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CHAMPION—January 2, 2012

            “Champions stand at the portal of their new year shoulder to shoulder with optimism, purpose, tolerance, curiosity, compassion, love and gratitude.”  That was the situation with Champion at the beginning of last year.  The same rowdy crowd is at the door again this year.  Champion!  Hopefully far flung Champions in distant places will all enjoy the same excellent start to 2012.  Good luck!  New Year’s Eve found the Conference Center at the Recreation of the Historic Emporium full to overflowing with conferees.  Assessments of the general state of affairs of the world and various solutions to what are perceived as the problems flow like honey dew vine water.  It is entirely intoxicating to be a full blooded genuine resident Champion and even casual stoppers in find themselves a little tipsy for the experience. 

          Karen Freeman (Suzie) writes a post script to a charming Christmas note that says that she has never had a driver’s license, credit card, cable TV, computer or cell phone and although she lives in Texas, “they will never take the hillbilly out of me!”  Suzie must know that she is significantly more hillbilly than most Champions.  Even little shacks far back in the hills have satellite dishes on them and hunters use cell phones to keep up with each other in the woods.  Some stand around the stove at Henson’s Grocery and Gas on the North side of the Square in Downtown Champion to talk about streaming movies on their X-boxes and their Wii(s).  Even aging Generals have “Facebook” identities and some Champions hire lawyers to do all the complicated farm work that requires reading and following instructions.  While they venerate home and all the wholesome values their antecedents embodied, Champions lean forward to the future to embrace technology and the world.  The name “Champion” requires an inclusive attitude but Champions are generally (for the most part) quite selective about what all they include. 

          A neighbor from over at Brushy Knob says that people eat crows.  He offers that song about “four and twenty black-birds baked in a pie” as evidence.  Of course, Champions understand dietary preferences.  Quail and dove are tasty, not to mention duck, turkey, chicken and an occasional goose.  Still, ‘eating crow’ has the connotation of being forced to admit having made a mistake and having to acknowledge it humbly (Mrs. Ross).  Champions know that it is really just a cultural prejudice that limits culinary possibilities. Crows and their close relatives are scavengers and so some have a revulsion to eating them.  Others decline to consider eating animals that are smarter than some people they know.  Last year there was concern about the five thousand Red Wing Blackbirds that had fallen from the sky in Arkansas.  This year only about one hundred dead birds were found on New Year’s morning.  Perhaps the ‘ban’ on fireworks in that area was effective (to the extent that it enjoyed compliance) or perhaps there were just fewer birds to start with. “Oh! The moon shines tonight on pretty Red Wing.”  It is a beautiful song, if sad.   On the way to town the other day a Champion heard “On the banks of the Ohio” on the KZ88 Radio program “Roots and Branches.” The program comes on from ten a.m. until noon on Thursdays and on Sunday afternoons from two until four.  One old song leads to another and then another, so that a person does not want to get out of the car even when he has reached his destination.  Look for a connection to KZ88 Listen Live at www.championnews.us. 

          A clean slate is a Champion thing.  Starting over every day with the chance to do it all better is about as Champion as it gets.   As Champions age the nature of their New Year’s Resolutions change.  This year one resolves to enjoy her rest more.  She plans not so much to nap more as she plans to approach her night’s sleep with appreciation for the restorative qualities and for the opportunity for gentle reflection as she drifts off into the arms of Morpheus.   She will not take her fears or wounds or strife with her as she approaches her pallet—just the sylvan sifting of peace and gratitude for the day’s joy. 

          Johnny is marching home!  Hurrah!  Hurrah!  Many soldiers are returning from tours of duty in the dangerous parts of the world.  Many were wounded and many of those wounds are not visible.   Honoring and caring for the American sons and daughters who were asked by their Nation to sacrifice their youth and in so many cases their bodies and lives is an obligation not to be taken lightly.  Fortunately Veteran’s organizations like the VFW are in place to help.  Pete Proctor over at the VFW Post 3770 in Mountain Grove and Larry Morrison over in Ava at the VFW Post 5993 have real zeal for stepping up and lending a hand.  Any Veteran or family of a Veteran can look to these organizations of friends and neighbors for encouragement, information and understanding.  Champion!  

          Old fashioned pen and ink on paper thank you notes are being sent through the mail to friends and family for thoughtful gifts and thoughtful thoughts over the holidays.   Thank you notes are going out too from the Skyline R-2 School Foundation to those generous individuals who have already donated to help get it going.  Literacy programs and technology updates at the school will be the immediate beneficiaries of Foundation funds.  For more information about the Foundation contact the school or stop in at Henson’s Grocery and Gas in Downtown Champion where literature is available.   Stand around the stove for a little while to soak up some warmth and some ambiance. 

          The farmer’s almanac indicates that Champions will enjoy average temperatures this winter and that it will be very wet.  Weather patterns will be determined by activities of La Nina over in the Pacific Ocean.  States just to the South of Champion are predicted to have a mild and also a very wet winter.  Some Texans will be glad to hear it.  Garden planning has begun in earnest now.  Decisions being made now will affect the pantry in September.  Champions rely on Linda up in Norwood and on each other for inspiration, information and sometimes other things.   Good neighbors are a gift.

          Word is that Louise and Wilburn are doing well.  Sue and Manuel Hutchison were good company in from Iowa over the holidays and there is a steady stream of visitors in and out.  Ruby Proctor is doing well according to rumors.  Esther Wrinkles said that she had heard as much from mutual friends recently.  Report good rumors to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion at getgoin.net.  The big excitement these days is the musical pot luck gatherings at the Vanzant Community Center every Thursday.  People bring a dish or a donation and show up ready to eat about six o’clock and then settle in for lots of good music.  Toe tapping music is a sure antidote for Cabin Fever.  Champions venture over toward Vanzant on Thursday evenings to hear “Put another log on the fire.  Cook me up some bacon and some beans,” but the rest of the time they keep the winter doldrums away just by strolling the broad pleasant avenues of their Historic Hamlet soaking up the healthful benefits of Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—December 26, 2011

           The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is a special time in Champion.  The stresses and pressures of having to have been good are all over; sweet connections with family and dear friends have been reconnected; a few days of wonderful left-overs ease the cooking burden and a little time can be alloted to reflection over the past year and visions for the one ahead.  The Champion Parade Committee (CPC) has been busy at work and Champions are unanimous in their Gratitude for such grand displays.  They are grateful that Monday’s freezing drizzel did not come on the Christmas Eve Parade and grateful that it is likely to be long gone before the next parade.  Frequently enough the New Year’s Day Parade has a little wobbly start on account of the General having celebrated his birthday the night before.  A little freezing drizzel goes a long way so Champions feel very blessed and will just hope that the General stays dry and is able to deport himself better this year.  Champions are grateful for even small blessings.

