Champion News

CHAMPION — April 9, 2007

        Good news in Champion is that Spring is back Again!  During the course of the week assessments will have been made about the degree of freeze damage to trees and shrubs, though the full extent may not be evident for some time.  Some are hoping for a second mushroom season to follow the second winter.  All are optimistic about something.  It is just the Champion mind-set to look ahead with expectations of a favorable outcome.  There will still be plenty of time to get a good garden in and Linda over at the Plant Place in Norwood will have her April Almanac available.  It does not say, “April 6, 7, 8, 9….too cold for anything to grow!”  The 13^th and 14^th will be good days to plant root crops, extra good for vine crops and for setting strawberry plants it says.  The ‘signs’ indicate that those above ground crops that were frozen could be replanted starting on the 17^th and 18th.  Starting over is something Champions do well.

        There were enough visiting dignitaries in Champion over the Easter holiday to have mounted a spectacular parade! (Once again the CPC -Champion Parade Committee- has done a rather dismal job in organizing and advertising.)  While the Champion Easter Parade and Egg Roll was a non event, the Lonnie and Fae Krider family hosted a great family gathering on Sunday.  Harley and Barbara Krider were visiting from Elmwood, Il. with their granddaughters Elizabeth and Alexandria Slater.  Vivian Krider Floyd, of Rogersville,  Tanna Jo Krider Wiseman, Roger Wiseman and Foster Emmett Wiseman of Marshfield, were in attendance as well as Richard and Kaye Johnson also of Marshfield.  Dustin Cline was there enjoying Staci’s company.  The Illinois contingent also included Mrs. Don Krider, and her sister Ruth Shaw from Iowa.  Jolyn, daughter of Don and Reta Krider, together with her husband Will Bumphrey and their children Carly, McKenna and Evan also enjoyed the hospitality of the Krider farm.

        The Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Skyline Area Volunteer Fire Department had it’s meeting scheduled to take place at the Wagon Wheel Bluegrass Park on Tuesday.  The purpose of the meeting was to assess the facilities there in preparation for providing the food for the Bluegrass festival slated for early June.  It will be  a lot of work but the Ladies are up to the task.  Details of the meeting will be reported next week. 

        Champions were saddened to hear of the passing of Whitey Upshaw.  He will be missed.  Friends and family of the good natured musician are in the best thoughts of the community.  Many are ill and in recovery from injury.  Farel Sikes is taking physical therapy to recover from his December accident.  Joe Moskaly’s multiple breaks in multiple ribs are beginning to heal.  Neighbors are looking to their neighbors for the opportunity to be of service.  A benefit is being organized to help Larry and Rita Hicks with medical expenses.  Sometimes there is nothing that can be done to help in a situation, sometimes there is plenty.

        Neighbors over on the other side of Brushy Knob had two week old Grace Ruth Hamilton visiting for the holiday.  She was there with cousins Noah and Nathan Moffett.  Rob and Ruth were happy to have all their children home at the same time.  Rob said, “It was a riot!”  Love and Gratitude were rampant over there.

        Someone asked about the origin of The 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation that George Washington copied out by hand.  Richard Brookhiser, who wrote Founding Father:  Rediscovering George Washington, said that those rules were based on a set of rules composed by French Jesuits in 1595.  Presumably they were copied out as part of an exercise in penmanship assigned by young Washington’s schoolmaster.  Rule number two says, “When in Company, put not your Hands to any Part of the Body, not usually Discovered.”  Number three is ”Show Nothing to your friend that may affright him.”  Number four will be the favorite this week:  “In the Presence of Others Sing not to yourself with a humming Noise, nor Drum with your Fingers or Feet.”

        Research on the Latent family has been relatively fruitless.  A local records search has not revealed any births or deaths of people by that name.  While the parents’ given names are not yet known, it turns out that ‘Chimmey Bea’s’ real name is Chimaria Bea Latent, may be spelled ‘Chimera.’  An acquaintance said that when the first two kids were born twins, Maw Latent named the girl and Pap named the boy.  The informer thought Mrs. Latent had chosen the name to reflect a Latin sound because of the pleasant experience she had had on their honeymoon in Piedras Negras, Mexico.  Pap named S.T. which stands for Squander T.  There is probably a story about that too, but it was not forthcoming.  Names are funny sometimes.  In 1965, out in Abilene, Texas there was a family named Bean.  Pinto was a track star for Cooper High School’s first graduating class and his sister, Lima sat on the student counsel that year.

        Caution!  Some farmers are known to get off their tractor with it ginning across the field while they climb up on the trailer to throw feed off to the cows.  There is some potential for trouble there.  More trouble was narrowly averted when a certain Champion in preparation for company, decided on the spur of the moment to build a new out house.  There is inside plumbing available, but the expected guests like to rusticate in the provincial quaintness of a fragrant little shack.  Digging the hole on a hillside overlooking a peaceful little valley, the Champion was kneeling on the high side and reaching down into the hole to check it’s depth and to pull out a rock that had eluded the post hole digger.  The hole was kind of narrow, about shoulder width, and close to three foot deep by that time.  This individual, already known for being unbalanced, took a tip forward and but for fortunate presence of a protruding walnut root would have wound up head side down in a deep narrow hole with nothing sticking out but two feet of flailing overalls and a pair of brogans.  Chances are the architect wouldn’t have been missed until the mail piled up in the mailbox.  It’s probably a good thing to check in on neighbors from time to time.

        The Department of Defense has identified 3,258 American service members who have died since the start of the Iraq war.  The number of wounded, physically and mentally is enormous.  They come from rural areas like this, and from small towns and big cities all over the country.  The opportunity to express Love and Gratitude for their service is not one to be missed.

        Mail to Champion Items this week included a patriotic post card expressing appreciation for a positive spin on Champion and the community.  She says,  “Looking on the bright side is a good motto.”  It is agreed.  Perhaps “Keep on the Sunny Side” would be a good candidate for the Missouri Song List.  “It will help us every day.  It will brighten all the way, if we keep on the sunny side of life!”

        Champion readers near and far, far and wide are welcome to submit songs for the Missouri Song List, reasons for a parade, tales of narrowly averted disasters or other cautionary tales, rules of good behavior for any situation, interesting name origins, or any kind of good neighbor gossip to Champion Items, Rt. 2, Box 367, Norwood, MO 65717.  E-mail to Champion News or hand deliver to Henson’s Store in the middle of the parade route at Champion.  Do not bother with mottos, however, unless a better one can be suggested than:  CHAMPION—LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE!