Love Cruikshank, Love notes

SOS! SOS! SOS! Help! Help! Help! I mean it’s not as if I were asking some big thing like long life, riches, power, the lives of my enemies. Just a simple little recipe from my Girl Scouting days. Yes, I know. That was a long time ago. Actually, I myself never was a Girl Scout, though I earned my highest rank as a Campfire Girl.

I was, however, a leader of a Girl Scout troop from the time they were Brownies until they more or less reached the end of their Scouting days. I had a great affection for them individually and collectively, but I was always a little doubtful of my Scouting skills.

They’re grown up and many of them have grandchildren now, but I still have a dim recollection of our fire making days, I believe our firemaking material consisted of tinder, kindling and fuel, but I’m a little vague as to which is which.

I remember in a moment of desperation pushing a Kleenex down in the slow-starting flame. Then, as now, I never got away with anything.

The resulting flame was so overwhelming that we had to call for one of the camp troopers to extinguish it.

Another skill I fell short in was lashing camp furniture together. The week before camp started the leaders

had a training session. Two leaders worked together lashing furniture together &045; chairs, tables, wash stands. All from tree branches and rope. Come to think of it, it may have been wild grapevine instead of rope.

The results were splendid. Well almost splendid. My partner, still in college with straight-A grades, had a trifle more talent for lashing than I did, but only a trifle.

We reminded me of that song about the three huntsmen. You may remember &045; “After many tries, the third one shot the game keeper right between the eyes.”

After a day of hard work, several broken fingernails and no end of frustration, we finally produced a small toothbrush holder.

We had been aiming at a bookcase, but we agreed that the camping schedule didn’t provide much time for reading anyway.

We were slightly better at the cooking bit. At least, unlike one of our companions, we put the laundry soap on the outside of our kettle rather than on the inside in preparation for cooking our Ring-tum-diddy. Tastes much better that way.

In fact it tasted wonderful. When I tried to find my little Girl Scout Cookbook to look the recipe up again I couldn’t find it.

Our ever so helpful library managed to find me a Girl Scout Cookbook. A wonderful one, much better than the one I lost. In fact I quite covet it, some wonderful recipes, but no ring-tum-diddy.

Several members of my Tuesday night writing group have been helpful. Sort of helpful. One of their mothers makes Ring-tum-diddy, but she puts tomato soup in it.

Mine didn’t have tomato soup in it. I’m not enthusiastic about tomato soup. Another one thinks the dish includes whole corn. I’m convinced that it’s made with creamed corn, but I could be wrong. Onions? I’m not sure about onions, I know it has bacon, green pepper, corn and cheese.

Anyone out there with the same Scout cookbook I had? I’m not offering a reward, but I’d be terribly grateful.

(Love Cruikshank is an Albert Lea resident. Her column runs Thursday.)