          “Why do we need to be shooting Brother Crow?”  inquired one Champion when she heard about a hunter in the Mark Twain National Forrest having been shot in the leg by an area resident.  “Crows are very smart, you know, and they live in large extended families.  Aunts and Uncles take care of nieces and nephews.  Grandparents and great grandparents are vigilant for the young.  They may occupy the same home territory for many generations.”  Concern for the condition of the wounded hunter and the disposition of the resident who did the shooting notwithstanding, she asks, “Must we shoot crows?” Answer this question or pose one at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717 or Champion at getgoin.net..

          “Why is water blue?”  The answer has to do with nuclear motions in the molecules as red photons excite vibration. “To our knowledge the intrinsic blueness of water is the only example from nature in which color originates from vibrational transitions,” says an expert from Dartmouth College.  Anyway it is thought that water exposed to sunlight through blue glass takes on certain qualities and that those qualities can be utilized by people who drink the water.  Water that has spent three days in the sunlight in a blue bottle is said to have some excellent benefit to the health of the body and the mind and the spirit.  It could not hurt.  Some of the “Old Biddies” bridge club are excited about the idea and are determined to try it out.  Some will write “Love and Gratitude” on their bottles to see what happens.  Expect a full report sometime after the fourth thursday in January.  The holdiday game at the Mansfield Community Center on the fourth thursday of December was a delight. The cards ran hot and cold among the three tables to a river of laughter and good cheer.  Sensable bridge players enjoyed a salad luncheon topped off with chocolate salad and cheesecake salad. 

          Young Jacob Coon shares his birthday with Mrs. Esther Howard on January 3^rd. Esther Howard will be home in Marshfield partying down with her family and friends.  “I wish you all the joy that you could wish!”  That is how Shakespeare said “Happy birthday!”  Champions echo the thought.   They may be separated in age by seventy or eighty years, but Esther and Jacob each have a sparkle in their eyes and a certain attittude that smacks of fun and surprise, a mischevious quality that is endearing.  Jacob will celebrate his special day by going back to school.  The “Make and Take” event drew a big crowd on Tuesday the 20^th.  The cafeteria at the school was burgeoning with clever crafters, Moms and Dads and grandparents. They left with handsfull (handfulls) of pretty homemeade ornaments and excited optmism for Christmas. The Skyline R-2 School Foundation also had a presence there.  President Patricia Blasius and school board member, Tim Scrivner, were distributing information about how the foundation works and talking with excited parents about a fishing tournament to benefit the foundation in the spring.  It all goes to benefit this wonderful little school and its one hundred young people—Jacob and 99 of his friends.  Champion!

          It is a most pleasant, if rare, event when that Tennessee contingent of Champions are in town at the same time as Uncle and Great Uncle Harley.  Closeness has not all that much to do with geography, but it is a delight when paths cross.  Barbara stayed home to hold down the fort in Elmwood while Harley and friends sit around the stove in the conference room of the Historic Recreation of the Original Emporium located on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  They enjoy a cup of Joe and settle the problems of the outside world.  One could say, “Oh! To be a fly on that wall!” but the weather is too cold for flies and the building is too well constructed, appointed and maintained to accommodate such.  A person would just have to go there and hope that his very presence does not too much change the nature of the conversation.  When one particular Champion enters, the place falls in to a stone cold silence.  “Not for publication!” they say or, “News flash!”  For example, “a little bird” informs Champions that their mail carrier is Karen Ross, not Karen Goss, not Karen Doss.  It is Champion’s good fortune that dear Ms. Ross is willing to crisscross the chaos of Route Two delivering treasures, necessities and dross with never a delay and never a loss.  She may well have noticed moss in place of holiday appreciation in some mailboxes but in Champion hearts she shines with a high gloss.  Thank you, Ms. Ross.  Karen is beginning to stuff mailboxes with seed catalogues again.  Early birds will be starting seeds soon.  Linda and Charlene have the Plant Place and Gift Corner closed for January, but they are there working and always are willing to answer questions and to be of whatever help they can be to local gardeners.  Almanacs will be hitting the streets soon and the anticipation and excitement of gardening will begin again.  Champion!

          Goldie’s house is gone again.  Just up the hill from the confluence of Fox Creek with Clever Creek is a little home site that is once again just a site.  Long years ago it was the home of Goldie Dooms.  She had been a Lambert and was born and raised in Champion.  She passed away a long time ago and a family bought the place and added on to her little house.  That house burned and the people moved away.  Another house was built and then as a part of difficult circumstances became vacant.  In these parts it has not been unusual for a vacant house to burn.  This one was burned purposely on the orders from the bank that now owns it.  The little house had been open to animals and vandals for some time and had become a blight on the property.  Now just the little well house sits on the property.  It has been cleaned of all debris and is indeed a very attractive site again now in an amazingly beautiful part of the world.  Champion!

          Sherry Bennett, upright bass player from Ava, posted some great pictures of the weekly Thursday Night Vanzant Community Center Jam on the internet.  Esther Wrinkles says that it is quite a nice thing.  It is a pot luck dinner and people arrive planning to eat about six and then the music starts.  She said that there were about fifty-six people there last time and it looks like it is going to be a regular thing.  Esther is a vital part of the community (though rumor has it that she could use a new crock pot). She has made arrangements for the musical entertainment for the Skyline VFD Chili Supper to be held March 3, 2012.  The quilt that she hand pieced will soon be on display at Henson’s Gas and Grocery.  Her quilts have brought in a lot of money for the fire department over the years.  This one is a beauty.  Get a good look at it on your next trip to downtown Champion.  “We’ll sing of the old and we’ll sing of the new” in downtown Champion where hearts are light from Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—December 26, 2011

           The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is a special time in Champion.  The stresses and pressures of having to have been good are all over; sweet connections with family and dear friends have been reconnected; a few days of wonderful left-overs ease the cooking burden and a little time can be alloted to reflection over the past year and visions for the one ahead.  The Champion Parade Committee (CPC) has been busy at work and Champions are unanimous in their Gratitude for such grand displays.  They are grateful that Monday’s freezing drizzel did not come on the Christmas Eve Parade and grateful that it is likely to be long gone before the next parade.  Frequently enough the New Year’s Day Parade has a little wobbly start on account of the General having celebrated his birthday the night before.  A little freezing drizzel goes a long way so Champions feel very blessed and will just hope that the General stays dry and is able to deport himself better this year.  Champions are grateful for even small blessings.

