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CHAMPION—February 25, 2013

          Champion is just the kind of place that makes a resident pleased to stay home.  With the help of the telephone, one could be comfortable enough not to ever have to venture out.   Then an old friend calls.  What could be sweeter than that?    Ruby Proctor called last Monday just to chat.  She said that Lyman was enjoying his birthday and that her family had been celebrating her 88th birthday steadily for a week.   They had enjoyed multiple trips out to dinner and cake and ice cream with big family bunches.  Her sister, Amy has her birthday within the next few days and the 29^th is her son Frankie’s birthday.  He is a leap year baby so he is not very old.  He just lives right across the field from Ruby and is happy to come and get her to take her to his basement when a bad storm hits.  He’s a good son.  All her children are good.   She has had experience with bad storms and is glad to have a safe place to go.   A look back through the www.championnews.us archives reveals a lot of interesting information about Ruby.   She was raised in Champion just over north east of the store.  She had three brothers and six sisters and her folks were John and Golda Hicks.  She married Mr. Proctor when she was seventeen.  There is a story in Champion that she worked at the knothole factory until she went to work at the doughnut-hole factory.  The knothole factory was the Cloud Toy Factory, which was situated near the railroad in Mountain Grove.  She worked there for a long time and then took a job at the bakery at the Town and Country grocery store.  She worked there for eighteen years, getting to work at four in the morning to get the doughnuts started and things ready to open up for business at 6 a.m.  During this time she was raising children and working on the farm.  To call her a Champion Woman is an understatement.   Ruby said that she had enjoyed reading Bob Berry’s letter about Esther Wrinkles in the Champion News a couple of weeks ago.  She and Esther were baptized in Old Fox Creek down at Champion on the same day seventy years ago this June.  She misses her dear old friend and remarked that she was so touched that Esther’s family had invited her to sit with them that sad day.  Old friendships endure in Champion.

         Champions will have plenty of good reason to get out Saturday when the Skyline Fire Department Auxiliary has its annual get together.  Hopefully the weather will be perfect for it (nice and chilly for a nice bowl of chili) and Ruby will be out with her family early to tour around the old stomping grounds before the supper.  The Pride and Joy Cloggers will be doing some stomping this year.  They are an energetic group of young people who emphasize the downbeat of the music with their enthusiastic footwork.  The dance has its origins in Wales and England during the Industrial Revolution.  The cloggers will demonstrate their fancy stepping just after the Whetstone bunch play up on the stage Saturday night.  It ought to be a great kick-off for the Spring Social Season.  There are a number of other bands slated to perform and there will be chances to win the handsome quilt made by Auxiliary President Betty Dye.  It is a queen sized beauty.   It is obvious that everyone who puts time and energy into making this annual event such a good time for everyone is having a good time while they are doing it.  That sentence reminds a person of the song, “I was looking back to see if you were looking back to see if I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me.”   Hope to see you there supporting the vital rural fire department that puts so much training and effort into looking out for the safety and security of the community.  It is a Champion outfit that goes by the name of Skyline VFD!

         Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 27^th and 28^th will both be good days for planting root crops.  The 1^st and 2^nd of March will also be good days for those gardeners who feel comfortable in getting the potatoes in the ground before St. Patrick’s Day.  Someone suggested using plenty of good mulch if planting this early.  One Champion gardener figures he has been planting his potatoes much too deep in recent years.  He is getting a little older now anyway, so it may be a good time to experiment with some other methods and save a little of that hard work for some other tasks which his amiable wife can help him identify or for taking a nap.

         A variety of information comes from the Thursday afternoon meeting of the Liars Lair at the downtown Vanzant Convention and Wisdom Center.   The first piece of interesting information is that such a place exists.  It is presumed that a bunch of otherwise unoccupied individuals get over to the venue early before the Thursday Night Bluegrass jam to get things (or themselves) oiled up for the festivities.  There was a great deal of misinformation and patent gossip about the Great Champion Gridlock Traffic Jam of the day before.  It happened just at the crest of the hill when an eighteen wheeler,  with a collie in the driver’s seat, found itself perpendicular across WW with some of its many wheels stuck in the mud.  Fox Creek Farms had its best man on the job unloading hay while polite travelers waited in lines in both directions for the chance to continue on their way.   It was completely civilized, contrary to reports from the Lair.  A special surprise guest speaker for the next “LL” meeting will present a program on “The Dangers of Preaching to the Choir.”  Not that many of the charter members have much experience with either, but the brunt of the program will focus on the difficulty in hearing fair minded, reasonable people disagree with the point of view shared by one’s fellows.  When they only ever speak with people who believe exactly the same things they do, the rhetoric gets more impassioned (inflammatory) so that anyone who might speak up with a differing view becomes some kind of whack-job.  It has always been the same.  Seventy-five years ago some local papers were proposing that the New Deal Monopoly in Washington ought to get thrown out.  Social Security and a great many local public works projects that benefited the area came out of it, but it was unpopular in conservative areas like Douglas County.  It was systematically being shut down by the opposition which many historians believe would have brought on another deeper Depression, and then, of course, the Country was saved by World War II.  It’s always something.

         Bonnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years caring for people who were in the last few weeks of their lives.  She wrote a book called “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.”  She observed that people gain a very clear vision at the end of their lives and the following are the common themes surfaced repeatedly.   1.  I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.   2.  I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.  3.  I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.  4.  I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.  5.  I wish that I had let myself be happier.   Come down to the Community Chat Room and discuss the Champion life without regret.  This chat room is located in the Historic Emporium on the North Side of the Square overlooking Old Fox Creek.  You will be in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—February 18, 2013

        In Champion, Monday was kind of cold and blustery.  The temperature was not so low, but the wind made it feel wintry as it flapped the Grand old Flag vigorously on the porch post at the Recreation of the Historic Emporium over on the North Side of the Square.  George Washington was 28 when Robert Burns was born and so the poet grew up in Scotland much in admiration of the Colonial General who was successful in breaking the Tyrant’s grasp.  He wrote a stirring “Ode for General Washington’s Birthday,”  which included the lines, “A broken chain exulting, bring and dash it in the tyrant’s face, and dare him to his very beard, and tell him he no more is feared…They shout a People freed!”   George Washington’s Birthday was designated a national holiday in 1885, and used to be celebrated on February 22^nd every year.    In 1971, under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, it began to be celebrated on the third Monday in February as President’s Day.  Skyline teacher Terry Ryan sent out an urgent message Monday saying, “Why am I the only one at school?”  Then she laughed and said that it is a day that all teachers remember.    Postal carriers remember it too.  Some folks are anxious that starting in August, rural mail delivery will not be available on Saturdays.  Some are very excited and happy to have their own special family postal carrier home all week end.  As in most stories there are two sides to it.  Come down to Champion to discuss any concern that you might have.  At the very least you will learn the Bright Side of it.

        People born in 1945 became 67 last year.  So someone with the birthday 01-23-45 was 67.  This year they became 68 and so will people born on 02-23-45. People born in 1983 are now 30!  It is amazing!  The charming Judi Pennington of Tar Button Road fame is one of those people born on February 23^rd.  Fascinating Skyline teacher Staci Cline is another.   She will have sisters coming from far and wide to commemorate her day with her.  Pete Proctor had his birthday on the 18^th and his sweet mother, Ruby, has hers the next day.  Glen and Linda’s daughter, Joanna rings her birthday Bell on the 21^st.  A frequent Sunday visitor to Champion has his birthday on the 22^nd and managed to convince the fair Alicia to marry him on that very day.  He will not forget their anniversary and they have had a bunch of them as well as two gorgeous daughters.   Emma Evans will have her birthday on the 24^th of February.  She is a fifth grader at Skyline.  That is a Sunday, so perhaps her school friends will party with her on Monday.  She shares her birthday with a big sweet Sweede whose thumbs are very green and with a precious Texas friend, Margaret, who goes by the alias of Ella Mae though many call her Peg.  Every day is the ‘special day’ of 384,000 people around the world.  That is the number of people born every day according to the World Population Reference Bureau’s “2010 World Population Data Sheet.”  It also informs that 156,000 people die every day which gives a net increase of 229,000 to the world population every day.  That is about the total off all the people in Springfield plus four counties the size of Douglas County.  Happy birthday World!

        Valentine’s Day probably robbed the Vanzant Community Jam of a few of its players and a few of its regular audience, just because it was a special day for sweethearts and music lovers are, by definition, sweethearts.  Still, topping one of the many surrounding hills on that dark night, the lights of Vanzant shone out across the country with a dazzling brilliant invitation.  Inside the place was jumping.  There were musicians from all across the county and many a fine tune was offered up.  “Down Yonder” is a favorite and it was beautifully executed.  A lively novelty song by stand-up bassist, Sherry Bennett , “Five Pounds of Possum in My Headlights” was another highlight.  Ruth Collins ( ”used to be a Fish, but got caught,” according to a gentleman who seemed to know) did a fine job of “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and the plaintiff “Wayfaring Stranger.”  Sue Murphy, with her great voice and mandolin sang several favorites and Norris Woods with his pleasant smile, sat picking away on the old banjo.  Other players came and went through the course of the evening.   The long table full of appealing pot-luck food and plenty of good coffee made it all just right.  Frances and Elmer Banks were there.  Elva Ragland said that Elmer has six extra roosters that he is going to give her.  She did not say what she was going to do with them.  “Elvie” met up there with her longtime friend, Linda Collins of Richfield. They used to live on the opposite sides of the mountain and they would take their children up over the top to visit with one another.   Now their children are grown and the two friends meet up at the Vanzant Community Building on Thursdays to visit–just like old times.

        “Elvie” said she might look around to see if she has some of her embroidered tea towels to put in the silent auction for the Skyline Chili Supper.  Somebody has donated a set of neoprene, nylon jersey, ‘Bone Dry,’ Redhead camouflage overalls with built in rubber boots, men size 8.  All stretched out they look like they are built for a tall man, but one figures that when the fellow puts them on, they will take the proper shape and look just right.    The year rolls around quickly.  This year The Pride and Joy Cloggers are going to perform between the band performances.  It promises to be a great show.  David Richardson, of Whetstone out of Norwood, will kick off the first set and is also providing his sound system for the event.   The Pocket Hollow Band and Calvary Mountain Bluegrass will be on the bill together with the EMT Gang out of Ava.  Every little rural fire department is a gift to the community it serves.  They are Champions!

        “Plant peas as soon as the ground can be worked,” says the package.  Get down to the Visitor’s Center at Henson’s Downtown G & G to discuss garden philosophy.   Sing, “Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness, sowing the noontide and the dewy eve…”  You will be in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—February 11, 2103

                Champions start off Monday with bright sunshine and a stiff breeze that blows in the promise of a nice week ahead.  Some Champions have friends and kin in New England who are enduring deep snow and looking at the possibility of an ice storm on top of it.  Things like that have happened around here in years past and Champions can understand the difficulties the people face and sympathize with their northern countrymen.  For those still not recovered from the hurricane, this seems like quite an overload.  Aunt Elizabeth, who spent time in Wooster, Mass as a young woman, would say “Oh!  Bless their hearts!”  

                Jean and Tim Scrivner have family and friends up in that part of the world, and their Champion friends hope for them that this weather is being an adventure rather than a hardship.  Tim is being called on as the Skyline School Foundation liaison with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to come up with more applications for the wonderful program.   Because the Douglas County Library has also become affiliated with “DPIL,” any child in Douglas County is now eligible to participate.  Henson’s Downtown Grocery and Gas has been steadily distributing the forms and generally has them on hand to get a youngster started on the happy road to reading.  It is one of the excellent services provided by the most pleasant little mercantile in the county. 

