May 13, 2007
CHAMPION – May 13, 2007
What a fortuitous week for Champions! Mother’s Day on Sunday brought younguns home from far and wide and cards, letters, and phone calls galore. It was a regular extravaganza of attention and appreciation for Champion Mothers. Cards and photographs were displayed and compared and sweet stories of childhood pranks and pleasures were exchanged. Wednesday, the long awaited Last Day of School for Skyline, made the whole week extra wonderfully special. The swimming holes will soon be full of kids and they think that the summer will last a long time, that there will be plenty of time for every thing they want to do. Old timers know that a beautiful summer day just passes in the blink of an eye. Seasons slip by. It’s a good thing that Champions understand the importance of living in the moment. The past has great value and it’s good to review it for it’s lovely parts and good information. The future is just a maybe, so Now is the best time we can have. Richard Saunders said in Poor Richard’s Almanack, “Dost thou love Life? Then do not squander Time; for that’s the Stuff Life is made of.”
In Champion, as in other places, when a group of friendly people get together, it is hard to keep track of all the conversations going on at the same time. Larry Powell, visiting his Mom, Mrs. Eva Powell, for Mother’s day, was heard spinning a yarn about someone having tied a brick on to the tail of a cow in an attempt to keep the cow from swatting the milker in the face so often. As it turned out the milker then enjoyed a brick in the face. The eavesdropper did not learn who tied the brick, who got it in the face, when it happened or where, but this was not the only yarn spun that day. Mrs. Powell reported that she has been cooking some poke salat in with her fresh spinach lately. The subject of edible wild greens came up and she and her daughter-in law, Mrs. Betty Powell, talked about ‘nar-dock,’ maybe ‘narrow dock,’ as opposed the wider leafed variety known as ‘bitter dock.’ Several Champions think they know exactly which plants are being discussed, but are looking for some confirmation. Euell Gibbons doesn’t have much to say about ‘dock’ other than a contrived way to make it produce in the winter time for salad greens, of which he, by the way, is not overly fond. Frances Densmore’s book, How Indians Used Wild Plants, which was published in 1928, shows both bitter dock and yellow dock as being used as medicine for cuts, ulcers and eruptions. A friend named Crespo used dock immediately on a copperhead snake bite, or maybe that was plantain. In any event, his home remedy proved better than the town doctor’s treatment on an earlier occasion when he had been bitten by another copperhead. He needs to keep his hands way from the snakes! Meanwhile, Betty Powell reported that her sister, Mona, reads the Champion Items to her on the phone on a regular basis. Mona and her husband own and operate the café across the street and to the south a little bit from the Court House in Ava. The café is called Mona’s Café and they are open from early in the morning until about two in the afternoon on week days. That is a hard business to maintain, every bit as hard has dairy farming, just a few different kinds of duties required.
An e-mail came in the Champion News. It’s subject is “Old Turner Stories” Here is what it said. “Dear Champion, I seen your article in the Douglas Co. Herald. I have been doing research on my Turner & their connecting line’s for several years to pass on to our future generation’s so they may know who we were. My great great grandparent’s were: Edward Turner/Elizabeth Nancy Clements. They migrated to Douglas Co Mo. in the year of 1865 from Blue Mound, Illinois, and homesteaded near Arno, Mo. [They had] nine children, all raised in Arno, Missouri: John Ward, Daniel Edward, George Washington, Martha Elizabeth, Charles Vallandingham, Jesse Vorhess, Perry Oliver (died young), Samuel Edward, Willis Washington. I am interested in old stories that might have came to light with your program on any of this family.
“Edward & Elizabeth helped organize the old Mt. Tabor Church–donated land for it & Mt. Tabor Cemetery. They are buried there, as many Turner’s are. The first old church was burned by a angry father, when his boy’s caused a disturbance at one of the church services. He was sent to prison, but was released soon afterwards. Any early, old info on this church would be greatly appreciated, or old pictures, if [there are] any. The old church was replaced in 1947, by a donation from Neiman, in honor of his mother who started Sunday school at the beginning of the old church for the children. The church is now known as the: Mt. Tabor General Baptist. Respectfully, Bob Turner, PO Box 1733, Owasso, Oklahoma 74055 (919) 274-0474, Alct3@aol.com.” “Dear Mr. Turner,” went the reply. “Thank you so much for your e-mail. It will be included it in the next Champion Items. Perhaps someone will be able to give you more information about your family. It is most encouraging to know that there are people who wish to preserve their past in order to give their future generations some solid footing. It sounds like your family has a rich history. Good luck in your search. Sincerely, a Champion Friend.”
“Ifn you got to swaller a frog, don’t look at it too long!” Ms. Satterfield’s advice from over in Little Creek is some excellent advice. The richness of the local native tongue is treasure indeed. A long time Champion resident says, “I don’t care to….” to mean that she would not mind doing whatever. Champions certainly don’t mind having such interesting neighbors. Good neighbor and former Champion, Ms. Vivian Floyd is making slow progress in recovering from the auto accident that occurred a couple of weeks ago, but progress nonetheless. She has the good wishes of many Champions helping her along. Champions also send Love and Gratitude to the families of the seventeen US service people who lost their lives this last week in Iraq and to the families of the three missing soldiers. Now the total is 3,398. The total of the wounded is estimated to be in the neighborhood of 42,400. Memorial Day will be coming up soon.
On the television news on Monday morning, it was reported that singing causes the brain to release endorphins that help the immune system to fight off disease, infection, and depression. Therefore, Roger Miller’s song, Walking in the Sunshine, will summarily be added to the Missouri Song List. Some of its lyrics are: “Walking in the Sunshine/ Sing a little Sunshine Song. /Put a smile upon your face as if there’s nothing wrong. / Think about a good time we had a long time ago. /Think about, forget about your worries and your woes./ Walking in the Sunshine/ Sing a Little Sunshine Song.” The song list now stands:
- The Missouri Waltz
- Meet Me in St. Louie, Louie
- I’m Goin Back to Whur I Come From
- The Westphalia Waltz
- The west Plains Explosion
- My Missouri Home
- Kansas City, Here I come
- May The Good Lord Bless and Keep You
- Walking in the Sunshine
Champions are urged to sing at every available opportunity, especially out in the Garden. Linda’s almanac says that the 19th and 20th will be most good for corn, cotton, okra, beans, peppers, eggplant and other above ground crops. Plant seedbeds and flower gardens. After a little more investigation a complete report of what happened to Linda over in Spotted Hog in 1981, will be reported.
Fortuitous occurrences, narrow escapes, information about edible wild greens, songs suggested for the Missouri Song List, any information about Bob Turner’s family or the Latent family, and always any old stories about Ed Henson and his crowd are welcome by mail at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO. 65717, and by e-mail at Champion News. Any of those things, together with any good advice, gardening tips or good neighbor gossip is welcome to be told right out loud in Henson’s Store in the Heart of the Business District of bustling Downtown Champion. CHAMPION—LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
No Comments Yet
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.