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Show Comment Free Press - Wednesday, June 5, 1991 - Page 2 Phebe was everybody's best friend you better believe it Editorial Abunch offriends were rehash ing Phebe's funeral, and her friendship. We were drying our cheeks as we compared notes and tried a little in assessing who was her "best friend." We decided that we were all Phebe's best friends because she had that unique ability to make each and everyone person feel so Rural growth requires caution on local roads It is becoming increasingly obvious that as growth in our north Utah County communities speeds up, our speeding motorists are going to have to slow down. And there is no better time to do that than now when the school year is over and young children are flood- ing our streets. The need for increased motorist caution was emphasized this weekend when a young child in Highland was struck by a car on the Alpine Highway. There are several factors that make driving in much of our area more dangerous than ever - and the increased number of children is only one of them. Growth in outlying areas is another. North Utah County is experiencing extreme growth in places where we are used to driving fast because, in the past, the roadways were fairly clear and hazards were minor. The Alpine Highway near the Alpine Country Club typifies the problems many of our once-rurareas share. The highway and surrounding areas have become increasingly populated on both sides of the highal way. But it is still a state highway, speeds are still fast. The combination can be a deadly state-controll- one. The problem is intensified on the roads that are more rural, and less prone to police patrols - such as the access road to the Alpine Country Club where patrons drive at excessive speeds along streets that were once deserted, but which now provide homes for several families and dozens of children. Each of our communities faces similar problems in outlying areas where farmland is being overtaken by residences in large numbers and roads that were once fairly save places to speed are now cluttered with the most dangerous kinds of obstacles - people of all shapes and sizes. There are solutions to these kinds of situations chiefly lower speed and limits increased enforcements of those speed limits. As homes go in, cities must respond to the public safety needs of - their residents. But safety can be enhanced even more by cautious drivers who are on the lookout for dangerous situations and possible hazards. Summer vacation always means increased activity by children, not to mention more joggers, walkers and bicyclists along roadsides. In an even contest with an automobiles, all of these are a good bet to come out losers. Everyone of these groups needs to be more cautious. Obeying traffic rules, observing speed limits and using common sense will go a long way towards making this summer a safer one. "Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day." You have heard this old saying very much these days. I have heard it and glory in it, for the rain has kept me from working in my garden. But with advancing age, gardening has lost its appeal. Not so for my good wife; she loves growing things. I invite my readers to visit our place and see the flowers growing in multi-colore- d pots. Then there's her rock garden; she loves it. Spring flowers in bloom and it is a pretty was always up, Connie said. "She taught Relief Society lessons that meant something important to each lady present." Whenever I think of Phebe I think of chocolate fudge. Russ used to make it, then Phebe learned how and produced some of the creamiest, most delicious fudge I've ever tasted. I hope her kids will share the recipe. I also think of a little lady wearing walking shorts and golf shoes, coming or going to the Country Club. Phebe never forgot a birthday, or a family observance. She was always there when you needed an ear, and she listened well. She had definite opinions and wasn't afraid to express them. Especially about the BYU ball team. She championed each and every player like she was their mother, or at least their favorite aunt. She was a fierce competitor. She liked to win, and she played life's game with integi rity. Phebe never gave in to illness - that is until she had to. She had a headache, you -- sight. However, a few days ago we had an interesting experience. A strange plant made its appearance in her rock garden. I recognized it as a week but my gardening wife disagreed. She said it was some specie of flower. I told her it was a specie of weed called a catnip. I quoted from the dictionary as follows: "Catnip, a strong scented mint (Nested Cotarid) that has whorls of small pink flowers in terminal spikes and contains a substance attractive to cats." But my wife was still not convinced. Just then our tomcat Bob wandered into the rock garden and started to chew on the catnip. My wife stared for a few moments then shewed old Tom away and pulled up the catnip plant. "I don't want any weeds in my rock garden," she said. To you young people just learning about gardening, a good thing to remember is pull up everything . If they come up again they are weeds. The best way to enjoy a beautiful, productive garden is to live next door to one, and cultivate your neighbor. My dear old dad was an excellent gar- - a By TOM GRIFFITHS Local communities are coming up with creative ideas to meet the costs of parading their royalty. I And in the spirit of want to do my part. You see, if s gettingmore and more costly to built the floats that cities use each year to travel from town to town during each community's city celebration and show off our beautiful misses. Those floats don't come cheap costing up to $5,000 and more a year, as I understand it. And then you have to find someone willing to put in the time to build one of the , things. And while I love a parade as much as the next person,I question the wisdom of spending tax dollars for something as as a parade float. It wouldn't be so bad if you could build on a trailer to be them like we used to hauled down Main Street behind