                One of the regular services not provided by the Historic Emporium is birthday parties.  Parties frequently happen there, but participants bring their own cake and candles.  There were no candles on the cake that surprised the cowboy on Thursday, however.  Modern bakeries have special printers that use food coloring to print pictures on cakes.  So it was explained by a staff member of the Richard’s Brothers bakery from whence came this tasty beauty.  It featured the depiction of a dripping wet, disheveled, bowlegged cowboy leading his horse out of the stream and “Over the Hill!”   The cartoon was probably enough to identify the septuagenarian—no names needed.  Another cowboy birthday card reads, “May your horse never stumble.   May your cinch never break.   May your belly never grumble and your heart never ache.”   What a sweet sentiment.  More happy thoughts go to Shelby Ward whose birthday is on Valentine’s Day and to Madison Bradshaw who has her birthday on the 16^th.  Madison is in prekindergarten at Skyline.  Trish Davis has her birthday on the 17^th.  She has been out of school for a while now, but when last seen was still quite youthful in appearance and demeanor, in spite of being married to an old, old man.  Mrs. Ruby Proctor has her birthday on the 19^th of February.  She is a Champion’s Champion born and raised right around here.  She sets the example for kindness and gentility.  There are some great pictures of Ruby and her family in the “Snapshots” section of www.championnews.us. 

                This letter from Bob Berry came to the mailbox at Champion at getgoin.net. “Missing Our Angel” is the heading and Bob goes on to say, “I would like to share some of my memories of Esther Wrinkles.  She and my Mom were good friends in the old days.  When Mom got sick, Esther came with cakes and pies and little bags of food from town.  She just seemed to know when we short on food.  Looking back, I’m sure they probably didn’t have enough food at home but still she shared with us.

                “Then there was the cold March day when Brother Finley was having a baptizing at Brush Creek. When it was my turn, Brother Finley did his job and then he asked me if it was cold?  He didn’t have to put me down again!  As I came out of the water, guess who was standing there by my Mom, Esther with a big white towel!  No one had a phone back then but she knew exactly where she was needed.

               “Then in 1964 I got drafted but I was back home in three days.  Little did I know that someone had gone to the draft board and stood up for me because I was needed at home.  Maybe Esther?   I am sure Esther was an angel, always knowing exactly what was needed!  In later years, when I opened the Gentryville Garage, Esther and Clifford came regularly to have work done on their cars.  Folks, it’s okay to borrow a Mom, Dad, grandmother, or grandfather from time to time when you don’t have your own. I want to thank Larry Wrinkles and Lonnie Mears for letting me borrow their mom when I no longer had my own!  God has called our Angel home – maybe he likes coconut cream pie too. “

                 Her many Champion friends appreciate what Bob has to say.  Those pies that Esther made over the years were a great source of pride and fun.  She said, “Thank you,” with a pie or offered condolences with one.  She acknowledged friendships with pies and raised a phenomenal amount of money with them for the causes she loved.  The Skyline Volunteer Fire Department was one of her particular loves and as the Auxiliary meets this week to finalize its arrangements for the annual chili super, she will be in the thoughts of her friends.   The meeting room at Henson’s G & G over on the North Side of the Square will be the scene of the action as these industrious activists prepare for another excellent event. 

             Robert Louis Stevenson, said, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”  Some believers in global warming are planting early against the possibility of another very hot summer.  The moon has changed again and so the 16^th, 17^th, 18^th, 21^st and 22^nd will all be good days for planting crops that bear their yield above the ground.  Greens of all kinds can go in the ground and peas might be planted by those brave souls who figure they can protect them against unexpected, if seasonal, cold conditions.  It is a gamble.  The daffodils are blooming in old home sites long abandoned.  Before long they will be joined and succeeded by narcissus and tulips then iris and peonies.  Gardeners live on through their hardy perennials.  Lilacs, flowering quince, and the Rose of Sharon are some of the other wonderful things gone wild in the woods that used to have people in them.   Jack Ryan, known as “Foxfire,” as he transplanted some wild plumbs, said that an old Vietnamese arborist admonished, “When you eat the fruit, think of him who planted the tree.”  Love and Gratitude are some of the best things in Champion and they are handed down through the generations. 

            Come down to the village and see for yourself all the splendors that make it unique and precious in a fast paced, technology driven, tumultuous world.  Come tip toe through the tulips on the broad green banks of Old Fox Creek, where country roads meet and the pavement starts, where beautiful hills roll down to pleasant vales and where hearts swell with the joy of being in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION–February 4, 2013

          In Champion the groundhog jumped back in his hole on Saturday and commenced to shove the daffodils up out of the ground.  There is a rumor that there are actual blooms  over in West Champion, but for those along county roads North of the Metropolis the bulbs had sprouted up to be only two or three inches tall by Sunday afternoon.  It is a sure sign that real Spring will eventually arrive.   With winter doldrums as the mode o’ day in some quarters, the prospect of colorful blooms and warmer days is very exciting.  Excitement is standard in Champion where one family looked out to see a genuine flock of bluebirds–in the neighborhood of a hundred of them!  It was the size flock generally associated with robins, but these were genuine blue bluebirds and simply lovely.  

          Whatever the weather, Champions are lined out for a great week ahead.  A phenomenal Champion daughter-in-law has her birthday on the 8^th of February and then Cheyenne Baker, third grader at Skyline School will have her birthday on the 11^th.  Joshua Garner, in kindergarten, will celebrate on the 13^th along with Ms. Powell’s little girl Sondra.  Shelby Ward, Champion great-niece, will continue to be everybody’s Valentine on her special birthday–the 14^th.  She is two years old and has a wonderful big sister and perhaps the most kind and loving grandmother ever a child could have.  

