November 14, 2016
CHAMPION—November 14, 2016
Dramatic evening skies in Champion
It has been marvelous in Champion this week with Tuesday the only dreary day; however, the promised rain did not materialize. For the rest, it has been sunny and heading finally in the direction of seasonal temperatures. The Prominent Citizen spoke up to say that there was an unusually high voter turnout for this election on Tuesday—480 in all. Numbers reveal that fewer than half of the Nation’s voters are contented with the outcome. Of course, Yogi Berra was fond of saying, “The opera ain’t over ‘till the fat lady sings.” This opera will be over on the first Monday after the second Tuesday of December, which this year happens to be on the 19th, when the Electoral College does its voting. The World Series proved exciting all the way to the bottom of the 10th inning. Yogi said, “You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.” “There are some people who, if they don’t already know, you can’t tell ‘em.” Champions agree with Yogi that “You can observe a lot just by watching.”
Last week the Frontiersman from Champion North rode his old one speed bicycle the seven miles from his home…down C Highway and then down WW to the Bright Side. It must have been an adventure, pushing the bicycle up the hills and riding the brake on the way down them. Elmer corroborated the event and provided some help getting the traveler home as he was in no condition to make his return trip by bicycle. By Wednesday he was in fine fettle again and able to significantly best his rival, the Hooligan, 11 to 4, on the Champion Horseshoe Pitch. It must have been humiliating. On Friday the loser was seen leaving town in a hurry. He had apparently been sneaking in a practice session.
The quarter mile walking trail at the Skyline School is getting some regular use by students and by folks in the neighborhood. It was a welcome gift from the Douglas County Health Department. The Missouri Foundation for Health is providing grant money to buy some upper body strengthening equipment for our school grounds as well. The PTO will help fund the installation of the equipment and will get some credit for promoting healthy habits for a lifetime. The archery program is being successful again this year, building strength, confidence and skill. In other good news, skillful handling of resources by the administration and staff has enabled the purchase of 15 new chrome books for use in the elementary classrooms. The YEP group is helping with the cost of the computer cases. The wonderful annual music program of the Skyline students will be held on December 8th this year and everyone is invited to come even if you do not have children or grandchildren in school. It is a chance to see the hope of the future as these young citizens share their talents and enthusiasm with their community.
Music is good medicine. Young Chase, however, was overly sugared for his Wednesday gig out on the Wide Veranda, and so old McDonald’s farm only had ducks and cows and horses. The cookies and popsicles he enjoyed while waiting for his music friends to show up seemed to fry his attention span on that occasion. He will soon be learning about the old lady who swallowed the fly and the old man who played knick knack on his thumb. Nick and Doris Hula have friends or family who live in the Vanzant area (Champion East) and they stop in every year, we hope, for a visit on their way from their home north of Cooperstown (Baseball Hall of Fame), New York to their winter home in McAllen, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. It was nice to meet them. Nick plays a 1908 Gibson mandolin and Doris plays the chromatic harmonica—she is a corker–nice folks. Dave Thompson is a nice guy who has been absent from the bluegrass jam for a couple of weeks, lounging around in some cardiac care unit. Hopes are that he will get his hat out of the creek and come back soon with his big guitar and fine voice crooning to his Quebec girl, Sue, his belle. It will be lovely to see them both again.
Very good news comes from the Prominent Champion Girlfriend who declares herself to be on the mend. She has turned a corner and is getting stronger every day. The boyfriend was seen cutting capers at that good news. Jenna and Jacob will be helping their grandpa celebrate a big birthday on November 18th. Sweet Elva Ragland will celebrate on the 19th. Seamus, Lizzy and Zak have a facinating grandmother with a birthday on November 23rd…lucky kids.
Each side of any controversy has its champions. The side with the money and the media generally is considered to be the right side. No one denies the historic abuse of First Nations people and some observe that it is rampant yet today. The courage to persevere and to continue the struggle for the preservation of the sacred sites of the native peoples and the water of all the people is courage that will go unsung. Still people will be out there in the cold and wind standing against purchased power in peaceful protest. A spokesman for the Sioux tribe says they are not opposed to energy independence and economic development, “the problem we have—and this is a long history of problems that evolved over time—is where the federal government or corporations take advantage of indigenous lands and indigenous rights.” Meanwhile, an outfit called Bold Nebraska works on issues including eminent domain, clean energy, small family farms and small business standing up for property rights and standing with citizens to work to protect the land, water and climate. Nathan Mackenzie Brown writes, “Energy Transfer Partners, the company behind DAPL, is abusing eminent domain laws to take over prime farmland in America’s breadbasket so that they can lay a pipeline across the Mississippi River to transport oil. An 81 year-old-Iowa farmer, Shirley Gerjets, is hosting Water Protectors on her land in a desperate attempt to save her family farm and protect the water supply of millions of Americans from contamination.” In his writing Brown also asserts that it is not a matter of ‘if’ a pipeline leaks but ‘when.’ It turns out that there are 2.4 million miles of pipelines across America already, 72,000 miles of crude oil pipeline. There is a line that runs from Oklahoma through Springfield up to St. Louis and one that runs from the Jonesborough, Arkansas area up through Poplar Bluff. Our area of the Ozarks Plateau is an empty spot on the big National pipeline map. Lucky are you folks born here…and lucky the rest of us who found our way here. Just because there are no pipelines through our Douglas County does not mean that our water is safe. Dr. Masaru Emoto wrote that water connects us all and that all water is connected.
Saturday night the air was still and clear bringing temperatures down to the low 20s. The big waxing moon was clearly visible those nights with dark areas of the lunar seas and the lighter highlands of the lunar surface….all put together give us the illusion of an image of the Man in the Moon. Planters by the signs will still have time to get their garlic in the ground on the 16th. Come down to the wide tranquil banks of Auld Fox Creek for a view of one of the truly beautiful places in the world. It is in the middle of one of the nice open spots. Go to www.championnews for images and stories of the happenings at the end of the pavement. Hank Wilson’s alter ego passed away in his sleep at the age of 74. He sang, “I love you in a place where there’s no space and time. I love you for my life. You are a friend of mine” in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!
Champion Stinky Rose
