Champion News

CHAMPION—July 27, 2009

        Champions are admittedly a favored people.  Any one of them is pleased to lean upon the pillar sunk firmly in the ground of truth and elaborate elaborately on all the salient sanguine sublimity of their favorite place.  No need for subtlety here.  It is Champion!

        The Skyline Volunteer Fire Department Picnic is just around the corner.  Grounds are being manicured, Auxiliary members are meeting and planning and everybody is getting excited!  August 14 and 15 will be full of music, food, fun, old friends and new ones.  This is one not to miss!

        A former resident of Denlow, Wally Hopper, will receive the Korea Defense Service Medal for his service there from 1953 to 1955.  He said that the Korean Conflict was always referred to as the ‘Forgotten War,’ but he did not forget.  He is one of six children of Jim Hopper who lived in Denlow for a long time.  Wally’s brother, James Hopper, lives near Kansas City.  Sisters Rickie and Marilyn are in Mountain Grove.  Mikey (Michelle) lives over in Marshfield and Sherrill is out in Arizona.  They will all be pleased that their brother has been acknowledged for his service…not forgotten.  Members of the Armed Forces of the United States are serving in Korea still, as well as in many other dangerous parts of the world.  Champions hope they will be remembered with the Love and Gratitude due them and that they will be met at home with the understanding they will need to resume happy and productive lives.

        According to one of Wally Hopper’s second cousins, the Thursday night jam session at Plumbers Junction Café was started about two years ago.  The General reports that Russell Upshaw instigated the recurring event by securing Brenda Plumber’s permission to use the place.  “It was slow going at first,” said General Fastpitch, “but in recent months regular attendance of talent and audience has been very good.”  “It is different every time, but always nice,” reports a regular, Frances Banks.  She is from a beautiful place called Lake Providence, Louisiana.  When she was in high school a boy moved there from California.  She did not take much of a shine to him, but their histories became entwined anyway and now they are a Champion couple, living just over in Champion East.  Their high school principal was a man named Paul A. Geiser.  He devised a four-way test to determine whether a person should speak:  “ #1. Is it the truth?  #2. Is it fair to all concerned?  #3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?  #4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”  Elmer thinks that if this test were applied to all conversations, it would be a quieter world.  The pleasant conversation among friends, however, is part of the charm of those Thursday nights.

        One of Morton Upshaw’s sons wrote in to say, “I would like to know what Hovie Henson has to say about Dad (Morton).  I can guess one thing.  It could be the signs that were nailed to trees at local intersections with an arrow pointed towards our house.  The sign with big letters said “MORTON’S”.  I don’t know were they got them from, but they were originally an advertisement for MORTON’S SALT.  Dad enjoyed the gag as much as anyone.”  A Champion Upshaw daughter also recalled the incident and said that the signs just appeared suddenly and that they were everywhere.  “It was funny,” she said.  This lovely Champion has had Tennessee travelers in and out in recent days and that always makes things jolly.

        A note from Hovie says, “The boys of Denlow were a mischievous bunch always up to something.  One of Dad’s cousins, who was called Goose, and Morton Upshaw thought it would be fun to go through Denlow in a horseless carriage.  They took a horse drawn buggy, without the owner’s permission, out of a barn, removing the shafts and tying wires to the steering mechanism.  The wires were run up to the seat with a loop in them, through [which] sticks were run.  Holding the sticks they were going to steer the buggy as they rolled through Denlow.  The buggy was taken to the top of the hill, west of Denlow.  The old road was steeper with more curves than highway 76 is today.  As the buggy was picking up speed and approaching a curve, Goose Cox stood up, pulling on the stick, crying out, “sercal!” (I don’t think you will find that word in the dictionary, but Shakespeare invented words as he wrote, so why not Goose?)  The stick broke.  Loosing control of the buggy, it went into the ditch, almost killing Morton.  The buggy stayed in the ditch for a long time with the owner inquiring about the community of who had taken his buggy.  If he ever found out, it was never revealed in the story, meaning the Denlow boys were a very tight lipped group.  Years later, as a boy, I heard this story told and retold many times.”  Hovey went on to say he had enjoyed his trip back home and that he was looking for the book on Moses Locke Alsup written by one of his kin folks.  That would be Catherine Alsup Reilly of Fulton, Kentucky, a member of the Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War.  A picture of Kathy can be seen in the Denlow Events Category which is on the right side of the screen at the www.championnews.us website.  Denlow Events comes right after Thornless Blackberries in the Champions with Dirty Hands Category.  It is a pretty interesting site.

        It was a very interesting and jolly night of Fortnight Bridge game Saturday.  The point spread was 2940 between winner and looser.  The Vera Cruz and Champion players each won four of the eight rubbers.  With three wins for Norwood and five for Brushy Knob, those two split the prize money as high and low and each gleaned thirty cents for their efforts.  It took five hours and one enormous, glorious home made strawberry shortcake provided by the Brushy Knob host.  Busy summer schedules will have Vera Cruz hosting the next game a week early.  No one is complaining.  (Once a Champion bridge novice fanned a hand that had nine spades with the top three, two singleton aces and a doubleton heart to the Queen.  It was a thrill!)