          The Douglas County Museum is doing an excellent job of preserving the history of the county and publishing family histories in the Douglas County Genealogical and Historical Society Journal.  The new Winter Journal of 2012 came out in early December.  The families in it this time are Dobbins, Thurman, Porter, Tooley, and Wilson.  There are also some interesting letters and pictures of Saturday on the Square.   There is an index available at the museum listing all the families that have been featured in the Journal.    Volunteers can help a person find his family history and there are sixty issues of the Journal to draw on.  The Museum has been publishing a lot of interesting pictures on the internet lately, but of course not everyone has a computer.  Currently the Museum is only open on Saturday’s from ten in the morning until two in the afternoon.  It is staffed by volunteers.  The Museum could stand to raise some funds to operate this summer so that folks coming back home from far away can enjoy mementoes of the place they remember.  Everything seems to take a little money to operate.  The good thing is that they have a nice membership program offered and the Journals are available for a very few dollars so it should be not such a big deal to help out.  Generally there is a copy of the Journal on the table in the Reading Room near the wood stove in The Recreation of the Historic Emporium known as Henson’s Grocery and Gas over on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  This unique establishment has itself been the subject of the Journal in years past and of any number of other serious publications of local and national acclaim.  Champions like their past and enjoy greatly their present.  The future has some great promise with a whole new crop of dairy farmers growing up in the area.  They can trace their families way back—Champions.

          Someone said we hate what we fear and we fear things we do not understand.  It is also true that fearful people can do stupid things.  Some do not like the world ‘stupid’ because it sounds rude.  It is rude.  Ignorance, on the other hand, is just not having information.  Stupidity is having the information, but behaving ignorantly anyway.   All this goes to the hypocrisy of one particular Champion who hates football with a passion.  Her friend in high school back in 1962, died in his sleep one night of an aneurism after the big game.  In spite of having been a grade school cheer leader, she turned against the game and subsequently found all kinds of reason to dislike it.  She dislikes the money it generates that could be used for wholesome, healthful things, and the mean spirited, macho, gladiator culture.  She has been known to disparage the costumes particularly, saying that women dressed in such a manner would be considered to have sketchy morals.  The hypocrisy part comes in here where she admits a particular liking to the boys in the gold britches.  She does not care what team they are on, and she prefers them not to have stripes down the legs.   The stupidity part comes in here where she willing discusses her hypocrisy.  “Push ‘em back!  Push ‘em back!  Waaaay back!”

Some gardeners in the area try to always have their potatoes and onions plants planted before Valentine’s Day.  Others say to plant lettuce and greens out in the garden on Valentines and wait until St. Patrick’s Day for potatoes.    Some old timers say that the one-hundredth day of the year is the proper day to plant potatoes, regardless of the weather or any other considerations.  Certain old gardeners are careful to plant onions and potatoes on opposite sides of the garden, believing that potatoes will not do well if onions are growing too close.  A little boy who asked about this was told that the odor of onions “makes a ‘tater cry its eyes out.”   A note in “Ozark Superstitions” says that while gardeners may disagree on the best date for planting, they fairly well agree that potatoes should be dug in the light of the moon, otherwise they will rot.  Some had such good luck with their potatoes last year that they have the first seed of their own to plant.   It’s a long way until potato digging time, but Champions are thinking about it anyway.  Charlene Dupree over at the Plant Place in Norwood had very good potato luck last year planting in tires.  She put her seed potatoes in a tire on the ground and added some good quality soil.  Then as the plants grew she added tires and soil.  When it was harvest time she had tires full of big perfect potatoes.   She can probably give a better explanation of just how it worked the next time you are over in that neighborhood. 

A song written about gardening back in the 1970s by Dillon Bustin says, “Polish your hoe till the blade it does shine.  Likewise your rake and sharpen each tine.  Dress up your spade with a light coat of oil.  Then you are ready to prepare your soil.”  When the melody is discovered, a link in the form of an MP3 will appear in the website at www.championnews.us.  Meanwhile any good garden song is welcome at Champion at getgoin.net or at Champion Items, Rt. 2 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Take a trip down to the beautiful garden spot, next to the famed Mercantile on the broad and lush banks of Old Fox Creek, where hearts are light and the honey bees buzz– in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—January 28, 2013

          As the fog rolls down and through the valleys, Champions are once again amazed at the beauty of the place they are fortunate to call home.   Colors change, new contours emerge and the sycamores stand out white against the darker hills.  There is no need to go roaming.   “The trouble with weather forecasting is that it is right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it.”  A guy named Patrick Young made this observation in reference Groundhog Day.   Punxsutawney Phil up at Gobbler’s Knob in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania has been popping out of his hole on February 2^nd every year since 1887.   People gather there to see first-hand if the groundhog sees his shadow which indicates that there will be six more weeks of winter weather in store.  Some are saying that the weather is so strange and crazy lately that Phil and other historic indicators are no longer of any use.  On a sunny 60⁰ morning in January there is reason enough to agree.

          A daily visitor to the coffee bar at Henson’s Downtown G & G, celebrates his birthday on the first of February.  He was born in 1940 and travels with a little black dog.  Guess who.  Zack Alexander has his birthday that day too.  He is young and very handsome and much photographed.  He is the very spitting image of his good-looking grandmother.   Angie Heffern, Judy Parsons, Charlene Dupree, and Connie Grand share their birthday on Groundhog Day with Phil.  They were all born in different years and they are all beautiful ladies with talents, gifts and grace.  Zack Baker is an 8^th grader at Skyline.   His birthday is the third and Angel Parks celebrates her day on the 6^th.  She is a sixth grader.  Cowboy Jack went to the New East Dogwood School many long years ago.  His birthday is the 7^thbut his friends will all pretend to have forgotten.  Joyce will probably say that he does not act his age anyway.

          Many friends and family of Lorene Johnston gathered at the Denlow Cemetery on Monday to bid her farewell.  She grew up between Champion and Denlow in a rock house that her Dad built.  Her sister, Bonnie Mullins, said that the house cost their Dad $100.00 to build.  He tore down an old house that was on the property for the lumber and hauled the rocks out of Clever Creek, so all he had to buy was the nails and the cement.  The house has been well maintained and is standing still up on a high spot with a commanding view to the east and the west.  Lorene married Toney Johnston in 1952 and by 1958 they had a three year old son and a dairy farm over near Gentryville.  The family talked about how much the couple loved farming.  It was a beautiful morning up on the hill there at Denlow.  It was in the sixties and the sun shone brightly between some high dark clouds making the light race across the green fields below.  It is not an easy thing to say good bye to loved ones and friends, but when it has to be said, it could not be done in a prettier place on a more lovely day.  Look into the Champion School Reunion pictures at www.championnews.us for some nice photos of Lorene.  Look there too for some great pictures of Denlow.   

