January 11, 2012

January 1, 2012, arrived in Mink Creek with a beautiful, sunny blue sky.  Not one drop of moisture given, and none in the forecast.  The possible lack of sufficient water for the coming growing season is becoming a frequent thought.  We have even had two days of  slightly thawing temperatures, for the most part the bare ground stays frozen.

 The lack of the white stuff has not kept the deer up in the higher elevations.  They are down in our midst, grazing on leftover fields.   The absence of the usual weather has not deterred their feeding habits. The y are often the fatalities in the  animal/ automobile collisions.  Most of those happen during the night hours, but the deer are out there at all hours so be on guard if driving through. 

 Some of Vernon and Sallee Keller’s family gathered  at Maddox’ Restaurant in Brigham City to celebrate a birthday.  Those attending were Kelton and DeniseKeller and their Mauri from Alpine,UT,  Karla and Chris Jensen and their children of  Cliffside in Logan, Jeff and Kayleen Hill from West Jordan, UT, and Karma Wood of Logan.

The end of 2011 saw Paul and Terrie McKay driving a long round-trip, destination Lakeview, OR.  This was a surprise arrival, planned for Terrie’s best friend and cousin, Kristin Collins.  The Collins family was having a wedding reception for their oldest daughter, Bailey.

The surprise worked perfectly and the cousins loved the few hours spent before the McKays returned to Mink Creek.

            Karl and Marion Haws were pleased to be able to come from Santa Barbara, CA,  to Mink Creek for part of their holiday vacation.  Two of their children joined them:  Aaron and Heather Haws and their three small children of Boise, and Peter and Gretchen Haws and family of Solvang, CA.         

Wally and Kim Christensen had a full house over the holidays when all their children were on the home front. Angelie and Thane Winward and their twins came up from Logan, spending time with her parents.  Aaron and Nick Christensen are now living in Logan as well.  Jeremy and Crystal and their family drove from Orem. 

            Mike and Mary Ann Jepsen did Christmas in California this year.  They spent the days with their daughter Annie and Steve Earl and their children in San Jose.  The weather was great for them, coming and going.

            LaRon and Liesa Baird were happy to have their daughter Juliana and husband Blaine Packer back home for a few days.  Blaine and Juliana live in Heyburn, ID.

            The winter germs are making the rounds.  A number of our residents report having had to deal with the yuckies while trying to create  holiday traditions and fun with their families here or elsewhere.

            Most of Mink Creek residents have been having problems with their landline phone systems.  To begin with the things just stopped working completely.  Some 30 hours later the system was erratic---“please dial 1 for this number” (which happened to be the number of the next door neighbor),  static on the line beyond hearing, phone going dead after speaking only a few seconds, and on and on.  As of this writing there is some improvement, but the whole package has yet to arrive.

            It has only been fifteen days since we had the shortest day of our 365 and already one can see the lengthening of daylight hours.  The solar lights are shedding light longer into the night and the sun wakens earlier.  It feels good.