DreamWorks

CHAMPION—May 21, 2012

           “Thanks for what little you did do.”  That jest from the parent of a Campion many years ago was meant to say, “I am grateful for your effort, but do not think you are through.”    When Sunday’s lightning and thunder produced almost enough rain to settle Champion’s dust some were looking the gift horse squarely in the mouth.  The horse is thirsty.  Champions never complain about the weather though it is frequently the subject of the conversation.  Now that many have their first cutting of hay up in the barn, it would be most timey to get some regular afternoon showers, or some all-night gentle soakers.   Champion, Terri Ryan, who teaches at Skyline School and has had a history of horses visiting her place, shares a remark made by Joyce Meyer: “There is no danger of developing eyestrain from looking on the bright side of things, so why not try it!” 

           Terri Ryan is also on the board of the Skyline R-2 School Foundation which is having its big Bass Fishing Tournament on Saturday.  Friends of the Foundation from Gainesville, West Plains, Mountain Grove, Ava, Thornfield and other places are sponsoring the event and providing door prizes as well.  The rules say the winner will have the most total weight of five fish and that all fish must meet legal Bull Shoals Lake length limit.  Ties will be determined by the largest fish.  Only artificial lures can be used.  The Joe Bass Team Trail is providing scales and the stage.  It will be held at the Spring Creek Boat Ramp in Isabella, MO from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.   Brian Sherrill, who knows about these things, has been instrumental in getting this great happening together.  He is a new Skyline School Board member and the father of a student who will be in kindergarten next fall.  By the time Silvana graduates from Skyline she will have been there for ten years and the school will have enjoyed the participation of these active, interested parents for a decade.   It happens that some students have their birthdays after school is out.   They have summer parties.   Joseph Kennedy will have his birthday on the 29^th of May.  He will be four years old and will be in pre-k in the fall.   Landon James will be six on the first of June and the first grade is where he is heading.  Michelle Cochran will have her birthday on the third of June.  She has graduated from Skyline now and is moving on to high school.  Time goes by quickly, or so it seems to old people.    

                   Neighbors over in Denlow are getting ready for the Denlow School Reunion on Saturday.  The General will officiate (again).  The program will begin at eleven in the morning and will include the regular quiz where Denlow students are pitted against students from Elsewhere.  The questions are ‘Generally’ contrived to give the Denlow students the advantage, but crafty team leaders like Linda Clark, and Elsewhere student, Cathie Alsup Reilly, have thwarted the home team on more than one occasion.  Cathie has stated that retribution for her victory caused her to be relegated the “hula” squad the following year.  “Don’t ask.”  The potluck lunch at twelve thirty does not require participation in the quiz or the hula, but just an appetite for good cooking and good conversation.   The food is always wonderful, but the best part is the chance to fellowship (used here as a verb) with friends and neighbors, new and old, in a most welcoming, hospitable situation.  This is another of those exceptional times when fond memories of days long gone collide with the delightful here and now.  “Champion!” or rather “Denlow!”  Memorial Day weekend is the perfect time for this affair and the perfect time to remember the Veterans who have sacrificed so much as well as all those so dearly missed. 

           Friends of Community Radio KZ88 gathered for a party in the park in Cabool on Saturday.   There was an eclectic program of live music which accompanied a barbeque feast celebrating the third birthday of the station.  KZ88 is licensed to Real Community Radio Network, Inc., a Missouri non-profit corporation based in Cabool.  The station concentrates on locally created programming and has an affiliation with Pacifica Radio and Free Speech Radio.    They encourage local musicians to submit their music for on air play and offer free classes in everything to do with radio.  It is a nice little outfit, commercial free and listener supported.  Find a link to listen live on line at www.championnews.us.  Among those at the party was a charming lady named Brenda, who has retired from teaching English and creative writing at Cabool High School for more than thirty years.  She is a very attractive lady who has maintained her sense of humor in spite of exposure to teenagers for decades.   She calls The Champion News ‘creative journalism’ and allows that it is perfectly acceptable.  Champion!

            Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood indicates that the 25^th all the way through the 29^th will be a barren period, good for killing plant pests, cultivating or taking a short vacation.  The 30^th and 31^st will be good for above-ground crops.   After Bud Hutchison’s trail ride a week ago last Wednesday, the Cowboy bowlegged (another verb)  his way up the steps of the Historic Emporium and allowed as how he expects to win the First Ripe Tomato In Champion Contest this year and for his prize expects some new Levis and a nice cowboy shirt.  He said that he already had tomatoes ‘this big’ whereupon he proffered a thumb and forefinger circle somewhere in size between that of a marble and a ping pong ball.  Speculation is that he spent $4.98 each on full grown tomato plants with tomatoes already on them.  Well, there is no way of proving that, but since the First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest is sponsored by The Champion News, which has no revenue, it is likely that the prize will be the same as in previous years and will amount to an old fruit jar and a dozen canning flats.   Some say he is not even eligible, since he lives in Evans, but he seems to be a fixture in Champion and Champions are known for their latitude.   Little Emerson Rose brought the winner down to the Square on behalf of her Champion Grandmother back in 2010.  There are some nice pictures of her on-line out in the Loafing Shed and some question about whether her Grandmother collected her prize.  There are no pictures of last year’s winner and no one can remember just who it was, so most likely no prize was awarded.  The rules are simple.  The tomato must have been grown in Champion and must be shared with the judges who will be those people present at Henson’s Grocery and Gas when the tomato arrives.  A picture must be taken and pertinences revealed, such as the variety and culture of the winning fruit.  It is all very exciting.  Share your excitement at Champion Items, Rt. 2 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or at Champion at getgoin.net.

                   The solar eclipse made quite a stir in some parts of the country.  Many Champions missed it altogether because of the nonproductive cloud cover, the hills that obscure sunset for some and suppertime for others.  As pictures of the event become available from those places to the west where it was most visible, it is easy to see that ancient peoples might have assigned a great deal of mystery and magic to such an occurrence.   Astronomers and NASA scientists have it all pretty well explained now and in sixteen years they say it will happen again just this way.  Meanwhile June Carter Cash wrote “Ring of Fire” and a plaintiff rendition of it can be heard in her album recorded in 1999, where she accompanies herself on the autoharp with just a fiddle in the background.   Come down to the Recreation of the Historic Emporium on the North Side of the Square and sit a spell.  Remember The Carter Family’s “Keep on the Sunny Side.”  You’ll be in Champion—already Looking on the Bright Side! 

 P.S. (For the Herald)

          Champions extend congratulations to friend Keith on the occasion of his fortieth wedding anniversary to the fair Charlotte.   He works in an industry devoted to the interests of all the people of Ava and some of the other people in Douglas County.  He makes some excellent points about the value of skepticism when it comes to the media and joins with Champions in wielding Ben Franklin’s speckled ax while in the pursuit of self-betterment and moral perfection.

