May 6, 2014

           Greening season is so restoring, for humans as well as the environment around us. Right now the wild plums and the cherry trees are in bloom. Apricots and peaches were blooming, and the nights were pretty cold so everyone is hoping some of those blossoms made it past freezing. Curly flowers were at their peak, along with bluebells and some purple blooms that come on a noxious weed. Now the pink and white mayflowers are popping up, the yellow lady slippers and golden mule ears. This is just our wild outdoor beauty. Tulips, narcissus and daffodils are gracing our yards.

           Brittany Durrant and her daughter now living in the Salt Lake City area , plus Tom and Ami Fenton and their children of Tooele, UT, spent a weekend with their parents, Eldon and Danita Wilcox. Lots of action going on with all those grandchildren.

           Tawni Hall, daughter of Brett and Kristi Hall, has been playing on the softball team of Preston High. Their season is drawing to a close with district play underway now.

           Layne and Karen Erickson spent a week in Woodland Hills, UT, at the home of Bryan and Shannon Erickson. They were there to support the Erickson boys while Bryan and Shannon took a vacation to Hawaii.

           Owls, Canadian geese, sandhill cranes, hawks are making their presence known. Some are very vocal. The flocks of geese can be heard chatting during both day and night hours. Owls talk on an individual basis, one on one, as soon as the sun goes down. Hawks are enjoying the updrafts of the breezes, soaring high above the valley floor. The cranes have a squawk that is all their own.

            It is water cress season in my neighborhood. So nice that it counts as healthy food, because around here it can be consumed three meals a day. Every waterway in Mink Creek is flowing high right now and that makes for good spots for the cress to flourish.

            It is also the time of year that the junior high science teachers are sending the students out to collect and identify plants of the region. The list is quite extensive. A lot of hours go into these projects. It certainly raises the awareness of the variety of plants in our environment.

           Election time is on its way.  Those running for offices are putting up signs all over the county, even in Mink Creek.  My front lawn, being close to a road intersection, is in demand during the weeks prior to voting.  Mowing the lawn around them takes a bit of maneuvering. a bit of spice to a routine activity.