          “Why do we need to be shooting Brother Crow?”  inquired one Champion when she heard about a hunter in the Mark Twain National Forrest having been shot in the leg by an area resident.  “Crows are very smart, you know, and they live in large extended families.  Aunts and Uncles take care of nieces and nephews.  Grandparents and great grandparents are vigilant for the young.  They may occupy the same home territory for many generations.”  Concern for the condition of the wounded hunter and the disposition of the resident who did the shooting notwithstanding, she asks, “Must we shoot crows?” Answer this question or pose one at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717 or Champion at getgoin.net.

          “Why is water blue?”  The answer has to do with nuclear motions in the molecules as red photons excite vibration. “To our knowledge the intrinsic blueness of water is the only example from nature in which color originates from vibrational transitions,” says an expert from Dartmouth College.  Anyway it is thought that water exposed to sunlight through blue glass takes on certain qualities and that those qualities can be utilized by people who drink the water.  Water that has spent three days in the sunlight in a blue bottle is said to have some excellent benefit to the health of the body and the mind and the spirit.  It could not hurt.  Some of the “Old Biddies” bridge club are excited about the idea and are determined to try it out.  Some will write “Love and Gratitude” on their bottles to see what happens.  Expect a full report sometime after the fourth thursday in January.  The holdiday game at the Mansfield Community Center on the fourth thursday of December was a delight. The cards ran hot and cold among the three tables to a river of laughter and good cheer.  Sensable bridge players enjoyed a salad luncheon topped off with chocolate salad and cheesecake salad. 

          Young Jacob Coon shares his birthday with Mrs. Esther Howard on January 3^rd. Esther Howard will be home in Marshfield partying down with her family and friends.  “I wish you all the joy that you could wish!”  That is how Shakespeare said “Happy birthday!”  Champions echo the thought.   They may be separated in age by seventy or eighty years, but Esther and Jacob each have a sparkle in their eyes and a certain attittude that smacks of fun and surprise, a mischevious quality that is endearing.  Jacob will celebrate his special day by going back to school.  The “Make and Take” event drew a big crowd on Tuesday the 20^th.  The cafeteria at the school was burgeoning with clever crafters, Moms and Dads and grandparents. They left with handsfull (handfulls) of pretty homemeade ornaments and excited optmism for Christmas. The Skyline R-2 School Foundation also had a presence there.  President Patricia Blasius and school board member, Tim Scrivner, were distributing information about how the foundation works and talking with excited parents about a fishing tournament to benefit the foundation in the spring.  It all goes to benefit this wonderful little school and its one hundred young people—Jacob and 99 of his friends.  Champion!

          It is a most pleasant, if rare, event when that Tennessee contingent of Champions are in town at the same time as Uncle and Great Uncle Harley.  Closeness has not all that much to do with geography, but it is a delight when paths cross.  Barbara stayed home to hold down the fort in Elmwood while Harley and friends sit around the stove in the conference room of the Historic Recreation of the Original Emporium located on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  They enjoy a cup of Joe and settle the problems of the outside world.  One could say, “Oh! To be a fly on that wall!” but the weather is too cold for flies and the building is too well constructed, appointed and maintained to accommodate such.  A person would just have to go there and hope that his very presence does not too much change the nature of the conversation.  When one particular Champion enters, the place falls in to a stone cold silence.  “Not for publication!” they say or, “News flash!”  For example, “a little bird” informs Champions that their mail carrier is Karen Ross, not Karen Goss, not Karen Doss.  It is Champion’s good fortune that dear Ms. Ross is willing to crisscross the chaos of Route Two delivering treasures, necessities and dross with never a delay and never a loss.  She may well have noticed moss in place of holiday appreciation in some mailboxes but in Champion hearts she shines with a high gloss.  Thank you, Ms. Ross.  Karen is beginning to stuff mailboxes with seed catalogues again.  Early birds will be starting seeds soon.  Linda and Charlene have the Plant Place and Gift Corner closed for January, but they are there working and always are willing to answer questions and to be of whatever help they can be to local gardeners.  Almanacs will be hitting the streets soon and the anticipation and excitement of gardening will begin again.  Champion!

          Goldie’s house is gone again.  Just up the hill from the confluence of Fox Creek with Clever Creek is a little home site that is once again just a site.  Long years ago it was the home of Goldie Dooms.  She had been a Lambert and was born and raised in Champion.  She passed away a long time ago and a family bought the place and added on to her little house.  That house burned and the people moved away.  Another house was built and then as a part of difficult circumstances became vacant.  In these parts it has not been unusual for a vacant house to burn.  This one was burned purposely on the orders from the bank that now owns it.  The little house had been open to animals and vandals for some time and had become a blight on the property.  Now just the little well house sits on the property.  It has been cleaned of all debris and is indeed a very attractive site again now in an amazingly beautiful part of the world.  Champion!

          Sherry Bennett, upright bass player from Ava, posted some great pictures of the weekly Thursday Night Vanzant Community Center Jam on the internet.  Esther Wrinkles says that it is quite a nice thing.  It is a pot luck dinner and people arrive planning to eat about six and then the music starts.  She said that there were about fifty-six people there last time and it looks like it is going to be a regular thing.  Esther is a vital part of the community (though rumor has it that she could use a new crock pot). She has made arrangements for the musical entertainment for the Skyline VFD Chili Supper to be held March 3, 2012.  The quilt that she hand pieced will soon be on display at Henson’s Gas and Grocery.  Her quilts have brought in a lot of money for the fire department over the years.  This one is a beauty.  Get a good look at it on your next trip to downtown Champion.  “We’ll sing of the old and we’ll sing of the new” in downtown Champion where hearts are light from Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—December 19, 2011

          Having food and raiment, Champions are therewith content.  They do good, are rich in good works, ready to distribute and willing to communicate.  The pre-Christmas condition in Champion is but little changed from the rest of the year.  Festive lights and lighter than average hearts make Champion the ideal holiday destination.  Ho Ho Ho or www.championnews.us for a look on the Bright Side!

