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CHAMPION—August 15, 2016

Saturday at the Picnic was like a big Birthday party for Dean Upshaw!

        The Skyline Volunteer Picnic was another rousing success.  It started out Friday with a dramatic little downpour.  The rain did not last long and the temperature dropped dramatically.  Turnout was modest that night but the fun was plentiful.  Saturday saw the great gathering of friends and neighbors enjoying themselves and each other amid perfect weather conditions.  They opened their pocketbooks and their hearts in support of the great little Volunteer fire department that serves the community so well.  After all the games, the excellent picnic food, the wonderful music, and the exciting door prizes came the drawing for the quilt/display chest and quilt.  Pete Proctor was the big winner!  Pete does all kinds of good work for Veterans in the area as well as other civic chores and it is nice to see something good happen for him.  The whole evening was like a big birthday party for Dean Upshaw and when it was all over and everyone was home safe in their beds, the rain came again, gently.  Some of the volunteers who work so hard to get the event together worked hard the next day to get things broken down and stored away for next year.  Other volunteers, not used to so much exertion, slept the rainy morning away.  The thirtieth Skyline Picnic now is just a pleasant memory.

        Betty Thomas was at the picnic showing some sensational pictures of the bear that visited their place the other day.  She glanced out the window in time to see the critter walking through her yard.  Dale said Betty roused him up from a good nap in his recliner to let him know the bear was there.  The animal stood up with front feet on top of a refrigerator they keep on their patio and appeared to be over six feet tall.  Eventually it went on its way, but not before Betty snapped the photos she had on hand.  She also had flyers for the next Pioneer Descendants Gathering and pictures of the beautiful quilt she has made for their annual raffle.  This quilt has a horse theme and will be a prize for anyone, particularly equestrians.  There is a rumor that this will be the last of the Pioneer Gatherings so it will doubtlessly be an enormous affair and not one to be missed.  Dr. Suess said, “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”  Champions always try to be aware of the good moment and are looking forward to another trip over the Edge of the World.

        “I’m as mean as a peach orchard boar!” barked the yodeling fiddler after an unsuccessful attempt to run The General down with his car.  The General performed a series of theatrical stumblings and hat throwings as passengers poured out of the car ready to join the fray.  Much lively banter revealed it all to have been in good fun.  Good fun ensued with another evening of enjoyable music at the Vanzant Thursday Bluegrass Jam.  The internet informs now that doctors are prescribing music therapy for heart ailments, brain dysfunction, learning disabilities, depression, PTSD, Alzheimer’s, childhood development and other things.  Good food, fellowship and music sounds like a prescription for a Champion.  This term ‘mean as a peach orchard boar’ does bear a little study as to the origin of such a declaration.  Anyone who can come up with a good story will be a Champion huckleberry.

What is it?

        Interesting people bring interesting things to Champion looking for answers.  The most recent such occurrence was on Wednesday when Bert Lehman brought in an item that had come to him incidentally in a box of things he had bought at an auction.  It is a steel cylinder about an inch and a half in diameter and perhaps a foot long.  One end has a ring going through it.  The other end has a hook that when pulled exposes itself to be on the end of a screw that is concealed within the cylinder.  A local engineer opines that it must be a turning device—the hook matching a fitting eye attached to a similar screw, perhaps for opening a transom window or who knows?  Find a picture on The Champion News Facebook page and on the website at www.championnews.us and share your knowledge or speculation.  The last item brought for this kind of inspection and identification turned out to be a hay needle.  Several people had seen something like it or had experience using it.  A story was told on Wednesday about a man who used to live down by Gainesville who now lives maybe over by Rolla.  He had an elk ranch and one day he looked out to see a man riding by on a black horse with a yellow, three legged dog following along.  The rancher discovered subsequently that three of the yearling elk that had been sleeping in a pile had suffocated.  He would like to have talked with the man on the black horse to find out if he knew anything about that incident, but he was already gone three legged dog and all.

Sharon Tate Williamson with Ed Henson.”

        Jewell Hall Elliot shared a video that Rose Zella Myer had made available on Facebook.  It was made at a square dance in Ava on April 24, 1997.  J. R. and Janet Johnston were in the group, along with Sue Potts, Edna Mae Davis, Joe Englehart, and perhaps Max Decker.  Jewell was not sure about that.  The caller of the dance was Edna Mae Davis and the band was made up of Bob Holt, Charlie Walden on fiddle and Alvie Dooms on guitar.  It looked like everyone was having a good time.  Sharon Tate Williamson posted a picture of herself and Ed Henson sitting on the porch at the Champion Store…She did not know what year it was but her friend Sherri Tate Unger commented on how dark her hair was in the photo to which Ms. Elliot responded, “I didn’t notice.”

        August 10, 1821, marked the day that Missouri was granted statehood.  Details of the Missouri Compromise only 195 years ago show us how far, as a Nation, we have come.  On August 14, 1935, Social Security was signed into law by President Roosevelt, pulling millions of American seniors out of poverty.  There is a movement under way to privatize Social Security with arguments that include the specious notion that it is an ‘entitlement’ that somehow adds to the deficit, when, in fact, it is self- sustaining and would be solvent perpetually if the taxable earnings cap were lifted.  Likewise, the socialist organization called the United States Postal Service is self–sustaining and would be perpetually had not Congress decided a while back that retirement and health-care funds be set aside to cover employees for the next 75 years.  This was a ploy to bankrupt the service so as to justify its privatization.  Congress has also chosen to, at the last minute, slip into a must-pass military spending bill a provision that hands over the title to Oak Flat, an ancient Apache holy place, to Resolution Copper Mining, an Australian owned company which plans to open a crater two miles wide and 1,000 feet deep across the holy site.  The Society for American Archaeology says there is abundant evidence that the Apache have been there “since well before recorded history.”  If Oak Flat were a Christian holy site, no senator who wished to remain in office would dare to sneak a backdoor deal for its destruction into a spending bill, no matter what mining company profits or jobs might result or how many campaign contributions and lobbyist dollars were involved.  But this is Indian religion.  Clearly the Arizona congressional delegation is not afraid of a couple of million conquered natives.  This protected land is under siege as is democracy.  If you do not like the way things have gone for the past few years, look to your elected Congress.  The results of the three months of political turmoil ahead will shape the immediate and long-term course of the Nation.  While it has been a welcome relief to have the Olympic Games temporarily divert attention from politics, giving us the illusion of unity again, the struggle is far from over.

        People in Louisiana and in other parts of the country are not thinking about politics or the Olympics.  Extreme flooding has obliterated communities, taking lives and washing away the life’s work and future hopes of many thousands of people.  The extreme heat in the north east is killing people.  Those of us so far unaffected extend sympathy to them and gratitude for our own relatively good circumstances.  “Count your many blessings.  Name them one by one.”  Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—August 8, 2016

        Champions are getting excited about the Skyline Picnic to be held on Friday and Saturday.  (See details in the newspaper ad.)  Their grocery shopping lists include ingredients for pies and cakes to donate for the concession stand and for the cake walk.  It will be another chance to meet up with family and friends for an evening of fun.  This year Champion’s prominent artisan has donated a quilt/display chest.  It is 24″ high, 29″ wide and 18″ deep.  It is a beautiful piece of work with glass sides and front to show off those prize possessions.  The drawing will be held on Saturday night.  Last year Sally Prock won the drawing for the quilt called “Broken Dishes.”  It was put together with hundreds of tiny pieces and quilted in a style called ‘stippling.’  Sally was happy and the community was happy for her because she is always out supporting every good cause in the area.  This picnic supports the Skyline Volunteer Fire Department.  The firefighters are all volunteers who are trained as first responders to aid in emergencies of all kinds in addition to fighting fires.  Proceeds from the picnic go toward equipment and training for these folks who are willing to put themselves at risk to protect the lives and property of their neighbors.  Champions!

