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My Life on Highway 89

Posted on by Karen Stark
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A Changing Highway

Nostalgic stories about US Highway 89 usually focus on the stretch through central Utah – rural highway and small town Main Streets. I spent 44 years living on a rather different and dramatically changing stretch of Highway 89 – the expanding suburbia of South Ogden. Our back yard backed the highway near Mile Marker 410.

I remember shortly after moving here in 1980, I would give people directions to turn right at the first stoplight past the big intersection with Harrison Boulevard after coming up the hill from Uintah. Now there are three more traffic lights. Here this is a main highway, but is still very much “Main Street”. There is cross traffic in a road with a 50 mile per hour speed limit.

My husband would always give people directions by saying that if you stood on the steps of the Armory and looked north across the highway, you would see our back yard. Next to the Armory was the DMV – Drivers License Division. How many people walk to the DMV to get a drivers license renewed? I have.

The great advantage to where we lived was the easy access the highway provides to get most anywhere we needed to go. One of the downsides was always the noise, which increased over the years with more traffic, making it necessary to raise voices during conversations on the deck or to get the attention of children running around the yard. At times of the year when many people enjoy cool air blowing through open windows, ours remained closed so we could hear conversations or get some sleep.

The street we lived on used to be a dead end street. Then it was developed further east and a new road , Glasmann Way, was put in intersecting it going north to south. Later, Chambers Ave was extended and that stretch east of Glasmann was filled in with strip malls. It did give us a gas station with convenience store within walking distance and an Artic Circle which was fun to walk to with kids to for ice cream in the summer. Further down was a Tunex/Master Muffler/Master Auto Tech – changing names but same building and some of the same staff. This became my easy go to for oil changes and emissions tests. I could drop the car off and walk home, or just walk around the area or visit someone while it was worked on.

Our children went to an elementary school across the highway. Though it was technically within “walking distance”, during the years our kids went there they were bussed rather than risk them crossing this busy street. When our first child was in kindergarten she would come home car sick. It took a while to realize that this was because she rode the bus through the whole route down to lower Uintah and then back up and was the last one dropped off. Eventually, after our kids were out of school, they made changes. For several years kids walked across the highway with a crossing guard. We enjoyed seeing a number of crossing guards through the years, including one who was criticized for his overzealous waving. Now most of the neighborhood is bussed to another school.

We didn’t have an actual turn lane at our corner for years. A hole formed where the pavement ended and it was tricky to get over far enough to not be run over by someone behind who was still going 50 MPH when you slowed to turn, but not to go so far that your tire went into the hole or you went all the way off. At times when road crews were working nearby, I would stop and ask if they could just put some asphalt to fill in the hole and they said that wasn’t what they were there to do. It became a pet peeve of mine, especially after they put right turn lanes on the other intersections. Then one fall, after I spent a week in Salt Lake City for a conference, I came home and to my surprise, there was a turn lane – complete with lines painted.

A Yard Backing the Highway

One of the first things we did to our yard was to plant a row of spruce trees in the back along with some pyracantha bushes along the fence line. We thought we planted the trees far enough in from the fence line. Over time this became a green wall blocking the view of traffic and giving us a pleasant looking back yard. They did grow high enough and close enough to the fence to necessitate the power company repeatedly coming to whack away branches that were too close to the power lines, leaving the trees lopsided.

We had prime space for political signs along our back fence, at least until the pyracantha got out of control. We supported some of our friends’ political ambitions, though not always successfully. The “Pioneer Museum” sign was in back of our house for years. Then one day someone apparently ran off the road and flattened it. It was removed and placed a few miles further back on the road. That could have been seen as an omen. Though the sign came down before I got heavily involved with the DUP Museum, my experience with the Museum turned out more like the downed sign.

Home Improvements

Living 44 years in a house that was old when we moved in meant lots of work and money through the years. We made many improvements to the house itself and to the yard. When we moved in, there was a deck that had been added to the back of the house when the kitchen was expanded to create a dining area. We didn’t wait long to enclose that deck into a sunroom. Turns out it was either too cold or too hot, mostly depending on whether the sun was shining.

Later we did a total remodel of the kitchen and turned the sunroom into a living area. Then after that we built a big deck on the back.

Trees

Nature took its toll on the yard and we didn’t have great luck with trees. When we moved in there were three fruit trees – a peach tree that grew delicious peaches, a plum tree, and a cherry tree. The peach tree got diseased and left us first.

Living in an area prone to canyon winds that blew from the east, we had large pine trees on the west side of the driveway that blew over during different wind storms. The 2016 Terrace Tornado took down two spruce trees, one of which took out half of the plum tree.

We tried planting other trees just for shade. A catalpa ended up splitting and dying. We planted a mulberry tree closer to the house and waited for it to grow big enough for some good shade. Then an early snow storm in 2011 split the tree when it was still full of leaves. We tried to save it but it never really recovered and we eventually had it removed. That left the deck pretty exposed and not shady.

Our cherry tree, that had been continuous shade even after we lost spruce trees and became the large tree that grandkids liked to climb and in which we had a rope swing, just died. It never was really great with supplying cherries. They tended to get worms because we weren’t good at spraying, but mostly the birds ate them all. They were really good tasting cherries, but by the time they were ripe there weren’t many without bird bites left and most were just picked off. We had one year that was amazingly unusual – 2019. The tree was covered with more than they birds could eat. We ended up with the kids climbing all over picking bag after bag of cherries. It was insane.

But then we also got branches dying. We trimmed some off but more had no leaves. Then 2023 started off with blossoms which produced lots of very, very tiny cherries. This was an unusually hot summer and as the summer went on, the leaves turned brown and fell off. Well before the end of the summer there were no leaves left. It was just dead.

Gardens

We had a large back yard which seemed perfect for gardening. My husband had an interesting design idea to create two round garden areas with a strip connecting them. Picture eyeglasses with cement curbing. One circle was flat and filled with vegetables and in the other was a hill with rocks and flowers.

