May 18, 2015
CHAMPION–May 18, 2015
School is out! It is hard to imagine a year going by so quickly. Bridge playing friends arrived at the school parking lot early for their rendezvous on Saturday evening and took the time to take an unguided tour of the greenhouse that has been a great learning tool for the Skyline R-II School students this year. There are neat rows of lettuce and spinach in custom made planters inside the structure and outside an attractive collection of plantings in several beds. Visitors will hope for a student guided tour next time. The greenhouse is a modern efficient design that looks like it will serve the school well for years to come. Heidi Strong will be in the 4th grade when school starts again. Her birthday is on May 22nd. She shares the day with Teresa Wrinkles who makes Esther’s pies still, spends quality time in school herself and routinely steps up to every need in the community. Dale Thomas has his birthday on the 28th. He is getting ready already for the Pioneer Descendants Gathering in October over on the Edge of the World. Betty will be sure he has a good birthday. Joey Kennedy will be a big second grader at Skyline next year. His birthday is on the 29th. Summer will fly by and soon he will be back in class. He and all the fortunate students at this great little school will know that what B.B. King said was true: “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”
A Champion friend from over around Brushy Knob shares a story. This is “A story about Mr. P., a beautiful male peacock who entered our lives a couple of days before Thanksgiving-2014. It was a great day when Mr. P. showed up here looking thin and ragged tail. He seemed lost and no one seemed to know where he came from, as we contacted country neighbors. He gradually came to trust us and came closer so he could eat some cat food and cracked corn. He took up residence and roosted in a tree right in front of the house. The cats grew to accept him as the dog Victor did. He wintered here and became a big part of our lives. Sometimes he’d stay on the deck and almost be covered with snow. As spring came on he became restless. He started spreading his tail and dancing for us and vocalizing a lot! In fact he called off and on all day and night. By this time he had become such a part of our lives. He ate his cat food out of my hand and we had long talks. One of our talks I asked him if he could be a little calmer at night and not talk so much after the tv went off. This had worked a couple of times before but this night he didn’t call all night. I even woke up a couple times and thought boy my talk really worked. Well, the next morning, May 8th, I got up and he didn’t come to eat when I called him. I know he was lonesome for his own kind! So on May 8th he walked out of our lives just like he walked into it in November… Nicholas and I were honored to have him with us during the long winter. He was such a blessing! I hope he finds his way back home to his own kind. Good-bye Mr. P. We love you and miss you!”
The Denlow School Reunion takes place the Saturday of Memorial Day week end, the 23rd. Alumni, family and friends gather for an ample pot-luck lunch at about noon and then hours are spent visiting and enjoying music and fun out in the pavilion. This year promises to be extra special as Proctors will swarm in from every direction. They will have their family reunion there the next day. The General will likely officiate in some capacity and so it is a given that amusement and at least some hilarity will ensue. Quite a number of Champions are old enough to be getting invitations to their 50th high school reunion. Some older folks got those invitations last year. Meeting fellow students from all those years ago can be an eye opening experience. Some are unrecognizable; some have changed their names several times; some have matured and some have not. Attendees are reminded as they go by the mirror that everyone is better looking with a smiling face. How pleasant it can be to renew those old acquaintances and to harken back to hearty, optimistic youth. At the time of it most were not aware of their youth. They were looking forward to the future from which the fortunate can now look back. Smile if you can. The exciting week of palindrome dates will be over on the 19th. 5-18-15 backwards is 5-18-15.
Coal oil, soot, sugar, turpentine and sulfur were listed as some of the medicines that were responsible for many people in this part of the world having survived their childhood. The subject came up as part of the general conversations at the Wednesday Confab in the Meeting Room of the Recreation of the Historic Emporium. The mean age of the participants is such that health and its decline are often the subjects of discussion. Reference was made to Little Jimmy Dickens and his song, ‘Country Boy,’ where he says, “Ma doctored me from youngun’ hood with Epson Salts and Iodine, made my diapers out of old feed sacks, my ‘spenders out of plowline.“ Little Jimmy Dickens had been part of the Grand Old Opry since 1948 and made his last performance there just after his 94th birthday back in December. He passed away in January. Elmer Banks said that he saw Dickens there the last time he attended the Opry. Back to the health issues, which are many, Elmer asked one of his friends at the table, “You know how you can get to feeling better, don’t you?” There followed some questioning looks, some reflection and a few seconds of silence before he answered the question he had asked, “Why, take you a shot of morphine!” The laughter hung in the air, but nobody asked just where a feller might find such as that hereabouts.
The wonderful rain is having an excellent effect on the garden. Linda’s Almanac from over at The Plant Place in Norwood says that the 21st and 22nd will be most favorable for planting corn, cotton, okra, beans, peppers, eggplant and other aboveground crops. The next good time for planting will be the 28th through the 31st. Just now it is too wet to mow or to plow, but those weeds are almost willing to jump out of the ground with just a little pulling. Solitary time in the garden is a good time for serious thinking. Certainly, as Ray Charles said, “The world is in an uproar. Danger’s all around.” Violent weather all around the Nation, and violent conditions and political upheaval all around the world has many millions of people in dire circumstances. An abundance of appreciation for being spared these woes mixed with compassion for those unable to avoid them can keep a head full of serious thought. One thought is that the small amount of welfare fraud perpetrated by a few is so egregious to some that they are willing to deny any assistance to the many who desperately need it. Share your serious thought, your peacock stories, your gardening tips, and music at champion@championnews.us. Take a gander at the archives at www.championnews.us and see Champion! Looking on the Bright Side!
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