        Caleb Harden, Jaycee Hall and Cryslynn Bradshaw are all first grade students at Skyline School and they all have birthdays in August.  Caleb’s birthday is on the 5th, Jaycee’s on the 10th and Cryslynn’s on the 12th.  Their birthday celebrations will be over before school starts on the 17th.  The school will have an open house from 5:30 – 7:00 in the evening of the 15th to give the community a chance to get to know the teachers, the parents, and the students.  Everyone is welcome.  Foster and Kalyssa, Champion grandchildren living over in Marshfield, will have helped their Dad count his candles.  He was born August 8, 1968, so that is quite a few candles.  Champion friends wish you all a Happy Birthday.

        Boy Howdy and the Howdy Boys, featuring Rattlesnake Slim and Frankie Midnight, the Wonder Dog, provided almost a week of entertainment for folks up in Near Champion North.  The band pulled in Tuesday and departed Sunday.  In their wake, the house seems big and quiet.  The days passed with no television—no news, no politics.  It was a lovely time of pleasant conversation, storytelling, help with farm projects, great meals and music, music, music.  These world travelers continued their tour on to North Carolina where it is sure they will be well received.  Meanwhile, back in Champion, plugged back in now and turned back on, it is exciting to see young people from all over the world striving to be the best in the world at their Olympic sport.  The Olympic Games remind us that we live in a small world and people have more in common with each other than they do differences.  It is a cause for optimism to see that spirit of friendship and cooperation.

        It was great to see Ruth Collins back at the Vanzant Bluegrass Jam with her velvety voice and sweet smile.  Dwight is sporting his new titanium hip and is getting around nicely already with just a cane.  The big circle of musicians included Montana Banjo with his lightening fingers and a guitar wielding high lonesome singer wringing hearts with, “Why did I leave my plow in the field and look for a job in the town?”  Festus had another humorous ditty.  Jerry obliged requests to yodel.  Roberta wished someone “Many Happy Hangovers.”  Visiting Texans wowed the house with eastern European music from Bulgaria, Greece and Macedonia.  The time flew by and already folks are looking forward to next Thursday.  Pot luck at 6 p.m. and good music until 9 makes a nice evenning.

        “If voting mattered, they wouldn’t let us do it,” according to Mark Twain.  He was born in 1835, and died in 1910.  He was a keen observer of the human condition.  His observation, made sometime well over a hundred years ago, may have been a cynical response to a disappointing election.  A candidate who, in the recent election, won by a narrow margin was heard to say, “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that your vote doesn’t matter!”  One hundred thirty seven people who voted for the Skyline School Tax Levy are disappointed.  Those voting against the proposal numbered 201.  In the previous election, the proposal was defeated by mere 3 (or maybe 6) votes.  Once again, the resourcefulness and dedication of the school board, the staff and the school community will be called on to keep our valuable little rural school viable with minimal resources.  Their efforts are to be commended.

        The weather is volatile all over the world these days.  There has been flooding in places that have never seen it before here in the United States and across the world.  Strong winds and heavy rain have wreaked havoc in many places.  Damage from recent storms has been cleaned up nicely on the Square in Historic Downtown Champion and locals are grateful for the relatively minor nature of it.  Marge and Doug are home again from their summer in the mountains and may have some stories to share about nature at higher elevations.  When they first located to this area they spent some time searching for it and now that they know where the Square is (at the bottom of several hills, near the confluence of a couple of creeks, where country roads meet the pavement), they may well be enjoying the placid view of the wild, wooly banks of Auld Fox Creek and of the Behemoth Bee Tree from the wide veranda of the Famed Emporium.  On Friday and Saturday nights, on your way home from the picnic, pull over at some scenic overlook and gaze at the heavens for a while.  If the sky is clear you are sure to be rewarded by the Perseids Meteor Shower and the sight of many fireballs streaking across the sky, but “don’t let the stars get in your eyes.  Don’t let the moon break your heart.  Love blooms at night…” in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—August 1, 2016

        It turns out that Champion is in the mid-southern latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, which puts us in the most favorable position on Earth to see the sights as our planet passes through the densest, dustiest area of the path left behind by the Comet Swift-Tuttle.  Meteor experts at NASA say that the Perseids Meteor Shower will be in “outburst” which means meteors will appear at double the usual rate, as many as 150 or even 200 meteors per hour.  They will be most visible around midnight on August 12th and 13th.  As if in cosmic alignment, The Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department Picnic will be held those nights as well.  The ride home will be a magic trip through shooting stars.  It is always good to be reminded that in the big picture people are quite small.  People in Champion are nevertheless pleased with our spot in the Universe.

        It is picnic season.  Wesley and Suzie Freeman came all the way up from McKinney, Texas for the Holt 4-H Picnic, which is always a great happening.  Wesley, the son of Chester Freeman, grandson of Sam Freeman, grew up at Brushyknob and went to school at Vera Cruz.  Suzie went to Mountain Grove.  They were visiting in Champion on Monday and planning to spend the week with family and friends.  Wesley builds replicas of trucks out of Balsa wood.  Go to www.championnews.us to see a picture of his very detailed work.  Karen makes her lovely Christmas cards by hand every year and says that she is still a hillbilly even if she lives in Texas.  Homecomings happen often in Champion, sometimes in order to hold fast connections to family and friends and sometimes for the sake of nostalgia and longing for a simpler time that, now that it is over, seemed better.  Being here now is good.

        The out-of-state visitors to the Vanzant jam on Thursday were not disappointed in their kin.  Entertaining is not the word.  From the depths of a battered guitar case The General produced a coonskin hat with a tail so long it completely obscured his face until he turned the thing around.  Unbidden, he proceeded to accompany Sherry Bennett in “Five Pounds of Possum” with cowbell aplenty and a pantomime of a person playing a bass instrument…a large tin can attached to a stick and a string.  No real sound came out of the instrument, but it would not have been heard anyway for the uproarious laughter.  He may have been ‘showing off’ for the bunch, hoping to have them take home some vivid memories.  Roberta had a birthday that evening and was roundly serenaded by the whole room.  Young Thomas Jarnagan’s granddad was also included in the song, though his day had been the 25th.  Visitors from Idaho, Ron and Darcy (Upshaw) Cecil and their four children enjoyed their first vacation all together in 15 years.  The bluegrass jam and the Saturday Upshaw family night ice cream party with twenty two in attendance were probably some of their best memories as they headed home.   The General said they did like Vanzant and the area, “but I don’t think any of them are planning to settle here.“

        There was plenty of good Wednesday fun at the Emporium.  Even with occasional trivial distractions and disruptions, there were many polite conversations, observations, and speculations.  Pete Proctor was out from town and Ronnie Medlock, nowadays from over at Houston, enjoyed relaxing on the wide veranda with the Dooms brothers.  He is a great guitar player, they say, but he said he does not play these days, which some folks find hard to believe.  David Cauthran, a new resident of Champion Heights, talked about his Dad who was a friend of Alfred Brumley.  Like Brumley, he sang and wrote gospel songs.  Karen Ross, intrepid mail-lady stopped by on her regular route.  Her birthday was to be Friday—she is in the prime of life—always in a good mood even when the roads are rough—a welcome sight with a dazzling smile.