We planted some flowers in the strip, but it soon was taken over with grass, so eventually we took that out. For years we still had some early flowers springing up from bulbs until they were mowed.

The vegetable garden turned out to be a lot of work, some years more productive than others. Eventually the spruce trees and our cherry tree grew and this area became more shaded. I am not totally sure that is why the garden didn’t seem to thrive. It could have also been because the soil was depleted or we were just neglectful. The shade did seem to be an issue and the garden more work than I wanted to do, so we finally had that area sodded over. That was before we lost most of the trees and it was again very sunny there.

The flower garden evolved over time in kind of a haphazard way. We started with some tulip and daffodil bulbs which were pretty in the spring. My husband got into planting marigolds and petunias for a number of years and they kind of took over. We entered some in the County Fair and won a ribbon.

When my grandfather dug up his iris bulbs shortly before he died, I planted some of them on this hill. In time they kind of took over, so later I was digging some of them up.

I was given some flower seeds and threw some out there. Some columbine came up and spread and I really enjoyed. I also had gladiolas come up, which was a surprise. Friends gave us yucca and peonies which grew and grew. I planted a little rose that a friend gave me in a little pot and it eventually became a big rose bush.

Critters

We lived in a suburb, but there was still wildlife around, some which occasionally became roadkill. I don’t recall ever seeing a skunk in the yard, but smelled plenty of them. Sometimes other critters bit it on that stretch of road. I never saw racoons in the yard either, but I am sure they stripped our grapevines of grapes one night before I got out to pick them. Some people in the area watched deer eat their shrubbery. I recall seeing one deer jump our east fence, run through the yard and then exit our west.

One year, when the kids were very young, someone apparently dumped some kittens along the road. My kids found them. I am allergic to cats, so was not excited with their wanting to keep these. They were really small, probably newborn. We kept them in the garage – not a cold time of year – and I tried to keep them alive by feeding them with a syringe. It did not go well, and was exhausting. Eventually, I took them to the shelter and can assume what their fate was, but didn’t tell the kids. I did try.

We had squirrels and lots of birds. My husband put up some birdhouses in the back yard – not really functional ones. We were more likely to get birds nests in the trees. He also liked to feed the birds, so we had lots of different kinds. It was fun to see little quail families with babies following mom. We had some black birds who thought this was their territory and we were the intruders. They got so loud and even would dive bomb at my head. They ate most of our fruit and even went after vegetables in the garden.

For some reason we stored some bird seed in the sunroom early on. Well, birds are not the only ones who like bird seed. Mice do too. We had some fun times trying to get them out of the house. Later, we stored the bird seed in the garage and the mice went there. Our first dog, Molly, once brought me a gift of a dead mouse and placed it on my kitchen floor.

We hung a bird feeder on the last big pine tree on the west of the house and later my husband (affected by his brain injury) put bread and stuff on the ground. I accused him of feeding rats, which turned out to be true. One year it got so bad we got traps from a pest place.

The last summer we were in the house, I noticed some holes in the back lawn. I wasn’t sure then what was making them. I really didn’t want to know. Then winter came. We moved early the next spring but not before I noticed the holes had gotten much worse. It seems we may have left the new owners with some voles. Sorry.

Fireworks

For years our backyard was a prime place to watch the South Ogden Days fireworks. As the spruce trees grew larger, we viewed them a few years from the roof. Eventually, we had to go around and watch from the roadside, or more pleasantly from the grassy area across the street, or walk further to join the crowds at the park. Then they started setting fireworks off from another location and we again had a perfect view through the space between our easternmost tree and the neighbor’s yard.

The Terrace Tornado of 2016 took down two of our spruce trees, opening up our view of the street, the power pole, the flagpole at the armory, and giving us a better view of the fireworks in the space where trees were.

In 2018 and later years, I actually watched The Motherload fireworks from inside the house – a little lazy in my old age. We had the large deck by then, but I could sit inside and watch through the door going out to the deck.

Olympic Torches

Each year that the Olympics have been held in the United States, the Olympic Torch has traveled along Highway 89 and past our home on its way to the Olympic Village. That has given me a front row – or back yard – seat for the parade.

We watched the torch headed for Los Angeles from the back yard. The Spruce trees we planted had not grown too big to see over. For the Atlanta Olympics, all the kids from the elementary school, including my own, gathered on the other side of the highway with banners to watch. In 2002, for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, we got to see the torch twice. We waited in a parking lot in the evening as the torch came into town. The next morning, we gathered down the road a bit where the Bonneville High School kids gathered to cheer on one of their own carrying the torch.

Fires – Number 1

Every summer in Utah we hear of fires and often have smoke filled skies for days on end. Sometimes there are ones close enough that we watch them burn. One summer night about 10:00 p.m., our usually quiet neighborhood was all ablaze with excitement – sirens blaring, people running from house to house waking up anyone who had already gone to bed. Our next door neighbor was frantically hosing down the trees that lined his back fence along the highway, which it turned out was the only thing that saved our yard and possibly our house. The neighbor on the other side of him was hysterical. Trees in her backyard were already on fire. She was rushing her kids and dogs out of the house, afraid it would be next. We watched anxiously with neighbors as embers flew over our yards – and prayed that our trees did not catch fire.

The fire department was quick and efficient, but when it was all over there were four or five scorched back yards, many trees and a wooden fence gone, and a power pole down along with electricity to several houses. The suspected cause was a cigarette someone casually threw out a car window as they drove down the highway. It created or intensified a bond between neighbors who shared a common fear and supported each other through what could have been a much worse ordeal – something reminisced about again and again – the night the neighborhood burned.

Fire Number 2

As some neighborhoods have block parties, ours had fires. We had another fire in 2021. This one started with a bang – like an explosion. Turns out the transformer on the pole in our next door neighbor’s yard blew. We had been warned about some power disruptions in the neighborhood because of work the power company was doing. I guess something they did caused a surge or something. Anyway, we were again gathered around with our neighbors watching a fire that could have been disastrous. By that time, trees in our yard were large and probably could have easily brought the fire to the house. The fire department was very fast and amazing to get it under control very quickly. It just wiped out half the trees along our neighbors fence line, but stopped before reaching our yard.