          Ethel McCallie writes, “You can’t imagine how much I wish I were one of you [Champions].  Your area is one of the most beautiful places in good old Douglas County, Missouri, ‘The Land That I Love,’ home of the good, humble, nice and free.”  Champions enjoy Ethel’s letters and will be most pleased any time their sweet Okie friend will be able to come and sit a spell.  Alice (Proctor) McClure writes from Cincinnati, Iowa and says. “Keep up good work!  Thank you for doing my family vacation last August.  We all enjoyed our trip to Missouri—Champion that is.”  Word is her sweet sister-in-law, Ruby Proctor, is well and enjoying the holiday season. One of Ruby’s boys was in town over the week end.  He lives in West Plains and said that it is the only town he has ever been in where a person could get a tick on the court house square.  He meant ‘big town’—Champion notwithstanding.   Suzie (Karen) Freeman (of Wesley and Suzie Freeman, McKinney, TX) says “Howdy from North Texas.  I read your Items and keep up with what is going on there.  Here is a song out of an 1800‘s songbook (Wait for it!) I got from my grandmother, Mamie Bryant.  My Mother-in-law is Helen Freeman who lives in Norwood.  I went to school with a lot of the people you mention in your Items.  Amy Collins was our next door neighbor in Mtn. Grove, when we lived across from the Shoe Factory.  Barbara Proctor Cooper and I graduated the same year.  My Father, Ben Long, was born in Norwood, August, 1896.  His brother, Jim, lived there all his life until he passed away.”  She goes on to wish all Champions the best of the holidays.  [It would interest some to know if Mr. Long was kin to Bill Long of Bill and Crenna Long of North Norwood.  Bill is from Haleyville, Alabama (named for the comet) and was a construction roughneck passing through Mansfield Town when he met Crenna.  Now he and Crenna have just had their 45^th wedding anniversary on December first.   They enjoyed a trip to Lebanon for dinner and shopping].   These letters from Ethel, Alice and Suzie all go to lift the spirit of the place.  Beautiful handwriting on paper with ink, wonderful sentiments, and the generosity of the time it takes to actually sit down and write make them rare and precious gifts.  Champions are Grateful! 

          Skyline School students presented a lovely program for parents and the community on Tuesday evening.  The program was dedicated in loving memory of Dane Solomon.  Billy Collins and Gavin Sartor each played piano solos, “The Chimes” and “Jingle Bells” respectively.   K. Collins then did a clog dance to the music of “Feliz Navidad.”  Preschoolers and kindergarteners joined up to sing “Up on the Housetop,” “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”  First, second and third grade sang “Little Drummer Boy,” “Rock n Roll Snowman” and “The Holly and the Ivy.”  Everyone else, fourth through the eighth grade sang “Carol of the Bells,” “Sing We Now of Christmas,” “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” and “On a Starlit Night.”  It is easy to see from the choice of music just how the evening went.  Ask anyone who attended to get a smile and a good report.  More school programs are scheduled during the next few days.  There are being some good reports concerning community response to the Skyline R2 School Foundation.  It looks like people are starting to make some financial contributions that show support for this quality little country school.  Certain families and businesses operate on an annual budget, so the Foundation will do well to visit with good their neighbors at SeMaNo, White River Electric Cooperative and any number of other good neighbors after the first of the year.  The season for giving is perpetual in Champion!

          Those Tennessee boys will be in town for a few days.  Their Mother is an esteemed alumnus of the Skyline R2 School.  Maybe the boys will have a chance to be in the school before it closes for the holidays just to be awed by the basketball trophies and other accolades behind glass from their Mom’s school days.  They’ll be on the farm having fun, impressing the daylights out of their younger cousins and probably dodging the attention of their Great Uncle, The General, who, it may be noted has been laying conspicuously low of late.  Champions wonder, “What gives?”

          Friends talking behind Louise’s back say that she is making good progress in her recovery and is up to washing dishes with that good right hand.  Her Skyline Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary friends miss her.  At their recent meeting Louise’s responsibilities were delegate out among three people until she is ready to take them back.  It is no surprise that it would take three regular people to do what Louise has done in her spare time.  When Wilburn is down at the Store most days, as he is leaving he says, “Well, I think I’ll go see what’s going on at Louise’s house.”  Champions all hope that what is going on is good cheer. Champions all say, “Merry Christmas to Louise and Wilburn–from the Bright Side!”  Part of what went on at the Skyline Auxiliary meeting was the designation of March 3^rd for the Skyline VFD Auxiliary Chili Supper!  What Champion fun!  Esther will provide a quilt that will be on view immanently at Henson’s Gas and Grocery in Downtown Champion on the North Side of the Square.  The Christmas lights in Champion are absolutely “Dazzling!” and the Champion Christmas Eve Parade will be on schedule.  Farmers are early risers and so the Christmas Parade in Champion will find its terminus at the foot of the reviewing stand just at opening of business on the Saturday of Christmas Eve.  Anyone wishing to be a Champion needs but to appear any Saturday (or any day).  Come early.  Watch the activities of a place where people know how to live and how to be.  It will put you on the Bright Side!

          Champions prepare.  A flue fire is not a laughing matter and so any Champion who heats with wood should know how to best prevent flue fires and then in the unlikelihood of one occurring how to respond in the most safe and judicious manner.  Different heating configurations require different approaches.  Champions are encouraged to learn the particulars of their individual system.  It has recently been observed that water-soaked newspaper will go a long way toward quelling most chimney fires since it will suppress the flame and send steam up the chimney to inhibit combustion there.  This is layman information that should be taken with a grain of salt.  Contact a local firefighter and ask exactly how you should be prepared with your specific heating system.  Use some common sense, and pay attention to the advice of knowledgeable neighbors.  In a comedy (or painful potential tragedy) you could squirt cold water on a tin roof already frozen and then slide off of it yourself, tangle your foot in a ladder and hit the ground hard.   There are any number of ways that a flue fire could play out.  “Safe not Sorry!” is a Champion admonition. 

          Veterans and those currently serving in the US Military Service are all in the best thoughts of Champions at this time of the year.  Love and Gratitude go their way from Champions every day.  Excited Champion bridge players jumped the gun on the Old Biddies game day.  It will be Thursday the 22^nd.  The ladies will share salads for lunch and be ahead of the game to start a healthy new year.  Bridge players are cool. 

