mink creek news January 25, 2012

When this week’s column was begun there was lots of frozen water in this community.  The edges of the several ponds, the three canals that come out of Mink Creek, the irrigation ditches that are contained within the community boundaries, not even counting livestock watering troughs, and lots of puddles.  The mountains and hillsides looked dry as the proverbial bone.    Then along came a wind in clear skies with streaked clouds. A day or two of that and we got hit with snow, glorious snow.  Visibility was limited.  Some hours later the white turned to liquid and it was rain, rain and more rain.  With the frozen earth there was no absorbing and the water is running downhill, in paths of least resistance.  The snow turned into slush and slop.  That is the current situation as of this writing.  Hopefully the soggy white stuff is being stored in our mountaintops.

            Judging from inquiries I have received, an explanation is in order regarding the length of the Mink Creek News.  The Citizen newspaper has requested that the Rural Route columnists limit their weekly contribution to 300 words.  By complying with that request, much of what I normally would write does not make the weekly publication.   It is difficult to decide just what is newsworthy to fit in the allotted space. The result is that I have started an online blog that contains the “rest of the story.”  Please check that out if you have the interest and the computer needed.  I have always enjoyed your comments that you have delivered to me personally, now you have a chance to be my critics online no matter where you live.  You can give me your comments whether you are in California, Massachusetts, or anywhere in the world.  Take advantage of the opportunity.

My husband’s brother, Gary, alerted us to the passing of Stanton Rasmussen.  While I didn't know him I am thinking that many of you readers or your spouse probably did.  He grew up in Mink Creek, the oldest in his family, and was 73 at the time of his death.  Stanton spent many of his adult years living in Grace, ID. He died on Jan 16 in Salt Lake City at the University Hospital.  His funeral was in Grace, ID,  at the Stake Center with burial in  the Grace Cemetery.  This information was gathered from the Idaho State Journal.

There are four young men from Mink Creek currently serving LDS missions.  Here is an update on Elder Joshua Newby, son of Lin and Sharla McKay, who has been out nearly two years serving in the St. Louis, Missouri Mission.  At the present time he is in Springfield, IL, doing the work of a zone leader.  As these last months go by he is not eager to leave, even though seeing a snowmobile, pulled on a passing trailer, gave him a brief longing for “winter in Mink Creek.”  His parents report that Josh wondered where that machine could be used in the Springfield area.  When the trailer drove by there were 3 inches of snow at the most and all in an area of flat terrain.  His release date is April 5^th and then he has plans to head back to BYU/Idaho when the track begins later that month.

Our community welcomes a new family living in the Iverson rental home of lower Mink Creek. Greg and Heather Andra and their four children come to us from Smithfield, UT.  Prior to their time in Smithfield they lived in Montana, near Missoula country.

On a recent drive through Treasureton and Grace it was evident the weather they had been getting was much the same as on this side of the Divide.    Water was in abundance and any flat farm field was filled with slush.  Any deer to be seen were wading as they munched.

One particularly icy morning the school buses in the Preston District had challenges getting their passengers delivered to school on time.  Sand trucks came out our way to add some grit on the dirt roads.