Accidents

It became such a common thing to hear sirens along the highway that eventually we hardly noticed. We also heard many screech and crash sounds. In the days before cell phones, I would often run out, take a peek, and then run back in the house to call 911. Sometimes I hung around, but wasn’t really helpful. I do recall trying to comfort and reassure scared teenagers sure that parents were going to kill them for smashing the car. One time, I covered a shivering kid with a blanket from my car. I never did get that quilt back, but a neighbor girl was the other driver in that accident and her mother made us a quilt to replace the one we lost.

When we heard sirens, we always wondered if anyone we knew was in the accident. Too often it was our neighbors or people we know. I never actually saw a fatal accident on our corner, but there have been some there and at the other intersections down the road.

Accidents – The Big One

There are accidents and then there are accidents. My husband used to sing a John Prine song about an accident. The chorus goes “You don’t know how lucky you are. You might have run into that tree, got struck by a bolt of lightning, or raped by a minority.” That helped give some perspective when our teenage daughters got in relatively minor accidents. Yes, there are worse things than car accidents, especially if they are the small ones – the ones that are a hassle and inconvenient annoyance. I remember as a parent of new drivers hoping that their first accident would be a very minor one. Seems like they all have one – we just don’t want it to be a big one that seriously injures them.

But then there are the big serious accidents – a whole different, life altering event. They say that most accidents happen close to home, so we had the double irony of the “big one” occurring right at the intersection by our house on a summer evening in 2014.

Somehow, I don’t think my mind wanted to consider that this was really that kind of accident. Just wanted to think of a smashed car and a few slight injuries. But no, this was one that very well might have resulted in one of those makeshift shrines on the side of the road. My husband was driving his 1971 Carman Ghia straight across the street to return it to his mother’s garage after putting new Vintage license plates on it. He was hit by an impaired driver who blew through the red light. If flipped his car around so it hit a truck stopped at the light going the other way. He was thrown from the car – 1971 seatbelts are pretty useless and he didn’t even try.

The fact that he survived can partly be attributed to the location. Emergency responders were very quickly on the scene and the hospital is only a few minutes away. His recovery can be considered miraculous though it left him with mental impairments. He recovered enough to drive on Highway 89 again for several years, which I admit made me a little anxious.

Accident Number 2

They say that lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place, so one would hope accidents didn’t happen twice in the same place, but turns out they do. By 2017, my husband was driving again. The thing that probably saved him this time was that he was driving the Lincoln Town Car he inherited from his step-father. He was not at fault again and hit by someone distracted and not stopping for the light. Physically he was okay, but another car totaled.

Storms

We live in an area that has windstorms. The wind coming from the east often funnels through canyons and can be strong and destructive. Besides the spruce trees we planted along the back, there were large established evergreens along our west property line. These trees have shallow roots so can easily blow over, especially with the wind blowing from the east against them.

I remember a big storm in the spring of 1983, watching from the window as one of the big trees was pulled out of the ground, a little more with each gust until it slowly went over and landed on the ground. After a couple of others went over during a later storm, we had to run to the emergency room with my father-in-law who cut his thumb off with a chainsaw as he was cutting up the felled tree. We eventually lost all but one of the big trees and a small one at the street, which as years went on got larger.

Tornado

So big windstorms are not unusual, but you would think living in northern Utah would mean that we don’t experience tornados. Not so. In September 2016, minutes after I went inside after seeing black clouds approaching while I was doing yard work, a tornado went through our yard. I didn’t know it was a tornado until afterwards, and not being used to having them here, of course I didn’t go to the basement, I watched the storm from the window. There was lots of hail, then a bang and the lights went out.

Where we were used to the wind blowing from the east to west, this tornado blew the spruce trees along our back fence northward into the yard. One tree took out half of our plum tree as it went down and another fell on the power line and pulled the power box off the side of the house.

We were five days without power and left with gaping holes in our beautiful green barrier.

Fairy Garden

In 2020, during COVID, our daughter, with her little daughter, lived with us while her husband was deployed. She got creative with the empty spaces left from the tornado and created a play area and kind of fairy garden for our granddaughters. We had a little child size picnic table back there and a tent. They hung decorations in the trees. It was a magical place – for a brief time.

If you look closely you can see the little tricycle in the tree

Storm Number 2

Similarly to what we learned from the fires and the accidents, lightning – or any disaster – can strike twice in the same place. In September 2020, we had another storm, this one rather different from others that we had experienced here. Some called it a land hurricane. Instead of flowing through the canyons, the wind went over the mountains and then crashed down on the other side. The difference being that the wind was kind of swirling around. It twisted branches off trees. This one hit us again, of course, but the spruce trees blew over toward the south, landing on the power lines.

This storm covered a much larger area than the tornado. There were all kinds of trees down everywhere. We lost three in this storm. With the two gone from the tornado, we had only three left of our original eight, One on each end and a real spindly one in the middle.

We now had a view of two flags flying from the Armory and the DMV. We also had a view of the highway. Mostly not a good thing, and who wants to watch people coming and going to the DMV? It did come in handy in the winter when I could see if there was snow on the highway. After we cleared the dead branches, it left big gaping holes in the backyard. The summer before we moved I transplanted a couple of little volunteer trees from the front yard into the spaces. One didn’t seem to make it but one was still there when we moved.

In the late summer and into fall, sunflowers grow wild along the highway. I always enjoy this burst of sunshine as the summer is ending. In 2021, the year after the storm, I was delighted to see a few sunflowers spring up in the bare spaces. By 2023, we had even more.