        Wednesday evening a few stalwart Skyline VFD workers spent time at the Fire House starting the picnic process.  It is a treat to have some new faces helping out with the hard work.  Still, as in years past, there was a communal yearning for additional help, some young, energetic people from the area with good ideas and muscle to apply toward making a great picnic.  It is a chance to bring the community together in support of the vital little rural fire department that protects our lives and property.  Local merchants are already thinking about the door prizes they plan to donate for the picnic.  The ladies at Downtown Pawn in Mt. Grove will likely share something with the fire department again, though they outdid themselves with the amazing Dobro that they contributed for the Skyline Chili Supper back in March.  This is the 30th Skyline Picnic.  It has been decided that there will not be a silent auction this year and that fried catfish will be added to the menu.  A prominent local artisan has donated a handmade quilt/display chest for the raffle.  It is definitely shaping up to be another sterling event.

        The almanac says that the first few days of August will be good days for killing weeds, briars, poison ivy and other plant pests.  As to poison ivy, the Teeter Creek herb folks have Jewel Weed as their featured herb this week.  The plant has long been used to treat the poison ivy rash.  The leaves and juicy stems are crushed and used as a poultice.  The plant grows well in wet places and the touch-me-not seeds are easy to collect.  There is still time to plant a variety of things for a fall harvest.  Summer squash grows fast and will have time to make, as will lettuce and fall greens,  particularly Swiss Chard.  The garden is a beautiful place to be.  Young Bailey, a granddaughter visiting from Portland, Oregon enjoyed her grandparent’s garden immensely.  She particularly liked the little Dutch Bantam chickens that go about their garden eating bugs.  One little hen had an injured leg and the little girl spent her time carrying it under her arm, making sure it had its feed and water.  After a week of her tender care, the little chicken seemed to be more able to take care of herself.  Bailey’s Grandad says the little chickens do get a lot of bugs out in the garden, but they also do a great job of scratching mulch away from where he puts it, and punching holes in the low-hanging tomatoes.

        Champions are hoping that the Skyline School levy will have been approved by the voters.  Politics has some people nervous.  “What do we want?”  “Respectful discourse.”  “When do we want it?”  “Now would be agreeable to me, but I am interested in your opinion.”  The following quotes come from Presidents Harry Truman and FDR and from Voltaire.  “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”  “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people.  A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.”  “America was not built on fear.  America was built on courage, imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”  If the next ninety plus days can pass with forbearance, dignity, civility and calm, perhaps we can stand on the wide veranda together and sing, “America, America!  God shed His grace on thee.  And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!”  Champion!  Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—July 25, 2016

The Behemoth Bee Tree—solid as a rock.  The bees are fine.

        The Village, as Deward called it, resting alongside Auld Fox Creek, at the bottom of several hills, at the junction of country roads, right where the pavement begins is much recovered from the frightful storms of the previous weeks.  The brush has been hauled; the limbs cut and stacked, much of the damage to property repaired.  A prominent citizen spoke up to say that he had been entirely misquoted in The Champion News regarding the Behemoth Bee Tree.  It was reported thusly:  “A prominent citizen pointed out that the Behemoth Bee Tree stood like 35 foot tall pop-sickle stick, hardly ruffled in the breeze and the bees are fine.”  What he actually said was, “The Behemoth Bee Tree stood solid as a rock!”  The popsicle part was an embellishment meant to emphasize the relative lack of substance in the form of limbs, meaning no real wind resistance.  There is one small limb broken with wilted foliage, but for the most part it is nicely leafed out and gives every indication that it will continue to live for a while.  Champions hope the same for themselves.

        Champions abroad on the Isle of Bute off the west coast of Scotland describe their recent storm:  “Not really night time with such a bright full moon and such warm air, alongside a suspicious lack of midges.  Then black clouds closed over, pressing down on us, all the stars went out, and the night became too dark to be right.  The air was still warm, but now it was moving.  There was a noise like a rock fall, a landslide coming for us, then the low black heavens opened and the thunder exploded like the ground was splitting apart.  Lightning bolts far too close, right over and around us, relentless, blinding, strobing cage bars.  And warm torrential rain!  Bliss.  It lasted for an age, then moved off as one low slow alien ship entity, leaving the sky, the moon and the stars, leaving hairs bristling, and a smell of singed something.  Last night was my favorite storm EVER.”  Weather related excitement happens all around the world.

        Birthday excitement is happening for Seamus Heffern.  He lives in Springfield and is a Champion Grandson.  He will be 15 on the second of August (election day).  His Grandmother says that his first priority is to learn to drive.  “He will get his permit and then watch out.”  Readers of The Champion News on line at www.championnews.us can go to the May 16, 2016 posting to see a good photograph of him as a finalist in the Physics Fair in Springfield.  Pokey Man Go has his interest currently.  He will be a man of his times.

        The first of August was the birthday of Elitta January who passed away in 2011.  She was a long time resident of the area who raised her family here and who, over the years, touched many lives as a Hospice nurse.  She loved bird watching, cooking, camping and gardening, and she loved to play Bridge.  She will always be much missed and her friends speak of her often and smile remembering her own beaming grin.

        There will be an open house at Skyline School on August 15th from 5:30 to 7:00 in the evening.  It will be a great chance to look around at the wonderful little facility and to become acquainted with the staff, a nice bunch of people.  School starts on the17th.  Open enrollment is August 8th and 9th from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  New students are asked to bring proof of residence, shot records, birth certificate and Social Security number if possible.  The Douglas County Health Department nurse, Nannette Hirsch, will be at the school on the 2nd from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. doing blood pressure checks and other health screenings for the community.  It is an important service that has proven to be lifesaving.  The 2nd will also be a chance for the community to do a great service for the school, perhaps lifesaving, as the levy increase comes up on the ballot in the primary election.  Property in the school district is assessed at 19% of the value for a residence, 12% for a farm and personal property at 33.3%.  The increase of $.48 per $100.00 in assessed value will bring the total levy up to $3.43.  This means that a homeowner with a $50,000 house and 2 cars worth a total of $15,000 would have taxes increased approximately $70.00 per year.  What the levy increase will bring to Skyline School is an additional $44,000 from local revenue and an additional $20,600 from the State.  These funds will go a long way toward updating the security of the school, the technology, the equipment—fixtures and furniture, as well as the transportation.  It may be a surprise to some to know that the State requires Skyline to pay tuition for each of the students in our district when they enter the 9th grade in one of the three local high schools.  Often the tuition is more than the State provides for each student.  Skyline paid $205,000 this last year in tuition.