a nice looking automobile or a fancy pickup. Those required some effort, but the costs were not that now. is expected every to provide an imaginative and fancy float with the float built that is over the vehicle that will drive it down the street. And it is starting to cost too much. So I guess it's no surprise that some of our cities have decided to go back to simpler times and use a fancy car this time sans float to haul our Misses down Main Street. American Fork officials decided to combine the move with another reference to older Steel Days celebrations, when an y automobile was part of the city's self-propell- give-awa- promotion. So dener; his vegetables and flowers were outstanding. He also loved a good joke. One day a neighbor came over to see Dad. "Mr. GrufTydd" that's Griffiths in Welsh, "I am having trouble with my radish crop. As soon as they come up out of the ground the cut worms eat them off, what should I do?" Mr. GrufTydd with a smile on his face said, "Replant the radishes and when they show above the ground sprinkle salt up and down the row, that will get those Abwydyns" (That's worms in Welsh.) Time passed and the radishes came up. Then one day the neighbor came over to see Dad. "Mr. GrufTydd," he said, "Your advice didn't work. The cutworms are pulling up the radishes dipping them in the salt and eating them." I am investigating an ad in a London newspaper which read, "Sprinkle this magic mixture on your garden and nothing will grow, thus leaving you with plenty of leisure for other things." the city has purchased a beautiful red Camaro convertible which will spend its summer carrying Miss American Fork and her court in local parades and will then be given away in a raffle that is already well underway. If enough raffle tickets sell, the plan is a good one. T of date. nuclear facilities The are "passive power plants." Maybe that's the name we need. Until you corns up with something better, let's use "passive power." Our nation, learning to produce clean electricity more efficiently, is testing mailer, modular electricity factories that new-generati- Paul Harvey News 1991 Los Angeles Times Syndicate 83 i J satisfy our concerns about safety, clean air and global wanning. We are now able to generate limitless "passive power" with no potential radiation hazard, with waste volume reduced to a minuscule fraction and the toxic life of waste dramatically reduced. The energy we are generating from the same amount of fuel is 100 times that of present designs. If these developments have received little publicity, it's partly because "passive power" technology is difficult to reduce to lay language. . street. Well miss her. ,. " . Editor's lovely. The problem here, of course, is what to do times with the car during the especially when the city plans to own the vehicle for several years running. And that is where I can help. Column lots of room. And I would be more than happy to let Lehi City keep its convertible The off-para- de You see, I have this great garage with there. By MARC HADDOCK And I promise I won't drive it, too. So do my teen-ag- e daughters, one of whom drives and the other who doesn't The city will make enough money to pay the cost of owning and operating the Camaro through ticket sales, and will also get the use of the car through the summer to dis- play our local beauties. I'm not sure how the raffle gets around the state's laws against lotteries, but city officials assure me that the entire deal is above board. Lehi has also decided to go topless, with a 1969 convertible Oldsmobile to carry Miss Lehi et al through the parades from Straw-- ' berry Days to Steel Days r and I bet more cities do the same. Carolyn Player, who promoted the idea in Lehi, said the car will cost less, in the long run, than a float, since the car will be used for three years, eliminating the need to build three floats at $5,000-plu- s a pop. Thecity'sconvertibleOldswaspurchased for $6,500. Ifit runs for three years, the deal ' is a sweet one for Lehi. Frankly, from my viewpoint as a parade . photographer, the change is a welcome Royalty floats are hard to photograph; you can't get close to the girls and they are usually spaced far apart so you can't get them all in the picture. And when you reproduce the photo in black and white, that colorful float that looked so beautiful in the parade comes out washed out and pathetic. But three girls sitting close together on the back of a convertible are easy to photoand you don't offend folks by graph making their beautiful float look one,-too- less-tha- n- have her license yet but who hasn't let that slow her down too much. Besides, I have great experience with other people's cars, since I have been on a program where I drive new vehicles for a couple of car manufacturers to get the word out about how nice the new cars are. I have a good driving record, too, if you just discount that time I totaled the boss's car by parking in the wrong place so some-- jj body accidentally backed into it or the time I forget to set the parking brake on my ., brand-necar and had to take it in for body repairs before it had traveled over 100 w miles. I almost always remember to set the parking brake now. Trust me. And the girls are good drivers too, al- -' though they promise to never drive the car, so there's no worry. Except for that little fender bender one had with a borrowed car, and the fender bender my other daughter had when she snuck the station wagon out for the night. (This is the one who can't drive, so she really isn't a concern.) On the whole, I think the plan is a good one. The city gets a cheap place to store its fancy ragtop, and I get to perform some public service. I promise to never drive the car what could be better? And if Miss Anybody wants to come along for the ride, she's welcome, too. So, give me a call Lehi, or American Fork, or anybody. I got the space, if you've got the car. - Kids have to keep an eye out for screwdriver Editor: "I'm sorry, Joshua, for hitting you with a screwdriver, but it's your fault! You drive me crazy!" the teacher, screamed at the crying boy. , I asked the boy what had happened. "He hit me with a screwdriver!" he answered. He showed me the red welts on his hand and ran out of Lehi Jr. High. I reported the scene to Principal Clark the air. It does not diminish upper-altitud- e ozone. And it allows us toconserve the world's hydrocarbons for myriad essential uses other than fuel. e "passive power" totally eliminates our electricity makers' dependency on expensive foreign petroleum. d We are presently prepared to go ahead except for two things: fear and ignorance. Both are based on outdated preconceptions. When a recent Home-mad- full-spee- described the new power plant designs in shirtsleeve English, readers were then asked to vote on a number of questions raised by the article. Eighty-sipercent voted in favor of the new plants. With new technology enabling us to burn all but a fraction of power plant e bugaboo has waste, the lost its fangs. "Passive power: The United States it presently ahead ofthe rest of the world in developing the modular .components of x waste-storag- the and requested that my son be removed from this teacher's class before he also was sub- jected to this kind of abuse. Next, I reported it to Detective Smith at the Lehi Police Department. He said, "it's none of your business." A few weeks later I went to an Alpine School Board meeting and reported the unprofessional conduct to them. Superintendent Baugh assured me and the public Why can't public Editor: "Passive power" adds zero pollution to ""N no small accomplishment for a She was proud of her new kitchen table and chairs. She planned to serve lots more meals on that table. She distributed Maglebs Muffins every experience. She wanted her Relief Society lessons to be meaningful to each and every lady present. They were. She was an excellent matchmaker and played cupid in many a romance of her .'. Z Young Adult friends. She was something else. She had a rigid sense ofhonor, andremembered her father's earnest spiritual training as a guidepost all her life. She mentioned "Father" often, always in a positive manner. Yes, all her "best friends" will miss her, right along with hundreds of others who received a cheery smile or a jaunty wave as she drove by in her car, or walked by on the Letter to the editor New name needed for nuclear power You're good at renaming things. You affectionately nicknamed the Model-- the Tin Lizzie" and theCadillac the "Caddy." New York City is "The Big Apple" and a hot drink is a "toddy." We need a new name for "nuclear energy." The old name is scary, and the new electricity factories are utterly different from the ones essentially different that malfunctioned at Three Mile Island and polluted Chernobyl. The public fear of nuclear energy derives from hideous bomb bursts half a century ago. Our nation needs urgently to multiply its electricity output by three starting now! And we can't do it ifthe public perception of that product is half a century out never knew it. She had a chore to do, no matter how distasteful, she got it done. She just recently had her kitchen and family room painted and spruced up. Hey, that's ever-increasi- Now B By BETTY FOWLER pick-me-u- p. I know where cities can park convertibles prohibitive. But we've advanced beyond browsing m special. Connie Nielsen paid me a visit and told me what a dynamic teacher Phebe was. She al Rain is a blessing to postpone gardening time she thought you might need a Sometimes she'd bring her famous apple cider along to go with them. She didn't dress up often. She liked her jeans and her sweatshirts, just like her young friends wore. She giggled and told jokes right along with Kip and Ida Gray, two of Lehi's most prolific jokes ters. She loved a good story. When she accepted a calling she did it with thoughtful attention and fervor. She wanted the Pageant of the Arts Art Exhibit to be successful, especially when she was chairman of it. She wanted the Little League Cheerleader Tryouts to be fair and fun, and she went out ofher way to see that each girl who participated had a good time and a learning power plants. In this we can again lead the world. that he would call me concerning the matter. I have yet to receive a phone call or written material that affirms that themat-te- r has been investigated appropriately. Sadly, this teacher will return next school year. My sons and the other youngsters at Lehi Jr. will have to try to keep one eye on their studies and another on the teacher ' with the screwdriver. --Dixie Jones street? public park in street next to the Living in Lehi never ceases to amaze me. I find it hard to believe that one person living across the street from the high school can get the city to put up "NO PARKING signs. If there is indeed a conflict between the City of Lehi and the Alpine School District, then it should be handled in a more appropriate manner. Lehi High School is a PUBLIC school and the City (PUBLIC) uses its facilities for its youth sports leagues. So why can't the PUBLIC using the facilities park on the PUBLIC ity??? PUBLIC facil- If the City of Lehi has enough money to waste on "NO PARKING" signs, and a. police officer who has nothing better to do than to run to the school because someone is parked there, then I suggest the City Council find a new job and let's get someone in there who can appropriate the city funds in a more useful area (such as recreational facilities for our youth or a city recreation director who will have activities for the youth in the summer). -- Kimberly Anderson , Thanks for Stock Show support Editor: To all those involved: We would like to express our appreciation to all those who sponsored the Spanish Fork Junior Livestock Show from Lehi and to let them know it is to tee people and businesses supporting the youth of today. Thank you very much. how great Scott Hadflsld Family -- Policy on letters to the editor We welcome letter to the editor. All letter should be typewritten and double spaced. Letter must also be signed, and mast Include &e writer . name and telephone number. Plea tend letter to Editor, Newtek New ' Group, P.O. Bo 7, American Fork, Utah, MCC3. |