Last day of First Month, 2017

           The Newby men were home for the holidays with their parents, Sharla and Lin McKay at their Bear Creek residence. Payton and Judith Newby and their little Xander live in Springville, UT. Josh and Sarah Newby and their two boys, Gage and Nash, call Layton, UT, home. Daughter River McKay came up from Logan and being  all together for games, fun and food was just what they all needed.

            There has been a change in the LDS Ward Sunday School presidency. Jody Janke is still the president and his counselors are Heath Avery and Kim Keller. The secretary is Doug Bruderer. .

            The youth held a night-time sleigh riding party in the lower fields of Bob Erickson's farm. The Iverson family brought snowmobiles to help the weary riders back up the hill after their swift descents. All were ready for a rerun. No serious accidents helped d to make the event a success.

            The Robert and Phee Crosland family banded together recently over a couple of weekends. Angelo Crosland would soon be leaving for his two years of missionary service in the Indiana, Indianapolis, Mission and the family gathered round to wish him well. Giovani and Kristina Crosland and their children were down from Blackfoot, ID. Armando Crosland flew out from Washington DC, bringing Angelo back home after some training time in the east. Marco and Christina Crosland had some time off from school at BYU in Provo, as did Rico and Mario Crosland.

           For the weekend that Angelo spoke in the LDS Ward, more family arrived. Robert's two sisters and families drove up from Utah. Marie and Ray Eads and their son Walker live in American Fork, while Carolyn and Mick Michie and their family are in Moroni, UT.

            George and Bobby Garr celebrated their 65^th wedding anniversary with a nice, fairly quiet, small family luncheon, on January 18^th. The Garrs are residents of dual citizenship: Mink Creek, ID, and Long Beach, CA. It has been this way for many years.

            We are having an old-fashioned winter, the kind the "old-timers" talk about.  "Remember when..."  This will be one for the stories of the future.  Winter life goes on and the snow banks get higher, and higher. What a winter this has been! At the top of our canyons,the plows have kept the highway open over to Bear Lake. It is like driving down a hallway with walls of white one either side. We hope the snowmobile enthusiasts use some caution, dangers lurk beneath that beautiful deep snow that has the appearance of being smooth and flat. Not to mention the possibility of avalanches with the conditions as they are at the present time.

             If you subscribe to the Preston Citizen newspaper you will already know this, but for those readers who do not this may be pertinent information. Ronnie S. Keller passed away on January 13^th. This good man has had some serious health issues for quite some time. His funeral was held in the Riverdale LDS Church and the building was filled to more than capacity with caring friends and family. He was buried in the Oxford, Idaho, Cemetery along side their oldest son. Ronnie's passing will leave an empty spot in many areas of Franklin County, but particularly Riverdale and Mink Creek.

           We took a ride up Strawberry Canyon as far as the Copenhagen Parking lot. Some of the snow banks bordering the highway were higher than my husband is tall, nearly 6 feet. Yes, it is beautiful, picture postcard perfect. It is also cold and unyielding to the unprepared.

January 24, 2017

          Our resident wildlife are having to work hard to survive this severe winter. The depth of the snow hampers their movements. The crusts on the surface of the snow are just  additional trials. Ice makes movement difficult for them as much as it does for us. Finding food that is buried beneath a couple of feet of snow is next to impossible.

          The deer and turkeys around here are sharing the snacks that have poked up through the snow on our south facing slopes. There are trails over the snow covered hills that are regularly used by deer. Sometimes those trails lead right into the farmer's hay barns where the critters have a light repast on their journey through, or else spend the night. Rabbit tracks abound, but they look much different than those of the deer.

          Coyotes and cougars are on the prowl in this winter weather. A young cougar, bounding down a slope through the deep snow, and out into the highway, was hit by an unsuspecting vehicle. The animal was wounded and lay by the side of the road, not happy to be observed by cars passing by. Fish and Game had been notified and soon took care of the situation. A cougar kitten holed up in one of our barns for protection from the elements, but without food starvation overtook it.

          Josie and David Hulme and their children spent some time at the home of Wynn and Cecelie Costley, reliving Josie's childhood fun. The Hulmes live in North Ogden, UT. They brought a family of friends up with them. Leah Gilbert and her four youngsters came up from Fairview, ID, to put in some good grandparent time with Wynn and Cecelie a few days later.

          Dana and Charlie Petersen and their four children motored from Kuna, ID to visit with her parents, Jimmie and AnnaBeth Olson. There is always fun to be had at their home on Station Creek. Most likely they were measuring the depth of the snow in Station Creek compared to that in the Boise area.