        Champions do not muzzle the ox that treads out their grain.  That is to say that the laborer is worth his reward.  Louise said she had one thornless blackberry that was as big as ……well, as big as her hand or something really big.  She was going to put it in a freezer bag all by itself.  That is her reward for planting and maintaining those beautiful bushes.  Some gardeners are bringing in squash and peppers, beans and corn, cucumbers, okra and some tomatoes.  Some are fighting blights, bugs and critters of every sort.  Sage advisors at Henson’s Store in Downtown Champion say “A person needs to be optimistic to garden.”  Linda’s Almanac from the Plant Place over in Norwood says that from the 28^th through the 1^st of August will be a beneficial time for planting.  Champion!

        “My cousin, June, bought some fancy perfume.  It had such a sweet smelling pew.  But to her surprise, when she had it analyzed it was nothing but Good Old Mountain Dew.”  Uncle Al, the Lonesome Plowboy, would have fit right in at the Thursday Night Jam.  Strains of “Chicken Reel” and “Listen to the Mockingbird” would have been French harping their way into sweet memories.  Sweet memories welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717 or at Champion News.  Lean up against the pillar (porch post) of the Cultural Events Center and Emporium on the North Side of the Square and enjoy some Champion memories.  Step into the gift shop for a souvenir picture postcard of Champion.  One of them shows Charlie Lambert, Lonnie Krider, and Danny Dry standing out beside the Store watching a two wheeled buggy go by.  Right on the front of the card it says, “Champion!  Looking on the Bright Side!”

CHAMPION—July 20, 2009

        In Champion “welcome” is more than a word of kindly greeting.  A stranger is most often gladly received with the cordial consent of Champions if he wanders in by accident or design.  Old friends, long absent, feel that flush of joy in acceptance when they venture back into Champion territory.  Champions returning from bear hunting expeditions or tours of distant places for the pleasure of family ties and diversion find in their Champion home that haven of all domestic affections.  Welcome.

        Disappointed Herald readers looking for the missing report on the Champion 4^th of July, 2009, Independence Day Parade can find it in the archives of July 6^th on the www.championnews.us site.  For those not computing, the parade was a doozie!  It was also reported at that time that Kenneth and Dawn Henson were back in Beautiful Historic Champion over the holiday.  They prowled around old stomping grounds and made impromptu visits to Pleasant Cousins.  They were on a lark spending the night in Mountain Grove to enjoy the Mountain Grove School reunion, the air show and alumni banquet.  He said that he had some stories to share one day about Morton Upshaw.  Some of the Upshaw descendants said they had some stories to share about Hoovie too!  Subsequent to their visit, Kenneth wrote to buy copies of all seven of the Champion Picture Postcards and a dozen tickets for the chance to win the beautiful quilt that the Ladies Auxiliary has provided for the Skyline VFD Picnic.  That drawing will be held the 15^th of August.  Good luck, Hoovie!  The newest postcard was Hoovie’s idea–a portrait of Ed Henson leaning up against the porch post.  Someone said the post was leaning up against him.  A pretty dog sits beside Ed and the two of them are obviously Champions—Looking on the Bright Side!

        Favorite absentee Champions, Barbara and Harley Krider celebrated their 44^th wedding anniversary on the 3^rd of July.  It is not clear that either of them knew what they were getting into, but they have done a nice job of it and their Champion family and friends congratulate them heartily!

        For those readers who missed the protracted description of the General’s moon walking demonstrations in the July 8^th issue, that too is included in those aforementioned archives.  It was reported to have been an otherwise dignified family gathering, so perhaps this is one of those occasions where less is more.

        Another note has come from Bill Pool who says that he had received a letter from TV’s #1 Gardener, Jim Baker, who said that his tomatoes have a form of blossom-end-rot.  He suggested crushing two TUMS tablets into power and to spread it around each plant and soak with water until the TUMS gets down to the roots.  “They should be OK,” he said.  Several are banking on that advice as it turns out the antacid is largely made of calcium.  Martin A. Draper, a senior plant pathologist at the Untied States Department of Agriculture, described as “explosive” the rate of infection of a highly contagious fungus that destroys tomato plants.  It has spread to nearly every state in the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic due to the cool wet weather in June and the aggressively infectious nature of the pathogen.  Hot, sunny weather, which can kill late blight, could dramatically slow or eliminate the fungus’s spread.  Weather will just do what it is going to do.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 22^nd and the 23^rd will be fine days for destroying weeds.  The 28^th through the 31^st will be excellent days for planting fall crops that bear their yield above the ground.  One old Champion Tomato was amazed to see some of her dangling beauties turning colors—red!  Amazing indeed!  Champion!

        Private Lucas M. Bregg, 19, of Wright City, MO died July 8^th in Baghdad, Iraq, of injures suffered from a non com-bat related incident.  He was assigned to the 2^nd Battalion, 5^th Calvary Regiment, 1^st Brigade Combat Team, 1^st Calvary Division, Fort Hood, Texas.  Wright City is located on Interstate 70, about 45 miles west of St. Louis.  His family asked that the Patriot Guard Riders escort him back home when his body arrived in St. Louis on the 16^th of July.  This is a group of motorcycle riders from all over the country–all kinds of motorcycles, all kinds of political affiliations, all with the same philosophy, “Standing for those who stood for us.”  They express the Love and Gratitude that Champions feel for those serving their Nation in and out of uniform.

