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Show Wat. Guardian of Your Community News Sentinel WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2009 • A3 Living life in a whole new world Farmlands: ture of our community and From FARMLANDS • A2 begun the destruction of our way of life. Commissioner White deIn a telephone converscribed other zone changes sation on Monday, Comand proposals, which if missioner White explained implemented in rural Utah again that South Utah Valley County, would add teeth to Municipal Waste Associathe farm preservation pro- tion represented by Richard gram. Henry had withdrawn their During our meeting with request to re-zone their Palthe commissioner I asked myra property for a new his honest opinion of our ef- solid waste transfer station forts as members of CRU to to replace the one two miles oppose encroachment and to the east along 1-15. Henundesirable development ry told Commissioner Gary in this final undisturbed Anderson on June 30, impart of Utah County. Com- mediately prior to the regumissioner White said that lar commission meeting, he is generally supportive that SUVMWA was negotiof our efforts and that he ating with another piece of understands our principles property for their proposed and ideals. He absolutely move. agrees with our legal right I once again asked Comas citizens of the county missioner White at our face and as Americans to speak to face conversation on freely and openly in public Wednesday for additional meetings and other public clarification of the matter forums to let our opinions of the re-location of the be known and understood. garbage transfer station. The commissioner I received much the same pointed out that up to this answer along with an addipoint it seems that CRU has tional bit of somewhat unbeen concentrating most of settling information. our time and effort to opThe commissioner said pose programs and plans to that whije it is his underurbanize the South County. standing that currently the He suggested that now we Palmyra land is no longer might want to turn our ef- under consideration for the forts in a more positive di- re-location of the garbage rection to suggest solutions transfer station, it is entirely and provide answers to the possible for Richard Henry urbanization of Utah Coun- and SUVMWA to change ty. their minds and request the With Commissioner re-zoning at some time in White's advice as a guide, the future. we'll continue to maintain With that in mind CRU our efforts on preventative intends to continue to focus measures when unwise de- our means and attention to velopments are proposed, find a permanent way to while turning more of our remove this property from focus and attention to long consideration for any future range solutions for stopping development of any kind by rampant development and SUVMWA or any similar sprawl. I believe all three individual or organization. current Utah County Com- It has been suggested that missioners are eager to sup- SUVMWA defuse a large port a reasonable, thought- amount of citizen anger ful proposal for farm land and opposition by allowing preservation and sustain- these 50 acres to become the able agriculture. first local entry into a conThese solutions are go- servation easement. Their ing to take some time to initial purchase cost could formulate and be ready for be thus virtually recouped consideration and imple- and the public good would mentation by the commis- be more than met. sioners. A huge quantity We intend to gather as of work has been done in many worthwhile prelimiother areas of the county nary ideas as possible withby communities with simi- in the next 30-day period as lar concerns. We only need we work together to protect to tap into the groundwork our rural lifestyles and our that has already been laid. rural communities. Our Please get in touch with us email address is actioncru@ if you need immediate ideas gmail.com and our web site and solutions or if you have is www.citizens4ruralutah. ideas and solutions that org. Regular emails are sent will benefit us in this good out under a blind copy for cause. your protection. No one CRU was formed as else is able to view your a non-profit organization email address but can view whose original focus was only their own as they reto stop the attempt to move ceive regular informational the solid waste transfer sta- emails. We are currently tion two miles further to the sending updates to over 500 west from its current loca- email addresses and would tion. This completely un- like to include yours, necessary re-location would Eldon A. Neves have disrupted the rural naPalmyra Madison's Avenue • My Unintentional Life Rosemary Jarman Cancer is like a passport to a whole new world. Not like Aladdin's "shining, shimmering, splendid" whole new world, but more like Star Trek's "resistance is futile" whole new world. In my old world, I didn't have anything implanted in my neck to provide direct access my jugular vein. I didn't have to use a special bathroom, and flush twice, because my urine was radioactive. I never went to church on pain killers, just to find out that after sitting still for three hours with pain killers in your system, you get rather stoned (I guess that was kind of like a magic carpet ride). In my old world, I didn't spend entire days in manic cleaning fits, cloroxing everything in sight in preparation for tomorrow's chemotherapy sickness. Not that it's all bad. In my old world, I also never got surprise tickets to see Broadway musicals like "Wicked." I sat in awe for the first 10 minutes of the show, utterly amazed that I was there. I finally had to tell myself to snap out of Old days: Prom OLD DAYS • A2 r more constant than change. When I saw big combines in some of the grain fields in our community this past