Champion News

 Just as the strawberry rhubarb pie was coming out of the oven on Tuesday evening around six o’clock, the power went out.  Candles and lamps came out and we were reminded that not that long ago these pies were baked in wood stoves, and we can imagine that they probably tased better.  This strawberry rhubarb pie was not Esther Wrinkles’ recipe, but a store bought (Champion Store bought) pie filling made by Blackberry Hill Farms in Rich Hill, Missouri.  The old Christmas Cactus that Esther shared twenty years ago is blooming, and she is often remembered.  These holidays keep us grateful for the family and friends that we have today and those we’ve lost along the way.  The power came back about ten on Tuesday evening and by Wednesday the White River Valley folks told us a tree had come down across the line somewhere that put us in the dark for a little while.  Carissa from Hero’s Rest joined the Wednesday pickers for a few sweet tunes that had everyone in a good mood for Thursday.

That pie was a hit with the Thanksgiving crowd.  All across the country people were gathered to feast with dear ones and to express gratitude for their good fortune, particularly as we acknowledge the strife and struggles of so many worldwide.  Another sad day for the Kansas City Chiefs does not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the fans who remain relentlessly optimistic, though Dorothy Parker may have said, “This wasn’t just plain terrible, this was fancy terrible.  This was terrible with raisins in it.”  Some splendid leftovers helped to finish the week, and Mother’s little kitchen plaque still rings true: “Thank God for dirty dishes…With home and health and happiness, I shouldn’t want to fuss, for by this stack of evidence, God’s been very good to us.” 

A young fellow visiting asked, “How did you know how to do stuff before there was YouTube?”  The many answers we can provide give us pause and pride.  At the same time, You Tube is a good resource which causes others to ask, “What if the internet failed?”  Some folks say a solar storm could make it happen worldwide.  It might be good to practice spending a little time disconnected from it from time to time just to practice personal autonomy.   A guy named David Avocado Wolfe says, “Singing can increase an immune antibody (S-lgA) in the body by up to 240% in less than an hour. This helps recover faster from illness.” A popular singer over in Edinburgh, Scotland encourages his audience to sing along any time they know the song.  He says singing is good for you and one of the few things that are both free and good for you.  After Thanksgiving dinner conversation echoed what Buckminster Fuller said so succinctly, “Humanity is talking its final examination.  We have come to an extraordinary moment when it doesn’t have to be you or me.  There is enough for all.  We need not operate competitively any longer.  If we succeed, it will be because of youth, truth, and love.” These days find us with plenty to talk about.  We might not all agree how to do it, but we probably all hope to make it better.

Champions are looking forward to Kaitlyn McConnell’s visit on Wednesday, bringing with her copies of the “Ozarks’ Pie Project Diary.”  Maybe one of her recipes will make it to the “Friendsgiving” potluck on Saturday the 6th.  We will eat about noon. Everyone is welcome, bring a side dish and join us in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

 “Hooray for the fun, is the pudding done? Hooray for the pumpkin pie!” As the menu comes together for Thanksgiving’s dinner and accommodations are being readied for guests, we think about these celebrations over the years.  How did we do it last year?  How did our folks do it when we were kids?  What reasons did we have then and do we have now to be thankful? It happens to everyone at some time or another that hard times and difficulties seem to cascade one upon another in a perfect storm of sadness, stress and aggravation.  Time and perseverance and friends and loved ones pull us through.  We get over it.  Things get better. We are thankful.  Gurdeep Pandher says, “This world carries darkness in abundance, shadows that stretch long and cold.  Joy is the medicine that mends what breaks, the balm that soothes what aches, the light that refuses to be extinguished.  Seek joy in each dawn that breaks.”

Skyline Tigers say they are thankful for Mrs. Jess’ enthusiasm, Mrs. Goss’ patience, Mrs. Downs’ humor, Mrs. C Willhite’s creativity, Mrs. M Willhite’s dedication, Mrs. Fox’s thoughtfulness, Mrs. Decker’s fairness, Ms. McKay’s calmness, Mr. Strong’s knowledge, Mrs. Mayberry’s helpfulness, Mrs. Alicia’s friendliness, Mrs. Campbell’s imagination, Ms. Cheyenne’s talent, Mr. Gray’s encouragement, Mrs. Rhonda’s cheerfulness, Mrs. Jenifer’s joyfulness, Mr. Robert’s consistency, Mr. Bud’s diligence, Mrs. Erica’s energy, Mrs. Karen’s compassion, Mr. Top’s integrity, Mrs. Shannon’s kindness, Mrs. Sarah’s organization, Mrs. Jaime’s competence, and Mr. Luna’s leadership.  We are thankful for our Skyline R2 School as it prepares our youngsters to take over for us in a few years.