CHAMPION—May 14, 2012

           Way off in the future there will be Champions who recall these pleasant days out in the wonderful glider and comfortable chairs on the front porch of the Historic Emporium.  Now that winter’s chill is a distant memory, much of the socializing has moved from around the stove to the porch, where friends and neighbors meet serendipitously, or by plan, to pass a few tranquil moments.  ‘Romantics’ from Almartha regularly spend a peaceful hour there, being willing to travel the considerable distance for the experience.  The fiddler’s brother in law asked (essentially) “Where else might one go to find a real country store at the end of the pavement, on the banks of a creek, at the conjunction of county roads, at the bottom of several beautiful hills in the midst of such agreeable company?”  That is Champion. 

           Cowboy Jack was leading the pack when Bud Hutchinson’s Annual Champion Trail Ride came into the Square Wednesday afternoon.  Fourteen riders made the trip and all seemed to report a good time.  Wilma Hamby and her son, Mike, were there.  Wilma only wears one spur.  Bob Herd has some nice spurs.  He dozed for a moment on the porch.  Junior Brown, Nancy Burns, Dale Lawson, and Marvin Eagleston enjoyed the ride as did Bill and Marsha Brunner.  Cheryl Fortunia rode a quarter-horse and the rest were on Fox trotters.  Hershel Letsinger shed some light on the number of available trails in the area.  He pointed out that this part of the country was deeded to individuals as it was settled.  Later the Forrest Service came in to buy up the parcels from the settlers to form the Mark Twain National Forest.   Many of the farm-to-market roads and trails and old Model T roads that became part of the Forest have not grown over altogether and so they provide many miles of trails for the horsemen to enjoy on their weekly outings.    Butch Linder brought up the rear of this trip, which Jack says is usual.  The two of them took turns leaning on the porch rail describing just how they are both related to the same people without being kin to each other.  They both grew up right in this area and so it is almost a chore to draw the distinction and it is a source of much amusement for onlookers.  This week many of these riders will head over to Braddock Lake for their jaunt.   With the “Near Drowning” still fresh in their minds, the Cowboy’s friends will be keeping a close eye on him.     

           School is out this week!  Skyline students are celebrating.  Summer stretches long and lusciously out before them now.  They will learn, when they get older, that summer really passes in quite a great hurry.  Young Meikel Klein will have his fifth birthday on the 17^th and so will go into kindergarten next year.  Grayson Atchison will be in the sixth grade and he will be eleven on the 18^th.  Heidi Strong will have her sixth birthday on the 22^nd and so will be a first grader next year.  Isaiah Collins will be eight on the 23^rd.  He will be in the third grade.  For a few weeks now many students will have choices about what they do through the day.  Some will sleep late.  Some will buck hay to earn a few dollars.  Others will go to camp or visit their Grandmother.  Champions hope they all know that these are some of the days they will look back on with great fondness in the distant future.   The Skyline R2 School Foundation is getting ready for the big Bass Fishing Tournament down at the Spring Creek Boat Ramp in Isabella, MO on the 26^th.  Brian Sherrill has all the good information about it at 417-683-7950.

           A distant Champion News reader writes that she appreciates the reference to the Suffragists Lucy Burns and Alice Paul, who labored against an oppressive regime to secure the voting franchise for women in this Nation.  “In this intensely interesting political climate,” she says, “it is good to remember that women cast more than half the ballots in the national elections and 66.6 percent of female citizens are reported being registered to vote.”  Lucy and Alice would be proud.  The occasion of the Skyline VFD Community potluck dinner brought out quite a number of political candidates.    It was a good chance for them to become acquainted with potential voters and vice versa.  There were no formal speeches made, but plenty of hand shaking and quality chit chat.  The food was plentiful and tasty and the fellowship most pleasant.   It would be a gift if all the political assemblies to come could maintain such a high level of civility with rancorous divisive rhetoric left behind.  People with differing opinions are still neighbors, still live in the same communities, still care about the same things.   

           A young soldier from Rolla was killed while serving in Afghanistan on Saturday.  He was Pfc. Richard McNulty III and he was scheduled to come home soon.  His wife is due to give birth to their first child in late June.   This is one of the many families suffering a terrible loss as the conflict goes on.   Since 2001, there have been 1969 US Military killed there for a total of 3005 coalition military fatalities. They are far away from their homes, but are fighting for the sake of their Nation.  They have Love and Gratitude due them from their Country, as well as some compassion and assistance.  Champions all. 

           Mother’s Day had the phone lines and flower shops busy as Champions paid attention to their favorite ladies.  Esther’s lovely pies got the attention they deserved at the pot luck and Esther herself was treated to dinner by both her sons on Sunday.  She said they really had a good time.      

           Linda’s Almanac says that the 17^th and 18^th will be good days to kill plant pests.   Pig weed is one that many gardeners like to kill, but some encourage lambs quarters, mullen, and dandelions.  It is said that a weed is simply a plant whose virtue is not yet known.  Pig weed has no virtue as far as can be discerned.  After the weeding, Saturday the 19^th will be a good day for planting root crops and for transplanting.  Sunday starts the good planting time for the above the ground crops again and the next good days for those will be the 23^rd and 24^th.  The Almanac is posted on the refrigerator in Henson’s Store and online at www.championnews.us.  It can be found at The Plant Place in Norwood as well.  Rain is being scarce in these parts, but gardeners who can irrigate and mulch stand a good chance of success in this unusual year. 

           Come down to the Historic Emporium on the north side of the Square to sing your favorite rain song.  “I never meant to cause you any sorrow.  I never meant to cause you any pain.  I only wanted to one time see you laughing in the purple rain.”  Whatever the color of the rain, if it is wet it will be welcome in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—May 7, 2012

                     Moonstruck Champions used many square yards of digital camera space taking pictures of the Super Moon.  Some think of it as phantom film.  Certainly the visage resembled an apparition.   Many just enjoyed the spectacle transfixed with no need to preserve it for the future.   It is quite a Champion thing to recognize the beauty of a moment.  