Deaths

We had three family dogs during the time we lived here – all Boston Terriers. Molly passed away in the house after our two married daughters also got Bostons. One daughter asked us to take care of Cecil when she had a new baby and he never left our home, until he went to the Vet with a tumor. Our other daughter’s dog Mardi went downhill after that and when he died we buried him in the backyard – actually not far from where the sunflowers sprung up.

I often commented that we would probably die here. I never meant that to be literally on the road behind our house, which luckily was a near miss for my husband. Our final departure came after some very sad times.

When you live in a neighborhood for 44 years, you see neighbors move out and new ones move in. You also experience people dying. It became sad at times to walk through the neighborhood and think about who used to live where and they are not there anymore. We lost a neighbor across the street from COVID. It was a total surprise for me to see emergency vehicles there and then to learn that she had died there alone. I didn’t even know she was sick.

In one year, we lost elderly neighbors on both sides of us. The loss of the one turned into an ugly family feud. We tried to support the son who had lived there with his mother for years, whose siblings wanted out. One day I came home to emergency vehicles and neighbors all over. He and his wife were found dead in the basement, where the siblings had confined them to living. It made me so sad just coming home and seeing their house. I was glad that by that time I had started the process to move away.

A Sign

In August 2023 driving home during a storm I chased a rainbow. As I stopped on the highway at the intersection before ours, I took a photo through the windshield. By the time I got home and wandered through the backyard I was able to capture the full double rainbow.

Leaving the Highway Behind

Learning from two fires, two accidents, and two storms in the same places, I was feeling some dread for a potential third strike. It had been getting harder as we were aging to maintain an old house and a large out of control yard. I said more than one year that this would be my last one shoveling snow off a huge driveway or dealing with all the yard work. Finally in 2024 we made the move to a patio home with an HOA. Now someone else lives in our house, but we took the memories with us.

Thoughts on Freedom of Speech: The Right to Disagree

Posted on by Karen Stark
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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment 1

After posting something once, I was told “Not everyone agrees with you.” If the only reason to post on social media is to get lots of Likes, I guess we should just limit posts to things everyone agrees with like pictures of beautiful scenery, flowers, food, and pets. (Even though it might be surprising to know that not everyone agrees that cats are wonderful.)

Expressing an opinion about something is rather risky these days. Unless we are all so secure within our own echo chambers preaching to the choir, there will be people who will disagree with almost anything we might say. With the country so polarized, too often others disagree loudly and not very nicely. It can be tough to hear criticisms, accusations and negative labels.

Foundations of Freedom of Speech

Have Americans forgotten, or have too many not been taught, that the founding of our country and government was accomplished with much disagreement? Those great men who spent a hot summer writing our Constitution disagreed, constantly and strongly, about almost everything. That amazing document is the result of heated debate and compromise. Even after it was written, the debates and disagreement continued through the ratification process and beyond.

The founders realized that all needed to have a voice. That right was included in the Bill of Rights. Free Speech is a protection of the minority. The right to speak up and be heard enables minorities to let those in power know that not everyone agrees with what they do. It is a check on their power. Citizens are more likely to accept legislation that they do not agree with if they are allowed a voice in the process. We all need to feel protected from retaliation for expressing criticism of government policy or action or simply stating an unpopular opinion.

I do take exception to personal attacks. I doubt the framers’ intent was to condone labeling, name calling, insulting, or condemning others, though the framers themselves flung a fair share of creative insults at each other. The sad reality is that such personal attacks are used most often by those attempting to silence others and deprive them of this constitutional right.

Non-Governmental Censors

The First Amendment restrains the government from restricting free speech, but we now see organizations and those wielding social influence exercising power to silence voices contrary to their preferred narratives. We have social media censorship, not to shield citizens from that which is profane or obscene, but from that which is not politically correct or the preferred position.

Sadly today we see people losing their reputations and often their livelihood because they said something contrary to the accepted narrative. The label of “hateful” is thrown about to silence and condemn those who disagree. This only results in more polarization and bad feelings.

From Social to Governmental?

The First Amendment constrains the government from silencing citizens through laws, but private corporations have some ability to be selective in what they allow on their platforms. That might not be a problem if they were unbiased, and allowed various views which adhered to established standards. It might not be a serious problem if they were clear and upfront about their actual bias, while still allowing contrasting views. It becomes a serious problem when contrary views are not allowed at all.

What is really alarming is the thought that if the political party whose positions media is biased toward, gains full control of the government. Will that in effect become government control of speech through complicit media? Laws restricting speech would not be necessary with social media monopolies allowing only the messages that one party wants to be heard.

A Challenge

If you are brave enough to listen to voices you disagree with, you might find that your disagreement is not so much with the ideas or principles as it is with the expression of them. You might even find some common ground, something within the argument that you can agree with. You might actually gain some insight into a different perspective or an aspect of an issue that you were unaware of. You might begin to understand where someone else is coming from, why they happen to see things the way they do. It is very likely that you may still disagree, but there is hope that you might see their position as legitimate and view them as a person with value.

So I claim my right to speak my mind. I acknowledge the right of everyone else to do the same and to openly disagree with me. That is Okay. It is possible to disagree and still respect each other as people.

God Bless America!

Posted on by Karen Stark
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God Bless America

God Bless America! Is a familiar refrain. How often have we heard these words at the conclusion of public addresses. Has it become so common that we pay no more mind than it being a signal that the speech has finally come to an end? How much thought do we give to those words and the meaning behind them?

Remember

God played an central part in the formation of this Country. Any serious study of the American Revolution will leave one baffled that a rag-tag army of farmers and merchants managed to defeat the greatest military power in the world. Was it chance or luck? Was it because of superior intellect and skills among the colonists? Or is it obvious, as it is to me, that “God shed His grace” on them? They sought and recognized the hand of God in the events of that day. How could flawed mortal men begin to form a more perfect union without the guidance of a perfect God?

Putting God First

How arrogant to think that all of our prosperity is due to our own superiority, and our protection because of our great strength. Today we have those eager to point out faults and failings of those in our past, as if they would have done everything right in their place. We even have those who set themselves up as their own god, preaching “my truth” over His truths, and condemning those who don’t agree with them.

