A Half-Bubble Off Plumb By Randal B. Thatcher Of all the glories and splendors of our Sanpete environs, perhaps the most glorious of all is our mountains—those splendid hills and peaks that surround us on every side. Snow-capped in winter, sun-blazoned in summer, multi-colored in autumn and verdantly green in springtime, our mountains are a…
Heaven Help Us By Corrie Lynne Player I’ve been trying to consolidate my family history and writing files (we’re talking huge closets stacked floor to ceiling, as well as a bunch of banker boxes stacked in the car port). As usually happens, I spend more time reading things than actually organizing them. I came…
Life lessons learned from recent rafting trip By Randall Thatcher 7-4-2019 As I consider the many first-time experiences I’ve encountered since moving to Sanpete County, and all the many horizon-expanding lessons learned in the process, I can now add one more: rafting down a river. A local friend, and rafting enthusiast, had been eager…
Marvels at creativity of kids By Randal B. Thatcher Apr. 26, 2018 Today, indulge me as I marvel. I am continually amazed by the inherent creativity and innate artistry of youth. Give a high schooler a video camera, and I’m astounded by the insightful documentary film he can produce with it. (I got…
Cultivate patience as you face trials By Corrie Lynn Player Apr. 12, 2018 I’ve written several columns about cultivating gratitude for trials, having faith and waiting on the Lord. A related topic is cultivating patience in this world of increasing impatience, incivility and downright nastiness. Patience is a virtue, one which refines the…
Who turned these old doorknobs before me? By Randal B. Thatcher Feb. 22, 2018 I have a cousin who has always been interested in very old things. An inveterate rock-hound and arrowhead-seeker, he is continually on the hunt for that rare item of hidden beauty or historical significance. Such expeditions have more recently led…
Utah’s own was Father of Television By Corrie Lynne Player Feb. 8, 2018 Headlines “David Defeats Goliath!” and “Farm Boy Inventor Wins” blared from newspapers across the country on May 13, 1938. On that day, the examiner for the United States Patent Office, for the second time, awarded priority to Philo T. Farnsworth…
This Way or That? Choose a Route North By Randal B. Thatcher Jan. 25, 2018 Since moving to this lovely mountain valley over four years ago, I have come to realize some unavoidable facts of life and living in our Sanpete Valley: Herds of sheep will sometimes be blocking the road you’re traveling….
Watch out for your kid’s dusting activity By Corrie Lynn Player Jan. 11, 2018 Nope, this column isn’t about monitoring your kid’s helping around the house. It’s about a deadly fad among kids, especially those between the ages of 8 and 18, even good kids who proudly wear their “D.A.R.E.” buttons. A couple of…
Too much is never enough – the paradox of abundance By Corrie Lynne Player Mar. 8, 2018 Much of the U.S. economy has sputtered and stumbled for the past several years, shocking those of us who’ve been accustomed to ever-increasing real estate values and soaring stock prices. Bailouts and entitlement programs were touted as…
Is that really Willie Nelson’s ranch? By Randal B. Thatcher Dec. 14, 2017 I like to keep an eye out whenever I go traveling around Sanpete Valley for those big, iconic ranch gates that dot this agricultural county. I love to read the names of these sprawling ranches on the big gate-signs that…
Reflections on Blessings and Thanksgiving By Corrie Lynne Player Heaven Help Us Nov. 23, 2017 The month of November, with Thanksgiving, starts what I believe is our most important holiday season. I thoroughly enjoy reflecting with family and friends about just how blessed I am. I live in one of the most beautiful…
Well-Situated Sanpete Gateway to Scenic Splendors of the World By Randall Thatcher Nov. 9, 2017 Convincing friends from faraway places to come visit us here in lovely Sanpete is usually not a difficult proposition. But, for the more reluctant, I tend to sweeten the proposal with two further inducements: First, I offer to…
Optimism is much more comfortable than pessimism By Corrie Lynne Player Oct. 26, 2017 Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Do you see the glass as half full or half empty? How you perceive the world will affect whether or not you can be happy, no matter what happens around you. Research…
Metal Shop Miracle A life lesson in the form of a metal riveting hammer Randal B. Thatcher Columnist 2-16-2017 It’s been decades now, but the memory is still as vivid as if it had happened yesterday: When the least likely, least confident, least capable boy in that year’s 8th grade metal shop,…