Nothport Memories of Yesteryear: Den 10, The Bucket of Blood

From the backyard of 432 Main Street comes this special treat that is now well
over a half-century old. Many may remember this house. It was located on the
south side of Main Street (large Victorian, white with green trim) between June
Avenue and the Laurel Ave. For the Cub Scouts that met here each week in 1951,
there is a treasure trove of memories, bruises, lacerations, contusions and
lessons in life. Enjoy this turbo blast...

Having lived at 432 Main Street as a small child of four, I had the "real time" opportunity to observe and study the behavior of "big kids" who were three years my senior (nearly twice my age). In this case, it was Den 10, "The Bucket of Blood."

My mother was the Den Mother and an orthodox crew, it was not. In fact, the very first den meeting erupted into a bit of a brawl when my brother, Steve, and I arrived home from school and were accosted by these guys who attempted to throw us off the property. They didn't know that we lived there. Things continued downhill as Mom managed this motley crew with a liberal hand. You could almost make book on who would get beat up each week at 432 Main Street. She became quite proficient at stopping nose bleeds and for Den 10, the blood stains just became part of the uniform.

Our den was generally looked down upon by the Cub Pack as being unregulated and my mother was often chastised by her peers for her lack of military order. In reality, mom was a cutting-edge bra burner who would not be organized by society. She had a philosophy that Cub Scouts existed for kids, not for adults and that the kids should be free to learn problem solving their own way...and...they surely did.  It was a crossroad in time when these macho cub's bad-boy behavior converged with my mother's idealism that made this such a special and unforgettable group. At no time in the future, would there be a college course in "bloody nose."

Thanks, mom for letting those guys settle their own differences. It was a valuable lesson in human relations that would help serve them well and prepare them for the unpleasantness of life as they moved forward into maturity.