          Email arrived at Champion at getgoin.net saying, “What a sweet sendoff for Ms. Wrinkles. I am grieving here in Austin as I feel like I knew her, thanks to your reporting of her citizenship and activities.  As the world loses this greatest generation, I hope our feet can crow to fill their boots—it’s a stretch, I think.”   

          The 25^th of January was the birthday of Robert Burns, born 1796, 254 years ago.  He died at age 37, which seems quite young, though he left a great wonderful body of work behind and people around the world celebrate him on his day with traditional Scots suppers and music.   January 25, 1975 was the day Exer Hector died.  She was 62 and had just begun to really enjoy her life.  If it is a long life or a short life lived long ago or being lived now, it is a precious thing and more precious yet to be remembered well.  There is art in remembering well and it can be learned.  Choose the salient moments to recall and fill in with mental images that suit you.  There is no requirement for grief or for living in the past, but a reverence for those special ones makes this life more full.  Young Foster Wiseman was a lucky boy Sunday when he was able to sit in the pew between his grandmothers.  Foster is seven.  He will not forget these great ladies who love him so much if he lives to be 100. 

          Linda’s Almanac  from over at The Plant Place in Norwood says that the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th of February are good days to plant root cops, good days to transplant, good for planting seed beds, good days to prune to encourage growth and to apply organic fertilizer.  Perhaps the weather will cooperate and some young men will come by wanting to help out in the garden.   That may be just a day dream for the old folks who just get it done a little at a time.  If last year is a clue to what is in store for this garden season, some are planning to get everything in early and be prepared to protect against a late frost.  It is a gamble.  Linda is getting the Cole crops ready for gardeners and starting the perennials and herbs.

           The movie “Groundhog Day” tells the story of a man who lives the same day over and over until he finally gets it right.  He learns empathy, compassion and humility and how to speak French and play the piano.  He winds up with the girl and they seem destined to live happily ever after.   “They say we’re young and we don’t know.  We won’t find out until we grow.  Well I don’t know if all that’s true, ‘cause you got me, and baby I got you!” In Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

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January 23, 2013

Over here at the offices of www.championnews.us, we do not pretend to be journalists, but we know one when we read one.   This article was shared by a good friend of Champion. 

Charley Reese’s Final column!

A very interesting column. COMPLETELY NEUTRAL.
Be sure to Read the Poem at the end..

This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. It’s a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!

545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.. ( The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.)

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House?( John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. ) If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to. [The House has passed a budget but the Senate has not approved a budget in over three years. The President’s proposed budgets have gotten almost unanimous rejections in the Senate in that time. ]

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it’s because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ..

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation,” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees… We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it… is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren’t so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he’s fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won’t be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He’s good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he’s laid…

Put these words
Upon his tomb,
‘Taxes drove me
to my doom…’

When he’s gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the heck happened? Can you spell ‘politicians?’
I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!!

CHAMPION—January 21, 2013

Champions embrace change. It is the nature of the place which is at once very much separate from the rest of the world and very much a part of it. This change is a hard one to take however, as one of its most notable residents has left her old home place for her Other Home. One time in a conversation with Esther Wrinkles, she said that Champion had really gone down, that it was nothing like it used to be when she was a girl. For those living in Champion today, it is just fine because the people who live here now love it the same way she did when she was growing up. It is just different. It seems that there were more young people then. Farmers had big families because the farm required many hands and because that was the how things were back then. What might be called privation now was the very set of circumstances that made people of Esther’s generation strong and resilient. They did a lot of walking and working and they played hard and ate wholesome food grown on the farm. They traded with their neighbors and visited with them regularly. There were few phones and no television to keep people sequestered from each other. It was a vigorous, thriving place, full of fun and excitement, even as it is today, but different. Esther stayed up with the times. Her enthusiasm for her family, her friends, and her community made everyone want to be a better person and a better citizen. She had a wide circle of friends who are calling on each other now with a sense of hollowness. As the emptiness of her absence fills in with all the good memories that the mention of her name evokes, it will be a little less plaintive and a little more joyful, just as she was. Who ever loved bluegrass more than Esther? She had been missing the Thursday jam sessions at the Vanzant Community Center in recent months, but very much enjoyed hearing about them from her many welcome visitors.

Esther wrote a community article for the local paper for every bit of fifty years. When she moved to Vanzant from Champion she changed the title of her article, but not her style. She enjoyed sharing the happenings of her neighborhood and kept a good positive view, pleased to point out the good things and to keep the negative things in proper perspective. She knew pretty much everything going on, but was not a gossip. She enjoyed talking about the old days and how she stayed an extra year in the eighth grade so that she could go to the same teacher who had taught her father. She rode a horse to school at Denlow and had some interesting stories to tell about those days and about traveling to the various cyphering matches and spelling bees around the country. She loved to play basketball and her overall athleticism is probably responsible for her vitality up until very recent times. And for friendship, she set the standard. More than one sick Champion has had the comfort of her regular call during a protracted illness. It can be said that she lived the life she believed in. Look to www.championnews.us in the Archive July 29, 2007 to read some conversations with Esther.

The Skyline Volunteer Fire Department has Esther largely to thank for its very existence. She was a tireless and inspiring worker and only in the past year resigned herself to the idea that she was slowing down. So the chili supper is coming up in a few weeks and there will be an empty seat when the music starts. “Time is filled with swift transitions.”