week, I couldn't help but think of the "olden" days of threshing, I passed one field when the combine was in the field and the straw was dropping out on the ground in a neat row. The day was hot, and although I'm sure some of the dust drifted inside the cab, the operator was probably fairly comfortable. It almost made me itch when I saw the chaff making a cloud behind the machine. In those by-gone days, I remember the heat and the * sweat of the men harvesting the grain whether they were working in the fields loading the wagons or unloading by the noisy, rumbling threshing machine. The process of separating the grain from the straw would send a fine dust in the air and stick to your skin and make you itchy. Some wouldtieneckerchiefs around their neck to keep the dust from going down their back. Dinner time was a welcomed respite when they could wash up and get some relief from the grain dust. Threshing time was such a welcomed harvest. It meant new straw in mattresses on the beds and under the rag carpet in the living room. It meant a sure supply of grain to trade for flour to feed hungry fami- lies. As I look back on that time (and age has given me a new perspective), I remember the willingness of farmers working together to help one another with the harvest. They didn't have money for "hired" help. There was the man who owned the thresher and I suppose he was paid, but it took several men to put in the harvest. There were the men loading the wagons in thefield;another one or two to unload at the thresher; another man tofillthe sacks as the grain came down that little spout; someone (usually the owner) to take a wagon load of full sacks to the granary; another one or two to empty all the sacks and return to the thresher for more filled sacks. Then there was someone to tend the blower to make sure the straw went where the farmer needed it. So, all in all, it took several people to make it all happen. As I remember it, it was all done with a spirit of giving and helping. For a few weeks each summer, some of the same men would gofromfarm to farm to help knowing that when the thresher came to their farms, their harvest would be completed, too. Were those days easy? No. Were they without challenge and hard, physical labor? No. Were the days filled with constant entertainment? No. Were there weeks of paid vacation? No. Oh, yes, those were the good old days! it, or I'd miss the whole thing! One night, I fear in the pouring rain, someone came by and planted the most precious, pretty, little pansies in my garden. Act of love? Yes, but to me, it was a miracle. It was a miracle that God sent someone on such a personal errand (my gardens mean so much to me) so that the following day — by far the worst day of my cancer testing ordeal — I would have cheerful little flower faces smiling up at me when I came home. My new world also includes massive doses of friendship, love and support, none of which I feel worthy of. After wondering to myself dozens of times what I had done to deserve the kind of compassion I have been receiving from my friends and family, a thought whispered to my soul: "It's not about what you've done, it's about who they are." Tomorrow will undoubtedly bring another day of "whole-new-world-ness" and I'm pretty sure it won't include any cute little monkeys or Robin Williams, but that'll be OK, because what my new world does have is better ... Christians. Benjamin 1st Ward party planned 'Round and About Benjamin Kathleen Olsen Correction: In last week's column we listed the starting time for the Home, Family, Personal Enrichment night in Benjamin 1st Ward Relief Society at 7 p.m. That is incorrect. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. with all Relief Society sisters invited. The topic will be the best way in using coupons. Plan to be there. (And thanks for the correction.) ••• Benjamin 1st Ward's summer party is this evening , Wednesday, Aug. 5. This will also begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Benjamin Park with supper,, being served. Hamburgers and hot dogs and the trimmings will be served with attendees asked to bring some sort of potluck dish to share. (Suggestions include salads, vegetable or fruit trays, chips, desserts, etc. Please have the food containers marked with the owner's name.) A short program is planned plus various games and other activities. Come and join us for an evening of good food, visiting and fun. ••• Things have been pretty busy around the Earl and Joan Thomsen home with them getting resettled after their return from their mission and helping Ben and Miranda Thomsen and small daughter, Amberlie, move back to their home in Spanish Fork. Ben and Miranda lived in Earl and Joan's home while they were gone. Chris and Carrie Thomsen Randall and three children from Burlington, Vermont, were here visiting the Thomsens and other family members and friends. The Randalls are living in Vermont while Chris attends medical school. Another son and his family, Nathan and Melissa Thomsen and four children, came from Twin Falls, Idaho, to visit and to help with everything that was going on. On Sunday, the Thomsens hosted a dinner with all the visiting family members present plus Earl's mother, Florence Wride, and a few friends. ••• Remember the birthday party for Zoe Balzly in honor of her 90th birthday. It will be at the Benjamin church from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8. ••• Enjoy August! We still have the Utah County Fair to enjoy before we settle back into school. This has been one very quick summer! HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING • Service • Furnace Replacements • A/C Add Ons • Green Sticker • Financing OAC by "Big Al" and "Farnzy" ONe KBSf W THe UVEG BOOM.. 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