        The absence of something bad has again proven to be the same as something good.  So it was in the Historic Emporium on Wednesday as a harmonious gathering of neighbors in the meeting room discussed history, family history, weather, farming, haying and a great many other things, including the foibles of some of those absent from the group.  A local well respected luthier had brought back the banjolin he had taken for repair a couple of weeks earlier.  It had its neck straightened, its head tightened and a new bridge and strings.  He says when the stretch is out of the strings in a few days it should be quite tunable and playable—strung and tuned like a mandolin with the head of a banjo—a  unique instrument.   A little music is starting to happen there in the early Wednesday afternoons.  Musicians with their instruments are welcome.  The owner of the banjolin is hoping someone will learn Gene Autry’s ‘Texas Plains’.  “I want to drink my java from an old tin can/ while the moon goes climbing high/ I want to hear the call of a whippoorwill/ I want to hear a coyote cry…”

        Vanzant will be the high point of a multi-generational vacationing party of Idaho based Upshaws and Upshaw descendants during the coming week.  They are sure to be at the Thursday Bluegrass Jam there and will swell the crowd by 17 or so.  They have been touring the country, seeing the sites, including Mt. Rushmore.  Perhaps they will circumambulate the Square in downtown Champion to examine the Behemoth Bee Tree and then lounge with refreshments on the spacious veranda to look out on another one of the world’s truly beautiful places—Champion!  Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—July 18, 2016

        Tranquility.  (Okay, that is not a sentence.  Rules of grammar can seem restricting, but overall English is a good language even if it seems a little awkward sometimes.  Aunt Nellie’s daughter says it is a strange language, though through tough thorough thought it can be understood.)  Tranquil.  It is just the statement of conditions in Champion.  The storms have passed.  The brush is almost hauled.  The soil is still moist.  Sunshine has returned.  Hay is being made.  Cucumbers are overwhelming.  Tomatoes are ripening.  The creeks are cool.  Family comes and goes and comes back again.  Life is good in Champion.

        Over in Brushy Knob it is pretty much the same, except for the bears.  Snagged from the internet the other day from Tarbutton Heights, “It’s been an exciting afternoon in Brushyknob.  At least on our hill.  We had another visit from a black bear about 3:00.  He was walking around in the yard and then went over to the Apple tree and ate apples off the ground.  He’d stand then sit and then lay down to eat them.  I suppose we’ll have to be on alert now till the apples are gone.  We have a few blackberries out back so I bet the ripe ones are gone now.  That’s the direction he came from.  Never a dull moment around here.  I just happened to walk over to the sink and saw him out there.  We stood on the upstairs deck and watched him for quite a while.  Hope your afternoon was as exciting as ours.”  Chances are pretty good that almost no one around these parts had such an exciting afternoon.  The July issue of the Missouri Conservationist (mdc.mo.gov/conmag) has a great article, “Bear With Us” by Kristie Hilgedick.  It provides a lot of good information including guidelines to “Be Bear Aware.”  (Be loud.  Do not turn your back.  Do not run.)  This monthly magazine is free to Missouri households and at a nominal cost to other areas.  There is a great kid’s magazine that comes out six times a year.  It is a Parents Choice Approved Award Winner.  It is also free to Missouri residents and costs only $5.00 per year to send it to grandchildren who live far away.

        On July 18th, Tracee Davis said, “Happy 88th Birthday to my miracle mother, Inez Proctor Davis!”  Tracee had lots of sweet things to say about the dear lady.  Ethan Alexander and Zee Heffern (a Skyline alumnus) both have birthdays on July 19th.  They do not live in Champion, but they have deep good connections here.  The last ten days of July find a number of Skyline School teachers, staff and students with birthdays.  Mr. Prock teaches 5th and 6th grade.  His birthday is on the 20th.  Mrs. Gunter teaches 4th grade and has a birthday on the 23rd.  She shares the day with bus driver Ronny Trammel.  Sixth grader, Grace Crawford, celebrates on the 25th, as does the cook, Ms. Dot.  Jaci Borders is a second grade student who will be having a party on the 27th.  Mrs. Sartor teaches kindergarten.  Her birthday is on the 29th and kindergarten student, Eugene Elliot, has his birthday on the next day, the 30th.  Apparently school will be starting up again soon–school supplies are showing up in the stores in town.  Summer is the swiftest season.  The August 2nd election will give residents of the Skyline R2 School district the opportunity to pass the levy that will raise the total up to the minimum amount required for matching funds from the State.  There is a strong case to justify the need and the increase is a mere $0.48 per $100.00 assessed value.  A Snickers Bar costs $0.99.  An educated population is the hope of the Nation.  This little rural school is a jewel—one of the last of its kind.  SOS!  Save our School!

        Little Champion grandchildren Carson and Drayson Cline are moving off to Tennessee.  They plan to come back often to see their Champion grandmother.  They will probably grow by the foot between visits, even if those visits are as close together as friends and family here hope.  They were out playing in Clever Creek on Sunday.  Next week they may be splashing in Cripple Creek.  Where ever they are there will be fun and excitement, so look out Tennessee, here they come!

        Neighbors over at Vanzant are bracing for a surge of relatives from Idaho.  Seventeen additional Upshaws, though some are called by different names, are slated to attend the July 28th Bluegrass Jam.  They are in for a treat.  There will be family and friends there whom they know and some they have not yet met.  All will be enjoying the benefits of music, which among many other things includes reducing stress, pain and anxiety, boosting the immune system and keeping an aging brain healthy.  “Put another nickel in, in the nickelodeon…”

        These days are tranquil in Champion while the world all around seems to be in turmoil.  Tragedy and strife is everywhere as 7.4 billion people try to exist on the same little planet.  Political upheaval, regime change, old alliances broken, new ones forged, social unrest, civil disobedience and violence on every corner makes us fearful and anxious.  Dionne Warwick’s song from 1967 still rings true, “What the world needs now is love sweet love.  It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.  What the world needs now is love sweet love.  No not just for some but for everyone.”  If ever there was a time for tolerance, empathy and compassion, it is now.  Each person feels as if he is justified in the belief that his prejudices are better than anyone else’s prejudices.  The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and, while Champions applaud the right, they are willing to forego some of their person vitriol for the sake of harmony.  Someone said, “Live without pretending, love without depending, listen without defending, speak without offending.”  That is a tall order.

