September 27, 2016

           It is hard to believe it is the last of September. Seems like it has barely begun and in just a few days it will be time to turn the calendars to October.

           Steve and Terry Mainini have returned from a trip to Ventura, CA. They have been gone about a week, visiting with family and friends where they grew up. When they left here their main goal was to spend some time with Steve's father and Terry's grandmother. They came home to Mink Creek with a change in our Idaho weather . Fall arrived while they were gone!.

           The youth of our community has completed another semi-annual roadside cleanup. They gather trash along the length of our main road, Highway 36, about 9 miles worth. Orange bags were filled and waiting the next day for pickup. After the task was completed the youth gathered for refreshments at the LDS Meetinghouse. Those refreshing rootbeer floats were perfect after hours of work.

           We have several youth involved in sports at Preston High School this fall. Travis Greene and Ben Seamons are playing Varsity football. Walter Iverson, with an injured ACL early on, is out for the season and now has some surgery on his horizon. His brother Andrew Iverson is part of the Freshman team. Izac Greene plays for the JV football team. David Seamon plays on the boys JV Soccer team and Abigail Janke plays on the girls JV Soccer team. McKinley Longhurst and Hayden Egley are on the cheer squad this year.

            Liesa Baird and her daughter Katiana have returned from a three week trip to the other side of the globe. They went first to Albania to meet LeeAnn and Terry Orton, Liesa's parents, who were being released from their LDS mission. The Ortons have been serving in that country for the last two years.. After time spent in Albania the group did some touring in Germany, Switzerland and France. Liesa told of beautiful scenery, farms and vineyards extending up and over hillsides, going on endlessly. Switzerland had numerous tunnels and bridges. They spent some time getting a taste of their genealogy with family lines going back to places where they were able to visit. Terry Orton took the family to visit relatives in Germany. This has been an exciting opportunity for Liesa and Katiana.

           Kelton and Denise Keller were up from Alpine, UT, for a weekend with his dad, Vernon Keller. It is always good to have a chance to visit with them.

           After three days of rain it felt like we had moved Mink Creek to the Pacific Northwest. Judging from the on-site rain gauge, which happens to be my old no-longer red wagon, we received about 4 inches of rain, possibly more because the wagon was full to the top. The whole countryside was nourished, and it needed that moisture badly. Those dry crack in the earth of our fields just soaked the wet like a sponge.