                  The internet is full of moon pictures from all over the world.  There were certainly some good ones taken around Champion, which has lovely topographical contours even in moon glow silhouette.  Neighbors over on Teeter Creek, southwest of Champion, have been posting some excellent pictures not just of the moon, though it is an excellent photo, but of native plants and herbs.  Fire Pink, for example, is a flower that many will recognize, but just may not have known the name.  There are also pictures of Blue Cohosh, Alum root, Toothwort and Giant Trillium.  The photos are taken out in the woods so it is a great help in identifying so many familiar plants.  The Teeter Creek Herbs site also had some great morel pictures earlier in the Spring.  They are good neighbors and it is a real gift to share knowledge.    A prominent Champion, known more for his work habits and responsibilities than herb lore, was heard explaining that the dandelion flower is very rich in Vitamin A.  Smartweed is a common weed in this area that everyone will recognize.  It is the very herb that the young lady was reported to have been collecting when the damp, shivering cowboy came riding into camp that day.  Conjecture is that it was really stinging nettle that she was collecting in order to prepare a tea for treatment of arthritis.  Whatever the herb, it was a most neighborly thing for her to abandon her own enterprise for the moment to help the struggling rider.  Help is coming in for him from all directions.  Anonymous donors have stopped in at the Recreation of the Historic Emporium over on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion with a set of “floaties” though they did not indicate whether they should be used by the cowboy or the horse.  Someone else has left a tiny bar of fine milled French soap (pilfered no doubt from a Parisian hotel) suitable for carrying in a saddlebag, should the wrangler opt for creek side ablutions in the future.  “Savon” by Lane of Paris has a pleasing aroma that may ameliorate the ambient odor of the saddlebags if not the cowboy himself.  Rowdy is supposed to smell like a horse.   Bud Hutchison will lead the annual Champion Trail Ride on Wednesday so there will likely be recounting of the Near Drowning and so much of the focus of the trip will be trying to keep the barber from losing his saddle to laughter.  By the time the bunch gets back to Champion there will probably be more stories to tell and Champion is a good place to tell them and to hear them. 

           Champions are finding ants in flowerpots, under stones and all the regular places inside and outside where ants like to live.  For getting rid of inside ants there are special ‘baits’ that really do the trick.  They are the best on the market for the job and they are the only ant baits available at Henson’s Grocery and Gas in Downtown Champion.  It has proven out that the Mercantile has a very expansive inventory and that the diversity of the stock available is made possible by the quality of the merchandise.   It is as simple as that—the good stuff can be found in Champion.  More “good” to recognizes is the quality work being done by the County Road people.   The repair to and dressing up of the aprons at the low water crossings after the big rains makes it a pleasure to come to town.  

                    The outlook for a cooler week ahead has some Champions renewing enthusiasm for their gardens.  From Thursday through Saturday those root vegetables can go in with the prospect of good success.  Prospects for good success are the standard kinds of prospects in Champion.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood also includes information about the best days to prune in order to encourage growth and a list of the month’s best fishing days.   Area fishermen are looking forward to the big bass fishing tournament that will benefit the Skyline R-2 School Foundation.  Local businesses from all around the area are sponsoring the tournament which will be held May 26^th at the Spring Creek Boat Ramp in Isabella Mo.  Contact new Skyline school board member, Brian Sherrill, at 417-683-7950 for more information.  The school year is winding down and the week will be busy with end of the year activities.  Eighth grader Sage Clunn will have his 14^th birthday on the 10^th so he will get a chance to celebrate with his friends before school is out.  Saturday evening the Skyline School cafeteria will be the site of the Skyline VFD Community potluck.  This will be a prime opportunity for people who live in the Skyline Fire District to get together and to meet their volunteer firefighters.  The get-together will start at six p.m. and promises to be a lot of fun.  Her Auxiliary friends are hoping to see Esther Wrinkles there with some of her strawberry-rhubarb pie or whatever she feels like making.  Esther is a good cook and a longtime supporter, actually a founding member, of the fire department.  Anyone interested in the possibility of becoming a volunteer fire fighter or participating in the Auxiliary is urged to come. 

                   Mother’s Day will be a chance for Esther’s family to express their appreciation for her.  She has many fans outside her family as well.  There are some nice pictures of her on the website at www.championnews.us.   She has always been active in the community and has served on the election board for many years.  Mother’s Day is a fine time for the voting public to recognize the women like Lucy Burns and Alice Paul who fought so long and under such oppressive circumstances to gain the right for women to vote.  The 19^th Amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1920.  Alice Paul said, “When you put your hand to the plow, you can’t put it down until you get to the end of the row.”  They were great Champions of equal rights for women.  Happy Mother’s Day all you Champion women!  Send your songs and poems about your Mother to Champion Items, Rt. 2 Box 367, Norwood, MO. 65717 or to Champion at getgoin.net.  If you are a good yodeler, come out on the porch at Historic Emporium located on the broad and shady banks of Old Fox Creek and sing that old Jimmy Rodgers tune that goes, “I’ll never forget that promise to my Mother, The Queen of My Heart!”   You will be in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

          The remarkable beauty of the Champion countryside this time of year fairly takes the breath away.  Turn suddenly around any corner to be dazzled by a scene that could well be painted in oil and mounted in a gilded frame on an expansive wall in a great hall to be admired by the unfortunate throngs shambling drearily past in the great elsewhere.  Champion!  Picturesque.

          Many pictures were taken at the family celebration of the second birthday of Miss Taegan Krider.  Cousins, aunts and uncles, grandmothers, and distant kinfolks and relations of all kinds did some big time ‘birthday song’ singing together with the young lady’s parents who both happen to be very fine singers.  Taegan, a.k.a. Peanut, has lots of good reasons to celebrate and Champions are pleased to have such a charming resident.   http://the-dairy-maid.com/ is an excellent place to look for Peanut pictures and progress on her new home as well as all the pretty cows.  It is a happy life.

          Happy birthday to Megan Whitacre, Skyline eighth grader.   She will be 14 on the fifth of May.  Most likely she and her friends are getting pretty excited about the end of school.  Since it has been her birthday every year since she was born, Megan probably knows all about the special significance of the Fifth of May–El Cinco de Mayo.  It is the day in 1862, when the Mexican Army was able to defeat a large French invasion near the city of Puebla.  It was a significant victory for the Mexican forces.   They were ultimately defeated, however, and the French set up Maximilian as emperor.   His reign only lasted three years, because the United States was by that time through the Civil War and able to be of financial assistance to their neighbors.  They were pleased to do so in light of the fact that the victory at Puebla had caused Napoleon such trouble that he had been unable to resupply the Confederate Army thus hastening the end of the Civil War.  Champions can see that a good neighbor policy can pay off in the long run.  Be one to have one—a good neighbor that is.  Good news is that the Dolly Parton Imagination Library is getting some good use through the Skyline School Foundation.   The last applications were given out at Henson’s Store the other day, but they will soon be restocked.  Reading is Champion cool. 

          Champion Pete Proctor writes that Bryan’s family has been with him since February.  His good news is that his son has just a few days left in Qatar, and then he will be home.  Bryan and Jamie are planning to take Pete on a trip to Virginia and Washington DC to see the Viet Nam Wall.  Pete is pretty excited and his Champion friends are glad for him to get to go.  They will be looking forward to the pictures and stories.  Veterans are some of the best story tellers.  They have the Love and Gratitude of the Nation due them and an appreciative audience, as well.  Another stellar local, a real live Veteran and jokester, El Generalissimo P’Shaw, has been ramrodding the Vanzant Community Musical.  David Richardson posted one of his wonderful movies on line and it can be seen by going to www.youtube.com and typing Vanzant Community Center Vanzant Mo(.)   It is 38 minutes long and well worth the time to watch.  It is like being there yourself, and you will recognize everyone.  Very cool.   One would be thanking the General for having such thoughtful and clever friends but he is off playing cowboy.  His pseudonym is “Liberty Valence” and he claims to be so tough that when he steps out in the street the sewers back up.