Miley Schoeber just had her second birthday on Thursday. She was excited particularly to see her Grandmother arrive before it was time for her to go to bed—her wonderful Grandmother with her birthday cupcakes. The joy that can be generated between grandparents and grandchildren is rightly some of the very finest of sentiment to be experienced in life. Who is being comforted when grandmother rocks the baby? It is the very definition of tenderness.

Cold days in January are the time to plant broccoli and other crops of that ilk. Linda over in Norwood is taking care of those chores for gardeners who have neither the aptitude nor the facilities to do that particular kind of delicate work. One day before long a person can pop into the Plant Place and pick up the early crops ready to transplant into the garden. The seasons roll around and the year passes quickly. “While going down life’s weary road, I’ll try to lift some traveler’s load. I’ll try to turn the night to day and make flowers bloom along the way. Life’s evening sun is sinking low. A few more days and I must go.”

The Nation is celebrating patriotism this week with speeches, ceremonies, parades and frequent homages to the brilliant Constitution. Love and Gratitude are order of the day in Champion—looking through a tear to the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—January 14, 2013

           A letter from Texas to Champion at getgoin.net asks, “What’s going on with Esther Wrinkles?  We haven’t read anything about her for a couple of weeks.  We have never been to Champion, but we feel like we know this lady.  Please send her our best wishes.”  Champions join their distant friends in extending their best thoughts and prayers to Esther who has been having serious health problems of late.  Her quilts and pies are legendary and those who have enjoyed the pleasure of  her friendship these many years are struggling to find the right words to tell Esther how much she is loved and appreciated—an original, a real genuine Champion. 

         Another letter to the email box complained that there was no song in the article last week.  Sometimes the whole article does not make the editorial cut because of content or most usually because of length.  If you think you are missing something look into the archives at www.championnews.us  to see the unabridged version.  As for the song, last week music lovers were reminded of Roger Miller who died at the young age of 56 back in the 1980’s.  He was known for some great songs like “Dang Me” and “You Can’t Roller-skate in a Buffalo Herd.”  The one most favored by some Champions is “Walking in the Sunshine, Sing a Little Sunshine Song.”  It goes on to say to put a smile upon your face as if there’s nothing wrong.  That sentiment echoes one made often to Champion’s tinkerer- in-chief particularly on his birthday: “If you act like you are having a good time, pretty soon you will forget that you are acting and you will really be having a good time!”  Reckon?

           Bob and Naomi Densel of Mountain Grove called to get directions to Champion.  Bob moved to Mountain Grove when he was two years old and Naomi was born there.  He is 85 now and the two of them have never been to Champion!  He is a retired painter (the very Rembrandt of house painters) and is getting over a broken leg.  He is out of the cast now and into the boot, but still has had to spend too much time on the couch.  By the end of the month, he should be moving around better and he is very much looking forward to it.  Bob and Naomi have some amazingly beautiful granddaughters who dote on them.  They are looking forward to moving out of the hustle and bustle of Mountain Grove and into the relative tranquility of Norwood.  That will be good because it will bring them a little closer to Champion which is the very definition of tranquil.  Bob had a friend, an armchair philosopher, who said, “Time is marching inexorably on.”  Plans are being made for a visit to Champion in the spring.  They have a treat in store for them and Champions do too, as it is always a joy to find new friends. 

          More information about the 12-12-12 picture has come from Laine Sutherland.  “I read your latest article with interest. Regarding Lester Sutherland being in the Denlow, 12-12-12 photograph, I can authoritatively state that the man standing next to Lola Proctor was not Lester Sutherland. I am attaching a photo of Lester for your comparison.  Lester was “sweet” on Lola but he was drafted Aug. 13, 1917 and died December 3, 1917 in boot camp at Camp Funston, Fort Riley, Kansas, of measles and pneumonia. His mother, Neta Arada and his sister, Mary Ethel, traveled to Fort Funston when they received word he was ill. His mother asked him if he recognized her; he answered, “Certainly” and died. He died just 20 minutes after their arrival. Lester was in Battery “C” 342ND Field Artillery, and was quickly promoted to “B” Troop Military Police.”  The portrait is of a clear eyed resolute young man, dressed in the fashion of the day with the visage of the serious demeanor of the time.  While his exact age is not evident, he has the look of a mature, competent, confident individual of the sort that were bred and raised in Champion during that era. 

Laine has more pictures to share.   Champion!  Share your pictures at Champion at getgoin.net or at Champion Items, Rt. 2 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.   Look at some great ones at www.championnews.us.  Check out the extensive collection at The Douglas County Museum and Historical Society on facebook or on East Washington Avenue in Ava on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

          There is an old song that goes, “My life’s all trouble.  I cannot be happy.  When I open my mouth, she sticks in her jaw. I’d rather be sent off to jail or to congress than to spend all my life with my mother-in-law!”  This is applicable here only in that Mary Beth Shannon is soon slated to be the Mother of the Bride.  She is not to expect such rough treatment from her future son-in-law as the old song suggests, because her brilliant daughter has proven to be level headed and mature in all important matters.  On Thursday Mary Beth has a birthday and that will invite another more appropriate song.  On Friday Champions can sing that song to their favorite merchant who has the bloom of youth about her yet.

         The Skyline VFD Auxiliary had its meeting at Henson’s Grocery and Gas on the Eighth of January (Elvis’s birthday and Rachel Evans, as well).  They are getting ready for their annual chili supper. President, Betty Dye, has produced a stunning queen sized quilt for the occasion, which is now on display at the store.  It has a chocolate brown lining and the bold geometric pattern is of her own design and superbly executed.  It was quilted by the nice folks at Jernigan’s over on the South side of the square in Ava.  The work is very nice and the quilt will be a treasure for the winner.  The lineup for the entertainment at the chili super is excellent again this year.  The Pocket Hollow Band and David Richardson’s Whetstone will be there.  The EMT Gang and Calvary Mountain Bluegrass will also perform.  The Pride and Joy Cloggers will entertain between bands with a program of precision dancing that is sure to delight.  Look for flyers to be going up around the area to get additional details about the event that always comes just in time to cure the late winter doldrums—cabin fever.  The next meeting of the Auxiliary will be at 6:30 on Tuesday, February 12^th.  Anyone in the Skyline Fire District is welcome to attend, to join up, and to participate in the hard work that makes this one of the hallmark happenings in the area.  Come down to the Meeting Room at the Historic Emporium over on the North side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  February 12^th—just two days before Valentines’ Day.

