Two days before Thanksgiving Day, 2015

             Phee Crosland took some time off to go to Colorado for a visit with daughter Arianna and Ben Hostetter. The arrival of a new baby girl came a bit earlier than expected but help and grandma time was still needed by the family. Knowing how these things go it might be appropriate to call this a “working vacation” for Phee. An added bonus was hanging out with Crosland son, Angelo, who is currently staying with Arianna and Ben.

           Ramona and Jerry Hatchett have returned from a fall trip back to the midwest. They enjoyed taking in some church history spots in Nauvoo, IL as part of their travels. Jerry has many family members in this area. They visited Fairborn, OH, to see family and friends, then Indianapolis, took a trip to the top of the St. Louis Arch in St Louis, MO, visited a special dog museum in Illinois. If you know Ramona you know how she loves dogs. They wore themselves out and are glad to be home.

          We regret the recent passing of Marie Aupperlee. Her funeral was held here last weekend. Marie and her husband Bill chose to locate here more than fifteen years ago. They came from Arizona and Marie, having been raised in Canada, wanted to be somewhere with snow. We have been happily blessed with their decision to choose Mink Creek. Marie's daughter, Sandy Wylie, has been living with Marie for the last year, having moved from Texas. Sandy's children were up for the funeral along with her sister, Marcia and Scott Eisenhower of Roy, UT and their children.

            Doug Bruderer is back with us, after spending several years employed with the oil boom around Williston, ND. Now driving truck in Burley, ID, he gets regular days off to be home with his wife, Beverly, and two families of grandchildren, Avery and Pedro Gomez and Lacey and Kerry Christensen.

           It is just two days before Thanksgiving Day and so the entire community is thinking about their plans for that holiday, either here or traveling to be with others. We still have snow on our highest peaks, the area of the Mink Creek Steeps looks to be frozen already, but no one is attempting to get up there to check it out. Enough winds have come through that the trees are now bare and shivering, leaves spread around their trunks. The evergreens stand out, strong and upright. I walked along a path under a huge cottonwood that harbors a nest of pair of hawks. Those birds were being very vocal, either in argument or complaining about the lack of foliage to protect their home. Perhaps it is moving time for the couple.  Happy Thanksgiving, blog readers, there is much to reflect upon!