          Cowhand Jack would have landed flat of his back if the horse had thrown him off on the ground.  Instead of ‘thud’ and ‘grunt,’ it was ‘slosh’ and ‘snort’ and a true wonder the Cowboy didn’t drowned.  They had a nice plunge but forgot the sponge and left the barber astounded. There will be stories to tell of how he rose and fell, but this one in truth is well-grounded.

          A cult is growing up concerning the Near Drowning of Cowboy Jack.   Dramatic readings are being presented on the subject in the Conservatory on a regular basis by the elegant and well-spoken wife of the across the road neighbor of Zip Line Steve and Daring Darleen.  Among the four of them they comprise the stylish set of local Café Society, Café notwithstanding, but rather the Banquet Room at Henson’s Grocery and Gas in Historic Downtown Champion.  They and the Emporium’s proprietor, the Barber, the Cowboy, the Farmer and casual stoppers-in can be found in any number enjoying the impassioned reading of the Champion News and recounting of the events of that fateful, near fatal, day. 

          The third and fourth of May will be an excellent time for planting corn, beans, peppers, and other above the ground crops, according to Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood.  The fifth through the seventh will be good days for, beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, peanuts and other root crops.  It says that this will also be a good time for planting cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, kale, celery and other leafy vegetables.  Start seedbeds, it says.  Good days for transplanting.  Just reading the almanac makes some folks tired.  Others find that they cannot do as much physically as they used to do or as they still want to do.  They make sure that they enjoy what they do get done and do not fret overly.  Find the Almanac up at the Plant Place and for inspection down at Henson’s Grocery and Gas or at www.championnews.us. 

          When a stranger becomes a friend, there is that exciting period of time when the two are learning about each other.  While that is going on, sometimes a person gets a view of himself through the eyes of the other and that can be an enlightening experience.  It is a gift when friends share friends with each other.  The mutual friend now has a new facet according to the relationship with each of the previous strangers and each has the pleasure of growing a bond.  It is a Champion thing to acknowledge that friendship is a true blessing.  Making new friends is a good excuse to look at old friends with new appreciation.  What a gift!

          Count your many blessings out on the porch at the Recreation of the Historic Emporium in Downtown Champion.  Admire the flowers and sit a spell.  Send your versions of the Near Drowning or such as that to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion at getgoin.net.  Sing, “He’s an old cowhand, from the Rio Grande.  And he learned to ride, before he learned to stand.  He knows all the songs that the cowboys know, cause he heard ‘em singing on the radio, Woopie Ki Yo Ki Yea!”  Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

           Champions do not fret about the unsettled weather.  Having no recourse, they just take what comes their way and make the very best of it.  As the hummingbirds straggle in and the bees occupy the big walnut tree in force, Champions acknowledge the changing of the seasons yet again and have hardly anything but praise for the whole of creation.   

           A nice note arrived from Kenneth (Hovey) Henson the other day.  “Your story of Homer Akers’ wild driving brought back memories.  When Homer came up from behind, people would pull over and let him go flying around.  Beings that the roads were extremely dusty, Dad decided one day that he was going to give Akers a good dusting.  Driving fast or faster he wouldn’t let him get around.  Dad liked to make people laugh.  My brother and I thought it was funny to look back and see frustrated Akers trying to go around us.  Harley Brixey and Ed Sutherland were very amused when we went flying past their house in a fog of dust.  Homer had married into the family, but we never heard anything from them about this incident.”  It is always good to hear from Hovey and his friends and kinfolks back home (here) hope he will make it back to the school reunion this fall.  There is an old cowboy saying that says “You’re either raising dust or you’re eating it.”  It is easy for Champions to imagine how ‘full of it’ the air must have been back in those days.

           The Wednesday Night Waltz was a popular tune long years ago.  These days Wednesdays are given over pretty much to trail riding.  Those fox trotters and others that ride and those that just watch them go by or just hear about the rides down at the store days later seem equally entertained though some do not have so many horse related chores as others.    Last Wednesday a group of about ten seasoned riders got together over at the Rippee Access with the idea that they would ride over past Brown’s Cave and around–about a five hour ride.  There are established trails all around this part of the country and any nice Wednesday can find a half a dozen or twenty-five riders out enjoying the countryside and the pleasant company.  Bud Hutchison will have a ride start up at Champion on May 9^th that will wander over to Drury and around.  This is an annual affair and the outfit always seems to have a good time.  Bud was not on the trail to Brown’s Cave the other day.  He and Wilma were busy working on the redbud trees and the dogwoods that they take care of as a beautification project for their community.   Anyway, these ten or so riders crossed the creek there at Rippee and the water was not too deep, but plenty cold.  It brings to mind that old saying that water and truth are freshest at their source and so straight from the horse’s mouth comes this account.  Now this cowboy will tell you two or three times in a row that he has ridden probably a million miles and has never had anything like this happen to him before.  He also has the reputation of one who would not mislead a person but would be most willing to haul him a load.    All of that aside, it seems that they had forded Rippee and crossed a big field to come up on Bryant Creek about two miles from where they started.  The rains had filled the creek and it was running deep and swift.  A couple named Kate and Steve had crossed already and Charlie Curtis had gone on too.  Then came Joe and Wilma Hamby and they were moving across the stream steadily but slowly when Cowboy Jack on Rowdy came to the water’s edge.  Rowdy is a young horse, not too experienced, but he has an extravagantly long name and the potential to serve as a reliable mount for years to come and he had already carried the cowboy a fair portion of that million miles.    A person would have had to be there to figure out just how it happened that young Rowdy entered the water the way he did.  Maybe the proximity of the Hamby’s horses out in the creek or unease about the riders behind caused him to get just a little crosswise with the current and to lose his footing.  Down he went and the relentless current pummeled the steed so that he could not get his feet under him.  Under him, however, was Cowboy Jack!  The thrashing and splashing went on ceaselessly as the cowboy, rib deep (he is not real tall) in the icy stream, struggled to keep the horse’s head above the water.  The horse flailed and fought to get purchase with his front feet and finally did just before they both went down.  Charlie Curtis went back in the water to retrieve Jack’s floating saddlebags and said that he was thinking that he was probably going to have to go in the drink himself just as Rowdy recovered.  Soaked clear through, the cowboy mounted up and rode the two long cold miles back to the trail head.   There was a young lady there at the access pulling ‘smart weed’ to make a tea for her arthritis.  She helped the cowboy get Rowdy in the trailer and he needed the help.  He was so cold that he did not think about the set of insulated coveralls that he had behind the seat of his truck or the old coats back there.  When he finally made it home and opened the truck door, water ran out on the ground.  It did not take him long to get in the house to dry off and change clothes.  It took him days to get his saddle and gear dried out and cleaned up.  Butch Linder had arrived at the creek just as the excitement was over (Jack says he is always slow), but he has been laughing about it non-stop.  He said that Jack had taken his spring bath without the soap.  They say never ask a barber if you need a haircut, but it is ok to ask Butch on any Wednesday, because he closes up shop to ride.  The cowboys all know “You can’t drown your sorrows, they know how to swim.”  This is probably one of those stories that will be told over and over.  Maybe the next time it will not take so long.    

