West: Blackberry winter for the record books

By MIKE WEST

First of all ... what about this crazy weather we experienced last week?
Personally, I found myself looking for some long-sleeved shirts. Unfortunately, the Wife had already struck and put up my winter clothes. I did find a couple of sweatshirts (too hot) and a couple of (formal for me) white shirts with button-down collars. Fortunately, I did find a lightweight jacket which proved to be perfect for (yes) Blackberry Winter.
That leaves us with one question ... will the dreaded "Stump Winter" strike again this year.
"Stump Winter" you ask?
That title dates back to the days when most of us heated our homes with firewood.
"Stump Winter" hits in spring when all the stove wood is gone and all is left except for stumps which are hard as heck to bust up for the fireplace or wood stove.
So, in other words, spring is just around the corner. (Unless, we dive straight into summer.)
At any rate, Mother Nature seems to be a bit confused about weather in 2016 especially when compared to tradition.
Let's see, how does that old poem go?
March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers.
This May seems to be catching up with dangerous winds and heavy showers.
Of course, we had our share of both in 2015 with wind and rain disrupting last year's Good Ole Days. Maybe the rain and wind will be out of the way when this year's event rolls around May 14 and 15?

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An article in this edition of The Cannon Courier notes the passing of a rock-n-roll legend by the name of Lonnie Mack, who eventually "settled down" near Smithville.
The article was written by Courier columnist Mike Vinson, who was a personal friend of Mack.
In my later years, I learned about Lonnie's contributions to music on his Gibson Flying V guitar. While he was known for his "chicken picking" style of playing he was best known for his use of the "whammy bar," which in fact earned its name from the Lonnie Mack hit called "Wham!"
My contemporary knowledge of Lonnie Mack comes from Saturday nights at the old Woodbury Skating Rink where Lonnie's version of "Memphis" was one of those songs that got everybody skating. So there you go....
(If you have a computer, you can still here Lonnie Mack's "Memphis" by looking him up on youtube.com.)

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The possible location of a shooting range near Roach Hollow really resulted in an uproar at Thursday's (May 5) County Commission meeting.
A number of prominent local residents live well within earshot of the proposed site which is close to Saint Thomas Stones River Hospital and Dillon Park.
It is difficult to tell if the Commission will be able to block construction of the range. Why? Because Cannon County doesn't have any zoning regulations.
Unfortunately, we can expect a push of this type of projects in the near future from "our cousins" in Rutherford County, which is one of the fastest growing communities in the nation. Look out!!!