Halloween, 2012

The colors of our canyons have faded.  The recent winds have whipped off whatever leaves were sufficiently dry to rip off the branches.  There are still many leaves yet to crisp up and fall into the yards and hollows.  The first snow of the year arrived during the night and we woke to a white countryside the morning of Oct 23^rd.  The heat of the day erased that white blanket at the lower levels but the mountaintops are still covered.

Mario Crosland is on his way to the Mission Training Center in Provo, UT.  He has been called to serve in the Philippines, Bacolod, Mission.   This is a single island in the Philippines with a language all its own.  Mario will  stay at the MTC for two months while learning to speak Hiligaynon.  Friends and family were here this past week to give him their best wishes.  He is the son of Robert and Phee Crosland.

Mink Creek’s matriarch, Naomi Wilde, has recently undergone the scoping of a knee.  She is 97 years young and is now enduring physical therapy twice a week.  Naomi says she is considering using some WD 40 on all of her joints.  All things considered, she is doing well.

Dennis and Judy Clark have enjoyed a whole week of catching up on the life of their daughter, Kim Daines.  Kim flew out from her home in Maryland for some good R&R in Mink Creek where she spent her growing up years.  She has loved the calm of our surroundings, soaking up the fall season and just getting the boost that is part of “coming home.”

Matthew Hawkes, son of Robert and Elizabeth Hawkes, is the newest member of the Mink Creek LDS Ward.  He was baptized and confirmed, surrounded by family, in Logan recently.

            The full moon of this week is perfect for the Halloween festivities.  I find it interesting that this month’s moon goes by several names.  The weatherman recently called it a “Hunters’ Moon.”  The newspaper referred to it as the “Harvest Moon.”  I wonder what it was called when the beginning of Halloween stuff first took place.  Maybe I need to do some research into the Druids to find that out.  Happy Halloween, online readers.

            We have had a sale of the Bybee homes here in Mink Creek.  The couple moving in already live in Mink Creek, but for the winter months Ramona and Jerry Hatchett will find being in the Bybee homes much more to their liking with roads being plowed, closer to the center of our village, closer to the highway, etc.  Just all sorts of positive features.   I would think both the buyer and the seller would be happy with this arrangement.

            To begin this week’s column there was mention of the first snowfall.  We have had several nights since bringing similar amounts, also disappearing once the sun got up an took over the hours.

            Hunters are still out and about in this community.  Some seasons have closed, or at least changed gender.  It won’t be too long before this activity is winding down.