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CHAMPION—July 15, 2007

        Champions, like good people everywhere, can sometimes take a good thing for granted.  A couple of weeks ago up on Cold Springs Road (‘up’ because it’s North of Champion) an enormous stone (as big as a small car!) responded to all the wonderful rain and took a trip down into the road.  It occurred on a hill, on a curve, in a steep and rugged place with a big drop off and the thing blocked more than half the road.  It was an early Monday morning and those Douglas County fellows were right on it with a back hoe, a dump truck and a road grader.  In no time it was cleared away, squared away and a now a lollygagger wandering down a beautiful country lane has no idea of the effort it takes to keep the roads open and in such lovely condition.  So Thanks to those nice men out of the Drury Shed.  They are our Champions!

        Champion’s Soldier, SSG Raul Moreno (4-319^th, TF SABER, FOB NARAY, APO AE 09354) raul.morenojr(at)us.army.mil has had a busy week.  He and his fellow soldiers are doing what is asked of them out there in Afghanistan.  Dear Raul,  It’s Saturday night here.  Not too much is going on.  Some of us old people play bridge.  It is a partnership card game with many rules.  We are trying to use it to keep our brains working.  Someone remarked this evening that we seem to forget a lot of things with our brains, but our old bodies remember everything that has ever happened to them…every broken toe and sprained elbow.  We hope you enjoy getting old as much as we do.  When we were your age we thought 40 was old!  Now some of us are looking at 70!  It’s funny.  We just wanted to say that we are thinking about you and your fellow soldiers and your family back home.  Send us a picture sometime if you can….  We think of you as one of Our Boys and so we know that you are truly Handsome!  Keep you heart as light as you can.  People over here think a lot of you.  Sincerely, Your Friend in Champion.”  There are envelopes addresed to Raul at Henson’s Store for any who would like to write to him or to include a note in the package being put together for him there.

        The Ladies of the Skyline VFD Auxiliary had a productive meeting on Tuesday the 10^th.  Esther Wrinkles made everyone welcome in her home and the ladies got right down to business.  Betty Dye and her sister have made and donated an exquisite quilt called Jacob’s Trail.  It is done in gold and brown tones and has been beautifully executed.  All aspects of the upcoming Picnic were discussed.  It was agreed to buy the new freezer.  Arrangements were made to distribute the tickets that will go on sale for the quilt and for the $100.00 in free power being donated by White River Electric CoOp.  Soon posters and flyers will be up all over the place with all the wonderful details.  There is a tremendous amount of behind the scenes work that goes on to make one of these Country Fairs’ go over so well.  Again this year Gary Hutchison will bring a group of Inmates for Action down to help with the grooming of the grounds and other preliminaries.  They were a great help last year.  There will be some new attractions this year and some surprises.

        Mrs. McCallie of Nowata, Okalahoma wrote that Justin Carter of Mansfield, who was killed in Iraq in February of 2005, could have been “…. a little shirt tail relation to our family.  My great grandmothers name was Lucretia Carter, and was born and raised at Atlanta, Georgia, so you probably can guess who I am related to.  Yep, a 4^th Cousin to Jimmy Carter, and I don’t care what folks say or think of him.  I think he’s one of the most moral and best most decent presidents we ever had and he is still doing things to help poor people.  I’ve had several letters from him.  I was and am very sorry to hear this 21 year old Carter young man had died or got killed.  Well, we are loosing our young men very swiftly….”  The number of US Service People who have lost their lives in Iraq is now 3616.  Among them was Sergeant 1^st Class Randall L. Lamberson of Springfield, MO, who died there April 10, 2006.  408 American troops have died in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom — the War on Terror — in Afghanistan.  At least 1,380 U.S. personnel have been wounded in action there according to the Pentagon.  Ms. McCallie is joined by Champions in expressing Love and Gratitude for their service.

        Another nice person from Oklahoma, the friend of a Champion friend is suffering terribly from a cat bite.  Her name is Purna Mae and she lives out Tulsa way.  She is hospitalized and being treated with powerful antibiotics.  Champions all know someone who can benefit by being remembered in their best thoughts and prayers.  Many are thinking now about an Upshaw family that has just lost its home to fire and news that Lannie Hinote has been ill is distressing for all who know her and admire her great energy and selflessness.

        C. Maria Escondida wrote to correct the spelling of her name (ending in ‘a’ not ‘o.’) and to praise Champion for adopting a soldier.  “Champions!  I commend you for adopting your soldier!  It is absolutely insane that those dear young people should be without one thing that they need.  Your Country is giving Billions of dollars to huge corporations in no-bid contracts to take care of those soldiers and that they may be lacking anything that they need is Criminal!  The CEO’s of those corporations should be prosecuted!  We read that North American Mothers have had to buy the body armor for their kids and that the field soldiers do not always get the best protection while ‘important’ people get good quality ‘dragon-skin‘ body armor.  Pardon me,  I was not going to Rave at you this time.  It is enough to say that you are special people in Champion to do this thing to send your love and letters to them over there.   The kindness of the people and the beauty of the place is what lingers in my memory, though I have not been to Champion for many, many years.  I remember summers there as being hot and steamy.  Here is my poem and tell me does it describe a place down of your Fox Creek, your Clever or the Bryant?  ‘The South Breeze breaths sighs and a quiet light glides, Through dense boughs overhanging the deep cool soft sand.  Dragonflies dance while small spiders dangle by sticky silk strings among silent sun beams in the still air.’  Con amour, s. s. s. C. Maria Beatifica Escondida, Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.”  Yes.  Ms. Escondida’s poem does sound like an afternoon down on a beautiful creek bank.  Perhaps she will reveal some day how she came to live in Champion and when she was here.

        Grandmothers and Granddaughters are planning some creek bank activities soon.  Linda’s granddaughter, Danniel, will be down from Kansas City for a few days.  Things are kind of slow over at the Plant Place this time of the year, but they say Linda has put in a wonderful herb garden where a person can go pick a bag of fresh herbs for a nominal price.  It’s a great idea!  Judy Sharon’s granddaughter, Sierra, is visiting from Portland.  They have been doing a lot of art work over there.  Charlene Dupre’s granddaughter, Olivia, out in Virginia is almost four years old and is a world Champion talker who doesn’t know that Grandmothers sometimes like it quiet.  It sounds like a sweet problem to have!  Plans are for Danniel and Sierra to get acquainted over some craft projects and then go to the creek with their Grandmothers.  There will be other Grandmothers there whose Granddaughters can’t come this time, but Champion Granddaughter Day will be a good time nonetheless.

        Memories of Champion good times, poetry, some generalized raving about good things or bad things if necessary, and tales of summertime adventures on the creek are all welcome at Champion Items Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Those things or any stories about the old days, and old folks around Champion can be sent by e-mail to Champion News.  Someone objected to Champion being called a ‘languid backwater,’ because it makes the place sound kind of backward and lazy.  The place is Remote and Peaceful!  Verify this information with a first hand visit to Henson’s Store in the Bucolic Middlemost.  Leave any Champion News with the proprietor there and leave the place with an renewed vision of its Placid Prosperity and Enduring Enlightenment.  CHAMPION—LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE!