November 16, 2008
CHAMPION—November 16, 2008
Champions were delighted with the week-end weather that greeted the hunters this year. Brutal cold wind, brief hard snow and enough rain to make things perfectly miserable are the elements that set the stage for significant memories. In Champion it often happens that “pure minds are stirred up with remembrance.” This will be one of those years when a young person’s first deer or turkey came with enough discomfort to make the event truly memorable.
A young fellow named Connor Ash made his first trip to Champion on Sunday. He came with his older sister Selina and their parents Victor and Emily to visit Emily’s grandmother, Ms. Eva Powell. Foster and Kalyssa Wisemen were also visiting grandparents and so the whole place was full of wonderful kid racket. The day could only have been made brighter by Chante’s presence, so maybe that will happen next time when she is in Champion with her grandparents. Grandparents are some of the most interesting and venerable residents in Champion.
Harley & Barbara are in town for a while. It may be that they will stay all the way through the Thanksgiving holiday. Champion will certainly be jolly place if that is true. The General’s remarks last year about Barbara’s parade outfit were completely uncalled for. Not too much has been heard from him for a while, but that only indicates that he is laying low for some reason. As yet no word has come from the Champion Parade Committee concerning this year’s Champion Thanksgiving Day Parade. Last year the group decided to hold a special meeting to discuss the shameful incident that had left the square in such a frightful condition and to allocate responsibility for the veterinary bills. (Don’t ask.) It was determined that at the very least a moratorium should be in place to prohibit the participation of all pigs in future Champion Parades. It had been hoped that once tempers cooled and the square was back to normal that some of the hurt feelings would be assuaged and a more moderate approach to the problem could be found. Still no word has come.
As the woods thin of foliage it is interesting to see more of the topography of the land immerge and houses reappear that had been obscured from view a few days earlier. Lush spring and summer growth had softened the devastation of some of the predatory logging done in the area. A short term, absentee land owner from a few counties north hired loggers not local to the area and their slipshod and careless methods left a wretched mess that is once again heartbreakingly visible. Spring will come again and summer growth will help the place heal. A dozen years from now it will still be ugly, but better and the Champions who care will have become accustomed to the place as it changes while treasuring their memories.
The 19th of November all the way through Sunday the 23rd will be excellent days to destroy weeds according to Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood. Tell that to Elva Ragland who will be 71 on the 19th. Most likely she will not be out killing weeds on her birthday. Sue Needham will be old enough to know better (finally) on the 23rd and will most likely not be out pulling weeds either. The Almanac will not be getting much use in Champion this week, but Charlene’s Gift Corner will be getting lots of traffic as people look for interesting and reasonably priced Christmas presents there. A nice visit with Esther Wrinkles the other day revealed that she unexpectedly has extra quilts! Arrangements that she had made to sell a couple of her beauties fell through so she has some to spare. What luck for someone!
Esther was in good spirits and said that she had enjoyed the Herald’s fish fry the other day.
Champion Pete Proctor’s picture made the papers last week at the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action table for the Veteran’s Day Celebration by VFW Post 3770. He is such a Veteran! His son Bryan is serving currently in Afghanistan. Pete and all Champions know that the U.S. Service Personnel are due the Love and Gratitude of the Nation now and in the years to come.
A musical note came from Champion’s Tennessee Friend, Darrell Haden, the other day. He talked about the song that is currently on the www.championnews.us site. “We live in two different worlds, dear That’s why we’re so far apart……If you stay over in your world, Oh, how my poor heart will pine. Darling, someday when your memories wander, Won’t you come over to mine?” He said, “Have you heard my cousin Charlie’s “Ramblin’ Boy” on Decca? Charlie’s grandfather ‘Buss’ Haden grew up with my grandpa Haden at Smallett before ‘Buss’ married Cora German of Squires 107 years ago and moved to Springfield.” He had some nice things to say about the column and said “Please continue to quote the good old songs!” Administrators of the website plan to make available more of the songs from the CD made by Wayne Anderson, Luke Dartt and Lonnie Krider soon. Meanwhile there are some good versions of When Johnny Comes Marching Home and America the Beautiful that can be heard there. Send any musical suggestion to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367 Norwood, MO 65717 or to Champion News. Sing any good song out on the porch at Henson’s Store. Singing is good for the overall health of the person singing and for others if the singing is any good! On or off key, Champions are Looking on the Bright Side!