        On a Wednesday, or any day, come down to the wide, wild, wooly banks of Auld Fox Creek for an opportunity for civil discourse with convivial friends and neighbors.  Buy some chicken feed or ice cream or any number of necessities from the broad, eclectic inventory.  Get a look at the Champion Farmer’s Almanac posted on the bulletin board there.  It says the 22nd and 23rd will be good days for transplanting, for setting strawberry plants and for planting root crops.  Find the almanac on line at www.championnews.us where there is also a picture of six students who had perfect attendance at the Champion School sometime in the early 20th Century.  Sit out on the broad veranda and enjoy the scenic beauty looking across the Square to the Behemoth Bee Tree and the Little Church in the Wildwood.  Soak in the mellow ambiance Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—July 11, 2016

        It was all chaos in Champion on Wednesday morning as a thunderstorm ripped through the Village with a vengeance.  The storm was at its worst at about 10:30 and when it was over, the whole Square was littered with debris.  Neighbors stepped in immediately to begin the cleanup.  By noon things were mostly back to normal.  Some of the big limbs downed are now stacked neatly in short lengths.  Patrons of the Recreation of the Historic Emporium continue to be impressed with the substantial nature of that recreation.  They felt entirely safe inside.  It is unlikely that the previous permutation of the Champion Store would have fared so well, though it doubtlessly saw many a raging tempest in its time.  The electricity was off and on for a while as the White River Valley crew replaced a transformer up on County Road 243.  Otherwise, it was a just another busy day in the hub of the community.  Friends, neighbors and family visited back in the meeting room, on the wide veranda and out on the Square–sharing their observations, memories of the past, and hopes for the future.  It seems to be an annual event that the sky opens up any time Harley comes down from Illinois to make hay.  That might just be a coincidence.  He always brings good humor with him.  Another storm on Friday brought down more trees and brush across county roads.  Chainsaws hummed all over the place to open pathways to get back to the middle of things–Champion.

        That Friday storm ended just in time to make conditions perfect for the Vanzant Picnic.  The temperature was ideal and lingering clouds kept attendees from having to compete for the shade this year.  The puddles were easy to avoid.  Friends who only see each other at these events reunited with much laughter.  The food was superb and the music sublime.  Steve Moody does a wonderful job as master of ceremonies and Pete Proctor and his fellows from the American Legion Post presented the Flag.  Saturday evening also started off beautifully and the crowd was having a wonderful time when, at about 8 o’clock, the electric transformer overheated and power was lost.  There were no sparks or other fireworks, just a sudden loss of juice.  The band, however, played on.  Big Creek was on stage when the power went out and they completed their set acoustically.  Then Backyard Bluegrass took over and performed their portion of the show in the dark.  The General, speaking under the condition that his limited knowledge of the situation be presented as if he knew what he was talking about, said that the bands are to be commended for carrying on, which, indeed they are.  He said the fire department (Eastern Douglas County) and some picnic workers used their vehicles to light the picnic area until the electricity resumed.  It was about 10:20 when the Howell Organ people arrived and quickly restored the power.  By that time the crowd had thinned out to just the workers.  Speculation was that the additional lights that had recently been installed combined with the electrical requirements of the picnic and the possible damage to the transformer from recent storms and the age of the device all led to its failure.  The spokesman said that no squirrels were hurt during this calamity and that a larger transformer will be installed in the near future.  Already plans are in the works for next year’s picnic.  Meanwhile, Thursday’s pot-luck Bluegrass jam will continue in this splendid venue with all the fun that brings.

        Champion Bonnie Mullins had a nice 4th of July.  She said that in the old days they would spend the day working in the fields, “…but Granddad Brixey always had a watermelon in the spring getting cold for the end of the day and we always had one or two small packages of firecrackers and that made us happy.”  She is happy now about the beautiful flowers that surprise her every week in their new home.  She shared pictures of hibiscus and said that the bush is just full of buds.  The Teeter Creek Herb of the week is Mullein.  The folks over on Teeter Creek report that it is a biennial, “having a rosette of the fuzzy leaves on the ground the first year, and sending up its stalk and seeding the second year.”  The tall flower-staff is blooming in fields and along roadsides now with its easily identifiable yellow flowers.  They say it is a transplant from the Old World, a valued herb for treating rheumatic pains, bruises, sprains, swollen glands, ear-ache and respiratory problems.  “A use you may find critical someday—it is one of the best toilet paper substitutes in the wild!”

        Sharon Tate Williamson has a birthday on July 13th.  She shares the day with great niece Sophia Zappler who lives in Austin, Texas but comes every summer to visit her old aunt and uncle in Champion.  Jude Hicks is a kindergarten student at Skyline School.  (Keep in mind the proposed tax levy increase of $0.49 which will appear on the ballot on the August 2nd election.  It will represent a small tax increase to the residents of the Skyline R2 School District and will be the determining factor in the school being able to obtain matching funds from the State—critical to the long term survival of our small rural school, serving the community so well.)  Jude’s birthday is on July 14th.  As he grows up he will learn that he shares a special day with the people of France.  Bastille Day, July 14, 1789, marked the beginning of the French Revolution when the infamous prison was stormed by partisans fed up with the abuses of the monarchy.  A few weeks later the French National Assembly abolished feudalism and adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen as its constitution.  This was inspired by the American Declaration of Independence and contained the iconic statement:  “Men are born free and remain free and equal in rights.”  Quotes from current presidential candidates and past Presidents of the United States include the following:  “The problems we face did not come down from the heavens.  They are made by bad human decisions, and good human decisions can change them.”  “What is needed now, more than ever, is leadership that steers us away from fear and fosters greater confidence in the inherent goodness and ingenuity of humanity.”  “We must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American eagle in order to feather their own nests.”  A recently departed Nobel Laurite and Holocaust survivor said, “We must always take sides.  Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.  Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”  Apply happy birthday wishes and profound common sense philosophies where needed.

        Come down to the broad banks of Auld Fox Creek for a look at a beautiful place in the world.  A prominent citizen pointed out that the Behemoth Bee Tree stood like 35 foot tall pop-sickle stick hardly ruffled in the breeze and the bees are fine.  “The storm in its fury raged today, crushing hopes that we cherished so dear.  Clouds and storms will in time pass away.  The sun will shine again bright and clear” in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—July 1, 2016

Cousins

       Friends gathering once a week or so ask each other, “How are you?”  “What have you been up to this week?”  “How are you doing?” One answers, “I must be doing OK.  At least nothing bad has happened.”  This is a philosophical point that proves itself regularly.  The absence of something bad is indeed the same as something good.  As the Wednesday bunch chatted among themselves and examined items of interest (this time an engraved silver tatting shuttle with work in progress), it was peaceful in the extreme with no unseemly behavior by anyone and no provocative angst.  It was just lovely, particularly as Hoovey and Dawn Henson came for the experience.  They were in town for the annual alumni doings at Mountain Grove High School.  They will be back for the Champion School Reunion in September.  They had already been to Tulsa where Dawn grew up and went to school.  Hoovie had some artifacts of Dawn’s family going back to the time of Abraham Lincoln and it is clear that he considers himself to be lucky to be intertwined with someone of such fine pedigree.  Dawn grew up in the city and has lived in cities all her life.  She likes it.  Whippoorwills might make her as anxious as sirens make country women.  It was a good time for Hoovey to get to visit with cousins, Deward’s Granddaughter and Ethel of Omo.  He had plenty of stories to tell about the generation that included Deward’s daughter.  It is funny what we remember in the way of family stories.  Some are poignant, some humorous, some revisionist and some are there to tie the distant past to the future for the sake of continuity and the feeling of belonging.  Family.  Imagine if Elmer Banks were your Grandfather!  Just think about that.  His grandson, Chris, was visiting from Louisiana–a good looking, well-spoken young man somewhere in his 20s with a nice smile and a polite demeanor.  Years hence he will have stories to tell.  He probably already has some.