          An informed person says that singing causes the brain to release endorphins that help the immune system fight off disease, infection and depression.  “They took all the trees, and put em in a tree museum.  And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them.  Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.  They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.”  So the total amalgam of what everyone knew about Dave Miller left everyone surprised in some sweet way.  Mercurial he was and he is much missed by many who wish they had the chance to know him more.  Adios!  Amigo!

           Fight the early winter doldrums with a nice cup of Joe and some friendly visiting with colorful locals at Henson’s Downtown G & G on the North Side of the Square on the banks of Old Fox Creek, at the bottom of several hills and the junction of a number of gravel roads and one slick piece of pavement.  You’ll be in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—January 7, 2013

          For any who have not had the opportunity to visit Champion since Christmas, you will see that there have been some changes there.  Now in the window of Henson’s Downtown G & G is a neon sign that spells out the word “open” one letter at a time.  It is exceedingly fancy and it replaces the hand lettered sign that served the purpose for as long as anyone can remember.  It is bright and colorful and can be seen from a distance so that on any day except Sunday or Monday afternoon it is a cheerful welcome.  Champion is a place that is open to change in all of the good ways.  It is also a most hopeful place and right now Champions are hoping for a good change in the weather that will bring some much needed moisture to the area.  Optimism is Champion!

Cleaning up from the holidays is a good way to get to do a little reliving of the best part of the time spent with friends and family.  It is always a treat to go back through the cards and notes.   Betty and Darrell Haden over in Tennessee wrote to say that they have had a good Christmas and had been enjoying their first snow storm and artic winds.  One of the very first letters that came to ‘Champion Items’ sometime back in 2006, came from Professor Haden of the University of Tennessee.  He was in the English department there and it was both flattering and very encouraging to learn that The Champion News had appreciative readers in places where education was actually going on.  Walter Darrell Haden is one of Smallett’s Favorite Sons and has significant and credible credentials in the writing department, so a person can see how much his approval might mean.  It has been a real gift to get acquainted with him.  Look for excerpts of Professor Haden’s book, The Headless Cobbler of Smallett Cave, on the website at www.championnews.us.   It was published by The Kinfolk Press of Nashville, Tennessee in 1967.  Find it in the Champions Friends Category over on the right hand side of the page. 

          January birthdays are exciting.  The weather is cold, the days are short.  What could be better than a birthday party?  Of course Jacob Coon and his dad probably celebrate together since Dad’s is on the first and Jacob’s is on the third.  Mrs. Teeter Creek Herbs also has the first day of the year as her own.  Milo Gaudi Reay, of Edinburgh, celebrates his very first birthday on the 7^th, and another lovely new friend there, Miss Rachael Evans, revels the next day on the 8^th of January, also the birthday of Elvis.  Champion Elizabeth Johnston rejoices on the 9^th.    Champion’s favorite Shop Girl enjoys the 10^th as her special day, and then Wilburn Hutchison shares his day with Bob of Teeter Creek, who may be partied out already.  Willis Masters, of Abilene, Texas, will be seventy on the 14^th of January.  His Champion sister hopes he finds some pleasant way to spend it and that he will soften his attitude toward her.  Jacob Kyle Brixie has his special day on the 18^th and Kyle Barker will be five years old on the 21^st.  Billy Curtis celebrates his 13^th on the 24^th.  They are both students at Skyline School.  Doni Coonts is a teacher there with a birthday on the 25^th.  The 26^th is Brooke Johnson’s birthday.  She will be six and is a first grader this year.  Former Skyline student, Kaye Heffern Alexander is still in the full bloom of her youth and will be partying on her day, the 27^th.   She has already been doing some serious partying, but more about that later.  Erika Strong is in kindergarten now and shares a birthday with school board member James Brixey, who was reported to have been forty years old in 2012!  It just goes to show that there is reason to be happy every day of the year in Champion!  Seventy or eighty old rockers and rollers and old tree huggers and their children and grandchildren gathered for a Jan(uary) birthday party that will have them all smiling and reminiscing until their next gathering.  The place was full of Love and Gratitude, good music, food, and precious friendships.  What a joy it is to look across a room into the smiling face of a dear friend one has not seen in decades.  Champion!

          Concerning the old picture taken in Denlow in 1912, the one dated 12-12-12, there are conflicting reports about just who some of the people are.  Pete (Lyman) Proctor has a copy of the photo with his Grandmother Lola Upshaw Proctor’s handwriting on the back identifying the people as:  Top row, left to right—Lester Lemmons, Lola Upshaw, Howard Spurrier.  Bottom row, left to right—Frankie Sternberg, Lillie O’Neal, Fred Putnam.  In an earlier conversation with Anita Sutherlan Krewson, she said that she thought the young man identified as Howard Spurrier was indeed Lester Sutherlan.  That was also the opinion of Geneva Heinemann.  It seems that Lola Upshaw and Lester Sutherlan were sweethearts.  This is according to Pete’s aunt Alice and others.  He (Lester Sutherlan) was called up into the army and died in the war over in France.  It must have been in World War One.  It is a sweet, sad story and a joy that people are interested in the lives of the old folks.  If people off in the future will be interested in the lives of those living today, it might depend on how well they live them now and how well connected they are to their families and friends.   Connections are not all just about computers.    Not everyone has computer access or even an interest in them, but for those who do, the Douglas County Museum and Historical Society has a page up on Facebook with many wonderful and very old pictures of the area.  For those without computer access, a trip to Ava on a Saturday will find the Museum open from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.  Champions would not have known about the on-line access to the Museum if it had not been for The General sharing the information.  Say what you like about The General, he is always most generous about sharing what he knows.  He is a veritable fount of information and a real Champion.  Another Champion points out that digital photography is great, but it may be that not many photos are actually being printed out these days.  If the computer crashes or the technology is superseded, or the laptop is lost, or the internet goes down, or the electricity goes off, it could be that the pictures go with it.  Current times may end up not being as well documented as the distant past.  Share old or new pictures with The Champion News in the mail box at Champion at getgoin.net or in the mailbox by the side of the road, Rt. 2 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717,  that is attended to so nicely by the wonderful US Postal Service.