           Silvana Sherrill is a preschooler at Skyline.  She will be 5 on May first.  Third grader Madison Shearer will be 9 on the second.  Janet White will be 7 on May third.  She is in kindergarten.  Family and friends will help these girls celebrate their birthdays—merry as the Month of May!   They will know that their birthstone is the emerald and the Lilly of the Valley is the official flower of the month.  The full moon is called The Corn Planting Moon and Linda’s Almanac says that the third and fourth will both be good days to plant those above the ground crops.   Esther says, “Thunder in February—frost in May.”   

           Write your horse tales and send them to Champion Items, Rt. 2 Box 367, Norwood, MO  65717 or tell them out on the porch at the Recreation of the Historic Emporium on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  There are some chairs out there were a person can just sit and talk and talk and talk.  Look for trail ride pictures at www.championnews.us.  Saddle up and hum the Wednesday Night Waltz on your way down to Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—April 16. 2012

           Again Champion is awash in gratitude for the much needed rain and more for the absence of the dangerous weather that has caused such destruction to communities to the North, South, East and West.   Champions agree that good fortune is a frequent circumstance in their charming berg and can muster no complaint while they express genuine compassion for those suffering elsewhere.

          ‘Rambunctious’ is a big word used by an outspoken young lady, four and a half years old, describing a cow that her family recently took to the sale barn.  This is a very descriptive word that communicates well the nature of the beast.    The little girl now sees that being too high spirited and boisterous can have disagreeable results.  She is beginning to see that ’cause and effect’ is a concept worth studying.  It is interesting that ‘study’ sounds like such a chore to some and to others it is a way to get out of work.  One prominent Champion says that he has to use his dictionary to read the Champion News sometimes.  A favorite daughter-in-law points out that one of the most important rules of journalism is that the reader should always be able to easily understand everything that is being written.  It was the cause of some relief to her when she understood that there is not even a flimsy pretense of journalism at play here.  

          As it happens Bob Berry had his birthday on the fourteenth of April!   He does not get over to Champion as often as people would like, but springtime will have him out cruising the countryside in a fine looking Studebaker and everyone will be glad to see his pleasant smile and that of Lovely Mary as well.   It will be like old times.  He bought the winning ticket for the quilt that Esther pieced for the Skyline VFD Chili Supper last month.  One can just imagine the smile that put on his face.  His birthday may seem to come around more often than Aaron Linder’s does.  His is on the twentieth.   It is hard to believe that just ten short years ago Aaron was only five!  Amazing!  He is an eighth grader at Skyline School and has done his part over the years to keep it a lively and exciting place to be.  Testing is going on there this week so everyone is arriving well rested and properly nutritioned for success.   Champion! 

          About this time of the year two years ago it was noted briefly that “Champion is a bustling place—full of commerce, community and fellowship.  As for commerce, Henson’s Store on the North Side of the Square is opening an Annex on the West Side of the Square to serve as temporary quarters while the Historic Emporium undergoes some rehabilitation.  It may be disruptive and as a consequence, a curiosity, but the end result will be that nothing of significance will have changed visibly while the substructure is vastly updated and stabilized.”  As things happened, the rehabilitation process was considerably more expansive than all but those in the know could have imagined.  Now even the infrequent visitor to Champion has become accustomed to the changes and most would agree that the ambient feel of the place has not been altered in any unpleasant way.  It is an ideal place for conservatives who seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while still not being opposed to the advantages of some modern improvements.  The Pepsi Cola folks were pleased to install a nice new cooler in the Recreation of the Historic Emporium recently.  Long years ago, back during World War II, before there was much pavement at all in the area, the Coca Cola delivery drivers would gripe about all the flats they would get on the road.  Rubber was an expensive commodity and tires were frequently of fairly low quality.  The Pepsi Cola drivers did not gripe about it so much, so Mr. Henson let the Coca Cola fellows know that they did not need to bother coming down to Champion anymore.  For a long time Pepsi was the favorite there, and Orange Crush and Grape Nehi.    It is a nice cooler and the addition of it has allowed for an expansion of inventory in the refrigeration section.   Conservatives can celebrate making fewer trips to town.  How Champion! 

          A pleasant visit with Esther Wrinkles on the phone reveals that one of her little tomato plants suffered a little frostbite the other night.  She agrees that it is a difficult year to figure out for the garden.  She is beginning to feel a little better over her foot injury, which was five weeks ago, but has grown weary of just sitting around.  She has friends and neighbors stopping in on her, though so she will not get too lonesome.  She said she has not been over to the Vanzant music in a few weeks.  Maybe this will be the week she gets out.  Sometimes just acting like you feel better makes it happen.   Champions hope it is true and send their best wishes to their good friend.  Meanwhile, Linda’s Almanac says that root crops can be planted up until the 19^th, and then starting the 22^nd it will be a good time for above the ground crops.  The rain has really improved the looks of things, though some are already griping about having to mow again. 

          “Who controls the past controls the future.  Who controls the present controls the past.”  That is one of the most interesting quotes out of the novel, “1984.” Certainly everyone is partial to his own history.  Veterans like to remember what caused the wars they fought and those soldiers with whom they fought and those at home for whom they fought.    Champions like to remember the Veterans.   Practically any subject that can be thought of comes up for discussion down at the Conservatory that also serves as the Meeting Room at The Recreation of the Historic Mercantile on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  Enjoy some coffee or a pop with friends and neighbors there and dredge up the past liberally.  For a nice chunk of Champion past go to www.championnews.us.  Tell the old stories until all the young people are sick of them and then tell them again.  Sing, “Don’t forget me, Little Darling, when I’m growing old and gray, just a little talk before I’m going far away. “  No use going anywhere but Champion!  Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—April 9, 2012

           In Champion the gardener waits for the harvest and has patience for it and like James said, he is patient while waiting for the early and later rain. Some particular Champion husbandmen would like that later rain to come on early.  It seems dry, so some are watering and mulching and all are paying attention.   James is the same guy who said, “Sing if you are happy.” 