       The storm that blew through the Starvy Creek Bluegrass Festival on Thursday evening made its way down to Vanzant before the music was over.  Starvy Creek is up by Conaway, Missouri in northern Webster County–up the road a piece from Marshfield.  Musicians come from all over in their RVs and camp for a few days.  They bunch up and play all night, or so said Sally’s brother as he was planning to go.  The internet news is that Friday dawned beautifully up there and they were all looking forward to a beautiful day.  Meanwhile back at the ranch, it was lovely to see Sherry Bennet out on the east side again and David Richardson down from Norwood.  He’ll be on stage next week at the Vanzant Picnic, Friday and Saturday, the 8th and 9th.  Doug Bean and his wife Bonnie live around Caulfield, MO.  They come out to Vanzant from time to time.  Doug has a great voice of that Bluegrass timber that is called ‘high lonesome.’  He knows old songs with lots of words…fox hunting hound dog songs—always a gift when he sits in to sing.  Over at Champion on Wednesday Hoovie had said that he and Dawn were planning to come to the jam Thursday, but he did not say that Royce and Jody would be there too.  Royce said that he had been reading about this gathering in The Champion News for years and was glad to get the chance to see for himself.  They seemed to have a good time.  The rain had caused Royce to be able to take a day off from work and, hopefully, the storms had all passed before they started their long trip back to Springfield.

       Hooray for the folks in Kunkletown, Pennsylvania.  With great community involvement and a law suit, they were able to stop the Nestle Corporation, which had its sights set on pumping 200,000 gallons of water per day from the aquifer there.  Residents were worried about the impact this would have on local wells.  The predatory water profiteering actions taken by Nestle’ Water Bottling Company in various cities, counties and states has yielded mega profits for Nestle at the expense of citizens and taxpayers.  (Corporate welfare)  During California’s historic drought, the company was siphoning off 80 million gallons a year from the Sacramento aquifer.  Nestle calls itself “The Healthy Hydration Company” and has 67 different brand names for bottled water including Perrier, San Pellegrino, Nestle Pure Life, Poland Spring, and Ozarka.  Company spokespeople have actually said that “water should be defined as a need—not as a human right.”  As to human rights, the United States Supreme Court recently rejected Nestlé’s appeal in a child labor case in Ivory Coast.  It has admitted the use of child slave labor in Thailand and Turkey and is implicated in the practice in countries around the world where chocolate is produced.  “This is awful, what can I do?”  If it says ‘Nestle’ on the package, do not buy it.  It might alter your grocery shopping habits drastically as the company has an enormous number of products.  A person says, “What difference does it make?   What can I do to change the practices of this enormous company?”  Perhaps the only difference will be the peace of mind that you get from not contributing to the evil.  (The absence of something bad is the same as something good.)  Champion sits on a beautiful aquifer.

       The Nation celebrates its birthday on the 4th of July.  On the 5th of July the Dali Lama shares his birthday with Virginia Canada.  Janet Burns and the late Walter Darrell Haden have the 6th marked as their day of remembrance.  That is also the last day to register to vote in order to be able to participate in the August 2nd election that will fill several local offices and will give residents in the Skyline R2 School District the opportunity to pay a few cents more in taxes to insure the financial security of the important little institution.  Of course it is to the advantage of certain entities to keep the population only educated enough to follow orders and to run the machines, but not educated enough to be capable of the critical thinking that would allow them to question.  Passive people are more easily manipulated.  That may be the reason that education is so expensive and so underfunded.  Supporting this little school is a gift that will pay off down the line.

       “Reckon who is having the most fun?”  That was the question under a picture of Buzz Woods and four little grand people, the tallest one being about elbow high, as they were strolling along together engaged in deep conversation.  The annual Tree Huggers Jamboree at the Mill Pond is an event much anticipated and this year attended by many far flung huggers, some from as far away as Portland, Oregon.  Independence Day all around the country is celebrated by gatherings of friends, old ones and new ones, celebrating with good food, music, fireworks and homages to nostalgia and patriotism.  What brings us all together all over the Nation at the peak of the beautiful season is acknowledgement of good fortune.  Though one Old Champion says, “Everything that doesn’t hurt, itches.”  Teeter Creek herb people will be there with friends and family and will have some suggested remedies for those aches and itches and will help fill in the names of some of the wildflowers that are gracing every country lane this time of the year.  Some of those Old Tree Huggers will be harkening back to an old John Prine song, “We blew up our TV, threw away our papers, Went to the country, built us a home, Had a lot of children, fed ’em on peaches” and some of them found themselves in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—June 27, 2016

The Bee Tree, Valentine’s Day 2015 The Bee Tree, June 27th 2016

        Sunday afternoon an old Champion, headed to the Village, approached the slab over Clever Creek and observed that there was a couple standing in the creek.  The woman was giving the man a haircut standing there in the cold water.  Their car was parked on the edge of the road and there was plenty of room to get around them, but about that time a full grown skunk came running down the road toward the creek.  The couple did not see the skunk and the Champion was so excited that she kept adjusting her side mirror rather than opening her window.  By the time she had her window down in order to alert the couple to the presence of the skunk, the critter had headed off into the brush on the south east side of the creek.  It unusual to see a skunk out in the daylight and, while it is advisable to avoid a skunk any time you can, particularly do so if it is behaving in any odd way such as staggering or being aggressive.  Skunks are susceptible to rabies.  Alert the Conservation Department, the sheriff or the Douglas County Health department if you see a skunk that you think might be rabid.

        Nanette Hirsch is the Douglas County Health Department nurse who comes to Champion on the last Tuesday of each month to do blood pressure checks and other health screening.  She is also at the Skyline School on the first Tuesday of each month from 8:30 to 10:30.  That will be Tuesday, July 5th for local residents who wish to take advantage of this real service to the community.  Lives have been saved.

        The Behemoth Bee Tree over on the South Side of the Square is beginning to look like it will survive.  This is its second summer after the February, 2015 pruning that rendered it a 35 foot tall stump.  The bee inhabitants seem to be thriving and hopes are that the little green brush pile at the top of the stump will flourish.  It will be some time before it provides the shade again for the Champion School Reunion.  “Champion School Memories” was published by a Prominent Champion back in 1985.  From the chapter on school history, “The school tax levy during the 1890s was usually around forty cents per one hundred dollar valuation.  The total assessed valuation of taxable property in the district in 1892 was $9,124.00.  The total taxes on one hundred sixty acres would be about two dollars.”  The Champion School was consolidated with other area schools back in the mid-1950s into the Skyline R2 School.  An effort to raise the current tax levy by $0.48 will be on the ballot in the August 2nd election.  That will bring the total levy per hundred dollar valuation up to $3.43 which is the magic number that will make our wonderful rural school eligible for matching funds from the State of Missouri, while still being the lowest tax levy in the State.  Enrollment has decreased in recent years, but the cost of operating the school has not reduced.  “School days, school days, good old golden rule days!  Reading and writing and rithmetic taught to the tune of the hickory stick.”  Those nostalgic sentiments could well be translated into support.  SOS!  Save Our School!  Skyline bus driver, Paul Kennedy has a birthday on July 7th.  Seventh grader Patrick Vincent will celebrate on the 3rd.  Then the whole Nation will celebrate on the 4th.  There will be bar-b-que, fireworks, watermelons and creeks full of people having a good time.  Huzza!  America!

