Champion News

CHAMPION—August 18, 2008

        Champions are experts at living in the here and now.  When the weather is perfect, they recognize it, neither comparing it to other perfect days or to less perfect days of the past.  As to the future, there is every possibility that each of the coming days will be perfect and Champions are always ready to celebrate a beautiful day.

        “Celebrate” is the Champion word of the hour.  The Champion School Reunion is coming up on Saturday, August 30.  People will be coming from far and wide to get in on the fun.  Old acquaintances will be renewed and nostalgia will mix with lots of good food for another memorable reunion.  Locals are still reeling from the fun at the Skyline VFD Picnic.  An e-mail came:  “I really appreciated you plastering my picture holding one of my grandson’s all over the Douglas County Herald.  Thank goodness you didn’t use my real name.  Now, for you to get on my good side again, would you place something in the Champion News about the Civil War Memorial dedication at the Denlow Cemetery on Sunday at 2 p.m. 31 Aug., 2008.  Thanks, General (Alias ).”  The Memorial was scheduled to be dedicated back in May, but there was a hold up with the engraver and members of the Douglas County Historical and Genealogical Society wanted it to be just right.  There are thirty Civil War veterans buried at Denlow—some from each side.  That War ended in 1865, and 143 years later people in this part of the world are still honoring those who served—on both sides.  War is still claiming lives of soldiers and still breaking hearts of those left behind.  Love and Gratitude for their service is due them and their survivors no matter when they were lost.  The current number of US service people to die in the current war is 4,143.

        Any Champion gardener who needs a lesson in humility need only go out to Western Spotted Hog and visit Linda’s garden.  “Of course!  That’s her business.  She’s supposed to have a beautiful garden.”  Well, boy howdy!  She does.  It is a veritable Cornucopia!  It’s a journey.  It’s a goal.  It’s a process.  It is a beautiful garden.  Anyone who fights with jealousy, envy, and avarice ought to just stay home and pull some weeds.  Linda’s Almanac from over at the Plant Place in Norwood says that the 20^th and 21^st will be good days to harvest crops and the 22^nd and the 23^rd will be excellent days for planting root crops.  “Harvest” is a lovely word—the product of labor.  Champions know they reap what they sow, so the malcontents and slackers can soothe their wounded spirits via shovel as they augment their little patches with some nice old well-rotted manure and hope for a better yield next time.  What goes better with A than B?  Alvin and Beverly have a pretty garden.  They’ve got rocks balanced on rocks and some very tasty watermelons!  They generously share their produce to the delight of Champion gardeners whose efforts have been less fruitful this season.  It is a Champion kind of thing to do and a kind thing too.

        Charlie and Erma Cline were in the neighborhood over the week-end.  They came down from Republic with Delmar and Cindy and rendezvoused with Dustin and Staci who were over from Seymour to visit her folks.  So the place was full of Clines and that made it a pleasant place.  Delmar has a beautiful singing voice and it is well known that singing is an uplifting activity.  Singing can be a valuable skill to have.  When a person wakes up in the middle of the night–mind racing from one worry to another and sleep is illusive, it is a good time to dredge up a long old song with lots of verses like “Poor Little Sadie.”  “Poor Little Sadie is down from the Mountain, the orphanage took her away.  Her Mama ran off with a revival preacher and her Daddy forgot how to pray.  They scrubbed on her knees and her elbows.  They cut off her long tangled hair.  They turned a loose of her old dappled pony and loaded her into the car.”  Well, it goes on and on and Sadie grows up learning the ways of the world.  In her heart she longs for the peace and beauty of her old mountain home, but she never gets back there.  It’s a sad song.  Then there is “The Letter Edged in Black” and the “Lady and the Soldier” and a great number of ballads that speak of love, waiting and loss.  Sad songs do a body about as much good as happy ones if the singing is heartfelt.  If it is the middle of the night and other people are sleeping, a person can just imagine singing, or can just sing silently and think the words and tune.  That way this person can imagine having an excellent singing voice, which may not be the case in the cold light of day.  There is a wonderfully sad song called “Two Little Boys.”  It’s a Civil War song about brothers who fought on different sides, but still loved each other.  Hopefully it will not be sung at the dedication of the Memorial in Denlow.  The General was so emotional over a song last May (“Hear that lonesome whippoorwill.  He sounds too blue to fly.”) there is some speculation that the dedication was really put off on account of his histrionics.  The community is alerted to his proclivities now, however, so perhaps a decorous ceremony can be expected.

        Somebody has suggested that a ‘webcam’ be installed in Champion so that misplaced Champions can look in on their old stomping grounds from their computers at any time to see what’s going on.  They think they might be able to catch a parade or a rally on the Square.  It is not very likely that the idea will get much play, since Champions are a live and let live lot and are respectful of the privacy of others.  Besides, a contraption like that needs a sponsor and an administrator.  Nobody like that lives around here.  Old news is the best there is to be had.  Some of it can be found at www.championnews.us.  There is a picture of a tidy little garden there.

        Mrs. Violet Hinote shared some reports of her cruise to Alaska that she took with Lannie this summer.  She said that they had a spectacular time.  School is back in session and Lannie is riding loose heard on those eighth graders again.  She does a great job with them and has a long list of people on whom she has been an excellent influence over the years.  She is inspiring–such a Champion!

        Old news and any kind of Good news and reports of beautiful days are welcome at Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  Any kind of song that lifts the spirits and imparts courage or offers comfort is welcome at Champion News.  Sing that song right out loud for maximum health benefit.  If a person wants to sing especially loud, they ought to do it out on the porch at Henson’s Store in the heart of Champion’s thriving entertainment district.  It’s on the North side of the Square where folks are always Looking on the Bright Side!