Wild spring weather changes allowed for the first Champion Sometimes Porch Jam of the year Wednesday. A beautiful day was made more so by Joanne Lawrence, out on a scenic drive, just happening to have her guitar with her. The General’s sweet sister, Fae Krider, and her Tennessee daughter, Staci Cline, enjoyed the music and visiting with friends and neighbors on the warm sunny afternoon. Monday’s wonderful rain and the cold front to follow will have the musicians back inside and pleased for the much needed nurturing moisture.

One old Champion said, “Of the seventeen trees we planted in the 1970s, only this enormous, beautiful, nonbearing, invasive Bradford pear survived the goat. Nanny was her name and she lived on a chain which she regularly broke, to feast upon the bark of the apples, pears, plumbs and peaches. She was not interested in the Bradford pear. For this habit, she was traded off to a woman over by Cobel’s Store who had milk goats. Nanny taught her goats how to jump a fence, so she wound up having to raise all her fences. Why did we have that goat to begin with? The idea of having the goat was that, tethered, she would eat down the grass, brush and weeds on the steep slope we did not want to mow.” Had they been better acquainted with Esther Wrinkles at the time, she would have cautioned them about having goats, and they may have had the sense to listen. Nanny had come with a young Billy, which ultimately became what Texans call “cabrito.” Meanwhile, we hear of a man in the area who is able to graft good pears on to the Bradford. Will it work on a fifty year old specimen?

Skyline archers Jacob Brixey, Joseph Hastings, and Jordan Ellingsworth had a good showing at the State Archery Tournament on Friday at the Branson Convention Center. They had a good time, according to their sponsor.

April has a lot of good things going for it. To start off, there is April Fool’s Day. It has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, though its exact origins remain a mystery. Hoaxes, practical jokes and pranks make for fun if no one is hurt. Laughter at our own expense is good for us. More good stuff comes in the celebrations of birthdays. Skyline second grader, Fredrick Smith, will celebrate on April 4th. The 6th is for fun loving Beverly Coffman Emery who will be celebrated by friends and family till the cows come home. Many will be remembering Bud Hutchison on his birthday on the 8th. The memorial trail ride dedicated to him will take out of Champion on May 15th. Meanwhile, back in April, Skyline will be in party mode big time, recognizing Superintendent Donnie Luna and third grade teacher Candance Mayberry who both have birthdays on April 9th. That will be a Tuesday and school will be in session and full of fun.

A commercial on television the other day promoting a certain internet provider went so far as to say, “Come to the Bright Side!” Folks out here in the almost exact middle of Douglas County on the real Bright Side, relying on that provider, BS, find the commercial ironic. They are excited that White River Connect will soon allow them some real, reliable, substantial connection with the internet. Back in January, WRC’s customer service representative, Brock, said connections here would be happening within two to four months. That could be any time now.

We are advised that sometime in mid-April two broods of cicadas are due to emerge and will be around until about mid-May. It will be noisy and messy. Some old timers caution us to be alert to copperheads during that time, because when the insects shed their skins and drop out of the trees, they become soft, tasty treats for the snakes. We have much to learn from our old timers. Some of them may not be ready to be called old timers, but one of them said, “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” That is quite a wonderful thought in Champion–looking on the Bright Side!

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