          Champions cannot sing enough the praises of the U.S. Postal Service.  There are stories about a mail carrier from the old days who drove like he was flying low.  Homer Akins was his name and people on Route Two made decisions about being out on the road based on whether it was time for the mail.    Cletus Upshaw took on the route when he got out of the Marine Corps and he was the mailman for many long and interesting years.  There are lots of good stories about him, but mostly it was Cletus who told the stories and he was a good storyteller.  He knew the history of every nook and cranny in these parts and of everybody who lived in them.  A guy with that kind of information could have been quite a gossip, but that is not something that anyone who knew him ever says about Cletus.  Bob Chadwell drove the route for a while, but now he has people out on Route One looking both ways before they enter the road way.   Karen Ross is the smiling face that brings the magazines, the bills, the letters from grandchildren and other family and friends and she does an excellent job.  Her boss, who had a pleasant and successful fishing trip recently, has plenty of good things to say about her too.  She brings all the fan mail to Champion Items, Rt. 2 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717, one of which last week was a glowing piece from Darrell and Betty Haden over in Tennessee.  The kind Professor always offers such encouragement.  He is a Champion.   Ms. Ross also brings the newspapers about which Mark Twain said, “If you don’t read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.”  Champions know what they are getting!   A note in the Champion at getgoin.net mailbox refers to last week’s reference to the novel, “1984.”  She says that “the mutability of the past” is the most frightening aspect of the whole thing.   Her concern seems to be that by systematically ignoring the truth of the past and glorifying the fiction of the past, the population can be manipulated in the present.  She cited the appalling Iran/Contra Scandal that was going on in 1984, as an example and encourages some careful study before jumping on the bandwagon for another war.  Champions pay attention. 

          Harley and Barbara, Donald and Rita, all Kriders, all made it home safely after a too short but most pleasant visit to Champion.  They are a nice bunch to meet in the Club Room at the Historic Emporium where coffee and pleasant conversation flow freely.  Peanuts on the table aid yarn spinning and an enjoyable hour can pass quickly.  It cannot be too soon to reprise the holiday.  They had made a pilgrimage to a place over on McCraddock creek where Donald lived as a young boy.  The sound of the waterfall there was the same as in his youth and the memories came in a stream that left a contented smile on his face.   He told a joke about somebody dreaming they were a muffler and waking up exhausted.  That was the best of the lot of his jokes, though he seemed to think they were all funny.  Funny. 

          The Skyline School Board has two new members—Wes Woods and Brian Sherrill.  They will be interested to know that a seventh grader named Mark Blakely will be thirteen on the 12^th of the month and Morgan Whitacre will have her twelfth birthday on the 14th.  Toby Marceaux will also be twelve on the 17^th and Brice Atchison will be twelve on the 18^th.  This wonderful little school always has some excitement going on.  It is great to see parents interested and active in the education of their children.  These children will be the people who will be running things in just a few years.  Hopefully they will be prepared to do a better job of it than their antecedents. 

          On the KY3 News at noon the other day, a Champion happened to see a photograph of a magnificent morel mushroom laying in the palm of a man’s hand and it reached from wrist to the end of the fingers and was perhaps half the breadth of the hand in width.  The announcer said that the picture was sent in by someone named Jones from Stockton.  Hearsay is that this is the same George G. Jones whose birthday falls on the fated fifteenth of April, Income Tax Day, and for that reason is always remembered.  He may be remembered for other things too, as is Dusty Mike who shares that same memorable birthday with his charming wife’s dear Aunt Vivian.  They all like mushrooms so that is another thing they have in common.   C.J. (Cowboy Jack) asked the other day if anyone had a chain available to lend out since he had found a mushroom down in the holler so big that he could not get it out by himself.    Remember, he is the guy who would not mislead you, though he certainly will haul you a load.  C.J. is the gardener’s friend.  Linda’s Almanac says that the 13^th and 14^th as well as the 18^th and 19^th will all be good days for planting below the ground crops like beets, carrots, turnips, radishes and onions.  No use speculating about the weather.  Every gardener must decide for himself how early he will get things in the ground.  The Almanac does offer some good guidelines and it can be perused at Hensons Grocery and Gas on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion or on line at www.championnews.us in the links section.  Find a copy to take home up at The Plant Place in Norwood and ask any garden questions you may have while you are there. 

           “It was sad.  It was sad.  It was sad when that great ship went down (to the bottom of the ocean).  Husbands and wives, little children lost their lives.  It was sad when that great ship went down.”  That is an old song about the sinking of the Titanic one hundred years ago.  There are so many books and personal accounts of the disaster that it will likely not be forgotten and the finding of the wreckage, though it is miles below the surface of the North Atlantic, will keep the truth of the occurrence safe.  Champions have those serving in the U.S. Military to thank for keeping the Nation safe and extend their Love and Gratitude to those serving now and to those who have served. 

          Send your sad song by the U.S. Postal Service, by e-mail or sing it in person out on the porch of the Recreation of the Historic Emporium located in the exact spot where Cletus Upshaw and Ed Henson wove their yarns and pulled their jokes and kept history straight.  Champion!  Looking on the Bright Side!

          The flush of spring’s arrival has eyes open in Champion.   The slow arrival of spring in the past seemed to have made it last longer.  No amount of pontificating on the subject can slow it down, so Champions just stay alert to the current beauty. 

          Back during the big rains recently some Champions noticed that their mail was coming from the other direction.  Karen Ross, Champion Rt. 2 mail carrier, says that when the creeks are impassable,  it adds twenty to thirty miles to her daily route.  There is danger involved in the job as well as a long history of good public service.  A recent article written by a venerable Texas politician, Jim Hightower, reveals that the U.S. Postal System functions nicely on its own.  The brouhaha has to do with congressionally imposed requirements that this private agency be required to pay health benefits and retirement benefits now for employees through the next seventy five years.  To have to pay in advance retirement benefits for future employees, who have not yet been born, seems a little unusual.  Some Champions are confused about the motivations for these requirements at the same time they are so appreciative of the efforts of Ms. Ross and her cohorts at the Norwood Post Office and the Service in general. 

          Talk about service!  Rick Allen and his nice bunch from MoDOT were quick to get the new Champion city limits sign back up.  They are an efficient outfit and the new installation looks very good.  Vandalism to road signs is a real problem in the area.  Many of the number signs that mark the county roads are damaged or missing.  It is such a frequent occurrence that the county road folks have a hard time keeping up.  Local people pretty much know where they are, but when a new ambulance driver is searching for an address where someone is having a heart attack, it can be a life or death situation.   Fun and mischievousness aside, it is a serious issue.  It is like litter.  One Champion was thinking to put up a sign that says, “Trash Litters,” but was cautioned against it as it could cause more trouble as in, “Who are you calling ‘Trash’?”

          A pre- kindergartener by name of Miranda will celebrate her fifth birthday on the third of the month.  Five years old is a wonderful age and her family and friends will be sure she has a glorious day.  The next day will see a memorial balloon release at Skyline to commemorate the birthday of Dane Solomon who died tragically last fall.  His friends miss him.  Tristen Shearer, a seventh grader at Skyline will become thirteen on that day.   What an exciting time in a person’s life!  Who can remember being thirteen?  Probably Cowboy Jack was still in the New Dogwood School at that time in his life.  At this time in his life he is reported to be foundering on mushrooms and fish!  Champions all!

