August 10, 2015
CHAMPION—August 10, 2015
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Once again the summer social season has been capped off in a delightful way by the Skyline Volunteer Fire Department Picnic. All the hard work and preparations that go into making this such a splendid event have paid off again. Neither the Ozark Empire Fair, the Fair in Ava, nor the Dog Days of summer kept the picnic goers from their good time. Ray Bradley stepped up on the stage and held it firmly down for the first musical interlude on Friday. The scheduled band canceled at the last moment giving the audience an unexpected treat. What a repertory! Fending off compliments, he said that his wife protests that he knows all the words to hundreds of songs, but cannot remember a three item grocery list. Later in the evening he led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem at the conclusion of the dedication of the new flagpole. Pete Proctor and Chaplain Howard Anderson raised the flag for the first time on the flagpole donated by the Mountain Grove American Legion Post 30. The music, fun and games kept on as people who see each other rarely caught up on their visiting. The cake walkers, silent auction bidders and bingo afficionados all enjoyed themselves immensely, but at the end of the picnic probably no one was as happy as Sally Prock. She won the wonderful “Broken Dishes” quilt made by Ruth Hamilton. It is lovely to see Sally win. She supports every good cause in the area. Congratulations Sally and to the Skyline VFD for another fine picnic.
It was good to see Larry Wrinkles and Harley Krider sitting together chatting on Friday evening. One thought that if Punk Hicks were to show up they might give the crowd a treat with some of their legendary harmonies. Vivian Floyd and her friend Albert were down from Rogersville for the occasion. Stalwart young firefighters stepped up to help change a flat at the picnic. It is nice to see that generosity and willingness to help in young people. Any number of kindnesses goes unnoticed. The Nettleton sisters, Eva, Shirley and Helen, were not in attendance together this year as they have been for many years. Mrs. Eva Powell is currently receiving her mail at Marshfield Care Center-D-2, 800 South White Oak Street, Marshfield, MO 65706. She always loved the picnic and is known for remembering birthdays and anniversaries with thoughtful cards. Hopes are that her mailbox is full as her friends wish her well.
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Foster and Kalyssa were a big help at the picnic, though Foster skipped out Saturday night to help his dear old Dad celebrate his birthday. Roger has slipped decidedly into his late forties. When Foster becomes a teenager, his Dad will be an old man of fifty. Fifty is starting to seem young to some. Jaycee Hall is a kindergarten student at Skyline this year. Her birthday is on August 10th. Her classmate, Cryslynn Bradshaw, celebrates on the 12th of August. There is good news that Skyline student, Jacob Coon, is improving steadily and hopes are that he will be healthy and ready for it when school starts up soon. Teri Ryan reported that great volunteers were on hand on the week end to put some good energy into the school. Ms. Curtis, her parents, sister, and children constructed a new closet in the gym on Saturday. The Brixey family put new rocks (gravel) in front of the school and spread more out on the playground. Ms. Ryan asks if there are others who might have the time and energy to spend helping with improvements to the wonderful little school. The youngsters growing up in Skyline will likely be many of the residents here in years to come. They will be running the fire department and will be the farmers and business people who will keep the community alive. Many will go on to other parts to contribute in other ways, but they will all have this foundation of a solid start to their education. They will have what it takes to compete in a changing world that is vastly different from the world their parents knew. An educated population is the hope of the Nation.
Linda’s Almanac says that the 18th through the 22nd will all be excellent days for planting crops that bear their yield above the ground. There is plenty of growing season left for greens of all kinds, so let the fall garden be the one that sets off the bragging. Unusual weather patterns have made parts of some gardens flourish while others parts have suffered blight, mold and a failure to thrive. The next change of the moon will be good for turnips (in case Lem and Ned come to visit) and beets (a jar of pickled beets brought $6.00 in the silent auction at the picnic) and a good time to plant garlic for next year’s harvest (to keep yourself healthy and your dishes savory).
The 70th anniversary of the atomic bomb is much in the thoughts of people the world over. Champion Rich Heffern has written a very revealing piece about the maintenance of nuclear weapons here in the United States. He ends it by saying, “It seems as though–70 years (this month) after the first nuclear weapons were used in war—that we haven’t outgrown our need for mass-suicide.” It is a sobering thought. Some in Congress seem more interested in defeating the administration than in the safety and welfare of the whole world. While Rupert Murdock’s world view is spewed relentlessly across the land with its fear mongering and bigotry, calm intelligent people work toward a diplomatic solution to the difficult issue. The trouble is there is just not all that much money to be made with diplomacy. Where is the profit for Brown and Root, Haliburton and Blackwater? So much money is made in war that it is hard for some to find a reason not to fight. Poor people voting against their own interest believing that they will someday not be poor are on the losing side. War costs. It costs the lives and futures of young people who are motivated by love of Country. It cost the education of our children as schools are starved to feed the war machine and it cost the security of the most vulnerable at home. An informed citizenry at the ballot box is what will make the difference. Register, dad gum it, and Vote.
A group of friends sitting over by the bingo parlor on Friday night joined in as the band played “This Old House.” They were particularly good at the chorus singing, “Ain’t gonna need this house no longer/ Ain’t gonna need this house no more/ Ain’t got time to fix the shingles/ Ain’t got time to fix the floor… ” The song is poignant and brings to mind the beauty of home—the most venerated of all human notions. “This old house was home and shelter as we fought the storms of life.” It rang with laughter and heard many shouts. That is the way it is, still, in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!
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