Champion News

                What might be more beautiful than a big full moon shining down on a deep clean snow? All the fun of the snow for frolicking and for children’s excitement and awe marked a lovely way to begin the new year. Blaine Denlow and her Mom got to snowslide, riding in a kayak pulled by a rock and roll horse named Steel across the frozen fields, laughing all the way. Snowman building competitions produced a great variety of interesting constructions including men, deer, girls, rabbits, and a tall fly fisherman. There were igloos built. People who do not have to go out in it for their jobs, or their farm chores appreciate the luxury of making leisurely observations about how the topography of the hills and hollows shows up so splendidly under a blanket of snow. The same scene appears differently according to the season, the weather conditions, the time of day, the memories and history of the place, and the state of mind of the viewer. “And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.” Louis Armstrong sang that for us. For all you locals who missed our snow event while you were off on cruses or in Costa Rica, Arizona, Majorca, Barcelona or Florida, you missed it!
                     Champion Ruby Proctor (Feb 19, 1925–Jan. 10, 2014) once said that when she was a girl in Champion, there would be snow on the ground sometimes from Thanksgiving to Easter. The weather is changing.   It is generally understood that change is hard.  There are many ways to think about it. “Be the change that you want to see in the world,” is one of the good ones and another is “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” “All things are difficult before they are easy.”
                  Twelve days into the new year and some Old Champions have yet to have their first “First Footer.” In some places in the world the first family member, friend, neighbor or stranger to enter the door of one’s house in the new year is celebrated and presented with a gift. For one old pair of Champions their hopes are for the White River Connect technician to be their ‘first footer.’ There is a jar of jalapeno jelly waiting as a gift for that person. That person will be bringing such an update and quality enhancement to their cyber world that distant kin who make their living online can come for extended stays. City dwellers on holiday out on ‘the farm’ fairly brim with energy and enthusiasm.
                  Many here in the beautiful Ozarks have friends, family or other connections to folks in California. Even if we do not have those personal connections, we have concern and compassion for those suffering unimaginable loss. Recover will be long and arduous, though it has often been seen that in the worst of circumstances, the best in people ascends. The world is full of catastrophes. Let us help in whatever way we can. Flags at half-staff in honor of President Jimmy Carter remind us of his commitment to humanitarian aid wherever it was needed. He was a farmer and a friend to man–a Champion–Looking on the Bright Side!

          The New Year came in a lovely way in Champion. It was a Wednesday, always a good day. Among those present was Deward’s granddaughter and her farm hand who operate their Century/Centennial Farm. The Cowboy who hasn’t been on a horse in years had to leave in time to get home for “The Young and the Restless.’ The General, fresh off a birthday celebration celebrated by most of the world with fireworks, came in smiling and in the company of Brenda Massey’s lovely sister. Fence building Denlow cattle ranchers and their pig farming neighbors joined other local yokels around the ancient wood stove. A young Arkansawyer had a little Austin guitar and picked some nice Johnny Cash Folsom Prison licks. The Prominent Champion always request the Unicor Song, but no one has come up with any of the verses yet, jus the ‘green alligators and long neck gees’ part of the chorus. Sandy and Carissa performed a beautiful duet in German about a traveler from town to town who sand his songs and then moved on, his choice, perhaps unremembered. Kaitlyn’s sweet potato pie was a real hit. Her Champion friends love to see her coming with that pie basket, though she is very welcome even without it. It is said that the way one spends New Year’s Day is the way he will spend the year. If so, we count ourselves supremely lucky.
           The Eighth of January is Earth Rotation Day, which commemorates the day in 1851 when it was proved that the Earth rotates on its axis. It is also the name of an old fiddle tune that is also known as “The Battle of New Orleans,” a city much in our thoughts these days, also the birthday of Elvis (1935-1977). Elisabeth Johnson Lawerence has a birthday on January 9th. Bob Liebert of Teeter Creek, and the late Wilburn Hutchison were both born on the 11the of January. Wilburn liked the song “The Eastern Gate” and told a story about himself and Fleming Gear having seen a dirigible over the field where the Skyline School sits now. Herbalist and master gardener Edie Richarson can be celebrated on the 12th. At her L and E Organic Farm she has springtime plantes started already. The 13th is for Dianne Wilbanks who used to travel behind white mules. Blaine Denlow’s mother and her great grandfather, Norris Woods, shared a birthday on the 13th. Norris played a wonderful banjo–a favorite tune was “Life is Like a Mountain Railway.” Skyline 4th grader Joshua Eaves as hte 14th for his big day and Miley Schober has her birthday on the 16th. Miley’s cousin Reese Kutz has the 17th of January for his big day. Somewhere out west an old friend known as Brook Quiet Timber celebrates that same day. Jacob Brixey is a local dairy farmer and cattleman. He shares his birthday with Marybeth Shannon, married to a guy call Sparky, and with Skyline 6th grade student Railynn Dixon on the 18th. We start the new year grateful to celebrate all the people who touch our lives in a positive way. Happy birthday everyone!
          Winter took its own sweet time getting here, but it is here now. Be safe if you must travel. School closings make for happy kids. By the time this is in our rural mailboxes out her in the middle of Booger County, we will have experienced a wide variety of winter weather. While some of us are lucky enough to spend these frigid days around a cozy fire, there are many hardworking individuals out there in it. Farmers still have their chores. There are folks working to keep our electricity going and our roads safe and our volunteer firefighters are always ready to help when we need them. Thank you all. Cold winter days inside around the fire give us a chance to do what Kurt Vonnegut said, “I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or thing at some point, ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.'” We know what is in Champion–Looking on the Bright Side!