Champion granddaughter, Luxe Krider has a birthday on December 2nd.  Lorelai Day celebrates on December 3rd.  We remember Champion dairy farmer and great musician Lonnie Krider on December 4th.  Bobette Spivey and Dawn Henson share their birthdays on the 5th with Skyline second grader Levi Crownover.  Ethel Leach celebrates her birthday on the 7th, but maybe she and Bob will join us on Saturday the 6th for a “Friendsgiving” potluck.  Fans and friends are encouraged to bring a side dish and join the community to feast and fellowship together midday in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

Across the wide Atlantic it is inspiring to see online how our Skyline R2 School celebrated Veterans Day.  Angela McKay organized the program that included a parade of military branch flags, a flag retirement ceremony, and a presentation of poppies to our Veterans.  Reading the Patriot’s Pen Essay Competition highlights gives us an insight into the understanding of our young folks about the heroism of those who have fought to protect our freedoms.  Lily Trujillo, a sixth-grade student, won first place for her essay.  Seventh grader Owley Sudderth won second place and eight-grader Blake McIntosh won third place.  All the entrants had some stirring observations that give us optimism for the future.  Here in Scotland Remembrance Day is celebrated with reverence as many are still alive who remember the bombing of their land and the dire threat imposed by fascism.

  Gracious hosts and wonderful musicians in Edinburgh much enjoyed Tom Peters’ sharing of the McClurg jam online.  David Scrivner’s mandolin and fiddle playing particularly excited Michael Wherry, who is an extraordinary mandolin player himself.  He was very interested in the dobro video.  He said you just don’t see them over here.  But ‘over here’ is a great love of traditional music and the desire to preserve it along with histories going back hundreds of years.  The Scots have no great love for England and would likely have voted for independence in their last referendum had they not been convinced they would not be able to join the European Union.  Imagine their feeling of betrayal at Brexit.  Sixty-five countries have gained independence from the UK.  Forty-eight of them have independence celebrations.  We are one of them.  If Ken Burns’ documentary on the Revolutionary War is as good as his work on the Civil War and Baseball, it will be an education to many who may have forgotten their classroom histoires or were never treated to the whole story.  We are reminded that history repeats itself, so we will hope that the good parts are the ones that come around again.

Missouri friends are sharing pictures of the northern lights online.  It seems impossible that something could happen to make our part of the world more beautiful than it is in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

Events were held all across Scotland to mark Remembrance Sunday as we celebrate Veterans’ Day on November 11th in the US, both nations commemorating those who lost their lives in the two world wars and later conflicts.  We recognize the bravery, sacrifice, and patriotism of all who have served and hope to express national gratitude for their service.

The internet tells us that Smoky the Bear has been to our Skyline R2 School and that students have had the chance to climb all over the Skyline VFD firetruck.  PreK through second grade had pumpkin patch fun on their field trip.  Melissa Wilhite, Skyline’s 3rd grade teacher says, “The Skyline 3rd and 4th grade Tigers enjoyed beautiful weather at the local museums in Mansfield, MO.  We began our journey touring Laura Ingalls Wilder’s home then went to partake in a scavenger hunt at the museum. From there we participated in a “pioneer lunch” at the nearby park and walked this off on a 1-mile walking trail taking us to The Rock House for another informational tour of the home Rose Wilder had built for her parents. To wrap our educational adventure, we went to the Mansfield Community building to listen to authors read and ignite the love of the writing process during the Laura Ingalls Wilder Children’s Literature Festival hosted by the Laura Ingalls Wilder Children’s Literature Festival Committee.”  Our wonderful school has a lot going on.

