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CHAMPION—October 27, 2008

        The sun’s path is lower in the Champion sky these autumn days.  As it shines unexpectedly through seldom cleaned windows the light inside may be distorted and the view outside may be distorted.  It does not take much in the way of dirt to change the look of things.  It is the mark of a real Champion to be able to see around the distortions and dirty smears, political and otherwise, that twist, warp, contort and misshape a view or judgment.  An old Champion stepped out of Henson’s Store Saturday to Look on the Bright Side.  She was headed home to wash some windows when she happened on a couple of men talking.  One was saying that he just didn’t know how he was going to take it if things turned out the way folks are saying.  The other fellow, a life-long born and raised Champion and son of Champions, said first of all, that there’s no telling for sure what’s going to happen and a person should not worry overly.  Then he said that he figured that Americans are some of the most adaptable people in the world.  He agreed that some people are just never going to change at all, but most people are able to take whatever comes along in stride.  There are always going to be some folks who don’t like things the way they are no matter what they are.  It’s human nature and the nature of a democracy.  In Champion, however, optimism for a favorable outcome is encouraged and the polling place is waiting for voters who want to make a change.

        Danny Dry was at Champion on Saturday seeing Jamie off on Bud Hutchison’s trail ride.  He wandered around with a rope in his hand half the morning, claiming to have lost his horse.  Charlie Lambert said he thought it was off out behind the old school house.  There was speculation that it had just run off or that it had died.  Danny was heard to say the horses’ name was Spot, as he got in his truck and headed over to Drury to meet the trail ride with a nice lunch for Jamie.  By all accounts, the trail ride was just lovely.  The weather was perfect.  Thirty-one riders left Champion but only twenty-nine arrived at Drury.  That would have been the makings of a good Halloween tale but the mystery was solved when a couple of riders from Springfield turned back to Champion when their horses lost shoes.  This trail ride is one of high marks on the Champion Calendar. 

        Finally a hard freeze heralds the coming winter.  Persimmons are uniformly producing spoons in their seeds and smoke is beginning to drift up through some chimneys.  There will be some cold days for sure, but there will be “a day (even) in February when a dog will look for a shade.”  That is according to another life-long Champion who knows plenty of Old Time Champion sayings and most generally has a song in his heart.  Music has often served the purpose of distracting a person from his problems.  One of the best possible uses of music is in the healing process.  “We Live in Two Different Worlds” is the name of a song that can be heard in the Champion School Reunions category at www.championnews.us.  Lonnie Krider, Wayne Anderson and someone else sings this piece with some distinctive banjo and mandolin playing.  As to singing in Champion, of course, the louder the better if it’s good and Champion is the home of many a fine voice.  Some Champions find that just thinking a tune and the words is enough to get them to feeling better.  It also represents a kindness to others to keep a lid on it if it is sour.  Most Champions are polite enough not to say too much when a singer wanders way off key.  The thought is that a song doesn’t generally last too long and a person can generally launch himself on toward home to some important chore before the offending singer starts his next selection.  Sometimes a chanteuse is inescapable, however, and so Champions are put to the test of forbearance.  Not wishing to have strife with a neighbor can cause people to put up with a lot of things.  What Champions!

        The 30^th and the 31^st will be good days for applying organic fertilizer to the garden according to Linda’s Almanac over at the Plant Place in Norwood.  Those days are also good days to prune to encourage growth, and for harvesting crops, planting seed beds and killing farm meat.  There is always plenty to do on a farm.  The term farm covers a wide spectrum of agricultural production work and what one person calls a farm might be a joke to another.  The work is there to be done no matter what it’s called and the sore muscles are indistinguishable.

        Friday night the 31^st of October is portentous for being cold and gloomy.  It gets dark early in Champion.  Soon even the owls stop their calling and the coyote’s distant howl trails off to nothing in the chill of the somber murky night.  The wind whistles and moans around corners and branches snap suddenly to mask the sound of a hard following foot-fall in the dark and the rush of a heavy wet breath and a clammy hand just missing the back of the neck of some unwary innocent who thinks to extort candy by the threat of a trick!  Trick or treat!  Indeed!  Even The Headless Cobbler of Smallette Cave would quail at the thought of approaching Champion with such a demand!  His thoughts are in the pumpkin he carries under his arm for a head! Little Champion goblins are thinking twice about making mischief….as well they should.  Boo! Ha! Ha! Ha!

        Raymond and Esther Howard were in the neighborhood over the week-end to the delight of many Champions.  Raymond was talking about squirrel hunting and kept the place lively with his infectious laugh.  Esther was fetching in her new red hat and her sweet good humor.  Champion is always in a good mood when they visit.

        Soldiers serving in dangerous places in the world have made available to them the materials and support in order to cast their ballots in the coming National election.  There are specific rules and procedures for this kind of voting and it is hoped that they all get their say.  Whatever the conflict or the assignment of duty, that they wear the uniform insures Citizens here their voting franchise.  Some of those serving will not return and many will return wounded one way or another.  They will have the Love and Gratitude of their Nation on Tuesday the 4^th of November, on November 11^th—Veterans’ Day, and every other day of the year.  They are Champions.  Ella Fitzgerald sings, “Vote for Mr. Rhythm!  The People’s Choice!  Vote for Mr. Rhythm!  Let freedom ring!  Change your woe into wodie oh doe!”  She says it is the true meaning of the ‘swing vote.’  Jack Teagarden played the trombone and sang, “I Swung the Election!”  It was a swing tune for the swing states.  Some say, “Vote early and vote often!” To new Citizen and new voter, Sally Miller, Champions say that they take the vote seriously and are delighted that she will be joining the throngs at the polling place this year.  Hip! Hip! Hooray!

        Everybody wins in a democracy!  Celebrate your Victory at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail Exultations and the name of the third person in the trio singing “We Live in Two Different Worlds” to Champion News.

        Sing your campaign song loud and long, on or off key right on the porch at Henson’s Store in the geo-political nexus of the absolute Heart of Douglas County.  (Just a little to the Right of Center-or a little to the Left if you’re looking from the inside.)  Left, Right or Center, in Champion they are always Looking on the Bright Side!