          The first verse to “The Model Church,” the song sent by Suzie Freeman, says “Well, Wife, I’ve found the model church and worshiped there today.  It made me think of good old times before my hair was gray.  The meeting house was finer built than they were years ago.  But then I found when I went in, it was not built for show.”  The song is written in 4/4 time and has seven great verses.  Request a copy at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or at Champion at getgoin.net.   “The Sunny Side of the Street” is waiting for you in beautiful downtown Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—December 12, 2011

          Saturday morning broke cold and clear–a sparkling twelve degrees with the moon setting in Champion about six thirty, already gone from view when the last lunar eclipse of 2011 took place.  Perhaps the summertime eclipse coming in 2014 will give Champions a better view.   Meanwhile early birds traveling to and from town that morning had the chance to view a spectacular full moon sliding down behind the western hills.  It was all very lovely and the early risers were out in numbers for coffee and conversation in the Recreation of the Historic Emporium on the North Side of the Square in downtown Champion.  The conversations covered a wide range of subjects, as usual, and a great deal of what was said is reported to have been entirely believable!  Any Saturday is a good one to enjoy the excitement of Champion. 

          People who believe in astrology think there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world. Horoscopes claim to predict aspects of an individual’s personality or life history based on the positions of the sun, moon, and planetary objects at the time of birth.  The whole thing can get pretty complicated.  Three people sharing the same birthday may share some characteristics but may also be very different.  Spike Jones was born on December 14, 1911, Judy T. Ing on December 14, in the early 1940’s, Shannon Alexander on December 14, in the mid 1970’s.  They all like (liked) music—Spike his own and everybody else’s; Judy—Patsy Cline and everything with human emotion; Shannon—an eclectic mix of Springfield’s own Tuck and Abney, The Chemical Brothers and Gorillaz.  They all like (liked) Johnny Cash.  All three of them are (were) great appreciators of the arts.  Spike Jones was a gifted musician with a great flair for comic parody.  He employed a lot of bells and slide whistles, horns of the “a-uuga” type, gargling and hiccupping in his recordings and kept people lighthearted and laughing during the dark days of World War II.  Judy was a multifaceted artist.  She worked as a graphic artist and photographer for the MD Anderson Cancer Research Lab in Smithville, Texas for twenty years.  She was a prolific writer and had just completed her expansive novel about a young woman making the westward migration starting out from St. Louis via wagon train.  Shannon is a photographer.  It is how he makes his living.  He thinks that life is too short and precious to spend any of it regretting not having recorded special moments properly. He has a pleasant easygoing approach that lets people feel comfortable and forget about the camera.  (www.417photoco.com). All three of these Sagittarians love (loved) children.  Spike had four children, Linda, Leslie Anne, Gina and Spike Jr.  Leslie Anne is the Director of Music and Film Scoring at the George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch and Spike Jr. Is a producer of live events and television broadcasts.  Judy had two children, Sarah Gale Ing, and Jesse David Ing.  Sarah earned a full university scholarship in math and studied math while being a drama major.  She died tragically young of primary pulmonary hypertension.   Jesse is in Hollywood, a movie writer, director, producer, working as Gale Force Entertainment (www.imdb.com/name/nm1876362/) with a current movie project called “Burning Away.” (It was always a concern that Jesse might have grownup to be an orthodontist.)  Shannon has two fine sons.  Ethan is a teenager who shares his father’s very good looks and probably does not want to read about himself in a newspaper.  Zack who is just now in grade school may be one of the most photographed children in the world.  He is beautiful and bears an amazing likeness to a Champion Grandmother who now goes by the code name Bozo. Sagittarians are described as able to juggle a variety of tasks and responsibilities.  They are good natured and friendly and are always supportive of the goals and ambitions of others.  They remain enthusiastic and full of optimism no matter what the circumstance.   What Champions!

          Mail carrier, Karen Goss, is a real Champion. She keeps Champions connected to the rest of the world, to family, friends, creditors, and the news regardless of the weather. She has recently received some new family pictures of her daughter and family up in North Dakota. She had them with her when she popped into Henson’s Grocery and Gas to deliver the mail.  No wonder she likes to show them off.  The pictures were made out on a broad grassy prairie with an old barn in some of the scenes.  The emptiness of the background and the big sky just brings focus to the sweet faces of the family.  They like to come down to visit in the spring of the year to help get the garden in. Granddaughter Toni is probably six years old now, grandson Gavin is nine or close to it and the baby, Noah, is about a year old. Time flies even in North Dakota!  Their last name is Owens and they are from Minot, where their Dad is stationed in the military. They had a nice visit for a couple of weeks last April and many good memories were made, also some very tasty plum jelly by mother, daughter and granddaughter which was shared out liberally in Champion.      

          Vivian Floyd was on the phone to Champion Sunday evening finding out about the Champion website.  It is at www.championnews.us.  She had company at her house in Rogersville and wanted to take them on a cyber-tour of her old home town.  While she was still on the phone she could already be heard laughing and talking about all the pictures of the Champion School Reunions and various other entries.  This is a busy time of the year.  Tuesday will find the Ladies Auxiliary of the Skyline VFD meeting at Henson’s Store in downtown Champion.  They will start the planning for the next big thing.  It is a pleasant time of the year to get together with friends.  Linda will be over in Mansfield on Thursday with the Old Biddies playing bridge.  Bridge is a welcome break for her as she operates a seasonal business that requires year round work.  Charlene has been busy with Christmas crafts there at the Gift Corner and substitute teaching.  In a hectic holiday season it is wonderful to have local family owned and operated business to take care of staples and gift giving needs.  Spike Jones had a big hit with “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth” in 1942.  About fifty years ago a little girl named Janette wrote to Santa.  “Dear Santa,” she said, For Christmas I would like a jigsaw puzzle and for everyone to be happy.”  She signed her name and then wrote a post script, “Happy Christmas and Happy New Year to all the dwarves and reindeer.”  Janette still has good wishes for ‘everyone’ and it is pleasant to know her.  Champions join her in expressing Love and Gratitude to all those who have it coming.  That seems like everyone.  Send your holiday wish list to Santa or to Champion Items, Rt. 2 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion at getgoin.net.  Come on down to the sunny side of the street—to Champion, looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—December 5, 2011

          Geese are headed south these days.  An interested Champion learned that waterfowl frequently prefer to fly at night since the air remains relatively stable with lighter winds and less dramatic pressure and temperature gradients.  In the daytime hawks and eagles use thermals, air currents caused by the warming earth, to ride aloft.  Ducks and geese prefer undisturbed air.  They might also like to avoid the hawks and eagles.  By flying in the v-formation the whole flock has a much greater flying range since as each goose flaps its wings it creates an ‘uplift’ for the birds that follow.  By working together and sharing a common direction a community can function better.  When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position. In a community it pays to take turns doing the hard tasks.  Geese honk to keep each other encouraged.  In Champion a little honking goes a long way.   It turns out that a Canadian goose can live twenty-four years.

          “We’ll sing of the old, and we’ll sing of the new.  We’ll sing of the changes in years.  I can’t tell a lie, last night we had pie for the first time in twenty four years.  There’s a man over there without any hair, you can be sure he is fond of his beer.  He is called old-time rocks, and last night changed his socks for the first time in twenty four years.”  Well, there are lots of verses to that song, some having to do with banking, with politics, with the railroad and travel to the Indies.  It is just one of those conglomerated songs with no author to claim credit and a history too long to remember.  Esther Wrinkles said that she remembered it but that she has not heard it in a long time.  Music is a big part of Esther’s enjoyment of life.  When the fire department fund raisers first appear on the horizon, Esther is the one who registers the first and most enthusiasm about who will play.  She has a good ear and great appreciation for local artists.  A meeting of the Skyline Ladies’ Auxiliary will be coming up soon and the planning session will get going for the next community affair to benefit the best little fire department around.   The year seems to be going by pretty quickly.  Esther is doing well.  Louise is making steady progress on her recovery and the fun is starting all over again.  Champion!   

          That raft of tiger orange letters mailed from the Skyline R-2 School Foundation is producing some good results.  Thank you cards are being sent to early donors and more letters are going out to various philanthropic entities.  Anyone with a good idea can include a note with your check or cash donation to the Skyline R-2 School Foundation, Rt. 2, Box 486, Norwood, MO 65717.  A little country school is something worth supporting—a Champion something!

          A full lunar eclipse of December’s Cold Moon is going to occur, visible from Champion, about 8:30 next Saturday morning, December 10^th.  Starting about 7:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m., the moon will have the shadow of the Earth pass over it from east to west…Actually the moon is doing the moving, passing through Earth’s shadow.  A delicate layer of dusty air surrounding the planet reddens and redirects the light of the sun so that the moon seems to turn red when it enters the shadow of the Earth.  So not only will the Moon be beautifully red, it will also be inflated by the Moon Illusion.  For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through the trees, buildings and other foreground objects.   In fact, a low Moon is no wider than any other Moon, but the human brain insists otherwise and so to observers in the western USA, and maybe Champion, the eclipse will appear super-sized.  It is very exciting.  This moon is kind of low in the western sky, so someone behind a hill may not see it.  They say that the darkest part of the eclipse will be about 8:30 a.m.  That is opening time at the Recreation of the Historic Emporium on the North Side of the Square in Historic Downtown Champion.  Friends who missed the Thanksgiving Day parade are planning to show up early for coffee and to exchange their elliptical experiences from over the years. Saturdays at Champion are beginning to take on that old time quality when they gathered on the square for fellowship and to be in on all the latest happenings.  One Old Champion says, “There is something to be said for holding on to those old ties familial and friendly, particularly when those ties are with people you like.”  When the weather is consistently warm again, Champion City Mothers are going to break out the lucky horseshoe set and Champions will be extending challenges to each other and to any hapless visitor from Vanzant or Spotted Hog.  Some are practicing already.    Perhaps those ecliptically shadowed stories will shed light on some of the persistent Champion mysteries like the Champion Illusion when those phantom parades drift up the steep climbing western stretches of Lonnie L. Krider Memorial Drive toward the lofty summit of Mount Champion—how the bagpipes become faint in the mist and suddenly dissipate as if the procession had never occurred.  Anyone who attended (and everyone did) The Grand Champion Celebration of October 22^nd, knows for sure that grand and glorious things happen in Champion. (Verify this at www.championnews.us.)  Send reports of same to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion at getgoin.net.. 

          The weather is changing and real winter will be here in a few days.  Champions will be traveling and hosting guests and making all kinds of merry.  They are safe on the road, careful in their holiday spending while still most generous with all the things that count.  They are extending their Love and Gratitude to their Veterans and those serving at the behest of the Nation and they are thinking about dear family far away.  They are remembering that joyfulness is a year round Champion kind of thing.  Get a big heaping helping of it at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, December 10^th in Downtown Champion–Looking on the Bright Side.

CHAMPION—November 28, 2011

          As in all years past, Champions digest their Thanksgiving dinner in a tryptophanic haze awash in Love and Gratitude.  To sit at the table with dear family and friends year after year, watching the children grow and the adults grow richer in understanding as they see themselves change as rapidly in their latter years as do the children in the full bloom of youth—to see it all happening and appreciate it—what a gift!  Old bones of contention, little hurts and slights, misunderstandings, unintentional missteps and insensitivities blur and dissipate (swerving aside into vain jangling) and the charity of pure hearts and of good conscience reigns in Champion.

          The sign designating Lonnie L. Krider Memorial Drive was installed over the Thanksgiving holiday on the South West corner of the Square in downtown Champion.  In lieu of a crass signpost sunk in concrete, city parents (fathers and mothers) chose the landmark oak tree just at the foot of Mount Champion.  It is the very tree under which all those musicians gathered to entertain on the day of the Champion Grand Opening Celebration back in October.  Many of those players, probably most of them, had the pleasure of making music with Lonnie at one time or another over the years, so it is wonderfully fitting for the sign to be placed there.  Go to www.championnews.us and hear some of the music played that day under that tree on David Richardson’s youtube movie.  For a treat look up the 2008 Champion School Reunion on the website and find a little mp3 recording of Lonnie Krider and Wayne Anderson singing “We Live In Two Different Worlds.”  Many long years ago this road, now named for one of Champion’s favorite sons, was the main road through town.  Now the upper part of that road remains mysterious as it is mostly unused winding west up the mountain and disappearing into the woods. 

          Charlie Haden’s lyrics to Old Joe Clark go, “Old Joe Clark, the preacher’s son Preached all over the plain The only text he ever knew Was high low jack and the game.”  A bright and warm spot at a table near the stove in the back room of Champion’s Mercantile turns out to be an ideal spot for a quick game of pitch.  “Eleven point” is the game of choice by many and to a novice it seems to be a loose enough game to allow for plenty chatter.  Hot coffee and a pleasant atmosphere in out of the wind could promote loitering, but respectful Champions do not abuse their refuge.  Small Business Saturday found Henson’s Grocery and Gas overrun with customers many of whom had come from out of state to inspect the Recreation and to take advantage of the eclectic stock of merchandize.  There has been a run on the Champion Picture Post Card that depicts the Old and the New.  Printers are struggling to keep up with demand.