        Champion gardens are looking good, particularly after a good rain.  That is when, according to some, the weeds just want to jump up into your hands.  Champion the Wonder Horse was a Tennessee walking horse and the on-screen companion of singing cowboy, Gene Autry, in 79 films between 1935 and 1952.  The horse lived to be 47 years old.  One of the Wednesday sages brought a replica of his famous pistol bridal for community inspection.  It is a shiny silver thing and sparked recollections of the singing cowboy.  “I’m back in the saddle again, out where a friend is a friend!”  That was his theme song.  Dave, sometimes referred to as Jim or Bob, over at the Thursday Vanzant jam was struggling for words to that song the other night.  Perhaps he will have it worked up for the next jam.  He likes Gene Autry better than Roy Rogers, and endeavors to adhere to Autry’s “Cowboy Code” which said, “He must not take unfair advantage of an enemy.  He must never go back on his word.  He must always tell the truth.  He must be gentle with children, the elderly and animals.  He must not possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.  He must help people in distress.  He must be a good worker.  He must respect women, parents and his nation’s laws.  He must neither drink nor smoke.  He must be a patriot.”  The Cowboy Code could be applied to current times, particularly relating to politics and world conditions, with good effect—a Champion code.

        The swift passage of time is on the minds of some Champions reminding them that the year is half gone and soon it will be Christmas again.  “It’s a Wonderful Life” is one of those Christmas movies that have scenes that are poignant any time of the year.  Some of the life lessons that can be gleaned from this nostalgic 1946 film are:  Your life has purpose.  Keeping up with the Joneses is for saps.  Bad guys do not always get punished.  Do not hire someone just because he is family.  Appreciate how blessed you already are.  Marry the right person.  Deliver a good toast:  “Bread, that this house may never know hunger.  Salt, that life may always have flavor.  And wine, that joy and prosperity may reign forever.”  Recently a scene from the movie was played out in real life.  George Bailey shook hands with Mr. Potter and then recoiled, wiping his hand off on his coat in revulsion as if to erase the event.  Anyone can have a momentary lapse in judgement.  “There are people in every time and every land who want to stop history in its tracks.  They fear the future, mistrust the present and invoke the security of a comfortable past, which in fact, never existed,” said Robert Kennedy.  These old movies seem to reinforce that image.  Champions prove that the past can be venerated, fictional or not, even as they strive toward making the present better for themselves and for future generations.  Come down to the wide, wild, wooly banks of Auld Fox Creek for a vision of the Behemoth Bee Tree and for a progressive breath of fresh air in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—June 20, 2016

Cold Springs Road with flowers on either side

        Summer is in full swing in Champion, having arrived well in advance of the designated calendar date.  The Summer Solstice, decorated with the full Strawberry Moon, makes for exciting days for Champions who still pay attention to those things.  Father’s Day came with phone calls, cards, e-mail and facebook greetings, bar-b-que and funny gifts.  “And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon.  Little boy blue and the man on the moon.”  The lyrics from a song by Harry Chapin tell the story of a busy father with little time for his son and the son who grew up to have little time for his father.  It is a sad song that, fortunately, rarely applies to our Champion fathers.  Those fortunate enough to have fathers living yet have good examples of hard work, dedication, good habits and humor.  Remembering the old guy while he is still around is a gift for both father and child.  Fathers gone a long time or just recently departed are held close in memory for the good times–Champions.

        Jenna and Jacob Brixey are having good times.  They went to three fairs this year with nine calves, winning lots of blue ribbons.  Jacob won Grand Champion bull calf at the Wright County Junior Fair and Jenna was Grand Champion heifer calf.  Jacob thought it was the coolest thing to sleep on a cot under the stars.  Photographs provided by their Mother show Jenna and Jacob resting, if not sleeping, on the calves—great scrapbook pictures.

Jenna and Jacob at the Fair

        Up in Chicago, a baby named Waylon Stanley was born on the birthday of his great Uncle Josh on the 19th.  Congratulations all around, dear Rachael!  Linda K. Watts and Sierra Parsons share their birthdays with the Summer Solstice on the 21st.  The 22nd is a day to recognize two dynamic ladies–Elizabeth Warren and Cinita Brown.  Skyline 8th grade student, Alyssa Strong, celebrates on the 23rd and kindergarten student, Easton Shannon, on the 24th.  The 25th will find Johnny Rainbow, Wapaho Dude, partying in bear country and Sherry Bennet having a musical celebration.  Esther Wrinkles would have celebrated on the 28th.  She is a much missed member of the Skyline VFD and good friend.  The 29th belongs to Eva Powell.  She made a Sunday trip back to Champion for the first time since she moved up to Marshfield.  It was a joy to see her.  (Mrs. Eva Powell, Marshfield Care Center D-2, 800 South White Oak St., Marshfield, MO 65706).  Radio personality and country gentleman, Butch Kara, also celebrates on the 29th.  He probably celebrates all the time.  Happy Birthday to all of you June bugs and Champions.

        Betty and Dale Thomas were once again the first ones in the door at the Second Skyline VFD Fish Fry.  Dale says, “Get it done and go home.”  Betty says he always likes to be early.  It is a family dynamic.  There was a slow but steady stream of stalwart regular supporters of the little rural volunteer fire department.  Keith and Sue Yeager, up from Texas with family and friends, were some of the last to arrive and seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves.  It was a great meal and a good time for friends and neighbors to sit and visit.  One of the topics of conversation was the school tax levy that will come up on the August 2nd ballot.  There are a few folks who say they are all for the children, but do not want to vote for the levy without knowing exactly how the money will be spent.  School board members say it will go into the general fund.  The State does not fully fund the school and with its reduced enrollment over the past ten years there is a shortfall in funding.  Superintendent Curtis says that once the budget is balanced they can address pressing needs.  Maintenance on aging school busses amounted to $15,000.00 last year.  Safety and security updates, technology, chairs and desks are all priorities as well as being able to split class rooms so that two grades will not have to share the same teacher.  Not everyone has a child in school, but everyone benefits from an educated population.  Skyline is the smallest school in the county and it has been serving the area beautifully since the mid-1950s.  This small tax levy will only affect people in the school district and may well make the difference in the survivability of the school.  School is so often the very heart of a community.  Bless our heart.

        The longest day of the year and a full moon, with all that entails, brought an unexpected visitor knocking at the door looking for a drink of water.  Cookie Miesen-Platz was on a vagabond journey on foot up Cold Springs Road.  She had waded creeks and kept in the middle of the road, through flowers on either hand, hoping to avoid the prodigious poison ivy. She does not believe in drinking out of plastic bottles and has a beef with the Nestle Company over essentially stealing water from fragile aquifers here in the US and issues of child slavery in a number of countries in both hemispheres.  She has no reservation about asking personal questions and does not seem to know that in this part of the world politics is seldom discussed among strangers.  She sat on the porch with her glass of water and talked.  “I think nothing as it appears now will be reality when it is all said and done.”  She said that she thought that an arrangement had been made between the Clinton family and Mr. Trump that he would act as a ‘stalking horse’ and then they would just buy him off altogether.  She thinks the Grand Old Party will find a way to relieve itself of him and will then enlist Paul Ryan as the candidate.  He is young, handsome, ‘humble’ and embodies all the hyper-conservative values that scare the daylights out of moderate people–scarier even than Trump “… because,” she says, “by comparison he seems so reasonable.”  She also thinks that Senator Sanders will emerge the victor from the Democratic convention and the ultimate race will be between him and Paul Ryan.  Time will tell if her predictions are right.  Remember, if it turns out that way, you heard it first from The Champion News as told by Cookie Miesen-Platz, a wayfaring stranger.  She left with a fruit jar of water and a plan to turn onto Fox Creek Road and walk all the way to Denlow.  It was not clear where her starting point had been, but she left heads spinning in her wake.