        Brushy Knob hosted Champion’s Fortnight Bridge game on account of the extraordinary heat of the 11^th of July and the relative rusticity of the Champion accommodations.  Ms. Oyl, of Champion-East, sat in for the Norwood player.  The disparity between winner and looser was 2,010 points with the winner only gleaning 4,810 after five rubbers of bridge!  Penalties were paid at $.25 each for numerous un-bid slams and the number of un-made contracts gleaned the Champion looser a hand full of bright nickels while the Vera Cruz victor pocketed a weight in quarters.  Brushy Knob will host again the regular game on the 25^th and players are honing their skills in preparation.

        Skyline Ladies Auxiliary held a solid planning meeting at Henson’s Store on the 14^th.  A follow up meeting is scheduled for the 28^th at the fire station.  A few short weeks from now will find those picnic grounds a flurry of activity.  Talk about excitement!  Meanwhile, White River Valley CoOp customers can vie for $100.00 in free power that the CoOp is donating for the benefit of the Skyline Fire Department.  That is one of those Champion neighborly one hand washes the other kind of things that goes on around this lovely neighborhood.

        Time is too slow for those that wait, too swift for those that fear, too long for those that grieve, too short for those that rejoice, but to those that love, time is eternity.  Of all the songs written about time, a current favorite is the Rolling Stones’ version of “Time is on My Side” from 1964.  The gist of it is the common theme.  One is given leave to experience all that the world has to offer with the reassurance that he has but to return to find the waiting steadfastness of an enduring true love.  “Time is on my side, yes it is.”  Send any song about time to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717.  If the song is uplifting or somehow soothing for a sorrowful soul, e-mail it right away to Champion News.  Stand out on the porch at Henson’s Store and gaze up the inviting lane known as Lonnie Krider Memorial Drive.  Just think of all the music that that true Champion made and how many glad hearts.  One of Foster’s favorite songs from his Granddad is “Sadie’s Got Her New Dress On.”  Hum that one or another one and smile about a good memory.  Champion—Looking on the Bright Side.

CHAMPION—July 13, 2009

        Champions do not neglect their gift.  Every day the Bright Side is the right side in Champion.  Overworked and under appreciated venerable old timers with looming responsibilities and scant help are throwing their accumulated despair and pessimism aside and once again stepping up to do what has to be done.  The convenient philosophy applies that faced with the inevitability of an occurrence, one has but to surrender to the possibility of a positive experience and behave ‘as if’ for it to be rendered thus.  If you act like you’re having a good time, pretty soon, you will be.  Champion!

        Champion Sisters face to face with nine bears in the Great Smokey Mountains will soon be home to share the excitement of their adventure!

        Skyline Ladies Auxiliary met at the Firehouse to see the beautiful queen sized quilt that Esther Wrinkles has provided for the picnic fundraiser this year.  Color photos can be seen in the Neighborhood Events page at www.championnews.us.  Those photos can also be seen at Henson’s Store on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  Any Skyline Ladies Auxiliary member will have photos of the quilt and will have tickets for sale.  This one is another real beauty.  Jeff Pardeck from the White River Valley Electric Co Op has agreed to furnish $100.00 in free electric power for the fundraiser.  The Co Op does this every year and it is a great addition to the event as well as being good support for the fire department and the community.

        Bill Pool from over at Nashville sent some great tomato pictures in to the Champion at getgoin.net mailbox last week.  This week he called to say that he is having problems with some of those beauties.  They look ripe and wonderful, but when they are cut open, the core is green and hard like the stem, there are few seeds, and something like an internal blossom end rot is present.  It was suggested that he contact his extension agency or one of the Master Gardener programs in his area.  An old Champion tomato aficionada is struggling with the blossom end rot again.  Esther Howard, from Marshfield, in town on Sunday, said she had heard that sprinkling baby powder on the plant would help.  She also said to water in Epsom salts.  These may be old wives fables but they are worth the try from one of Champion’s favorite wives! Raymond’s too!  A certain gardener from Champion-North had ripe tomatoes before the contest was won, but she was not willing to share!  Others nearby said they had tomatoes but did not fit into the territory prescribed by the contest rules.  Perhaps there will be some changes next year.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 16^th and 17^th will be good days to plant root crops.  Her gift certificate was certainly a nice addition to the grand prize for the First Ripe Tomato this year.  Champion!

        The Grandmother-Granddaughter Day at the Creek was a Splashing affair!  It was an afternoon of popcorn and watermelon and lots of good moments among summertime friends. It was a Champion kind of day–most genteel and relaxing.

        The families of the U.S. Service Personnel who are deployed in the dangerous parts of the world live with the possibility of loosing their loved ones or of having them return with life altering disabilities.  Love and Gratitude from their Nation is their due, together with whatever help they need.  The conflicts are far away but very close to many.