          So much of life is perspective.  One percent of the population serves in the Nation’s military for the benefit and protection of the ninety-nine percent.  Champions support those serving and the Veterans who have served in past and current conflicts with Love and Gratitude.  The all-volunteer army of today, AVA, can be said to be one of the results of the social demonstrations of the 1960’s and 70’s.   That tumultuous time changed the country dramatically.  Equal opportunity and equal rights became the law of the land for American citizens regardless of their race, ethnicity, or gender.  The veil of secrecy that surrounded much of American foreign policy was, at least partially, removed.  The health of the nation’s environment became a national priority.  Citizen oversight of government officials became accepted.  Bernie Sanders of Vermont is on the Senate Budget Committee.  He says “This country does in fact have a serious deficit problem.  But the reality is that the deficit was caused by two wars—unpaid for.  It was caused by huge tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country.  It was caused by a recession as result of the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior on Wall Street.  And if those are the causes of the deficit, I will be damned if we’re going to balance the budget on the backs of the elderly, the sick, the children, and the poor.  That’s wrong.”  He said that on November 18, 2011.  Opinions vary about the causes of the current economic situation and what ought to be done but things are definitely happening.  Champions pay attention.

          Black Friday and Small Business Saturday were good for good neighbors over in Norwood at the Plant Place and the Gift Corner.  While Charlene was minding the store, Linda paused in Lebanon on her way home from a Thanksgiving visit with her granddaughter in Kansas City to do a craft fair for Charlene. They work well together and are busy people.  For years they have been providing a local alternative to the big corporate businesses that seem to be taking over every little town.  Audrey of “Audrey in the Morning” on KZ88 Community Radio is a big fan of the Plant Place.  She likes to garden and likes to share gardening with her friends and family.  Some Champions are finally getting their gardens cleaned up with the idea of getting an early start next year.  Whether or not they do their chores and are ready at the right time, Linda will be there to help.

          That tiger-orange letter is going out by the handfuls every week to tax payers in the Skyline R-2 School District.  The Skyline R-2 School Foundation has been established as a way to provide support for the little country school that is so important to this part of Douglas County.  Like all schools everywhere the economy is taking a toll on operating funds.  As available resources are stretched thin the Foundation hopes to keep literacy programs and technology instruction supported in lasting and substantial ways.  Some Champions in distant places nostalgic about their own dear old golden rule days are not waiting for the letter in the mail but are already sending their checks, small and large, to Skyline R-2 School Foundation, Rt. 2, Box 486, Norwood, MO 65717.  

          Elgin put on her old gray bonnet with the blue ribbons on it while Vernon hitched old Dobbin to the shay.  It was not exactly like that, but they did celebrate their Golden Wedding Day and Upshaws and others far and wide congratulated the couple and partied down.  Describe your celebrations at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or at Champion at getgoin.net..  Sashay on over to the Square in Downtown Champion to see how the place is recovering from the Thanksgiving Day Parade of 2011.  You will be amazed!  You will be in Champion, looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—November 21, 2011

          Champions find Gratitude easy.   Much needed rain has settled the dust and hunters have taken their prizes home with them leaving the country side wonderfully quiet again.   Things can get back to normal just as the Champion Thanksgiving Day Parade forms up.  Look for a full report next week.  If you are looking for a good time, some fellowship, some fun Champion is the place for you!  Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—November 14, 2011

          Hunting season is always exciting in Champion.  Stories around the stove in the mercantile include descriptions of just how the buck came over the rise and just how he quartered just so and then turned to present a perfect target and then fell in his tracks.  Hunters have been telling hunting stories around the fire for as long as there has been fire.  Champions are glad to be part of the big continuum which these days has hunters exchanging text messages out in the field.  “Was that you?” One hunter said, “It was so windy on Saturday that the birds were walking!”  Kalyssa’s Mother took a fine eight-point buck and will have a trophy for her wall in what is called a ‘European mount.’  Freezers will soon be full and the generosity of Champion hunters is no small thing.  It is Champion!

           Friday the landline telephones in and around Champion went haywire.  By Saturday things had improved quite a little bit and parties were able to connect on the old fashioned phones again.  Monday telephone trucks were patrolling the area and though the lines are buried out here, it could be that all the high wind has caused some trouble somewhere.  Those folks do a good job of keeping Champion in the loop.  While Champions embrace change and technology, there are still a few rotary dialed telephones and a few typewriters in regular use in the area.  Louise’s eagle watching neighbor across the hill still uses the typewriter to a pleasant effect.  Louise was busy out on her computer Friday night looking at the pictures and movies of the Grand Opening Celebration at Champion that are posted on the Neighborhood Events page at www.championnews.us.  She saw quite a few people she knows and would have heard the music, except that her speakers are not hooked up to her computer at this time.  She watches the cooking shows on TV when she is not busy with various therapies.  Wilburn said that he and Fleming were mowing hay when the dirigible came over and it scared the little mare they were working.  He said it came over real low, just above the tree tops, and they could hear people talking.  Probably Wilburn could tell several interesting stories if he were in the mood to do so. 

          A Champion friend writes in from Elsemore, MO to say, “It is a surprise to read [Champion News—October 31, 2011] that our city police forces here in America are better equipped than our own soldiers going to war in foreign countries.   We need our police to protect and serve us, and we want them to be protected themselves, safe and careful in their work, but when you get to looking at their equipment, what do you suppose they are protecting us from?  It looks like they are protecting us from us.  It scares me to think that police could be turned against the very population they are hired to protect.  Does that ever happen?  Does it really only happen to people who deserve it—to those who not believe the right things and who says exactly what those things are?  To me the scariest thing that could happen would be for people to think there is nothing they can do or that it is too late to have a say in how the country behaves.  Maybe even worse would be if they just didn’t care and thought it’s not all that bad.  ‘Don’t make trouble.  Mind your own business and everything will be ok.’  Consider that as long as you stay on the good side of your own police force, you’ll probably be ok.  You don’t need to bother to pay attention, to study or to vote.  Just be quiet and stay in line.”  This reader makes a good point, if a little hysterical, but Champions are here to say that cynicism and apathy are not the way of things in these beautiful parts. 

          The one hundredth anniversary of the Great Blue Norther of 1911 occurred on November 11th.  On that day in Springfield the high temperature early in the day was 80⁰ and had dropped to 13⁰ before the day was over.  There were enormously destructive tornadoes and many weather related deaths all across the country that day.  Champions keep a weather eye out as there have been tornadoes in Douglas County every month of the year—not every month in every year, of course, but, well, you know.   Armistice Day and Veteran’s Day received a lot of good attention this year.  Armistice Day marked the end of the Big War—The War to End All Wars—It was a hard won peace that has not been very long lasting.  For whatever meaningful reasons people are pitted against each other, a saying one can apply is, ‘Hate the War—Love the Warrior.’  Champions understand that and applaud the willingness of individuals to serve the Nation.  When the Veterans come home, they could use some help, just like a lot of people who have served at home could use some help—Veterans, police, teachers, fire fighters, nurses, farmers, ad. inf.  Let the trickling down commence!  Love and Gratitude is what Champions have to offer.