Tolerance and acceptance are preached as supreme virtues. As important as love of neighbor is, we need to put the First Commandment first as was intended – “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). We need to put God before all of the causes about which we are passionate and which too often divide us.

“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land” (2 Nephi 1:20) is still in force. We need to return to acknowledging and then keeping God’s commandments above those woke social justice rules which have been replacing them. If we internalize and conform to God’s commandments, there is little need for silly social rules. If people are truly good and motivated by love of God, they will love others and treat them well.

The Ways of God

If one knows a little about God and how God works among men, then it is easy to see in hindsight the upward progression of those who turn to God for assistance. God tends to work incrementally with his children, giving them “line upon line” and “precept upon precept” according to what they can understand and deal with at the time.

. . . by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise . . .

Amla 37:6-7

It is not surprising then, that the Constitution of the United States did not solve every social problem. Steps were required before people were ready for the abolition of slavery, just as small steps had lead the colonists to be prepared to declare independence from Great Britain.

It is not so much that God does not want us to have all freedoms and blessings immediately, as it is that men and women must be prepared to appreciate and use those freedoms and gifts. He allows us to struggle to learn, grow, and work together, blessing our efforts along the way, until we can look back and see that small things have worked together to become something great. Progress is cumulative, building upon small efforts to do good with God’s help.

“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great”

D & C 64:33

Patriotic Americans and great leaders have repeatedly pled “God Bless America”. It is a prayer that should be on all our lips for we need God’s blessings and grace now more than ever.

Has Patriotism Become Partisan?

Posted on by Karen Stark
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Four years ago I joined a patriotic lineage society. One of the main purposes of this organization is to promote patriotism. We, as a group, are proud of our heritage: we descend from patriots who championed the cause of freedom and fought for our independence from Great Britian. We share a belief that their sacrifices and struggles not only broke bands of tyrany, but established a government designed to recognize, promote, and protect freedom and God-given human rights.

Those who have studied history and the lives of our founding fathers and other patriots, are well aware that they were imperfect human beings. The fact that they were able to accomplish what they did in spite of those faults and frailties makes the resulting Nation all the more remarkable.

A study of history also makes it apparent that there has been much discussion, dispute, and disagreement concerning the details of government. But differing perspectives, priorities and approaches did not alter the fact that all were Americans. Americans have stood united by principles, ideals and a common history. Together we have sung and felt “Proud to be an American.”

People from other countries have recognized that there is something exceptional about the United States of America. It has been a beacon of freedom to the world. Immigrants have flocked here seeking refuge, freedom, and economic opportunities lacking in their homelands. Other countries have modeled governments after ours, hoping for the kind of prosperity we have enjoyed.

Yet, today we have Americans who seem ashamed of our Country, reject our heroes, seek to destroy our history, and even dismantle the whole system. Affirming the greatness of our Nation somehow seems to place one on what others claim as the wrong side of a great divide. Has patriotism become partisan?

A Plea, and a Dilemma

Please show me that there are Americans of both political parties who love America, cherish our freedoms and are proud of our heritage. I want to believe that those who speak hatred for our country are a small, though loud, faction. How wonderful it would be to hear all Americans unite in proclaiming the affirmations William Tyler Page wrote in The American’s Creed:

I, therefore, believe it is my duty to my country to love it; to support its constitution; to objey its laws; to respect its flag; and defend it against all enemies.

The American’s Creed – William Tyler Page

My dilemma is that the patriotic society I belong to is also non-political and non-partisan. I don’t want to be left wondering how to promote patriotism and share my love of country without appearing partisan. For over one hundred years this has not been a problem, and never should be.

Celebrate The United States of America!

Posted on by Karen Stark
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Flag of the United States of America

A Cause for Celebration

A big anniversary is coming– Our great United States of America is approaching its 250th! It is a privilege for me to become involved in very early preparations for this momentous event for one patriotic organization. I remember well the Bi-Centennial Celebration of our Nation’s founding in 1976. I felt pride and patriotism as I was able to visit sites of historical significance in Boston that year. Now as the 250th approaches, I reflect on some of the rapid and troubling changes in our country over the past decade. I begin to wonder if there may not be so much to celebrate come 2026. What will our Nation and our government look like then? I see things that threaten our Constitution and run counter to the principles upon which it was founded. Some have suggested that the deep divisiveness occurring now is a precursor of civil war.

I feel that there are some things that we as a Nation, and as individual citizens need to do, starting now or sooner, to ensure that when 2026 and its planned celebrations arrive, we will feel that our great Nation is something to be celebrated and to be proud of. Will we be committed to help preserve it for another 250 years? We owe that to our patriot founders and all who have sacrificed to preserve our freedom and government.

Remember

It is imperative that we remember our history. That, for many of our young people, means first learning about the history of our County. For others it requires diligent and honest study and reflection. The shift to include voices which had not been previously heard in the telling of history is noble and worthwhile. Yet, somehow this has become a re-writing of history with judgment and condemnation of our predecessors based on shifting social standards of today. The result is citizens, especially young ones, who are ashamed of our history – and ashamed to be Americans.

We need to remember the patriots who founded our country and those who have served her. They, like all of us, were flawed humans and products of their particular time and environment. We need to understand that context. Those patriots, in spite of or perhaps at times because of those flaws and conditions, showed great courage and made tremendous sacrifices to preserve and defend our freedoms. There is much we can learn from them. We will always be indebted to them and should be grateful for their contributions.

We need to remember the history of the world and other countries. An understanding of the government and history of other countries, will make obvious the contrast with ours. There is a reason that those early Colonists desired a different form of government than a monarchy. There is a reason that people from other countries have flocked to ours, escaping oppression. They recognize America’s greatness and see the freedom and opportunities that we too often take for granted.

