June 27, 2011
CHAMPION—June 27, 2011
Champions are by their very natures ‘time travelers’ as they move effortlessly from the present to the past and the future. The cicadas are gone! Everyone knew they were here, but no one seems to be thinking about how they are gone now. One old Champion says it is only just a little quieter now because she hears that little crickety sound in her head all the time. It is called tinnitus and occurs for various reasons among older people. It may be that some of those older Champions will be around in thirteen years to hear the male offspring of this brood sing again. Apparently there are two basic types of cicadas, one being that 13 to 17 year bunch that Champions just enjoyed and the other is the periodic cicada. These insects have a 2 to 8 year cycle and “seem” to appear every year in some areas, because their life cycle is staggered. Actually, a different brood is hatching each year to make it seem like they are annual. Some Champions can remember thirteen years ago when there was an harmonic convergence of cicada as thirteen year broods hatched out simultaneously with some two and seven year outfits. It was dazzlingly loud. Now some Champions are comforted to know that they will not have to wait the full thirteen years to hear them again. June rolls around regularly. Champion!
Mail carrier, Karen Goss, is the major link that many Champions have with the rest of the world and she is much appreciated for her good work. Back in May she enjoyed the company of her daughter and family down from Minot, N.D. Tony, Gavin, and Noah Owens are her grandchildren and they live on the U.S. Air Force Base near Minot where their Dad is stationed. They have not been affected by the flooding up there personally except to the extent that they are witnesses to historic events and are, no doubt, acquainted with newly displaced persons. The wild vicissitudes of nature remind Champions that it not ‘safe’ anywhere on the world.
Norwood has enjoyed regular rain in recent weeks–Linda said about every two or three days. Postmaster, Kirk Dooms, said that while Norwood has seen frequent showers, over in Sweden they have hardly had a drop. Champion is somewhere in the middle, but not complaining. Kirk’s Aunt Esther Wrinkles said it would have been good to be able to store up all that rain from back around Easter and use it a little along as needed. Gardeners would sure like that. Linda’s Almanac says that the 30th is the best day for planting root crops and excellent for sowing seedbeds and flower gardens also that it is a good day for transplanting. Some are struggling with the aphids and not wanting to use insecticides because they have some friendly bugs (the Ladies) that they want to protect and encourage. One is setting ant traps hoping to disrupt the ant colonies that ‘farm’ the aphids. If it were not such a challenge to grow them, those wonderful tomatoes would not taste so good. Anticipation is building as the “First Ripe Tomato in Champion Contest” is in its final days. Just a little salt, perhaps, and the tomato juice will be flowing. Certainly some are salivating already. The antique (old) fruit jar will soon change hands and the blank spot on the “Certificate of Champion Achievement” will be filled in with the winner’s name. Remember that song, “Just two things that money can’t buy and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes.”
A nice chat with Pete Proctor covered a lot of territory. He has been up to Columbia to the convention of all the VFW Posts in Missouri where his Mountain Grove Post 3770 was acknowledged for its good activities and good leadership. Pete’s son is Bryan is stationed in Qatar currently where he is scheduling airlifts over Iraq and other places ‘over there.’ It is easy to see how proud Pete is of his son. Pete joined the many Veterans who attended the memorial service for Private Matthew England over in Gainesville a week ago Sunday. Pete travels in support of the Patriot Riders and said that there were 119 motorcycles in the throng. He said that there were protesters there from the Westboro Baptist Church but that they were not able to get close to the actual memorial service. He also said that there were signs in windows of restaurants and other businesses in Gainesville that indicated the businesses would not serve the protesters. There was a report of some livestock trailers having been positioned so as to block the progress of the protesters. Interestingly enough, Pete said that when people are in the area around Topeka, Kansas they are making it a point to protest against what they call a hate group at the church which is located on West 12th street about three miles west of the Kansas State Capitol.
Several gathered at the Skyline School on September 21st to learn more about the Skyline R-2 School Foundation that will be an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. The School Board will be appointing five board members for the new foundation, which has a purpose of supplementing the school’s income to better serve the children of the Skyline District. One of the interesting topics covered was Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. This is a program that Dolly started up in her home county over in East Tennessee. Her idea is to foster a love of reading among preschool children and their families by providing a brand new, age appropriate book each month to every child from birth to age five regardless of their family’s income. Their last month in the program they receive a book called “Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come.” Find out more about it at www.imaginationlibrary.com. The program can go a long way to foster a successful school experience, which, of course, makes Champions in life. Look in on the home of the Skyline Tigers at www.skylineschool.org.
Mr. and Mrs. D.M. Cline will be returning from their extended summer vacation along toward the end of the week. It will be exciting to hear all their observations and reflections concerning traveling, being home, and myriad other subjects. It will be particularly interesting to learn if they were able to visit Champion, N.C. to inspect their excellent Champion Volunteer Fire Department. Next time they go a’wanderin perhaps they will check out Champion, WI. It is an unincorporated community in the town of Green Bay in Brown County, Wisconsin. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan area. Champion is the home of the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared there three times to Belgium immigrant Adele Brise in 1859. Devotees have since visited the site to pray for miracles and to seek solace and comfort. In December Green Bay Bishop David Ricken read a proclamation that said the Vatican in Rome approved the formal declaration that puts the Shrine at Champion on the same Ecclastical level with the Shrines at Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe, and other places where there have been Marian apparitions. At home, local Champions will host the Skyline VFD Ladies Auxiliary meeting on the 28th. It happens to be Esther’s birthday. She is a vision! Eva Powell is too and will also be celebrating all week. Champions know how to do it! Happy days to them and to Butch Kara! Felicidades!
Find solace and comfort in metropolitan Champion, Missouri, nestled discretely in the luscious leafy bosom of Booger County where there are never any plumbing problems and summer days are delicious. Stroll about the Historic District and see past, present, and future all come together in a little country store! Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!