           Harold March, writes, “When you are looking on the bright side, the day is bright and gay.  When you are looking on the dull side, everything is gray.  The word Champion is a Winner so the book does say. I would rather be a winner any old day.  I have been to Champion when I was a lad, riding Old Dolly with my brother at my side.  I would like to go back but now it is too late.  I still remember some stories Ed did relate.  How Deward’s old hounds ran that fox right through Johnnie’s front gate.  There was chickens in the yard and clothes on the line and Johnnie came out just a jumping up and down.  Oh!  He was mad at any rate.  He was not thinking about all of the chickens that Old red fox had already ate.  Cold Springs was not so very far away.  I went to school there in my early days.  I like to put to Poetry the things we did, so now you know I’m the Clever Creek Kid.” Thanks, Kid.  Even Champions can use some comfort and encouragement during troubled times and times of great loss and sorrow.  Young Dane Solomon had just started his life and friends and family will continue to hold him close in their hearts.

          Send poetry, reminiscences, songs, speculation, suggestions, requests, and rants to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion at getgoin.net.  Sing when you are by yourself or with somebody and go for a happy tune if you can–on key if you can, but don’t let that stop you.  Sing loud!  “Look on the Brighter Side—Sorrows will pass away!”  Champion!

CHAMPION—November 7, 2011

          Champions find themselves in pretty good shape to start out the week.  With much needed rain on the way, the garden harvest in, winter’s wood in the shed and a little brighter start to every morning with the time change, there is no complaint to be had by anyone around.  One or two might grouch about having to do their chores, but Champions kind of like to have them around for contrast as a bench mark for the Bright Side. 

          About a week before his first birthday, Richard was surprised to find that he had a brand new little brother.  Bob’s birthday is on the 8^th of November and Richard’s is on the 15^th.  They grew up together and are for a few days this week the same age and that age finally has some benefit to it.  They will have new identification cards to carry in their wallets and opportunities for health club memberships and reduced expenses in certain areas.  Jealous, snarky family members will just have to wait for years and years to enjoy these excellent aspects of accumulated years.  For some, age and maturity are not the same.  Champion friends and neighbors say, “Happy birthday, brothers!”  Since their birthdays are so close together they can party all week and chances are their celebrations will not get hijacked since most people only celebrate their own special day once a year and generally on the actual day.  Carry on you Champions! 

          Pete Proctor writes to inform about the Veteran’s activities in the area.  Pete is Commander of the VFW Post 3770 in Mountain Grove.  He and the Commander of the American Legion will be folding the flag and doing the POW/MIA Missing Man Table at the Mountain Grove Senior Center at 10:00 a.m. Thursday.  On Friday they will have a color ceremony at the Skyline School at 9:00 a.m. and then again at 11:00 a.m. that day on the Mountain Grove Square.  These Veterans organizations are very busy this time of the year as they keep the National observances in the public eye.  The support they provide for Veterans and active duty military personnel is invaluable.  As more people return from active duty in war zones there will be more need.  Champions join Pete in expressing Love and Gratitude to those who have served and to those who are doing so now.  Friday, November 11, Veteran’s Day—Champion!

          Strange slow moving pickup trucks are prowling the country roads again.  There are rules about road-hunting and it is probably true that there is more game on places that keep no-hunting signs and tape up year round.  By and large, the hunters who frequent Champion are respectful and well behaved and they do bring revenue into the area.  This year they will be surprised at the marvelous new facility available in Champion.  The Recreation of the Historic Emporium over on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion is an excellent place to stand around a warm wood stove and enjoy a good cup of coffee while swapping hunting tales.  

          Good conversation with Connie on Monday morning lets Champions know that Louise is doing well.  With a lot of hard work and help, she is making slow but steady progress in her recovery.  A note in the mail to a friend like Louise is a stamp well spent.  Who knows what unexpected encouragement you might provide?  Louise has typically worked circles around everyone and it must be very difficult for her to be sidelined this way.  She is at Rt. 2, Box 276, Norwood, MO 65717.  Wilburn gets down to Champion from time to time and he’s always a welcome sight.  He has some good stories.  He said that he and Fleming Geer were out in a field over by Skyline one time when they were boys and a dirigible passed overhead.  Probably not too many Champions have ever seen a dirigible.  Some may not even know that it is a big bag of inert gas.  (The General does claim to have spent a hitch in the air-force.)

          The General’s sainted wife celebrates her birthday on the 6^th of November.  That was Sunday and the news blackout from over in Vanzant was finally broken Monday morning with Himself nowhere in sight.   She is much younger than he is and overall better natured and ever so much more decorous.  Friends and neighbors have almost ceased shaking their heads at the unlikelihood of him being able to hold on to such a prize.  Their good neighbor, Esther W. says that the neighborhood is pretty quiet now and things are as tidy as if one of the Champion parades had been through.  Esther is busy piecing quilts and said that she and a bunch from the Fieldstone Church went down to help the folks at Odom with their meeting on Saturday.  She said it was a good meeting and that the Odom people are awfully good about coming up to Fieldstone.  Good neighbors are a Champion kind of thing.

          As Champions settle into some lovely autumn days, they can spend a few moments reflecting on recent excitement.  The fall was full of activity with the Champion School Reunion, the West Plains Wagon Club wagon train, the Pioneer Descendants’ Gathering, Bud Hutchison’s Fall Trail Ride and then the fantastic Grand Opening Celebration of Henson’s Grocery and Gas over on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  It has been a whirlwind of activity and Champions will be pleased to take a moment to catch their collective breath.  Thanksgiving will be the next order of business and Champions are already in the mood for it.  “Hooray for the fun!  Is the pudding done?  Hooray for the pumpkin pie!”  Send your favorite pumpkin pie receipts or better yet, sweet potato pie receipts to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion at getgoin.net.  Look in on www.championnews.us for that wonderful you tube movie of the Grand Celebration.  There are lots of good photographs there too from that day and from other big time Champion events, so enjoy.  For your overall betterment you are invited to come and Occupy Champion for a Look on the Bright Side!