        A sign up in the Vanzant Community Center says there will be no music there on July 7th.  The General explained that the Vanzant Picnic starts the next night so the facility will be in the midst of getting ready.  That is always a sterling event.  It is the first of the local picnics and all the others strive to be that good.  There will be music there on the 23rd and the 30th–pot luck at six then music until nine.  There was a little music on the wide veranda of the Historic Emporium last week.  It may happen again.  They will sing, “Keep on the Sunny Side, always on the sunny side, keep on the sunny side of life.  It will help us every day, it will brighten all the way if we keep on the sunny side of life” in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—June 13, 2016

Champion Skies

        An exciting thunderstorm on Sunday afternoon launched an exciting week ahead.  Champions were on the ball last week accomplishing a great deal of hay making.  They can rest this week amid daily threats of rain while they update, maintain and repair their equipment for the next wonderful hay making opportunity.  They will have a little opportunity to relax, but will be ever vigilant for conditions to be just right again.  It is the very definition of equipoise.  Equipoise–one of those beautiful words that makes a person think of horses, even though it has nothing to do with horses.  It means equilibrium, counterbalance, and the state of being both relaxed and ready.  Champion!

        Buzz Woods just celebrated a birthday.  Good manners prevent asking how old he is, but he can hardly be very old because he has that persistent youthful smile.  He knows he is a lucky man.  Skyline student Zachary Coon has his birthday on the 15th together with Ava’s sterling citizen, Janice Loraine.  Foster Wiseman celebrates on the 16th.  He was splashing in Clever Creek on Friday.  Daniel Parks will be in the 4th grade at Skyline.  His birthday is on the 19th.  Accomplished artist and artisan, Joshua Cohen, also celebrates on the 19h up in Reading, PA.  Tyler Clark was born June 20, 1988.  According to Larry Lorenzoni, “Birthdays are good for you.  Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.”  So, many happy returns, you Champions!  Gardeners generally live a long time.  They must be old, because you see them out in their gardens all stooped over pulling weeds after a good rain.  They say that is when the weeds almost jump up into their hands.  When you see a beautiful garden, there is generally somebody in it.  The almanac at www.championnews.us says the 17th through the 19th will be poor days for planting, but good days to prune in order to discourage growth.  It is suggested to cut hay or do general farm work.  After that the 20th and 21st will be good days to plant late beets, potatoes, onions and other root crops.  Prune on those days to encourage growth.  Champions are great encouragers of all types of growth.

Clever Creek full of Kriders!

        Regular Wednesday visitors to Champion were treated to a barrage of seldom seen Kriders–Harley and Barbara, Donald and Rita, Vivian Krider Floyd with her son, Larry, and daughter-in-law, Gayla.  Breauna and Luxe were there together with young Chase and his folks, new neighbors in Champion Heights.  It was a nice crowd.  Reba Bishop came with her husband, Don, and that is always pleasant.  Some people would rather not have their picture taken or their name mentioned in the paper for reasons of personal shyness or purposes of evasion.  The General was there with his sister, a Champion Krider.  Larry Dooms, Wes Lambert and others made it a large, interesting gathering full of nostalgia and convivial visiting.  It turns out that Donald Krider is a fiddler.  He plays in a group that entertains at nursing homes and senior centers up in their neighborhood in Illinois.  He likes to tell little jokes between songs like, “Do you know anything about Eskimos?  They are God’s frozen people.”  He is looking forward to playing with Foster on mandolin and Dillon on banjo.  What a musical bunch.

The bright lights of Vanzant were outshown by these smiles. Thomas being held by Dad, next to Granddad and Mom.

        Six month old Thomas Jarnagin came all the way from Oregon to attend the Vanzant Bluegrass Jam last week.  His folks, Elizabeth and Todd Jarnagin, brought him down to get him acquainted with his Granddad, John Weber.  There was a lot of sweetness going on.  Thomas was wearing his overalls and charming everybody in sight.  He seemed to very much like the music, especially when his Dad took his turn in the musical rotation.  You Are My Sunshine, and King of the Road were a couple of his tunes.  Todd says that he finds himself playing and singing more since Thomas arrived on the scene—always a good sign.

        The Skyline School will be the site of the second Skyline VFD Fish Fry on Saturday.  From 4 to 8 p.m.  They will be serving up fried catfish or chicken tenders with all the fixings.  It is a bargain of a meal and a chance to support the fire department at a time when it can really use some support.  You can meet up with friends and eat in, or take your dinner home.  The excursion out to Skyline from any direction will be a lovely one.  The roadsides are covered with wild flowers of many varieties.  Purple coneflowers are striking to see in mass.  Those nice folks over on Teeter Creek make good medicines out of our native plants.  Echinacea is the coneflower and many are familiar with its support for the immune system.  A tincture of turmeric is proving to be effective as an anti-inflammatory.  Look up www.teetercreekherbs.com to find out more about the useful plants of our glorious Ozarks.  Meanwhile, neighbors from Teeter Creek are joining with friends and family of Josh Bradley up in Springfield for a fund raising benefit to help Josh with the enormous expenses connected with fighting malignant melanoma.  He starts his treatment this week.  Hopefully the benefit will have been a great success, but for those who could not attend and would like to help, an account has been set up at the Town and Country Bank in Ava in the name of Josh Bradley or Trish Davis to accept donations.  Josh is a young family man—a husband, a father, a son.  Neighbors helping neighbors is precious activity.

        Tragic events over the week end have many families impacted and many hearts broken over the loss of loved ones and over loss of a feeling of safety and security.  The best and worst of American spirit and attitudes will doubtlessly be on display.  Noam Chomsky says, “If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.”  The inevitable spewing forth of hate and bigotry borne of fear and ignorance will wash through the media and across the pages of our newspapers even in, or perhaps especially in, rural Missouri.  Extremism on both ends of religion and/or politics is fraught with threat and danger.  It is as if to say right out loud, “If you don’t love God or each other the way I do, I will kill you.”  How loving is that?  Is that a mote in your eye or a log?  “I dream of a world where the truth is what shapes people’s politics rather than politics shaping what people think is true.”  Neil DeGrasse Tyson said that.  “Music imprints itself in the brain deeper than any other human experience….Music brings back the feeling of life when nothing else can.”  Dr. Oliver Sacks said that.  “Jumpin’ Bill Carlisle (Hot Shot Elmer) said, “When you’re living in the country everybody is your neighbor.  On this one thing you can rely.  They will all come to see you and they’ll never ever leave you, saying, ‘Ya’ll come to see us by and by.’  Ya’ll come” to Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!