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Show 2 VV- ;.TIMPANOGQS TIMES December 1,2010 rfmmttm7mrflfmit - - Ii . 1 by Marcella Walker When the predicted bliz-zard did not arrive in Pleasant Grove last week I was over-joyed. I do not love winter and anytime a predicted snow does not arrive, I am overjoyed. I was really overjoyed after all the dire predictions we had heard on radio, TV, and mouth to mouth for several days before it did not happen. I know that we need the moisture to get us through next summer, but what we get here in the lowlands just runs off into the lake and it goes to Salt Lake, etc. The snow in the mountains, however, is another story and it lasts for a very long time. In my years of attending city council meetings, I have learned that it takes a couple of years for the snow that falls on Timpa-nogo- s Mountain to seep down through the rocks and what have you, until it ends up in one of the city's water tanks at the foot of that great mountain. Then it is either treated for water for us to drink or it is used for irrigation purposes and ends up back in Utah Lake where it is shuffled off to Salt Lake via the Jordan River. We did take a drive up American Fork Canyon on Fri-day to see how the snow was up there. It was great and there were many snowmobilers and sleigh riders at Tibbie Fork Reservoir. In many places the ice had formed on top of the American Fork River (the tech-nical people call it American Fork Creek) and it was lovely. In places it formed miniature water falls and I have not really seen that in that river before. One thing that I don't care to attend this time of year are the evenis of Black Friday, as it is called. There is no gift that is so good or so reduced in price that I would brave the cold weather, let alone the crowds, to stand in line for hours just to be one of the first to start my Christmas shop-ping. This day, which used to be called the first big shopping day for Christmas, should not be called "Black Friday" any-way because it is the first day of the Christmas season, so to speak, and the Christmas season is supposed to be in memory of Christ's birth which is just the opposite of anything black. Thank you for letting me spout off on that subject. Anyway, I hope you all had a very nice Thanksgiving holi-day, and that you have finally finished off the leftover turkey. We actually had two Thanks-giving feasts. One was on the real Thanksgiving Day and we spent it with our son and family, plus a few other folks we love. The other was on Friday with our daughter's family who cel-ebrated two days, one with our son-in-la- relatives on Thurs-day and then on Friday when our daughter, who had to work at her job in the ER on Thurs-day, was home and invited us to come for their second celebra-tion. This was also the week-end for our annual "put up the Christmas decorations" ritual. Our granddaughters make this an annual event when they sleep over and then they help us dig out all the Christmas decora-tions and put them out for the holiday season. This is one of my most fa-vorite days, as I am sure it is "BLAB" continued on Page 3 .! ' ' ' ' ' 1 "' 8 up. The spirit of Christmas, the spirit of giving just flows and the air around those glowing lights is magical. Driving around and looking at lights brings a calmness to the world and makes me very proud when we get to ours. It is always a beautiful sight. Christmas mu-sic plays bringing the holiday to our home and the atmosphere. Some people rush out to shop on Black Friday. It is their start to the Christmas season. I have never been in those crazy hours, but find it quite a sight at how people are ready to begin the holiday season. It is fun to see how everything changes in the aisles to Christmas and the music floods ovefthe' Bntire store.'it is' just a completely different atmo-sphere and different feeling. by Marissa Walker The season is here! Time for one holiday to end and an-other to begin! It seems the mo-ment the turkey is done and the food has disappeared, the lights and trees of Christmas appear. Every year, as tradition for my family, I get the privilege of putting up the green lights. I remember as this first started. I was excited. I got to get on the roof. It wasn't very often anyone was allowed up there and be-ing the only one allowed was a sweet moment for me. I have always had fun checking the lightbulbs to make sure they were working putting them on was also always an adventure! I was so happy my father made me get up on the roof early to put them up because the wind would set in and the freez-ing cold, and I was just glad I didn't have to be up there in that weather. Every year, after Thanks-giving, my mother puts up the tree. This was always a high-light of the week. As young kids decorating was a thrilling aspect of Christmas, which or-naments to put on, where to put them, how high could you reach. I always remember that I was never allowed to put them up at the highest point because I couldn't reach. I still can't... sadly! It was always a fight over who got the next ornament in their hand. It was a race to finish first and get the most on. I always loved having it put "Christmas is a very special time of year, were people get to-gether and eat great food. It's great to remember the Savior . ; and. enjoy each others company.' "Moments" continued on Page 3 Thoughts From The Garden... by Tonya LeMone "Cultures grow on the vine of Tradition..." Jonah Goldberg What is the appropriate time frame for something to be called a tradition? We live in a world that is now constantly changing and remembering in this world of forgetting could potentially be a problem to the history books because tradition is synonymous with history. Winston Churchill said "a love of tradition has never weakened a nation; indeed it has strengthened nations in their hour of peril." Our family traditions are part of our family's history. We write about them in our journals and we tell the tales at family gatherings and will often create a new tradition to add a chapter to the LeMone family history. During the upcoming holidays our family traditions seem to flow with such freedom there is no stopping them. We begin around Halloween time with the drawing of names for the "home-made- " gifts we exchange on Christmas Eve. This was a tradition started 26 years ago when all of our children were very young and homemade gifts were really homemade. Often a piece of artwork framed was the big prize. As our children have grown and have children of their own, the homemade gifts have become somewhat of a competition and very creative to the point that the drawing of the name has been known to be "rigged" because of a creative idea already established for a particular person. A favorite Christmas tradition of mine is cutting the Christmas tree. The first Saturday in November we go to Midway, stand in the freezing cold to get a permit tag then the first weekend after Thanksgiving, we all caravan up to Daniels Canyon and pick out the perfect tree to cut down. Actually, it is far from perfect. . . .it is always too big, too small, too thin or too fat. However, the fun part of this tradition is ' trudging through the snow, freezing to death and living in fear of loosing grandchild or two. The other great part of this tradition is to cut off the bottom of the trunk about two inches thick and date it, and put where we are living or celebrating Christmas that year then toss it in the bowl with the rest of the tree trunks from years gone by. We have them saved since 1983 when our youngest daughter was born in Oregon. A new tradition started four years ago is the LeMone Family talent show on Thanksgiving evening after the feast of all feasts. Our family really has no talent, well maybe a couple of those that have joined our family, but we have fun laughing together as a family and laughing at each other. - Last year my husband decided the family talent show needed to be "kicked up a notch" so he built a portable stage with a backdrop and curtains that slide across the ceiling on an extension cord. It's quite the set design. We set our new stage up in the garage, hang spotlights and turn on the dryer for heat. We are finally ready for another year of singing, dancing, magical tricks and readings. The winner of the talent show goes home with a huge gold trophy and proudly places this honored prize in a very prominent spot as a reminder to the rest of the family of their excellence in talent. The coveting continues by other family members until next year's opportunity to compete. We have had several requests from "outsiders" to attend our fine performance but the rule is if you come to watch you must participate. That eliminates about 100 percent of the requests. I am not sure if they are afraid of what they will do or what they will see. Is there an appropriate time factor involved in establishing traditions? I don't think so. Traditions are about your family's history. Robert Louise Stevenson said, "Every heart that has beat strong and cheerfully has left a hopeful impulse behind it in the world and bettered the traditions of mankind." That is history in the making and I tuck these traditions close to my heart because they are part of the chapters of the LeMone family's history book. See you in the Garden.... "Thanksgiving" above the Pleasant Grove city limits. On his way from Provo to Pleasant Grove, he and a son herded two cows while his wife, Dora, drove the wagon with the rest of the family and all their earthly possessions in it. On the way to Pleasant Grove, David had to sell one of the cows so they would have some money. The Gourley's built a home on what is now 1400 East in Pleasant Grove and there he and his wife reared 1 1 children. John Gourley, who later became principal of Pleasant Grove High, was the 11th child and caboose. After serving for some 15 years as the superintendent of the Alpine District, David was made an assistant superintendant of public instruction for six years. Following this he was asked to serve as the Superintendent of the Granite School District in 1944. The man who had made such a difference in Pleasant Grove was wooed by Kennecott Copper. They wanted him to run the largest open pit copper mine in the world. David declined. It wasn't always roses for this prominent educator. He had to drop out of the Y because he ran out of money. He did the most menial tasks to earn enough money so he could start again and finish his degree. He hauled bricks for the construction of the Karl G. Maeser Memorial building. He also worked in the Mercur mine and Provo Ice Plant. During his college years he was a top pole k vaulter for BY Academy and held the state record. He also played on their basketball team. His son, John, would later be a record holding high jumper and other children would also excel. Prior to finishing college, David Gourley served a mission for the LDS church in the southern states. David's stepfather passed away when he was just 16 and his widowed mother was left without her oldest son to help run the four farms. David went without "purse or script". On two separate occasions, mobs would seek to take his life. Only a courageous friend held back the mob who came with axes, tar and feathers. On another occasion the young elder was history of the "G" was a walk down memory lane into the archives of Pleasant Grove. My mind kept going back to the high school yearbook the year they put the block "G" on Little Mountain. That was a monumental accomplishment for so few, with such limited resources. David Gourley was in his first year as the principal of Pleasant Grove High. He would serve for four years in that capacity before being made the superintendent of the Alpine School District. Prior to being named principal of Pleasant Grove High, David Gourley was the Agriculture teacher for a year. He lived in Provo and would peddle his bicycle from Provo to Pleasant Grove so he could supervise his students. When he was named as principal of Pleasant Grove High, David and his wife, Dora Louise West, decided to move to Pleasant Grove. It was then that he. bought a farm on the east bench by Mark Bezzant Last Thursday millions of Americans from sea to shining sea paused to give thanks, including thousands in our own community. Even in these difficult economic times, with American forces at war on foreign soil, it is difficult not to make a very, very long list of things to be grateful for. As mentioned in an earlier article, my research on the prompted to move from a chair. He heeded the prompting before an assassin's bullet pierced the back of the chair he had been sitting in. Malaria almost claimed his life. After serving the people of Utah for some 45 years as a distinguished educator, David Gourley would retire in July of 1957. He described them as 45 glorious years. He was one of the most respected educators in Utah. One month after retiring he was dead and his mortal remains would be buried in the Pleasant Grove Cemetery. A number of the fruit trees David planted are still alive. The beauty of the pear trees he planted were exquisite this Fall. "Thanks" continued on Page 3 J Circshues Gift? . Give a Timpanogos Times subscription to someone you love children, grandchildren, parents, friends. K It's the gift thatgives S2 times ayear! Call Today 801-785-31- 11 |