          “April 4, 1984” was the first entry made in the forbidden journal by fictitious character Winston Smith in the novel “1984.”  Walter Cronkrite said that the novel is an anguished lament and a warning that we may not be strong enough or wise enough or moral enough to cope with the kind of power we have learned to amass.  This novel was published in 1949, and concerned itself with events thirty five years in the future.  1984 is now twenty eight years in the past and Orwell’s warning about human freedom in a world where political organizations and technology can manufacture power in dimensions that would have stunned the imaginations of earlier ages is still stunning today.  The new Samsung televisions on the market have built in GPS, cameras and microphones and can interface with home computers, satellite systems, national emergency systems and the like.  The disclaimer that goes with the product says that no ‘unauthorized’ party can have access to the private information of the television owners.  They do not say who is authorized.  Perhaps it will just be “Big Brother. “

          Champion is flush with Kriders!  Harley and Barbara are home for their spring visit which always brightens up the place.   Donald and Rita are also in town and it is agreed that they come far too infrequently.   They say that they have had a few warm days up in Illinois too, but not to the extent that Champion is experiencing such an early and vigorous Spring.   They have been to the Emporium for coffee and socializing and have made a good tour of the progress on Leslee and Briaunna’s new house.  Take a tour yourself at “The Dairymaid” link on the website at www.championnews.us.  It is going to be a lovely home for this young family and in the very spot where generations of Kriders have lived before.   Sister, Vivian Floyd, rendezvoused with her brothers and sisters- in-law at the old home place.  Like all welcome visitors, their visits are too short and there is always competition for their attention.  The up side is that they all care so much for each other that they share willingly and sweetly.  A Champion family for sure!

          Operation Enduring Freedom reports 1,835 fatalities have occurred in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan going back November 25, 2001.  The total also includes service members who died later from wounds sustained in these faraway places.  Many are coming home with invisible wounds.  It is easier to sympathize with a wound that can be bandaged or that produces a visible scar.  Few actually serve, but all benefit.  Love and Gratitude are the least they have coming to them. 

          The other day a Champion heard someone say that the term ‘garden’ came from the words ‘guard in.’  That just makes all kinds of sense.  A young man walking by a garden and looking at the fence said, “That’s a nice pen.”   It is always curious to hear what a stranger might observe about one’s familiar environs.  Being guarded inside fences are garlic, kale, broccoli, potatoes, peas, onions, spinach, lettuce, radishes, asparagus and leafing berry bushes.  Linda’s Almanac is available at The Plant Place in Norwood and at Henson’s Grocery and Gas on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  Any good effort extended in the garden these days is a good investment.  Remember that song, “There’s just two things that money can’t buy, and that’s true love and home-grown tomatoes!”  Send your favorite garden song to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion at getgoin.net.   Come on down and lounge elegantly with the ladies on the broad inviting veranda that graces the front of the Recreation of the Historic Mercantile.   Ascend the flowing staircase and when you have reached the top, turn suddenly (and carefully) and behold– Champion!  Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION-March 26, 2012

          Spring fits Champion like a glove.  There is nothing about it ‘not to love.’  Dogwoods and lilacs are opening even in the low spots and busy gardeners are planting with the hope that there will not be a nineteen degree night sometime in April.  Find Linda’s Almanac to find out what to do and when, and if that freeze comes, just get ready to do it again.  Elva says that if that if the freeze doesn’t happen, it ought to be a bumper crop year.  Champion!

          Bob Edwards from over in Mountain Grove works with MODOT.  He called at the end of the week to say that having learned of the vandalism of the Champion city limits sign from The Champion News, he had e-mailed to Rick Allen who heads up the department over in Ava to tell him all about it.  Mr. Allen used to work in the Drury Shed, but when it was closed he moved to the Ava office which handles quite a large territory now.  It turns out that he was already familiar with the situation, having incidentally been in the neighborhood early in the week.  Champions were ready to lay the prompt response at the tiny sandaled feet of Ms. Kalyssa Wiseman, saying that if you want to get something done, give it to the busiest person around and one has only to have passing acquaintance with Ms. Wiseman to see that she is one of the busiest—she and those nice MODOT folks.  There is not a lot of pavement in Champion for the Department of Transportation to maintain, but it appears that Mr. Allen and his crew are on top of it.  Before the week end arrived, the sign was picked up; the concrete was removed from the post; the pavement and the hole in the ground were marked with paint; and the sign was taken away.  It was rather reminiscent of a Dr. Seuss story:  “We’re taking it back to our workshop, my dear.  We’ll fix it up there and we’ll bring it back here!”  It is all fixed up already and the MODOT guys are just waiting to get clearance from the “Dial Before You Dig” guys.  Champions who use and enjoy the telephones and internet service that arrives via buried fiber optic cables are pleased that all precautions are being taken.    Generally speaking, Champions are pleased with the good attentions of MODOT as well as the County Road folks who have been lickety-split repairing the washed out areas of the county roads caused by the recent heavy rain. Keeping things in good repair is a sign of a thriving community.  Champion indeed!  Mr. Edwards keeps track of Champion through the papers and while he has not yet been to town to see the new store, he plans a trip soon and will have a delightful surprise when he arrives.      

          An Old Champion suffering from a cold or something like that spent much of the beautiful Sunday in a chair in from of her television.  The Ozarks Watch Video Magazine was on with a repeat of a program from sometime last year.  Dr. Brooks Blevins was on with Dr. Jim Baker to talk about country stores.  He said that in years gone by a person could expect to find a country store about every five or six miles in areas where it would take thirty or more minutes to drive to town.  They showed a lot of quaint pictures of little stores in Arkansas, and in Ozark and Howell County—some very inviting with tables and chairs, cracker barrels and an open invitation to sit a visit for a spell.  When they got to Booger County, there were some good pictures of Spurlocks’s over in Squires.  They called it a ‘super-store’ because it was so large with such an enormous inventory as well as a post office.  There were also some very nostalgic pictures of Henson’s Grocery and Gas.  Dr. Blevins talked about the Henson family running the store all these years and said that he knew they had taken the old one down and had replaced it in the same spot with a new one, which he understands adheres to the pure standards and qualities of a ‘country store.’  When he finally gets over here, he will be sorry to have missed the Grand Opening Celebration back last October.  In any event, Champions will extend to him an open invitation to come and look the place over any day of the week except for Sunday and for Monday afternoons.  He and Dr. Baker said that in the old days a community generally had a one room school house, a church at the crossroads and a country store.  Champion had all of that.  The Champion School Reunion happens the Saturday before Labor Day so perhaps that will be a good time for a visit from the studiers of Ozark Heritage.  Meanwhile, they can get a pretty good tour of the place at www.championnews.us. 

          It will be a busy week at Skyline R2 School.  There will be ball games and PTO meetings and The Science Fair which will start at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, the 29^th.   Fourth through eighth graders will dazzle parents and teachers with their great ideas, while pre-k through third grades enjoy a movie and the open book fair.  Kindergartener, Jazmine Baker will be six on the 27^th, and Gavin Sartor will be ten on the 29^th.  He is in the fourth grade.  Lindsey Fisher, first grader, will celebrate her seventh birthday on Friday the 30^th.  Their friends and families will all be singing that birthday song to them, so Champions will chime in with, ‘many happy returns of the day!’

          A letter that could be showing up any day now will say, “Dear Grannie, Thank you so much for making our Spring Break so wonderful.  We love you!”  Some grannies are not holding their breaths, as letter writing seems to be a fairly lost art.  The good memories are not, however, diminished and plans for summertime visits are well underway.  Friends and families in far distant places do try to stay in touch.  Those serving their country in the military and in other capacities out in the dangerous parts of the world have the Love and Gratitude of the Nation and Champions hope that it will play out in such a way that their homecomings will be peaceful and that they can rejoin their communities to resume happy lives.

          Dredge up all your uplifting, happy, springtime songs and poems for a performance on the broad inviting veranda at the Recreation of the Historic Mercantile on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  The creeks have all gone down enough to get there and your heart will be buoyed even as you enjoy the atmosphere of a tidy, well maintained place to call home.   “Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.” 
Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION–March 19, 2012

           The rapid arrival of Spring is a subject getting a lot of attention in Champion.  Everything has seemed to bloom at once and lavishly.  There are already reports of mushroom finds and big rains on the way give rise to hope that mushroom hunters who have had little luck in the past will at last be rewarded for their doggedness.  There is relatively little hope that the most successful hunters in the area will share their finds with many other than their relatives.   However, since they are always so very generous with their manure, Champion neighbors do not feel the least bit slighted and will hunt their own mushrooms, thank you very much. 

          Tennessee grandsons are back in the area sharing their Spring Break with their Grandmother and it is delightful to see them growing up to be such handsome and pleasant young men.  Adolescence and respectfulness do not always go hand in hand, so this is one of those excellent sets of circumstances that smacks of a good upbringing.   Champion!  Other Grandmothers are wiping the ‘sticky’ off the stair banisters and finding precious little treasures left behind by bevies of grand-girls and great-nieces.  Some houses seem unnaturally quiet.  This will be the quiet before the storm, hopefully not the meteorological type, but the great wave of visitors from near and far who flood the area from the instant that the redbuds first show their purple welcome.  It is the official opening of Tourist Season in Champion. 

          The mystery of the damaged Champion City Limit sign is still sparking conversation.  There has always been kind of an outlaw element in the area and it is the hope of more sedate residents that this display of bad behavior will satisfy the perpetrators to the extent that they will feel no need for further mischief and property damage.  Long time readers of the Champion News will recall that several years ago this same sign had been stolen altogether, leaving only the hole in the ground.  One of Mrs. Powell’s grandsons sited the scripture that says something to the effect that should one steal your coat, you should give him also your cloak.  This concept was applied to the situation and Champions extended the invitation and kept an eye out for the thief to come back for the hole.   Before that could happen, the lovely MODOT people came and installed a sign on either end of town.   The Westernmost of these two is the sign that sustained the damage.  Though some have thought that a stout group could wrestle the post back in the hole and maybe straighten the bent sign, others think that a better job of it could be done by the professionals at the highway department.  Speculation was rife back during the earlier episode of trouble with this sign that marauders from up at Spotted Hog had been to blame.  Jealousy over not having a sign themselves was perceived to have been the impetus for the insult.  Investigate the history of the rivalry between these communities at www.championnews.us  to see that Champion is clearly Champion!

          Research into the archives revealed that the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Champion came to an abrupt end about the time the Admiral made his lateral and diminished transfer to the retired ground forces and unilaterally assumed Grand Marshallship of the procession.  In lieu of the parade, Champions have for the past few years spent part of each St. Patrick’s Day being grateful not to have to endure another one.  To his credit, General McUpshaw has since reassigned his good intentions to the Vanzant Community Center and can be found there most Thursday nights ready to fill in should a musician wish to demonstrate his superiority by comparison.  What a guy.

          Champions remember those in bonds and those suffering adversity.  While perhaps not technically ‘in bonds’ those serving in the U.S. Military in all capacities have sworn allegiance and have obligated themselves by their word to protect and defend the Nation and the wonderful Constitution.  Adversity is frequently the nature of the service and certainly when they return many Veterans find themselves in circumstances they could not have anticipated.  It will be Love and Gratitude that makes the difference for them. 

          Champions do not forget to entertain.  They love company and have hospitality to spare.   It will be party time for someone named Elva (not Elva Ragland) on the 23^rd.  Perhaps she is the Generals daughter, the dear girl.  That is also the birthday of one of Mrs. Powell’s sons, and of Judie Pennington over on Tar Button Road.  Elva Ragland (who has her birthday in November) has her onions and potatoes in and is concerned that the peach trees blooming now will get frozen back.  There is certainly every reason to believe that it could happen just that way.  It is, after all, March.   On the outside chance that it does not freeze them, it could prove to be a very fruitful year.  Champions will just wait to see what happens and do the best they can.  The 21^st is a good day to plant root crops and the 22^nd will be good for crops that bear their yield above the ground.  The next two days are considered to be barren days when it is not advisable to plant, but good days to prune to discourage growth.  The 24^th through the 27^th are all good days to plant above the ground crops.  Linda’s broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and the like are up and ready to be planted out.  A copy of her monthly almanac is available on line on the Champion website or at Henson’s Store on the North side of the Square in Downtown Champion or at the Plant Place there in Norwood. 

          Scouring the Champion Archives for history brought one Champion to the posting of September 6, 2010, where Norwood neighbor, David Richardson, had shared a little youtube movie of Lonnie Krider and Wayne Anderson the last time they played together at the Skyline VFD Picnic.  The song is “Once More” and it is a touching and beautiful piece to hear.  Another old Champion said, “If you’re looking for a song try, “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile.”  It is an interesting choice.  It was published in London in 1915, and became wildly popular boosting the moral of the British troops as they sustained heavy losses in World War I.  “Smile, boys, that’s the style.  What’s the use of worrying?  It never was worthwhile.  So pack up your troubles…”  Send your uplifting, morale boosting tune to Champion at getgoin.net or to Champion Items, Rt.2 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Join the throngs of tourists and sing it on the spacious front porch of the Recreation of the Historic Emporium in its original location on the wide and wooly banks of Old Fox Creek.  It is just at the spot where several country roads meet, where hearts stay lite and Champions are Looking on the Bright Side.