to be done, and I say "Aye" There's a reason Here for the reason above My honor is to try and my duty is to love.

Camper story

I have a girl who is absolutely awful. Stubborn and annoying and the whole nine years.

Yesterday during snack she looked at the animal crackers and said - I can't eat those I'm a vegetarian! I took her bag, said me too and ate them anyway.

This girl had decided about 2 hours before that, that she was a vegetarian and the camp nor the counselors were aware of this. She's impossible.

The spoons

Yesterday during introductions to the Dining hall Obi Joe - my camp director was talking about cleaning up. She got to the part about talking all the spoons at your table to the spoon bucket. Of course then she said, not that spoon and pointed at me. Which is always cute and fine. The funny part of this story is that one of the girls said - yeah we'll only take the metal spoons to the bucket. Another girl at my table looked square at me and said, "you do have a lot of metal in you!"


I just smiled

To be alone

I feel asleep to this song last night
In a happy comfortable way
I miss Illinois and Iowa, and the mid-west in general



To Be Alone With You
by Sufjan Stevens:



I'd swim across lake Michigan
I'd sell my shoes
I'd give my body to be back again
In the rest of the room

To be alone with you
To be alone with you
To be alone with you
To be alone with you

You gave your body to the lonely
They took your clothes
You gave up a wife and a family
You gave your goals

To be alone with me
To be alone with me
To be alone with me
You went up on a tree

To be alone with me you went up on the tree

I'll never know the man who loved me

my mom clock

Maybe someday I will have the desire - time and energy for a real post all on the same day. Until then let me tell you in brief about my 'mom-clock'

Because I am responsible for girls during the week I've started waking up even before my alarm goes off because I am scared that it's not on or that I am going to oversleep it. I've lovely called this my mom clock because I feel that mothers worry about their children and thus wake up because of it.

This morning I didn't have a cabin full of girls and I still woke up at 6.30 sharp to look at my clock and see if it was time to get out of bed yet.

Funny that.
Funny camp.

Ignore it

Tip from my Camp Director - Obi Joe
You have a homesick 7 year old... just ignore it!
Guess what friends, it worked! and continues to work.

The girls have been writing to fairies and we, the fairies, have been writing back. It's so cute to see their faces. We also have been leaving little gifts from the fairies. Such as tooth fairy pillows, pixie sticks, pencils, and to come are still Hersey kisses, bubbles, and HUGE pixie sticks.

They are having a lot of fun, and that's really what camp is all about.

I will give you my emotional update when I can better understand where I stand.
But not to worry - I am managing really well!

Classical Poetry

I'm having a little trouble getting into the flow with my unit. I only have 5 girls - which is a big step down from the normal 16-24 girl units. They just don't interact with each other enough, and they don't distract each other at all. Meaning we get through everything programed at a lighting fast pace. They have read all the books provided already. Tonight should be good because they will have some time with the entire camp at a Hoe-down then we will have an campfire with the unit next door. So they will interact with some different girls.

But what this post is reall about it what I do to calm myself down. I read things like the following. I am a true bookworm and a seeker of knowledge. If I ever leave College I think that I may shrivel up and die.

Agincourt
by Michael Drayton

Fair stood the wind for France
When we our sails advance,
Nor now to prove our chance
Longer will tarry;
But putting to the main,
At Caux, the mouth of Seine,
With all his martial train
Landed King Harry.

And taking many a fort,
Furnish'd in warlike sort,
Marcheth tow'rds Agincourt
In happy hour;
Skirmishing day by day
With those that stopp'd his way,
Where the French gen'ral lay
With all his power.

Which, in his height of pride,
King Henry to deride,
His ransom to provide
Unto him sending;
Which he neglects the while
As from a nation vile,
Yet with an angry smile
Their fall portending.

And turning to his men,
Quoth our brave Henry then,
'Though they to one be ten
Be not amazed:
Yet have we well begun;
Battles so bravely won
Have ever to the sun
By fame been raised.

'And for myself (quoth he)
This my full rest shall be:
England ne'er mourn for me
Nor more esteem me:
Victor I will remain
Or on this earth lie slain,
Never shall she sustain
Loss to redeem me.

'Poitiers and Cressy tell,
When most their pride did swell,
Under our swords they fell:
No less our skill is
Than when our grandsire great,
Claiming the regal seat,
By many a warlike feat
Lopp'd the French lilies.'

The Duke of York so dread
The eager vaward led;
With the main Henry sped
Among his henchmen.
Excester had the rear,
A braver man not there;
O Lord, how hot they were
On the false Frenchmen!

They now to fight are gone,
Armour on armour shone,
Drum now to drum did groan,
To hear was wonder;
That with the cries they make
The very earth did shake:
Trumpet to trumpet spake,
Thunder to thunder.

Well it thine age became,
O noble Erpingham,
Which didst the signal aim
To our hid forces!
When from a meadow by,
Like a storm suddenly
The English archery
Stuck the French horses.

With Spanish yew so strong,
Arrows a cloth-yard long
That like to serpents stung,
Piercing the weather;
None from his fellow starts,
But playing manly parts,
And like true English hearts
Stuck close together.

When down their bows they threw,
And forth their bilbos drew,
And on the French they flew,
Not one was tardy;
Arms were from shoulders sent,
Scalps to the teeth were rent,
Down the French peasants went--
Our men were hardy.

This while our noble king,
His broadsword brandishing,
Down the French host did ding
As to o'erwhelm it;
And many a deep wound lent,
His arms with blood besprent,
And many a cruel dent
Bruised his helmet.

Gloster, that duke so good,
Next of the royal blood,
For famous England stood
With his brave brother;
Clarence, in steel so bright,
Though but a maiden knight,
Yet in that furious fight
Scarce such another.

Warwick in blood did wade,
Oxford the foe invade,
And cruel slaughter made
Still as they ran up;
Suffolk his axe did ply,
Beaumont and Willoughby
Bare them right doughtily,
Ferrers and Fanhope.

Upon Saint Crispin's Day
Fought was this noble fray,
Which fame did not delay
To England to carry.
O when shall English men
With such acts fill a pen?
Or England breed again
Such a King Harry?

Dreaming

I have been having some really emotional dreams lately. I wake up not sure of what I have dreamed but feeling really uneasy about it.

This has began to translate into my everyday. I am sort of living between dreams, reality, and daydreams. I forget if things are really happening or if I just think they are happening. I find it to be problematic.

I want the girls to get here so I can start to feel better.

well shit - I was just typing away at my computer and a piece of it fell off. Time for a trip to the apple store. Gah as if I needed this right now. And no this part was not a dream the people around me assure me that a piece of my computer really did fall off.

Maybe I'll go get lost in a book now.

Camp Food

Tomahawk serves it's dinners family style, meaning the counselors get the food place it on the table and everyone serves themselves from communal dishes. Under I have added pictures of one days worth of meals at Tomahawk.
This was breakfast. Hard boiled eggs with toast and tomatoes. Hashbrowns, bananas, cereals, milk, bacon (veggie option also available)


Smoggy was really excited about the chicken salad at lunch! we also had broccoli cheese soup oranges. Lunch is the only meal at Tomahawk served with dessert, but we do have night time snacks that are cooked over the camp fire.


Dinner was rustic potatoes and chill. Like always there were meat and vegetarian options because the kitchen works really well with dietary restrictions and allergies.