          Even though some mornings are in the low teens Fahrenheit wise, the sun is out and hearts are light to begin the year.  “Walking in the sunshine, sing a little sunshine song.  Put a smile upon your face as if there’s nothing wrong.  Think about a good time you had a long time ago.  Think about; forget about your worries and your woes.  Walking in the sunshine, sing a little sunshine song.”  That is one of Roger Miller’s many great songs.  He died back in the 1980’s at the young age of 56.  He would have been right at home singing on the front porch of the Historic Emporium located over on the North side of the Square, at the beginning of the pavement, where country roads meet on the wide and wooly banks of Old Fox Creek.  Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—December 31, 2012

              The picture of the ninth graders on the steps at the Denlow School has sparked interest across the country.  Geneva Heinemann up in Wasco, Oregon was the eighth of twelve children of Lola Upshaw Proctor who was the girl in the center on the top row of that picture.  Geneva thinks that the other girl was Enola Currnut, but she is not sure.  She also thinks that the guy previously identified as Howard Spurrier was really Lester Sutherland.   Howard Spurrier would have been 24 in 1912.  All this was told to her niece, Bonna Mullins, of Wichita, Kansas who called in to the Champion News to report the information.    Bonna plans to make it to the Denlow School Reunion this year and is very much hoping for the weather to be more pleasant and less hot than it was last year.  Champion friends join their Denlow Neighbors in hopes for a nice temperate spring and summer, however they are determined to enjoy whatever conditions are the prevailing ones at the time.   Bonna’s grandchildren have taught her how to use technology to steal pictures from the internet.  She can copy pictures from the www.championnews.us website or from her friend’s ‘facebook’ pages and then when the Snapfish people have their one cent sale she gets them printed up and shares them around.  She is one of those people who like to actually hold on to a photograph, to turn it over if she wants to write on the back.  She said that she has a picture of the Denlow School taken about 1914, and that it has the name of all the students written on it.  When she locates it she will be pleased to share it with readers many of whom are her kinfolks.   Bonna’s extended family happens to be quite a large part of the population of Douglas County particularly those who arrived here sometime before or after the Civil War.  Champions are much encouraged by her example and are looking through their pictures to find the ones that they have that nobody else has, or the ones that have unidentified people in them so they can share them around before people forget who is who. 

               “Slow down!” the General, hunched over his old guitar, was hard pressed to keep up with the lightening fingers of his nephew, Dillon Watts, on his beautiful Gibson banjo.  The meeting room at Henson’s Downtown G & G was the scene of the lively jam session on Friday afternoon.  They started off with Cripple Creek and the Foggy Mountain Breakdown and went on through versions of Dueling Banjos, Wildwood Flower, and Worried Man Blues featuring Dillon’s fine singing voice.  The General’s bright idea was to slow Cripple Creek down enough that it could be called Clever Creek.  It was noted that most of that creek seems to be dry most of the time.  Dillon had very much enjoyed the Thursday night jam session the night before over at the Vanzant Community Center.  It was reported that there were about sixty people there that night and the young player was much impressed with the talent of the many jammers.  He has gone back to Tennessee with his folks now, but he is looking forward to the next school break when he can come back to Champion’s Fox Creek Farms.  Champions like it when he is around.

              Graham Laird is a talented young songwriter who has written a song, “Now’s the End of the Beginning.”  It is quite a catchy little tune that goes on to say, “The days are flying faster than the sun.” This year ends with Bonna’s cousin, The General himself, beginning the tenth year of the ten years that go along with the three score that defines the span of a man’s lifetime.  Nobody ever says, “three score and nine.”  So, bravo! General!  Welcome to your tenth year!  This time next year it will all be over, that is to say, the tenth year.  Thereafter, your Champion friends will be pleased to celebrate your “three score and eleven years and twelve, and thirteen, etc. up to nineteen, then they will celebrate your four score.  You’ll be getting up there then.  Congratulations!”    Other notable birthdays include Skyline student, Jacob Coon who celebrates on the third of the month, two days after his Dad’s birthday. That is New Year’s Day and the birthday of Harper’s Grandmother, the rock and roll bassist of Teeter Creek.  It is also a day that speaks to new beginnings.  When the sixteen year old orphan, David Balfour, turned the key in the lock of his father’s house for the last time and sat out on his adventure, the first person he met was an old family friend, the local minister, who gave him some good advice:   “Show yourself as nice, as circumspect, as quick at the conception, and as slow of speech as any.”  The advice seems applicable to any young person or any old one.  Young Davie went on to have some great adventures and made some fine friends.  He would have made an excellent Champion.            

                   These cold days remind a person that it is time to prune fruit trees, and do the things that can be done this time of the year to get the garden ready for the growing season ahead.   Chances are pretty good that food prices will continue to go up.  Gardening is not just the good exercise that particularly older people need, but it can be the splendid source of the most nutritious food available anywhere, and it may end up being the most cost effective.  Of, course, gardening is not altogether inexpensive as the seed catalogues indicate, but the bulk of the cost seems to be in the labor.  On a snowy winter morning it is easy to daydream about how hard a person will work this spring.  As for resolutions, however, Champions are generally mild in setting up expectations for themselves.  One says, “We can resolve to be a little more kind to ourselves and each other, to acknowledge beauty and goodness with gratitude, and to express the love we have for each other while we are living.”  Those seem to be most appropriate ideas and one would add only “to keep a song in your heart” and to come often to Champion to Look on the Bright Side!