        Send any cures for rotting tomatoes to Champion Items at Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail any examples of improved attitudes and resultant positive outcomes to Champion News. “The summer wind came blowin’ in from across the sea.  It lingered there, so warm and fair to walk with me.  All summer long, we sang a song and strolled on golden sand.  Two sweethearts, and the summer wind.”  Frank Sinatra sang that tune.  Sing your own sweet summer song out on the porch at Henson’s Store.  Check out the selection of Champion Picture Postcards there.  One has just to add a $.28 stamp and a mailing address to pick up the spirits of unfortunates living elsewhere out in the dull and dreary parts of the world.  Here Champions always Look on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—July 6, 2009

        Champions will recall that the First Ever Secret 4^th of July Parade was held in 2007.  The third annual event was executed with yet more stealth—so much so that no scintilla of evidence was left by rowdy revelers or respectful Patriots.  The spent shell casings and scrap bunting and balloon fragments of that first year were not to be found.  Last year’s inspiring Flag Raising ceremony, which was attended by so many local and visiting dignitaries, was moved up in the program this year as a signal to commence the Champion Independence Day Parade.  The processional terminated in free watermelon and consequently was transformed into rather more a race.  The watermelon went fast, but left no mess, and CPC (Champion Parade Committee) is taking the whole thing under advisement.  Champions are taking it in stride and striding in time to that favorite piccolo part in “The Stars and Stripes for Ever.”  Any Champion can summon those sweet strains to mind with a wistful smile and a little imagination.

        Kenneth and Dawn Henson were back in Beautiful Historic Champion over the holiday.  They prowled around old stomping grounds and made impromptu visits to Pleasant Cousins.  They were on a lark spending the night in Mountain Grove to enjoy the Mountain Grove School reunion, the air show and alumni banquet.  He said that he had some stories to share one day about Morton Upshaw.  Some of the Upshaw descendants said they had some stories to share about Hoovie too!

        The General’s Independence Day Bash went on from early to late.  Speculation was that the General would be suffering muscle soreness from his repeated bouts of moon walking during the daylong celebration.  In addition to the Good Natured (long suffering) and affable Sharon, Loretta and Elva Upshaw enjoyed the spectacle.  Deborah, Tom and Kyle Barker, who calls the General “GrandPa,” were witnesses to it again, as were Lucille Gayman and Richard and Kay Johnston.  Lucille Ketchum saw it and Wesley and Susie Hancock came all the way from Idaho to be spectators along with Peggy Ceraras.  More Upshaws—Russell, Sue, Dailey and Dean observed the demonstration.  Fae Krider has seen it all before, but was still willing to see it again with Leslee and Breauna Krider.  Kenneth and Barbara Anderson and Esther Wrinkles were able to ignore the whole moon walking exhibition in order to concentrate on the good music.  Wayne and JoAnn Anderson, attended together with Linda Clark, Luke Dartt.  It was a sweet gathering with good music, good family, good friends, and good memories.  Nobody mentioned Robert’s ice cream this year.  Maybe he didn’t serve any.  Maybe it wasn’t any good.  Maybe folks are just staying quiet about it because the guy just needs so little encouragement.  Still—What a Champion!

        Creek gatherings were sparsely attended this year due to unseasonable cool weather and the oddity of the holiday falling on Saturday.  There were many options for fun and those who congregated near cold flowing steams to renew old acquaintances and share the year’s happenings were well met.  A year can bring a lot of change.  Infants become toddlers who become little kids, then big kids then teenagers, then adults.  It happens fast in old eyes.  Conversations covered the general wide range of subjects including the Declaration of Independence.  A recent e-mail from Kathy Riley in Tennessee was sited.  It informed that five signers of the Declaration of Independence were captured by the British as traitors, and were tortured before they died.  Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.  Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.  Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.  Champions acknowledge the sacrifices made by forefathers as well as those serving their Nation in and out of uniform today.  Love and Gratitude is extended to the one percent of the population who shoulder the burden for all.  Lizzy and Semus were the chief appreciators of the good cold water and their Grandmother brought her ripe tomato to share and some tasty little cucumbers from her garden.  Life has its ups and downs, its twists and turns, tragedy, turmoil and trouble, but Grandparents with their little ones close can overlook a lot of the world’s craziness to be in the precious moment.  Champion! Dave and Sally Miller have accumulated 100 years of living between them!  They will be celebrating their duo-centenial for about six months.  Then they’ll be 102!  Go figure.

        The First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest has been won.  The tomato was enjoyed with a sprinkle of salt and judged to be delicious.  Larry Casey from Champion—South was the Champion gardener this time.  His picture can be seen in the “Champions With Dirty Hands” category in the www.championnews.us website under “First Champion Tomato.”  The whole story is there about how he came home from a trip to Texas and found these two big tomatoes hiding in the weeds that had overtaken his garden.  Larry is a prodigious gardener and is more than willing to share his tips and experiences as well as those great purple-hulled peas!  He was proud of his Certificate of Champion Achievement, but was most appreciative of the $10.00 Gift Certificate from the Plant Place over in Norwood.  Linda has her July Almanac out.  It can be found on the website under the Links category:  Linda’s Almanac.  It says the 8^th and 9^th will be good days for planting root crops.  The 12^th and 13^th will also be good for root crops, as well as any vine crop like melons and cucumbers and for setting strawberry plants.  The strawberry crops were wonderful this year for some Champions, but the raccoons and possums are making messes of the strawberry beds now.  It seems like this is being a bad year for ‘critters.’  Skunks, possums, rabbits, armadillos, raccoons, deer, moles and groundhogs are all being troublesome.