We remember Champions Dean Brixey on his birthday on the 18th and Elva Ragland on the 19th.  Zack Alexander’s lovely grandma celebrates on November 23rd. Skyline fourth grader, Charlie Prine, has the 24th for his big day and the 26th is for Lannie Hinote and Thomas Jernigan who was two years old on in 2017.  Carolyn Nunn Harvey shares her birthday on the 27th with sixth grader Aubrey Louis.  Geoff Bartch will party on the 28th, and fourth grader Christopher Boyd will do that on the 29th.  Your Champion friends and family say, “Happy days!”  We read that for you to born today from 12 previous generations; you need a total of 4,094 ancestors over the last 400 years.  Think for a moment about how many struggles, how many battles, how much sadness, happiness, their many stories, and hope for the future that your ancestors had to undergo for you to exist in this present moment.  You are the dream of many ancestors as we have dreams for our grandchildren and beyond.  The General, our Champion genealogist, can take us back several generations in his and other local families.  Many of us do not know much before our grandparents, but we all came from somewhere.  In America, we are either indigenous people or immigrants of one kind or another in our big, wonderful melting pot.

Saturday, a beautiful day here in Edinburgh with brilliant sunshine in the 50s afforded a chance to tour St. Cecilia’s Hall, a museum of music.  On display are more than 400 musical instruments from the past 500 years.  Almost anything with strings is represented along with harpsichords, pianos (they have strings) and everything imaginable out of brass, wood, and leather, not to mention the plaid of the bagpipes.  Many of the instruments are still playable and there are recordings and videos available to hear them.  They have been meticulously restored and preserved.  We are reminded that music is considered a universal cultural phenomenon present in every human society.   Despite vast cultural and stylistic differences, studies have found common features and purposes for music across all cultures.  We use it to express emotion, to worship, and to fellowship.  It is a pretty good tranquilizer in troubled times.

The Prominent Champion reports the weather to have been ‘cool’ there lately.  Edinburgh has been enjoying temperatures in the 50’s with bright intervals of sunshine, glorious sunsets and occasional rain, light and heavy.  A prominent Scotsman allows there is weather all over the world and no place to go to get away from it.  With such brilliant insight, he could well be a Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

Among the birthday celebrations to acknowledge is that of the Statue of Liberty which was 139 years old on October 28th.  Thank you, France, for all you’ve done for the US from the very beginning of our Nation.  Of course, we did a little to help you back in 1944.

Bob Leach has his birthday on October 4th.  He has a beautiful little mandolin-banjo that he does not play and will not sell.  Happy birthday anyway, Bob.  The 5th is the big day for Champion granddaughter Emerson Rose Oglesby and for two Skyline fourth grade students, Elania Home and Aiden Strong.  Kathy Barns celebrates on the 6th.  We remember Wayne Wiseman on the 7th and wish Bob Heffern a happy day on the 8th.  We remember Chuck Barns (Kathy’s dad) on the 11th.  That is Veteran’s Day and also the big day for a favorite west coast barber, Mel Petralia and for Skyline seventh grader Owley Sudderth.  Jill Sterling is an artist and an Arkansas watch maker.  Her birthday is on the 13th.  Carol Carnahan Barnhart has the 14th for her day, and it is also the day we remember Fern Bishop.  Rich Heffern, Bob’s older brother, celebrates on the 15th.  Joe Petralia is a Yard Vulture.  The son of the west coast barber will party on the 15th as well.  Happy birthday to all of you from your Champion friends and neighbors.  Have some fun.

We hear that The Grand Old Opry just had its one hundredth birthday.  Bravo!  Music is good for us.  Music in the pubs here in Edinburg is a mix of wonderful Scottish and Irish tunes and lots of American music.  “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “The Sunny Side of the Street” are big favorites as well as anything by Johnny Cash and Hank Williams.  We see that Tom Peters continues to share good stuff from McClurg and Oldfield and other places.  The General reports that there were 35 or 40 people at Vanzant for its Halloween Jam with fifteen in the circle.  He went as a Border Patrol agent, but did not arrest anyone, not even the circus performers.  He also reports that the Eastern Douglas County VFD chili supper was a great success with lots of people in attendance and lots of good stuff at the auction.  Good community support for our schools and our volunteer fire departments is a hallmark of Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!

In olden days in Ireland, Halloween marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.  Now it is celebrated all over the place with jack-o-lanterns and all manner of fun.  Skyline School will have its “Spooktacular Bingo” on November 1st in the gym.  It starts at 5:30 and will feature prizes, treats, and spooky surprises.  Costumes are encouraged. The event is hosted by the Skyline School Sunshine Committee and proceeds will go toward Christmas boxes and student supplies.  Over here in Scotland there will be torch light parades and effigies of winter burning summer—all very exciting.  Over the internet we see more excitement as a favorite Champion neighbor, Miss B.D. Woods, won first place in barrel racing at the Cabool Fun Show.  More pleasant news from there is that the Skyline VFD annual meeting and chili supper was well attended and the chili was good.