We humans naturally have celebrations to help us remember significant events. Yet, somehow the significance of celebrations becomes faded or intentionally changed, and we are left with just another day off. We humans erect monuments to help us remember. Yet, we now have movements to remove monuments to erase memories that some feel are unpleasant. What will we have left to help us remember?

Remember, Remember– I hear the echos of these words from the mouths of prophets. Why? Because when we forget, history repeats itself– not the good parts of history– the destructive parts of history. We must remember to hold on to all that is good and to be grateful for it.

Return to Principles and Values

As we remember, we need to recognize and reaffirm the principles and values upon which our country was founded. These principles and values are the “why” of our government– the reason for its existence. Citizens of other countries may feel united over a homeland, predominant ethnicity, shared language or cultural identity. Since early colonization, America has been a melting pot of cultures, languages and ethnic groups. What unites Americans are those principles which we have treasured and fought for.

The principles are eternal and detailed in our founding documents, yet too many are losing sight of them. Do we still value life and liberty? Do we value individual self-determination, self-expression and self-reliance? Do we see government’s role in preserving individual rights, with all being treated equally, rather than controlling people and behavior?

Those core principles and values are being replaced by shifting standards, changing values, popular opinion, relative truth, political expediency. Without the foundation of shared principles we are vulnerable to those who would seek to destroy us.

Respect

We need to return to a respect of our country, its flag and other symbols, its elected offices, and each other. There is no good reason for any citizen of this country to disrespect duly elected officials or the process by which they were elected. Throughout our history we have had many great leaders, and many who were not. They are all human and flawed. The process embedded in the Constitution allows us to have a voice in our representation. It is our privilege, right and duty to hold elected leaders accountable through our votes.

We need to return to talking to each other with respect. There is way too much attacking and taking offense. This fuels divisiveness and hate. Have we forgotten how to talk to each other civilly? We need to listen– really listen with the intent to understandthose with whom we disagree, not just hear enough to come up with a stinging comeback to post on Social Media.

Breaking the Silence

Earlier this year, I wrote a number of blog posts about disturbing things happening in our country today. I shared articles and posts on Social Media and joined in discussions. As expected, there were some unpleasant reactions. Though I think I have a tough skin, I do have feelings. Mostly, I found it all very exhausting and unproductive. I felt I had better things to occupy my time. Other worthwhile things did keep me away from blogging for a good part of the year. At one point, a blog post kind of wrote itself, yet I did not follow through and post it.

I became one more of the many silent Americans. We all have a valuable perspective. We do have something worthwhile to say. Yet, too often, we don’t speak out of fear of being attacked, “educated”, or shamed because we don’t have the “correct” view.

So, I now feel that it is important that I speak up, regardless of the reaction. I have heard the call for some time, but I guess I needed to hear it at 4:00 a.m. on the night we were supposed to get an extra hour of sleep. I will now commit to myself to blog more about topics that I feel are important and in my small way, help to prepare Americans for our 250th in 2026. Who knows how many will hear my messages, or how they will react, but I can speak up. It is my right– even my duty– as a citizen of the United States of America.

Reflections at Easter

Posted on by Karen Stark
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Like much of the world recently, I was deeply saddened to see the great Notre Dame Cathedral burning. It is sad to see destruction of anything historical or culturally and religiously significant, especially something that has stood as a symbol for Centuries.

Some thoughts, or rather questions, came to me while seeing these reports. Could God have prevented this fire? Could God rebuild this great building? Then followed the greater question: Would God rebuild this building? Not the question of His ability, but Why? What would be the purpose?

Destruction of Human Creations

I have read this week, the words of our Savior about the Temple in Jerusalem being destroyed and raised again the 3rd day. (See John 2:18-21; Matthew 26:61, 27:40; Mark 14:58) We of course, know that he was not talking about the physical temple, but His own physical temple, His body.

Those who heard him however, expressed disbelief that such as magnificent structure that had taken so long to build could so easily be destroyed. We have heard other similar reactions to prophesy about destruction of great cities. History has shown us that, yes the great Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed after all.

The reality is that anything man creates out of the elements of this temporal world is impermanent and can be destroyed. As much as we, with scientific knowledge and technical skill, try to create buildings to be able to withstand earthquakes, floods, fire and wind, some still are destroyed.

The building of physical buildings and creating material objects is the work of humans. At times God has commanded His people to build Temples and other structures. Whether He could create them Himself is not the point – after all He created the mountains which served as temples. The purpose and function of a building is more important than design or beauty. Part of that purpose being the obedience and sacrifice and offerings from us mortals to create something in His name.

While living His mortal life, Jesus the carpenter built things with His hands just like we do. Jesus didn’t use His power to create material things. Instead, His mortal work dealt with individuals. He healed bodies and ministered to souls. People were the subjects of His great power, glory and love. That should be a testimony to us that we, His children, are His priority.

Easter Morning

That morning when Jesus rose from the tomb, gives perspective to our mortal experience – to creation and destruction, to life and death.

Through His resurrection bodies and spirits can be reunited and resurrected to a perfect immortal form. Through Him broken hearts are rebuilt and damaged souls healed. Through Him we can be restored to a sinless, pure, innocent state, able to live in His presence.

Ultimately, as significant as magnificent human creations may be to us, we are more important than buildings or objects to Him – the Creator of all things.

The Sky is Not Falling

Posted on by Karen Stark
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I am reminded these days about a little story I was told as a child. Maybe children of later generations missed it? It was about a chicken – Chicken Little – who ran around in a panic saying “the sky is falling”. Now we have little chickens running around in a panic saying the world will come to an end in 12 years if we don’t radically change our whole way of life.

I have a few things to say to those panicking young people. I was young once too. I believed things I was told, especially by knowledgeable professors. However, through time, more learning and life experience, I have come to see many of those things as erroneous, misguided or even deceptive.