        Favorite absentee Champions, Barbara and Harley Krider celebrated their 44^th wedding anniversary on the 3^rd of July.  It is not clear that either of them knew what they were getting into, but they have done a nice job of it and their Champion family and friends congratulate them heartily!

        The Skyline VFD Auxiliary has a meeting scheduled for the 7^th of July and another on the 14^th at Henson’s Store.  The particulars of the Auxiliary’s part in the Annual Skyline Picnic are being worked out to the last detail.  This is always such a sterling event.  This year it will be the 14^th and 15^th of August.  Skyliners and Champions will be out supporting the 4H Up and At ‘Em picnic over in Vanzant this week end.  It is a time for neighbors to throw their support around.

        Another big Granddaughter Day at the Creek get together is in the works and it will be an exciting affair even for Grandmothers with distant granddaughters.  There will be fun by proxy and only a little longing when the reminder that closeness is not about geography is trotted out again.

        Trot out a scintilla of sentimental drivel to cover up any kind of longing and send it to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail any kind of dirt on the General to Champion News.  Get over to Henson’s Store and see how fast you can sing, “In the summertime, when all the leaves and trees are green, and the red bird sings, I’ll be blue, ‘cause you don’t want my love.  You don’t seem to care a thing about me, would rather live without me, than to have my arms around you when the nights are cold and you’re so all alone.”  A person not in the mood to sing could just browse through the ever growing selection of Champion Picture Postcards.  The last two versions feature a three up of mules hitched to a covered wagon with Henson’s Store in the background.  The newest card is a portait of Ed Henson leaning up against the porch post.  Someone said the post was leaning up against him.  A pretty dog sits beside Ed and the two of them are obviously Champions—Looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—June 29, 2009

        Champion is a relaxed and happy place where industrious people are ready to jump up and do what needs doing and they never tire of doing good.  Being always ready is the state of equipoise and Champion is full of it.  No one confuses being relaxed with idleness and a busybody has to put out a prohibitive amount of effort to work much mischief at all.

        A letter from Eva Henson Phillips of Oklahoma City says “The Ava, all school, high school Picnic was held at Lake Springfield on June 13^th.  Champion school was well represented by:  Vivian Krider, Glenna Lambert, Eva Henson.  Pete Robertson, of Republic, MO. also attended.  His wife, Miss Vivian, taught at Champion in the 1940’s.  We had a good visit about the one room school we attended.”

        Correcting an error from last week, Prince William’s last name is Windsor, not Spenser.  Spencer was his mother’s maiden name.  He is Prince William Arthur Phillip Louis of Wales and while he is only about 27 he has accomplished a great deal in life already.  Of course, much is expected.

        It is expected that the Forth of July Celebration in Champion will be marked with much solemnity and humility this year.  Gratitude goes to the Founding Fathers and Mothers and to the previous patriotic generations who have defended the beautiful Constitution against all threats both external and internal since the United States of America was founded in 1776.  Other nations in both hemispheres are currently in turmoil with questions concerning the legitimacy of regime changes.  This country exemplifies democracy in the sweetest way.  If a person were in Washington DC over the Fourth of July he could meet up with other marchers at 7^th Street on Constitution Avenue at 11:45 a.m. Eastern time and proceed all the way to 17^th Street.  The National Parade features marching bands, military and specialty units, floats, and VIPs.  Champion VIPs will stroll down Lonnie Krider Memorial Way.  They will come in from the South down the portion of the thoroughfare that has previously been known as the “Old Road.”  It was the main road prior to the construction of the black top of WW some time back in the 50’s…It is the road that Lonnie and his siblings used to walk to school at Champion.  It is the road to everywhere.  It goes past the church that used to be the school, past Henson’s Store and out the East end of town without ever encountering a speck of pavement.  Champion marchers will carry Love and Gratitude in their hearts for all those who serve the Nation in and out of uniform.  Champions Love of their Country.

        Esther Wrinkles has been celebrating her birthday for a solid week.  Her friends Louise and Sharon with their spouses took her out to supper at the Cajun Kettle on Tuesday.  Sister, Irene, took her to the Golden Coral on Thursday.  On Friday, the Slagels treated her to supper at Plumbers and then Sunday there was a big lunch at church for her including a lovely cake made by daughter-in-law, Theresa.  Esther was surprised further when later on Sunday evening a planned small gathering turned into a house full of 15 family members to help her get her partying done.  There was three gallons of homemade ice cream and no small amount of fun and laughter as her 92 years were acknowledged!  Esther is a Champion!  Another Champion is commemorating 70 years on the planet!  What a guy!  A Champion fellow, if ever there was one!

