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CHAMPION—November 23, 2009

        Champions just stay Grateful, so having a special day set aside for being thankful is something that the rest of the country does just to catch up.  Turkeys are native to this part of the world and pumpkin patches were prolific this year producing ponderous specimens that will be popping out of Champion ovens in the form of pie, pie, and more pie.  Even the now famous annual Champion Thanksgiving Day Parade had a pie theme this year with a pie train featuring “American as Apple Pie,” “Four and Twenty Blackbird Pie,” “Bebop a Rebop Rhubarb Pie,” and the prize winning “Giant Pumpkin Pie.”  Champions in the know came armed with their forks.  Champion appetites made for short work of the parade.

        A nice note came from Kenneth (Hovey) Henson regarding Old Fox.  “Old Fox sired two horses on our farm, Peggy and Joe, named after the Proctor children.  You said Fox Creek was recently flooded, reminding me of school days at Champion School.  You got a silver dollar if you didn’t miss a day of school, half a dollar if you missed because the creeks were up.  I still have mine.  They built swinging bridges so we didn’t miss school because of the creeks.  The swinging bridges were frightening to the little kids.  Older ones would jump up and down and make them sway, scaring the younger ones.”  Hovey did not say if he was an older one or a younger one.  There are still some Champions who remember how those bridges were made and there are still some remnants of them attached to some old trees.

        Esther Wrinkles reported having had a blast at Plumbers last Friday night.  One of her favorite groups, Backyard Bluegrass, played to a packed house.  She said that they played a lot of her favorite songs and that they have agreed to play at the Skyline VFD Chili Supper on the 6^th of March.  She said that about the time they got started the General came trailing in with his musical contraption barely concealed in a guitar case.  He insinuated himself into the band and did a fair job until about half way through the set when the band just stopped cold.  “You are out of tune,” one of them finally told him, whereupon he rummaged around until he came up with some kind of big old wrench and proceeded to twist around on the tuning pegs of his outfit.  Esther couldn’t tell if it was a pair of vice grips that he used or a regular monkey wrench.  Speculation says that he has had a firm grip on vice for a spell now so probably it was the latter around with which he was monkeying.  She did not mention seeing Lem around anywhere, but the music was good anyway and everybody had a nice time.

        Caleb James Barker was born November 17^th, 2009 to Deborah and Tom Barker and brother Kyle Alexander Barker.  Caleb weighed eight pounds six ounces and was quite tall for a newborn at twenty-two and a quarter inches!  His brother Kyle, who will be three in January, thinks Caleb is pretty nifty and the family is enjoying a good get acquainted period together.  Young Caleb joins the legion of four General grandchildren and the hope is that he will fare as well as the others have considering the influence.

        Those first holidays away from the family can be hard ones.  It can be a lonesome time full of sweet memories and regrets.  “It’s been ten long years since I left my home in the hollow where I was born where the cool fall nights makes the wood smoke rise and the fox hunter blows his horn.  What have they done to the old home place and why did they tear it down?  And why did I leave the plow in the field and look for a job in the town?” Some leave for a job in the town, some to join the service.  These days, closeness is not always about geography and families reach across oceans and continents to show their love and support for those serving the Nation in the dangerous parts of the world.  Love and Gratitude are appropriate year round and the world around.  When the soldiers do come back to their dear old home place, Champions all hope they will be met with the compassion and comfort and assistance they will need.

        Readers may remember that last week the Daydreaming Country Housewife while pinning clothes to the line overheard a conversation in which Ned asked Lem about the new derivatives.  It turns out that Lem is the smart one, but Ned does all the talking.  When she brought up the question later, Ned relayed his understanding that the new derivatives are conglomerated lumps of life insurance policies and “folks buys chunks of the lumps and if they don’t hold up the market falls apart.”  Dim as is Ned, he figured, “Reckon they ort to put some kind of a regulator on them life insurance derivatives?”

        Harley is back in the country, looking after his country interests.  No word has come about Barbara yet.  She may make her entrance later if Donald and Rita Krider decide to make the trip south for the great Turkey celebration.  The great jovial crowd will congregate at Vivian’s house again and the good times will roll!  They will roll up and down the hills anywhere old friends and families gather together to feast and frolic.  One invitation says, “Bring a side dish and All your poker money.”  Esther will have all her family around, so many that some will most likely be sleeping in the floor.  Everybody has done that as a young one and it makes for good memories.  The victuals are prime at Esther’s house!

        Winter will be here in a few weeks, but there will still be some mild and lovely days before the hard weather sets in.  There is yet time to get the garden cleaned up, some manure spread for next spring and those last shrubs and trees planted.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says the 24^th, the 25^th, the 28^th and 29^th will all be good days to prune to discourage growth.  For encouragement, look to Jean Farbin.  She is celebrating her 75^th birthday!  A body couldn’t tell by looking at her!  Champions will hum “happy birthday to you” while shopping at Jean’s Healthway.

        Hum a tune while shopping for Champion picture postcards and other pertinences at Henson’s Store on the North side of the Square in the heart of the commercial district in Downtown Champion.  They make lovely Christmas gifts and come in gift packages of ten—the complete set.  Use one of those or any other to drop a note to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 with any kind of news of interest or any thoughts about derivatives.  Look in on Champion at www.championnews.us just to see what a beautiful place it continues to be.  E-mail your suggestions for next year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade theme to Champion News.  This year they are still singing, “Saddle me up a big white goose, tie me on her and turn her loose!  Oh me! Oh my! Love that Country Pie!”  Champion!  Looking on the Bright Side!