Some Perspective from the Dark Ages – the 1970’s

I was a College student back in the 1970’s – almost the dark ages. Actually it was kind of the dark ages. I remember going to school in the dark. Someone, I think wise politicians, decided that perpetual daylight savings time would save great amounts of energy. So we went to school in the dark during the winter. I even recall the Bell Tower on campus playing “Oh, what a Beautiful Morning” as we found our way to class in the dark. I never really understood how that was supposed to work.

I also dutifully car-pooled to campus. There were seven in our car-pool who drove from across town. I had a Volkswagen bug. Yes, we crammed seven bodies into that and drove to school. Why? Because we were told that we would run out of fossil fuel, likely by the end of the century. Yes, we were told there would be no more. It would be all gone. And these predictions were based on “science.”

Me and my VW in 1974

I also have recalled lately my Senior research project. It was titled “Attitudes of Weber County, Utah Residents Toward Government Intervention in Limiting Family Size.” I pulled it out the other day and read the summary of literature we studied at that time. It included lots of doomsday predictions. The world and its resources just would not be able to sustain increasing populations. We would all starve if something wasn’t done. And yes, there was discussion about forced – that means “anti-choice” – family planning measures.

I’ll share a little quote from the time defining Natalism as:

“The belief that individual couples have the right to have as many children as they please despite the scientific conviction that unchecked population expansion is by far the most potentially disastrous problem facing mankind in the middle of the Twentieth Century.”


(Silverman, Anna and Arnold. The Case Against Having Children. New York: David McKay Company, Inc.,1971 italics added)

What Has Happened Since

Somehow the disastrous problems facing mankind in the Twentieth Century did not destroy us. Overpopulation didn’t turn out to be the nightmare predicted. We haven’t all starved. Scientists were wrong, or at least not right. Maybe there was a reason we were deceived? Possibly it has more to do with politics than science?

The population hasn’t grown out of control without government intervention. Population growth rates have gone down. In fact, fertility rates in some countries have dropped below replacement levels.

The United States didn’t take steps to restrict family size. Legalizing abortion and changing attitudes accomplished that. Now we have young people too scared to have children because we are all going to die.

China did adopt and enforce – being communist made it easy to do the forcing – a one-child policy. Now four decades later, even they are seeing that it was not such a good idea. Not only did it destroy the family structure which took care of older parents, but the whole system is unbalanced, without sufficient young workers to sustain growing older populations.

We are not all starving to death. In fact, in the US we have a huge obesity problem. Yes, there are hungry people in the US and actual starvation in some countries. But that is not because we cannot produce enough food. This also, has more to do with politics. People are starving in Venezuela, while humanitarian aid is blocked from reaching them.

We have not run out of fossil fuels, but they are still the villain. It makes me wonder if this is just another attempt to shift power and wealth, because earlier attempts didn’t produce lasting results.

Power to Control Weather

I recently re-read the bible story of Jesus calming the seas. I recommend studying that one. (Matthew 8:22-27; Luke 8:22-25) My thought was this: Yes, there is one who can control the weather. He is the Creator. He has knowledge and power over the elements of this earth. He has power to change the climate. But He works according to laws and principles which may be foreign to scientific man. Those principles include faith and obedience. The elements obey Him. People don’t always.

The world mocks God and faith. Some laugh at the mere idea of appealing to God to temper the elements, as something primitive, uncivilized people would do.

The Choice to Believe

People, especially today, have made science and man their god. They willingly put their faith in scientists. The same kinds of scientists who misled us 40-50 years ago with their dire predictions. The same science that was used to convince us that tobacco was safe and that repeated concussions wouldn’t cause permanent damage.

People are willing to obey government over God. As if government really has our best interest in mind.

Why is it easier for some to believe the word of scientists and politicians than prophets of God? The world mocks prophets, but now people are paying attention to very similar “doomsday prophesies” from men in the name of science.

How consistent is it to believe that our world came into existence through totally random forces, yet we, puny humans, who randomly evolved from lower life forms, somehow have the power to control those random forces, change the course of nature and save ourselves?

I would not recommend totally disregarding science or attempts to be better stewards of this planet. We should use knowledge to make better choices and improve our environment. But why give in to fear-mongering and put blind trust in those who would ultimately cause more damage to our freedom and way of life?

Is there really a need to panic and rush forward with radical proposals that have not been well thought out? Some scientists have actually predicted that the proposed solutions may be more disastrous than the problems they supposedly address.

It seems reasonable to me that all things are in the hands of an omnipotent creator with a plan. Why then not appeal to Him? Why then not act consistently with His plan and laws? How could that possibly put us in a worse position?

The End

Yes, the world as we know it will come to an end. Not necessarily in the manner or the timing now being pushed by the hysterical chickens. The end has been prophesied since the beginning. It has always been part of the plan. The result will not just be an end, but also a beginning of a better world. Whether you are around to enjoy the better depends upon individual choice – whether to believe and obey God or man.

As the end of the world approaches, I don’t think we will be saved by solar panels. I believe our salvation will come as we individually choose to turn to the power of The Son.

Why You Need to Read History

Posted on by Karen Stark
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Facts or Fiction?

History books have a bad reputation for being very dry and boring. Some actually are. Most of those writing history have done extensive research and base their writing on factual accounts. It is a joy for me to find a serious history book written by an author who has not only done research, but has the ability to express historical facts in ways that make it come alive through exceptional writing.

Fiction writers who have done their homework, can give us a pretty good sense of what historical events were like or how it might have felt to live through them. I very much enjoy historical fiction written by skilled writers who have done research and put forth the effort to make it historically accurate as well as compelling. Though main characters and story details may be imagined, they allow us to experience history through their eyes.

Why Reading History Matters

I am amazed and appalled at the lack of historical knowledge, especially among young people today. I realize that many of my generation slept through history classes, but at least we took history classes. So many seem to lack knowledge of basic historical events – when and where they occurred and primary people involved – let alone any understanding of the complex issues behind them. We seem set up to repeat serious mistakes of the past. Actually history has repeated itself in horrible ways. When will we learn from history? First we must learn history.