        So much of gardening is observation.  A quick eye can spot an insect infestation before it gets out of hand.  One old Champion has found her first green tomato hornworm already.  She doesn’t have a tomato close to ripe yet, but the pests are already beginning to find their favorite foods.  Plants are being traded still out among friends and it is reckoned that corn can be planted as late as the 15^th of the month with the expectation of a harvest.  Choosing the right variety is important to be sure there is enough growing time left in the season.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood shows that the first through the fourth will be excellent days for planting above ground crops.  By the 8^th and 9^th the signs will have changed and the crops that bear their yield below ground will be the favored ones to plant.  Sometimes a Champion is busy hoeing the corn and becomes aware of the shadow of a large bird passing overhead.  The brim of her hat or the dazzling sun or her own disorientation may obscure the bird and she may not ever know what bird caused the shadow that had passed over her.  It is an eerie feeling that goes to worldview and perspective.  Bill Pool from over in Tennessee has been sending pictures of his ripe tomatoes.  They are gorgeous.  Too bad, Bill.  While you are certainly a Champion by history, family ties, and sentiment, you simply don’t live here and your Nashville, TN tomatoes do not count toward the First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest.  He said, “I grew up 7 miles south of Gentryville on Brushcreek & Bryant, a Cousin to Eva Powell, also you may know my mother, Esther Richmond.”  Ms. Powell began her own birthday celebration on Monday and was expected to be chasing around with daughter, Saundra, and various other loving family.  She smiled to hear about her cousin’s tomatoes and remarked that his mother is in a rest home in Mtn. Grove.  Eva is not growing tomatoes this year, but it is hoped that she has had a Champion Birthday.

        Norwood hosted the Fortnight Bridge group on Saturday and it was quite a close game.  A mere three hundred points separated the winner from the loser.  Norwood won with 4870 points, Champion 4770, Brushy Knob 4790 and Vera Cruz 4570.  There were several slams bid and unbidden and prizes for slams made in previous games were paid out.  The Champion player collected two dollars in old slams, paid in 50 cents for two unbid ones and then recovered those two quarters with another bid one.  Champion!  It was a close and interesting game punctuated with cherry cheese cake.  Champion indeed!

        The mail boxes have been full this week.  Betty Dye sent a lovely story that she has written about her Dad, called The Old Straw Hat.  She wrote it in 2007.  It is a touching tribute to a hardworking family man who taught good life lessons and set a good example.  Look for the story and pictures of Mr. Dye in his hat under Champion Friends at www.championnews.us.

        A Champion Reader, Michael Greengard wrote, “The words I learned from my father for ‘I’m Goin’ Back to Where I come From’ go like this:  ‘I’m goin’ back to where I come from Where the honeysuckle smell so sweet, it durn near makes you sick.  I used to think my life was humdrum But I sure have learned my lesson, and it’s bound to stick.  There ain’t no use in me pretendin’.  The city just ain’t no place for a guy like me to end in.  I’m going back to where come from Where the mocking bird is singing in the lilac bush.’” There are three more verses, each a little different from versions found earlier.  What a song!  Champions at Henson’s Store the other day were still talking about that guy who called himself “Disgruntled Elsewhere.”  It was noted that there is a lot of nice property in Champion for sale if he is so anxious to live here.  Then there was the idea that such a grouchy attitude might make him not the most pleasant neighbor.  Then someone said maybe if he can break free from his encumbrances for a while he aught to just come and rent for a spell to see if it is as wonderful as he thinks it must be and to see if he is a good fit for the community.  He better slip in sort of quiet and give his right name.  He may have predisposed some to be skeptical of him.

        Skeptics are free to write to Champion Items, Rt, 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail music, tomato pictures, examples of patriotism, and good works to Champion News.  Stand out on the veranda at Henson’s Store on the North Side of the Square in Downtown Champion.  Look up the hill to the South to see Lonnie Krider Memorial Way emerge from the forest and wind its grassy way down the hill, past the old school, past the old store, and all the way through the Heart of Champion—Look on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—June 22, 2009

        In Champion the verdant, voluptuous topography is a delight to the eyes.  For the ears, sound is captured in the folds and creases of the deep hollows and is wound among the steep hills in a mysterious way that obscures its origin.  So the humming drone of the big haymaking machinery is transported to distant places and the hearer may have no idea who is getting his hay in.  Some still early mornings the train whistle can be heard all the way from Norwood.  It is part of the magic of the place.

        Any number of Champions have taken exception to the note from Mr. Elsewhere impugning the qualities of their beloved home.  The inference seemed to be that a strong delusion was being perpetrated to cause readers to believe a lie.  As it turns out Mr. Elsewhere’s sarcasm was but an artful arrangement of words adapted to the purpose of expressing his great wish to live in Champion himself.  Marooned elsewhere with history, family ties, responsibilities and a job, he casts longing glances this way and sees green.  Envy is a brutal companion and jealousy’s green is drab and sad.

        Champion’s own Barbara Krider has been struggling with bad weather in Illinois and with the resultant power outages and all the inconveniences connected with the disruptions.  She may well be glad when her own Haymaker gets home.  The First day of Summer was Linda Krider Watt’s birthday!  She is old enough now to be President of the United States.  She shares her birthday with Prince William Spenser of England.  He will be King someday and he has had many advantages but when he goes home, as Linda often does, he is not in Champion.  It is, however, the Mark of a Champion to be able to be happy no matter what the circumstance, and Champions congratulate them both on their special day.  Another Summer Solstice baby is Kai Parsons, a. k. a. Coyote.  She is home with the folks out West of Ava visiting for a week or so from Portland, OR.  It may be that this is the first trip to the Ozarks for her husband and youngest child, but daughter Sierra has spent lots of time with grandparents Parsons out on the farm.  She will be living the grandchild’s perfect dream of getting to spend two months with the doting old folks.  There will be lots of trips to the creek and reacquainting with summertime friends.  It will add to her lexicon of precious childhood memories.  Champions know they are making memories every day.

