March 9, 2008
CHAMPION—March 9, 2008
Clever Creek is still running in Champion after the last big rains. The water is clear and knee deep across the slab over CR 237. Used to be the water ran there year round, they say. Things change. A distant granddaughter hearing last week’s Champion News read aloud called to say, “Please don’t strangle the frogs!” She really likes frogs. ‘Peepers’ were heard for the first time in Champion on Leap Day this year and that seemed quite fitting. The grandchild may be the only one around who doesn’t like cats. “They eat my frogs and my birds,” she says. “I hate cats!” Her Grandmother tries to counter such strong emotions by saying that birds eat frogs. (Great blue herons and king fishers are always happy to eat a nice juicy frog.) And frogs eat birds! (Over by Vera Cruz last year a resident rescued her baby ducks from a bull frog living in the spring pond.) Truthfully, the child’s Grandmother has never been a big fan of cats either. Lately, however, as her neighbors seem to be acquiring more cats she has found a way to make peace with the situation. “Well,” she said, “I could use my pellet gun and shoot them when they are messing around in my garden, but then I would just be picking a feud with my neighbors. That’s not a good idea. Or I could just kill the cats outright and get rid of them on the sly and my neighbors might not find out. Or I can just look at the critters in a different way. Now when I see them strolling through my yard like they own the place, I remember that I haven’t had to set a mouse trap this year, and the rats that have always made such a mess in the wood shed and garage are many fewer these days.” This Champion reports that while she has never really liked cats, she likes a lot of people who do like them and out of respect for her friends she is trying to alter her attitudes. She said, “I just got tired of being mad every time I saw one of the blamed things. It takes a lot of effort to be aggravated about something if you can’t fix it. Anyway some of them are kind of pretty.” It’s not like she doesn’t have possums, coons, armadillos and skunks parading through the place at all hours of the day and night anyway. Champions are a curious lot.
Granddaughters are just the cat’s meow! Madelyn Ward was in Champion over the week end. She is Kaye and Richard Johnston’s granddaughter and she came with her grandparents and her Mom, Phoebe, and Aunt Liz to visit with Krider family sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins. Madelyn and her friend Shante had a good time playing together, drawing pictures and enjoying a pretty day. Shante and her mother, Sarah Michaud are frequent and welcome guests in Champion from over in the Marshfield area.
Bailey Kiera Foulke is a brand new granddaughter! She was born on March 9th out in Seattle and is the granddaughter of Champion Friend Judith Parsons. Judith lives over on the other side of Ava and will be remembered for having won the quilt that Violet Melton made for the Rita Hicks Benefit last year. She is known by friends for many other things, all interesting and lovely.
The benefit for Brenda and Kenny Massey was a wonderful affair! Upwards of two hundred people crowded into the Vanzant Community building on Saturday night. There was an excellent buffet supper and some fine music to get the evening going. Then J.W. Collins took over. Of all the auctioneering! He sold the same sugar cookies four times! They were nice looking cookies on a pretty paper plate, covered with colorful, crinkly cellophane and they brought in a lot of money for the good cause. The house was packed and fairly rocked with good humor as neighbors gathered to help each other. Somebody called Brenda a “giggle-box.” She grew up over on 76 highway between Denlow and Vanzant. She was part of the large Coffman family that still owns her grandparents log cabin. “She grew up and married this Massey boy, and now a tree has fallen on him,” somebody else said. This is a part of the world where neighbors talk about each other. It is also a giving and benevolent part of the country. If a person were to go through the Herald for the past year just to see how many benefits have been given by neighbors for each other it might be a surprise.
More neighbor news has to do with the Denlow School. The Reunion Planning Meeting was held on Sunday afternoon and the reunion is set for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Everyone will be welcome. The program will be held at eleven with lunch at noon. There will be ‘jamming’ in the afternoon at the pavilion. On Monday of the Memorial Day week end the Civil War Memorial will be dedicated. There will be more said about that in the future, no doubt. Present at the meeting were Cletus Upshaw, Robert and Sharon Upshaw, Kaye Johnston, Russell Upshaw, Dean Upshaw, Kenneth Anderson and Lucille Ketchum and Faye Krider.
Some old Champions have taken a page out of a recent DC Herald and have spent the winter “baking their shins and getting fat on hog and hominy.” Now they’ve got up to do a little bit about the place and find that they have strained that group of muscles that comprise the ‘yankers.’ Hauling brush and pulling grapevine has fairly done them in with no more than half a day’s work to show for it. Spring always catches them by surprise and in poor condition. They don’t complain overly, just let out a little groan now and again. “Oh! my blessed yankers!”
There was a note from a reader who said she liked seeing the quote by Thomas Paine repeated: “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” Her remark was that everybody used to say “our boys” when talking about our soldiers serving across the world. She thinks we don’t talk about them enough these days. Her thought is that there will be many young men and women needing help and support when they get back home. She says they are all Champions. One of them was a 20 year old boy from St. Charles, MO. His last name was Walker and he died this last week in Iraq.
There are some pretty exciting tales about Homer Akers when he ran the mail route that Cletus later ran for many years. 76 Highway wasn’t paved back then and there are stories about him flying down that hill, throwing on his brakes, and sliding right past the mail boxes. There is another story about a paratrooper from Denlow by the name of Vernon who got up to Evanston, Illinois on leave from his post in Kentucky. He and his buddy met some pretty girls there and for some reason decided to give them fictitious names. So Vernon became Bill and has remained so to his bride of many years. His family still calls him Vernon and his little sisters were remarking the other day about what a nice brother he was. One rainy day he worked out in their Mother’s smoke house all day and made them some little toy wooden telephones. They both say they would just give anything if they still had them. Later on when he was about grown he’d give his sisters a ride down to the gate on Saturday night and give them a nickel to open it and shut it behind him so he wouldn’t have to get out and get his dress clothes dirty. Champions sure do reminisce well.
Just as it was being revealed that the Champion Navy is totally fictitious, the ever nautical Rear Admiral was being called “General” by his sister! Champions do so like to have accurate information. He’s getting excited about the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at Champion. He’s polishing up his four leaf clovers and will want to be Grand Marshall General McUpshaw. On the 18th, he’ll most likely sleep in.
Linda’s almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says not to bother planting on the 14th and 15 because those days are ‘barren.’ The next two days will be good ones though for planting above ground crops. People are getting their hands dirty already!
Good days of any kind, accurate information, reasons to like cats, and tips for altering attitudes about annoying blamed things are all welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717. Any good neighbor gossip or reminisces or parade pictures can be e-mailed to Champion News. Catch up with all the excitement on the square at Henson’s Store where Champions are always looking on the bright side!
