Champion News

CHAMPION—January 4, 2009

        In Champion New Year’s Day was still and sunny if a little cold.  After the parade, the black eyed peas and cornbread, after the phone calls and family visits and good wishes for the year ahead some Champions did one of their favorite things.  They took a long walk in the woods.  They traveled the slopes among the remaining tall pines to find that a huge white oak that had perched on the edge of a rocky cliff had come down, perhaps because of erosion or the strange strong winds that had come with the storm Ike.  So there it is–roots uphill from the brown leafy boughs now down and tangled among the lower pines–tangled with them and mangling some of them.  It might make a month’s firewood for next year if it could be brought out.  Investigating that possibility had the old couple maneuvering their way down the hill.  A foot wedged between a tree and a stone with forward momentum acting as a factor, the old girl narrowly averted the disaster of having her own weight leverage her into a compound fracture of her leg.  What a catastrophe that could have been!  The truth is there is a catastrophe waiting for any distracted and inattentive person Champion or not.  Coming out of the underbrush, she said, “You know this is the first time in a long time that I have just enjoyed the beauty of the woods without concentrating on the storm damage and the logging horrors.”  He remarked that it was her circuitous route that had steered them away from those ravaged spots.  Concentrating on the beauty is a Champion way to start a new year.

        Beauty indeed!  Emily and Megan, granddaughters of Vivian Floyd, were in Champion over the week-end.  They have grown and their advancing age (Emily now 13) is a reminder that time passes quickly up in the hills.

        Champion Sharon Sikes has sent out an email with some serious and valuable information.  It turns out that a person should never drive in the rain using cruise control.  The reason is that if the car begins to hydro-plane on wet roads and the tires loose contact with the pavement, the car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making it take off like an airplane!  So in any wet or icy conditions the cruise control should not be used.  Some cars will not engage cruise control if the windshield wipers are on.  Some old Champions are just now getting cars and trucks with cruise control so this is important news to them.

        Fortnight Bridge was an interesting game on Saturday.  The four played for more than five hours and the winner and looser each walked off with $0.65.  New Year’s advice from the winner was gleaned from a bridge publication that suggests that even when a player is dealt a poor hand it is still important to be alert to what is going on with all the other players.  Bidding is a language all by itself and a great deal can be learned even while passing.  Bridge seems to be one of those things that translates to other parts of life.

        “Twas summer in the winter and the snowflakes fell like glass and the barefoot boy with his shoes on stood sitting in the grass.”  The Arkansas Barefoot Boys have an album called Echoes of the Ozarks and on it is a wonderful version of “The Eighth of January.”  Champions know this to be the tune to “The Battle of New Orleans.”  The 8^th of January is also the birthday of Elvis Presley!  “Happy Birthday dear Elvis!”  Bob Liebert of Teeter creek will have his on the 11^th.  He’s a rock and roll herbalist and Uncle Al’s favorite son, Buckshot, will have his birthday on the 14^th.  Music promotes healing and enhances the quality of life.  Champions always keep a little song handy.

        January’s is the Wolf Moon.  It is the time to warm by the fire and plan the spring garden.  Elva Ragland likes the Henry Fields Seed Company and makes her order early enough in the year to earn a nice discount.  She is a long time Champion though she married a rail-road man and lived off in California for seventeen years!  She has been back on her old home place now for some while and is excited about her next garden.  Linda’s Almanac will be available at the Plant Place again soon and she is busy getting cuttings made and starting her perennial seeds.  The year 2009 stretches out before Champions with every promise of being a good one.

        A note has come from a distant Champion reader who says, “Thank you so much for always remembering our soldiers serving around the world.  Some join the service for adventure, some out of patriotism, and some are looking for a way to earn a living.  Many who have died in the current wars were Reservist and National Guard soldiers who joined to augment their income.  People who think that the National Guard is there to help out in natural disasters and bad circumstances at home just don’t know how it works.  Not only are the soldiers sent to the wars of the world, but their equipment is sent too.  The trucks and guns and planes and supplies that are property of the various states are going across oceans and not coming back either.  It is a hidden drain on the economy.  Sears is one of the few companies I’ve heard of that continues to support its employees who are deployed to the wars.  Sears maintains their insurance and benefits and pays the difference between their military pay and their income with the company and guarantees their jobs if they are fortunate enough to return home.  Everybody who can buy something from Sears this year will be supporting real patriotism.  Sincerely, E. Jasmin.”  Champions appreciate the astute observations of distant friends.

        Send favorite little Champion songs and examples of patriotism to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO.  Describe narrowly averted disasters and thwarted catastrophes at Champion News.  Browse through the archives at www.championnews.us to see what’s gone before.  Go stand around the stove in Henson’s Store on the North side of the square in beautiful downtown Champion where warmth radiates from the heart and folks are always Looking on the Bright Side!