        It is expected that somewhere between 75 and 100 people will be attending the Cooley Reunion which will be Saturday, the 27^th.  Because of the fire at the Dora White Senior Center last January, the reunion will be held at the First Freewill Baptist Church this year.  Bob and Lily (Cooley) Conrad have fifth wheeled down from Washington State will be joined by others from Washington and some New Yorker family members as well as a mob of other Cooleys, Proctors, Hickses, Alsups, Upshaws, Sheltons and on an on….  It will be a bash.  Nacy Cooley may get to go if the physical therapist says she can.  She is currently in the Autumn Oaks Nursing Home in the rehabilitation wing.  She came for the Reunion, arriving on a Wednesday from her home in Henderson, NV.  On Saturday she broke her hip and has since had a hip replacement surgery, according to Arlene Cooley who is the source for this information.  She said that while Virginia (Proctor) Jacobs was visiting with Nacy in the hospital they talked about how the Cooley family was so well regulated.  That is, they kept regular hours for their meal times and bedtime.  The Proctor family, on the other hand, had twelve children and a much more free wheeling approach to life.  There was fun to be had at Howard and Lola Proctor’s house and Nacy liked to spend time there.  There will be plenty of that kind of visiting going on at the Reunion.  Arlene said that she figured that the General would try to slip in for a while.  He’s everywhere.

        A movie came out in 1955 called More Rivers to Cross.  It was kind of a wholesome, funny frontier story just suited to show in the drive-in for the whole family.  It had a great song, “Oh, the higher up the berry tree, the sweeter grows the berries.  The more you hug and kiss a gal, the more she wants to marry.”  It is true that those blueberries on top of the bushes get ripe first.  Lilly Ridge’s Linnie Ingram was talking last week about all the folks that had come down to Eckart’s Farm in Dora for their blueberries.  It is an outing that has become a tradition among many friends.  A Champion, who usually goes with a friend, made her first solitary trip this year.  The acres of blueberry bushes are laid out in long rows and the bushes are tall and thick so that in some parts of the field people can be as close together as three or four feet and not be able to see each other.  One person picking along quietly then becomes privy to a lot of anonymous conversation.  “He just sits in that recliner and complains about his arthritis.  If he’d get up and do a little something, he would feel a lot better.”  Her friend replied, “Well, Jack just sits on the couch with the remote in his hand by the hour.”  Some younger women were talking about a wedding when one was to have been a bridesmaid.  “It was two days before the wedding and my dress wasn’t ready.  I already had three fittings and it still was no good.  So the night before the wedding I went to Walmart and bought some material and a pattern.  I hadn’t made a garment probably in 17 years.  I was in a hurry so I wasn’t all that detailed about everything, and it was a lot of fun making it.  I didn’t get it finished but the woman finally did get my dress done, and it was OK, but I really liked sewing again.”  She went on to talk about how a little boy was to pedal a toy tractor down the isle, pulling a little girl in a wagon…the flower girl presumably.  The tractor was hard to pedal and there were a lot of people watching him so he wasn’t very happy, but they were both real cute.”  Some young folks about fifth grade age picked berries in a rush in an adjacent row.  They were speaking both English and German at the same time…maybe a half sentence of each.  The subject matter was about a lot of boy-girl stuff, sweet and naive in both languages.  A few rows over some young ladies were singing Amazing Grace and other religious songs in their high pure voices.  Occasionally a little burst of laughter would rise up from among the rows.  It is lovely to have friends to share these beautiful experiences, but also very nice to see the big picture some times.

        Many Champions are thinking about their military service families, sacrificing at home and in dangerous foreign fields.  Those left behind need those expressions of Love and Gratitude from their Nation.

        The Skyline Ladies Auxiliary had a very productive meeting at Esther Wrinkles house on Tuesday.  Groundwork was laid for the Auxiliary’s part in what will be another spectacular Skyline Volunteer Fire Department Picnic.  It will be on August 14^th and 15^th this year.  The ladies are planning a meeting at the Cook Shack on July 7^th and then another at Henson’s Store in Downtown Champion on July 14^th.  There is much to do and time is flying by!  What happy days for those who recognize the beauty of the present when it is happening.

        Great Happenings, compassion for the drab and sad, sweet stories of summertime friends and lazy wonderful days at Grandmother’s house are all welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Songs like, “Summertime, summertime, sum, sum summertime,” are welcome at Champion News.  Look around on the website at www.championnews.us to read what Peggy Hancock had to say about getting poison ivy while staying with grandparents Jim and Liza Hancock.  It seems that Ed Henson drove her to the doctor in Mt. Grove in his old grocery truck because her grandparents didn’t have a car.  She remembered that Ed was a nice man and that he gave her a grape soda.

        Find a grape soda in the refrigerator at Henson’s Store.  Sit around inside to hear random yarns being spun, or step out on the porch to see an example of Mr. Elsewhere’s BS.  In Champion it’s looking on the Bright Side!