As someone who not only lived through the Cold War, but has read about communism and socialism, I find it unbelievable that so many young people actually want socialism. Why do they not get it? Maybe because they only read or listen to what we would have termed “propaganda” – the promises of utopia, equality and prosperity. History has shown us that these are illusions. Socialism and communism (one leads to the other) have always turned out badly.

I am also concerned about the lack of knowledge of the founding principles and documents of this country. After all that the early patriots sacrificed to establish this government and to defend it, some seem ready to throw it all away. Problems in America today do not exist because of our form of government, but they have become worse because we are straying from the principles upon which it was formed. We need to return to those principles, but first must learn them.

My History List

These are some of my favorite histories and historical fiction. These are books that made an impact on me. Your reactions may be different and that is okay. Some of these are classics recommended by many. Some I just happened upon and you may not have heard of, but they impressed me. Many of these have been made into movies that you probably have seen. I always recommend reading the book. Books give more detail, often the prose is beautifully written, and frankly, too often movie makers alter books to fit their own agendas.

This is by no means a comprehensive list. Some good ones may have slipped my mind for the moment and I hope to add more in time. They are kind of grouped, but in no particular order. Please feel free to mention your favorites in “Comments.”

Early American History

  • Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick
    I read this after I joined the General Society of Mayflower Descendants and was interested to learn more. Not only did it cover the migration to America and the early years here, but the interactions with Natives and the wars with them were very enlightening.
  • Young Washington by Peter Stark
    This book gives a good portrait of George Washington and how events during the French and Indian War influenced his life and future. It provides good background to understanding the roots of the Revolution.
  • Strange and Obscure Stories of the Revolutionary War by Tim Rowland
    This is an easy and often humorous read about a number of incidents during the Revolutionary War. If you think history is boring, read this.
  • Miracle in Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention May to September 1787 Catherine Drinker Bowen
    This is an excellent book about the laborious process of writing the Constitution of the United States. It truly was a miracle that this group of strong willed and opinionated men were able to discuss and come to a workable compromise that has endured. (A process today’s lawmakers could learn from) It makes clear what the constitution was intended to do and what it intentionally did not address. The book includes the full text of the constitution and amendments for study.

Books about Slavery and the Civil War

  • Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe This book is a classic which should be required reading for everyone.
  • Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs
  • Harriet Tubman: Portrait of an American Hero Bound for the Promised Land by Kate Clifford Larson
  • Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
    This is an excellent book about Abraham Lincoln and the political process of the time. We could use leaders like him now.
  • Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
    Many are familiar with the Movie, but the book is well worth the read.

Native American History

  • Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brow
  • Lost Kingdom: Hawaii’s Last Queen, The Sugar Kings, and America’s First Imperial Adventure by Julie Flynn Silver

Into the 20th Century

  • The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
    I love Steinbeck’s writing and this classic picture of human dignity in horrible circumstances. It has also been made into a movie, but I recommend the book.
  • The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan
    This is a non-fiction work about the Dust Bowl and those who stayed and lived through it. The other side of the story presented in The Grapes of Wrath but featuring real people.

Books about World War II

  • The Hiding Place by Corrie Tenboom
  • Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally The movie was popular, but the book allows you to spend time pondering and processing.
  • The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
    This book is an enjoyable read, but it highlights serious issues of living in occupied territory and resisting a war.
  • Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand This is the moving true story of an American prisoner of war in Japan.
  • The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw
    This shares examples of character and values of those who lived through trying times.
  • Anne Frank Diary of a Young Girl The classic we all read in school, but maybe not so much anymore.

Books Dealing with Other 20th Century Issues in the World

  • The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjallan
    I just happened to find and read this book as we marked the Centennial of the events portrayed. I was amazed that not only do very few people today know anything about the Armenian genocide, but at the time it occurred, news of it was essentially buried because of the larger World War I. It makes me wonder if more people were aware, would such horrors have been repeated?
  • Shanghai Girls & Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
    I discovered Lisa See with her book On Gold Mountain which is basically her family history – a very interesting family history beginning with a Chinese immigrant who married an American.
    Shanghai Girls is fiction set in China and California about two sisters who become brides to paper sons of a Chinese immigrant in California. Dreams of Joy is the next generation sequel about the 19 year old daughter. Upon encountering radicals at an American University preaching the glories of socialism, she goes to China in 1957 to become part of Mao’s “Great Leap Forward” into the “New Society”. Her mother heroically saves her from being one of the millions of Chinese who starved to death during this period of “prosperity.”
  • The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam
    I just happened upon this book, but found it compelling. It’s central character is a Chinese man running an English school in Saigon just prior to and during the Vietnam War. It overlaps the time period of See’s Dreams of Joy, which picture was still in my head when I read about this Headmaster sending his son to China. It gives a sense of the way Communism creeps in and takes over.
  • A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
    Set in India, this book reveals the injustice and cruelty of the caste system.
  • A Thousand Splendid Suns & The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
    These books provide some insight into the history and culture of Afghanistan which is helpful in understanding more recent events there.
  • Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi This book not only gives a glimpse of life in Tehran during trying times but also reinforces the value of books.


THE MEANING OF STUFF

Posted on by Karen Stark
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I am feeling somewhat burdened by stuff. Having lived in the same house for 36 years where my husband and I raised three children who have since moved out, I fully realize that we have accumulated a lot of stuff – way too much stuff. I and my siblings have also been encouraging our 90-year-old father to get rid of some of the stuff he has acquired during his long lifetime and stored over 50 years in the same house. My father grew up during the depression and has a deeply instilled sense that things should be kept in case there is a future shortage or they may again be useful to someone. He is now willing to give away things to family members, but there are definite differences between what he thinks might be useful and what they might really want.

My children are of a generation which seems to be able to easily dispose of stuff. If they find later that they need something they got rid of, they just buy another. I personally am somewhere in between – I really want to rid myself of unnecessary stuff cluttering my home and life, but I also see value and meaning in some things, which makes it harder to let go.

stuff on shelves

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