The Prominent Champion said he waited and waited for the rain that was supposed to arrive Friday and not much happened.  The little bit of drizzle on Saturday did not do much for the rain gauges, but Sunday morning had puddles in the road up Cold Springs way and about half an inch in the measuring device.  The General boasted three tenths.  No ships will be sailing down Fox Creek, because there is no water in it.  Over here on Sunday there was a glorious orange sunrise, then fog, drizzle, brilliant sunshine, some sprinkling rain, more sun, lots of wind, then a big gray cloud to obscure the sunset.  They say all four seasons can happen in a single day.  Champions report frost in the low spots, and we all know winter is coming.  Maybe there will be enough rain so that Fred the Firefighting Goat will not be called to duty.

Sunday found J.c. Owsley at the Wesley Church in Springfield.  He was attending the Jazz Band Fundraising Concert to benefit the people of St. Louis in their recovery from the devasting tornado last May.   In Champion the Sometimes Porch Band is reported to have had a short interlude with Carissa on Wednesday. Jeff Bartch played some harmonica with The General, so the tunes are still happening on the Bright Side.  There were fourteen in the circle at the Vanzant Jam with Mike Satterfield on fiddle. Little Willow Rose appeared with her Mom to brighten up the place.  She will have her first birthday around Thanksgiving.  She likes music.  Some Spaniards from Pamplona were enjoying tunes at The Captains Bar in Edinburgh on Friday.  They have the ‘running of the bulls’ over there, but no lively pubs that satisfy their musical needs.

“What a Wonderful World” is a great song recorded in the 1960s by Louis Armstrong is also being sung well by The General himself at the Vanzant Jam.  Some of the lyrics are “The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky are also on the faces of the people passing by.”  On the streets here in Edinburgh one sees people of every imaginable hue from the darkest to the fairest.  And the number of spoken languages is astounding. The Scotts speak English, but if they do not wish for you to understand, though it is English, it is indecipherable.  We hear French and are reminded that France was our first American ally and still a good one.  Had it not been for Ben Franklin, sweet talking in Paris for nine years impressing them with our desire for independence from Britain, our Founding Fathers might have been hanged as traitors.  Franklin’s efforts and France’s distain for Britain after their own war cemented an alliance that proved crucial for the founding of our Nation.  Even though some of us do not like the sound of their language, we have to appreciate the fact that they have always been champions of human rights and individual freedoms.  They are also the first to have imprisoned an ex-president for corruption and financial malfeasance.  Sarkozy will spend five years in jail.  Even far away on distant shores there are Champions—Looking on the Bright Side!

Bud Hutchison’s Memorial Trail Ride went off without a hitch!  No bad dogs, no rough creek crossings, only a mellow ramble through the beautiful countryside.  They bypassed their usual Shannon Ranch visit out of consideration for those little ground wasp yellow jackets that are likely plentiful and vigorous in weather conditions such as these. Stories about them are rampant among equestrians.  They can turn a trail ride into a rodeo.  At the end of the trail, they repaired to ice cream and pleasant palaver out on the wide veranda.  Joann Laurence had joined the regulars with her guitar for a few tunes then came Carissa Rene and Cheryl Hatch of Heroes’ Rest who added their lovely voices to some gospel tunes.  About that time too came Kaitlyn McConnell and Mike O’Brian with a pie and their usual curiosity and enthusiasm for the Bright Side.  As the day progressed Kaitlyn and Mike made their way to Mansfield to Wilder Day activities where Kaitlyn has some special history.

In years past a dozen and more riders have made trail ride, sharing their stories of Bud and adventures along the trail.  Cavin Chambers and some of his buddies had just returned from an epic trail ride up in Utah, Colorado and Kansas.  They may have been saddle-sore which kept them from showing up this time.  Karen Brown has been on a number of rides recently and enjoyed this one.  She was seen with a shovel cleaning up after her mount.  Loran Cockrum came over from West Plains for the fun of it.  He had stories to tell and good reasons to get home.  Andrew Harden was riding one of Bud’s horses.  Lots of exciting things are going on in his life. He endured some significant teasing from The General who likes to keep things jovial. 

Earlier in the day Johnny Burkdoll spent some time around the cold wood stove.  He was haggling with the Prominent Champion over some twelve-foot one by sixes.  He is making a good recovery over some health problems and enjoys being in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!