CHAMPION—June 15, 2009

        In Champion the ratio of the water vapor in the atmosphere to the amount required to saturate it at the same temperature is called relative humidity.  When concrete sweats even though it has just been lying there, there is humidity.  Some say the humidity is bad enough, “Do we need to have relatives too?”  It turns out they are a good thing.  Champions residing in Seymour have had a swarm of relatives helping them to get their roof back on after some storm damage that occurred recently.  Uncle Dusty did say he thought he was getting shingles on his behind and he had a number of other complaints, but none about his relatives.  Those relatives have not just been lying around but have been helping with the grocery bill and getting ready to do the haymaking finally.  They have also been busy with a nice variety of general farm work, including some generous favors for neighbors.  So on balance, relatives are preferable to humidity.  Neighbor’s relatives are some of the best kinds.

        “Hi [Champion].  The East Fairview School reunion was a great.  We had students from Oregon and Arkansas.  We are remembering the deceased students from two years ago and also the deceased veterans from the 22 vets that went to school there and 11 vets that lady students had married.  I called their names and asked veterans that were there to come up front.  We saluted the flag while taps was played.  We had door prizes and [recognition] for the oldest student, youngest student, and farthest distance traveled.  We had auction on the homemade quilt made by Ruby Proctor.  We are planning another one next year . The Proctor reunion was well attended–a lot of talking.  I saw some for the first time also since 1958.  I got a surprise of my life.  My buddy that was in boot camp with me in 1967, met me and my wife in Bass Pro the 3rd of June for the first time since Sept 1967, 42 year ago.  We had a great visit and dinner.  So, bye for now.  Pete”  Champions join Pete in support of all the troops serving everywhere with Love and Gratitude.

        “Dear Champion, Enough of this BS!  If you don’t know ‘BS’ stands for Bright Side.  Don’t you ever get tired of everything being so rosy and pleasant out there in the sticks?  You make the place sound like a roaring metropolis.  Well, I’ve been to Champion and I know that it is not even a wide space in the road.  It is a wide space beside a road and the pavement ends there.  Who are you trying to fool?  Sure, everybody would like to live in a place that is uncommonly beautiful and bountiful with eagles and bears, turkeys and blackberries and good neighbors, but you never mention the ticks and chiggers.  Why the only thing I ever read in your column about chiggers is that somebody said they lower cholesterol!  That’s just an out and out lie.  If you don’t know the rest of the world is out here suffering with a bad economy, corrupt government, crime, despotism, vandalism, tragedy, disease and heartbreak.  Where do you get off?  Disgruntled Elsewhere” This letter comes unbidden and Champions get off C Highway and turn east on WW and go all the way to the bottom of the hill.  Then they are home.  It is a shame that everyone can’t live in such a beautiful place, but then, as this reader points out, there are the ticks and chiggers and there is also the humidity to consider.

        Foster Wiseman has his 4^th birthday this week.  The whole community is proud of him and pleased for him to be having such a lively celebration.  He has a whole mess of relatives who have been eating pie and cake in his honor for days!

        Friday and Saturday are designated as good days to plant root crops according to Linda’s Almanac from over at The Plant Place in Norwood.  The 17^th and 18^th are good days to cut hay if the weather cooperates.  Linda is as excited as any about the First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest 2009.  She has signed a Congratulatory Gift Certificate for $10.00 to be presented to the winner.  That brings the total cash value of the prize to upwards of twenty dollars and an old fruit jar!  The catch is that the tomato must have been grown in Champion and for contest purposes Champion is defined as where a person casts his ballot.  Voting is not a requirement, but that defines the geographical area under consideration.  The winner must also be willing to share the tomato with the judges who vote if it’s ripe or not and to be photographed with the prize….the tomato will be gone by then.  This is the third annual event.  June 28, 2007 and July 12, 2008 are the dates of the previous wins.  Anticipation is mounting!

        “In the night when the moon is clear You my dear are very near and so warm Like a hot summer day late in June. Remember when we were so young?  We thought that everything was fun, But really life had just begun.  I never want to leave you.  I never want to go.  I just want to be beside you Everywhere you go.”  This song is called “Hot Summer Day” and was written by Danny Kirwan.  The nature of the melody might determine weather it is a sweet song or sort of creepy like a stalker might be singing it.  (Perhaps that note from Mr. Elsewhere is having an effect.)  For sure Summer will be here on Sunday.  Seasons are slipping by and it may happen that suddenly on a sultry summer Sunday someone will sing that song or another one that is sentimental and soothing.

        The Summer Solstice is June 21^st.  It is the longest day of the year and it is Father’s Day this year!  The old guy will be fed his favorite pie and the phone will jangle off the hook as grateful sons and daughters make their customary “Gee, thanks, Dad” call.  Mail boxes will be full of cards and a few long overdue letters describing the successes of his children and how they could never have done it without him.  Others will be thinking of their own dear Father and how he worked for his family and the good example that he set.  They will be remembering fishing trips and funny songs and family stories that go way back.

        Examples of good neighboring and stories that go way back may be sent to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Garden lore and salutes to sylvan summer are accepted at Champion News.  Sip a soda and sing a summer song on the porch at Henson’s Store.  It is on the North Side of the Square and looks across the broad expanse of Lonnie Krider Memorial Drive.  Check out the news from way back at www.championnews.us.  In Champion it’s not BS when you’re Looking on the Bright Side!