Champion News

CHAMPION—Leap Day—February 29, 2016

        Our moon has been wonderfully entertaining these past weeks as it has been waxing and waning and now riding high and pale in the morning sky.  It is there all the time but we only see it in the reflected light of the sun.  The same side of the moon always faces Earth and when the moon is full it is full for everyone on Earth.  It is easy to miss out on the spectacular romantic night lite–for the sake of cozy inside television time or the requirements of undistracted night driving.  The Snow Moon saw little snow in Champion this year.  Thunder in February, frost in May, they say.  Rich Heffern shared enlightening thoughts about the observing of lichen here in our winter wonderland.  Earth and sky, beauty and mystery are just here for the soaking in–in Champion.

        A special poem by Wordsworth from 1804, was copied in a beautiful hand, in part, by a distant lover of Champion, missing the Bright Side at this time of the year—“When on my couch I lie in vacant or in pensive mood, they flash upon that inward eye, which is the bliss of solitude.  And then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils.”  Poetry is always welcome at The Champion News, Rt. 72 Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.

        The hills are alive with the sound of music!  Diane Wilbanks has an enormous upright piano to share with anyone who needs a piano.  Contact her at 417-683-9239.  It is a doozie.  Tickets for the beautiful dobro being raffled off by the Skyline VFD were being sold by the sixes at the Vanzant Bluegrass Jam on Thursday night.  Meanwhile, around the circle, Dave Thompson channeled George Jones, “I’ve had choices since the day that I was born.  There were voices that told me right from wrong.  If I had listened, no, I wouldn’t be here today, living and dying with the choices I made.”  Sue Murphy sang, “If I could I surely would stand on the rock where Moses stood.”  Then Jerry Wagner had everyone smiling that mysterious smile with “Mona Lisa.”  Sherry Bennett sang, “Come morning I‘ll walk by the river.  I’ll rest neath the evergreen tree.“  Ruth Collins asked the Rebel Soldier’s question, “Will my soul pass through the southland?”  “If tear drops were pennies and heartaches were gold, I’d have all the riches my pockets would hold,” declared the lovely Roberta.  David Richardson crooned, “I still miss someone.”  Sherry’s beautiful daughter, Neda, sang, “You say it best, when you say nothing at all.”  (aaaaaalllllllll) Candy the fiddler, passed her first turn but next time around shared the “Ashokan Farewell” and later “This world is not my home.”  J.R. Johnston declines the limelight, but provides support for everyone with his sweet ringing banjo.  The circle was completed when Sue Thompson took her melodic trip to Fantasy Island.  The music went around and around ending with an acapella question, “Is that you, Myrtle?”  It was indeed Myrtle Harris who was attending for the first time in a while after some serious ill health.  Her friends were glad to see her and hope she will be in regular attendance now that she is home.  Narvil Tetrick, (Rt. 1 Ava, 417-683-4289) was at the Jam enjoying the music and hob-knobbing with his very distant Upshaw cousin.  He would like to find pictures of Layfette Upshaw, his wife, Harriet Tetrick Upshaw, and her sister Mary Tetrick who married Morgan Reilly.

        Shaelyn Sarginson is a seventh grade student at Skyline School.  She shares her birthday, March 3rd, with teacher, Mrs. Barker.  Rylee Sartor is in the first grade with a birthday on the 6th.  Mallory Ludwig is a fourth grader with a birthday on the 7th of March.  The Skyline students and teachers are grateful to have such a wonderful little school way out in the country near home.  It is a vanishing treasure across the country.  Hopefully, the little tax levy will pass so our school will be more secure financially.  Linda Hetherington and Krenna Long, both of Norwood, celebrate birthdays on the 5th.  Linda and Krenna have known each other for a long time.  They will both be having a Champion birthday.  Linda will probably have some bridge mixed with hers.  Happy daze all!

        Leap Day is a devise concocted to keep human time-keeping up with celestial reality.  In 1288, Scotland began what is now called ‘Sadie Hawkins Day’ here, by passing a law permitting women to propose marriage on leap day and if refused, the man had to pay a fine.  That is a money making opportunity that modern ladies might have taken up if men were better at paying up.  It is too late now, anyway.  The notion will be tabled for four years, or a few weeks shy of four years from now.  They say that Julius Caesar introduced the whole idea of a leap day, but the math he used was not quite right.  His math created too many leap years.  It was probably not on account of bad math that he wound up the way he did (Et Tu, Brute?)  The ominous Ides of March is just around the corner.  The elections coming up in the weeks and months ahead will have consequences.  Participate.  Not voting is a vote.  Silence is speech.  “Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong.  When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted.  It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable.  That uncomfortable feeling is called cognitive dissonance.  And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that does not fit in with the core belief.”  These are words of Franz Fanon famous French philosopher and psychiatrist.  Then John Kenneth Galbraith says, “The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for moral justification for selfishness.”  Listening to the radio the other day, a Champion heard about neo-liberals.  They are an interesting bunch with an approach to economics and social studies in which control of economic factors is shifted from the public sector to the private sector.  Privatizing the post office or social security could have some unforeseen consequences.  What a privilege it is to vote!  Some are thinking to endow the voter franchise upon every citizen automatically, perhaps at birth with their social security card.  With everyone’s life at stake, it ought to be easy to vote.  If you are not going to be home for the March 15th election, go vote absentee at the Court House.

        If you are anywhere near Skyline on March 12th go to the Skyline VFD Chili Supper to see if you are going to win that amazing dobro.  While you are at it you will be supporting the great volunteer fire department that gives us assistance when it is most needed.

        Look at the garden and talk about help needed!  Preparing garden beds is a chore that longs to be done this time of year.  Seed catalogues are weighing down the packs of postal carriers and the colorful pictures spawn daydreams of hot summer days shelling peas and canning beans and tomatoes with some good music on in the background to make the work lighter.  It will take some singing out in the garden before the harvest songs come along.  Pete Seeger’s Garden Song says, “Inch by inch, row by row, I’m gonna make this garden grow.  All it takes is a rake and a hoe and a piece of fertile ground.” in Champion—Looking on the Bright Side!