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CHAMPION—April 15, 2007—LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

        The Good news in Champion is that all the holiday visitors have made it home safely.  Traveling is an adventurous enterprise.  To leave the safety of home, family and friends takes courage even if the destination is home, family and friends.  Others are out on the open road to make a living.  What ever the reason for being out there, Champions applaud the courage of their travelers and wish them safe and pleasant journeys.  Ben and Brenda Goodall of Peculiar, MO, hosted a couple of Champions overnight and were most gracious.

        It was revealed that one of the regular visitors to these parts was spinning yarns over in Krider’s barn last week.  He was telling stories about Ed Henson, whom he knew well.  Perhaps next time this fellow is in the neighborhood he will address a wider audience. Ed was reported to have been a great fan of April Fool’s Day.  Some of his antics surrounding that holiday would make for pleasant reading.  Deward Henson’s daughter remarked that on his death bed her Father had said, “Look on the bright side.”  She likes the new motto of the community and said that the sentiment was routinely expressed in her home as she was growing up.  She also shares a pet peeve with several other residence:  litter.  The beautiful country lanes seem to attract empty bottles and cans, fast food wrappers and other trash.  If it were just town people coming out being thoughtless and unaware, signs could be put up saying “Go Back To Town With Your Garbage!”  If it could all be blamed on hunters, they could be issued litter bags with their hunting licenses.  For many the only answer is to just get out there and pick it up.  While Spring is being illusive this year a walk down the road on a warm day can be a delight.  Champions might as well have plastic bags in their hip pockets to fill up on the way back home.  The next time they are out their eyes will go straight to the beauty all about and to the mysteries of the weather, the woods and Spring.

        It was a dark and stormy night, also cold and wet, when the Ladies Auxiliary of the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department met on Tuesday the 10^th of the month.  Ruth Hamilton (grandmother of Grace), Sharon Sikes, Louise Hutchison, Betty Dye, Susie Griswold, Karen Griswold, Donna Moskaly and Wilda Moses all met at the Wagon Wheel Blue Grass Park to make an assessment of the facilities there in order to plan the Auxiliary’s participation in the upcoming Home Coming Bluegrass Festival.  The meeting then repaired to the home of Esther Wrinkles where the details of menu, purchasing, and schedules for the three day event were discussed.  Also discussed was the availability of grant money for the Fire Department.  The next meeting was scheduled for May 8^th also at the Wagon Wheel Blue Grass Park.

        “If You Cough, Sneeze, Sigh, or Yawn, do it not Loud but Privately; and Speak not in your Yawning, but put Your handkerchief or Hand before your face and turn aside.”  That is the fifth rule that George Washington copied out of the list of 110 Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.  Some complaint has been made about too much attention to George Washington and not enough to Ben Franklin.  There is some contention that it was not he (Franklin) who wrote Poor Richard’s Almanack, but in fact Richard Saunders, whose wife was named Bridget.  The next time some Champion is plowing through records from 1732-1758 perhaps the matter can be settled.  Meanwhile, Poor Richard said, “A Slip of the Foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the Tongue you may never get over.”  Linda’s Almanac over at the Plant Place says that the 17^th and 18^th will be good for planting beans, corn, cotton, tomatoes, peppers and other above-ground crops.  “Where weather permits” might be added there.  The 22^nd and 23^rd are said to be the most fruitful days for above-ground crops, for seed beds and flower gardens.  Linda’s Almanac also says that on the 24-28 to “Grub out weeds, briars, and other plant pests.”  While that is probably excellent advice, some Champions prefer to grub at their own leisure, thank you.

        Champions extend their Heartiest congratulations to Chicago!  The U.S. Olympic Committee (U.S.O.C.) has chosen the Big Windy City to compete with the international community for the privilege of hosting the Summer Olympics in the year 2016.  The C.P.C. (Champion Parade Committee) could well take it under advisement that Champion could be a contender for this honor in 2020!  Who knows what the next thirteen years will bring?  Certainly the last few decades have wrought significant changes in these parts.  At the very least an Exploratory Committee could be launched.

        “Well there’s a dark and a troubled side of life.  There’s a bright and a sunny side too.  But if you meet with the darkness and strife, The sunny side we also may view.  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.”  Those are part of the lyrics to Keep on the Sunny Side.  It is an excellent sentiment and certainly a goal worth the striving, but it is also easier said than done for many.  As of Monday, April 15^th, there were 3,295 US. Military deaths confirmed by the Department of Defense and seven more deaths pending confirmation making the total 3,302.  Non mortal casualties are reported to be 26,188, however that number does not reflect the ‘walking wounded’ and those whose injury will not be apparent until much later in their lives.  It is to be hoped that they and their families will receive the Comfort and Compassion they need as well as the Love and Gratitude of their Nation that they have earned.

        Tax Day was April 15^th as well as the birthday of an erstwhile sailor who says, “Uh huh, uh huh.”  That’s some claim to fame.  Judy Pennington up on Tar Button Road over BrushyKnob way will have a birthday on the 23^rd.  She can’t be very old because she has such a sunny disposition. A certain Champion with a pleasant outlook may finally have her taxes done and will be willing to go out looking for mushrooms again.  Good Luck to her! Squander T. was said to have been a big mushroom hunter.  He would pull them all the way out of the ground instead of pinching them off.  He also would break half the branches out of a young apple tree getting up to the highest fruit.  It sounds like he grew into his name.  Perhaps Pap Latent should have named him Temperance or Thrifty.  That whole family had funny names, according to someone who claimed to know them.  The younger girls were Dreary and Minutia and the little boys were Fervor, Revel and Quell.  There was quite a gap in ages between the twins and the rest of the children.  S.T. and Chimmey Bea were about twelve when the little ones started coming along.  It seems like the brunt of the chores then fell on Chimmey and that just added to her surly nature.  The acquaintance said, “It was no kind of difficulty to pick a scrap with Miss Chimera Bea.  There was a taradiddle around every corner with that outfit.”

        A lot of Champions will be joining forces with their BrushyKnob neighbors in a benefit for Larry and Rita Hicks who are having some big medical bills.  It is lovely to live in a community so willing to help when help is needed.  Other lovely things, yarns (spun or as yet un-spun), songs for the Missouri Song List, rules,  advice, examples of graciousnessor funny names,  applications for membership on the Champion Exploratory Committee, and any other sort of pertinence or mystery is welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail those things to Champion News or drop them off at Henson’s Store on the sunny side of the street in downtown Champion.  As for pet peeves and complaints of any sort it is suggested that those be sent directly to the Herald or kept in abeyance pending further consideration.  CHAMPION—LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE.