New Stick

Savageman found me a new hiking stick while he was at Cub Scout camp. He peeled the bark off of it and found that underneath, the wood was pale and smooth and quite beautiful. We asked the camp naturalist what it was and he told us it was Tulip Poplar.

Tonight, I sat in the garage with Little, who just received his Whittling Chip (Cub Scout proof that he is responsible enough to use a pocketknife) and a new knife of his own. He practiced shaving and carving some sticks and I worked on my new hiking stick, sawing off the knots and sanding the ends and the rough places.

We worked and chatted and I heard all about camp and the funny antics of the different counselors and kids. He was especially enthralled with the BB shooting, the swimming, the fishing, and the soap carving. He frequently asked if we did this or that same thing in our Girl Scout troop, and I told him about that.

It reminded me of one of the things I've read over the years about communicating with boys - they tend to open up more when they're engaged in another activity. Not that Little has ever had a problem talking - he's a regular chatterbox most of the time - but the conversation we had while we were working on our sticks was an especially good one. Maybe it was also good for me, since it was keeping my hands busy at an activity that left my mind fully available for the conversation.

Now it's done, and I love it. I'm looking forward to the many hikes on which I will use it, and I know looking at it will remind me of the night Little and I bonded in the garage over our camp experiences. Of all the gifts Savageman could have bought me or found for me at camp, this was the absolute perfect thing.