         Trying to keep up with the results of our continuing winter weather has caused some problems for several residents. In efforts to clear the heavy wet snow from the roofs of buildings people have slipped off or fallen. The last report totaled seven individuals with bruises, only two that ended up needing a trip to the doctor's office. Softer snow makes for an easier landing than does concrete or getting tangled up in the ladder in the sudden descent. Bracken Atkinson wrenched a shoulder that will take some extra care. Jeff Olson ended up with a week's stay at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, with several surgeries to patch him back together. We are happy to have him back in Preston, closer to home.

          It must be boring reading, informing readers that we are getting snow, and more snow, and then some more. Right now that is our life. Mink Creek news equals snowstorms. Eight to ten inches yesterday, and it snowed all day. Another 8-10 this morning. Add that to the settled snow that measures about 2 ft ----well,it is a lot of shoveling. We get stuck in our own driveways, either going out or coming back, possibly both. The ice that covers our sloping terrain is yet another challenge. We haven't had a winter like this in a very, very long time. It is getting to the point where we have to remind ourselves that we really do need it and that this moisture is rejuvenating to the land we love so much.

January 17, 2017

           The Kent and Tammy Beardall family did some traveling around during the holidays to spend it with their out-of-the-home children. Along for the ride were Heather, Ty and Nicole. They spent time in Grand Junction, CO with Michelle and Gary Wall and their little ones, then to Spanish Fork, UT, to be with Shawn and Callie Beardall and their foursome. Their son Kyle joined them in Spanish Fork, ready for uncle craziness with the nieces and nephews in Shawn's family.

          Our grandson, Sam McKague, attending BYU/I, didn't go home to Washington for Christmas due to his college employment. Grandparents, Bob and Claudia Erickson, were happy to have him join us and the Jody Janke family for a couple of days.

           Richard and Vickie Free enjoyed having family back in their empty-nest home. Jacob and RaNette Free and their children, Denym and Zennedy, drove over from Pinedale, WY, to spend several days. They were joined by Heidi and Brendan Brown who live in Logan.

          Larry and Lillian Hansen were able to gather some of their family around them for a country Christmas. This was the first one since the Hansen's purchased the old Martin Christensen home close to the head of Bear Creek.

          A barn of long standing collapsed under the weight of the snow on the farm of Mike and Mary Ann Jepsen. Beneath the debris was their tractor and a truck. During the dark night they heard and felt an explosive force, however a quick check showed nothing amiss nearby. The morning hours revealed the source of the vibration of the past night, and the problems that go with the discovery.

          There are lots of plans for sleigh-riding parties and sessions of ice skating on the Longhust rink, if only the weather will cooperate. So far we are amassing piles of soggy snow, which is replenished with gallons of rain. Vehicles are getting stuck in their own driveways and the weight of the snow makes shoveling a mammoth task, literally a backbreaking activity.

          Many Mink Creek residents have been without phone service for nearly a week. This applies for those with land lines, cell phone service is always iffy in our little valley. It might appear that the whole place has gone to Hawaii for a winter break but that isn't the case. We are just waiting patiently, and impatiently, to get things up and running again.

           We have had several contests of man against the weather lately. Trying to clean off the heavy, deep snow from roofs has proved to be a dangerous job. Four of our residents have fallen or slipped while attempting to clear roofs of either homes or out buildings. So far only one has ended up in the hospital as a result, but there has been plenty of solid bruising. Jeff Olson has been in Eastern Idaho Med Center for the last week. We are hoping to have him a little closer to home in just a day or so.

           Another storm is expected to arrive later this week. Our old-timers are saying, “Remember the winter of '49? Well...” I am sure there will be some memories that go with this one of 017.

A soggy day in MC, Jan, 2017

              This week's column must begin with gratitude. How terrific are the men who operate the snow plows in our neck of the woods! Both county and state employees, Thank You! They keep our 'main street' (Highway 36) open, working in darkness both before and after midnight. Our side roads are a constant challenge and the county plows do a great job. Another vote of appreciation for all the residents in this little village that hop on their tractors, trucks, and 4 Wheelers and spread throughout neighborhoods, clearing driveways and farm yards. If not for them we would be socked in solid after the recent storm.  And it just keeps coming, one variety or another.

              The family of Hugh and Bonnie Hansen gathered round at a wedding reception for their granddaughter Abigail Beutler, daughter of Roxanne and Wes Beutler of Dayton, ID. Wes Hansen brought his mother, Bonnie up from Layton, UT. Sid and Geraldine Hansen drove over from Richmond, UT, Pat and Dirk Bowles live in Fairview, ID and Sandra and Earl Kemp are down in Farmington, UT. A lovely time for a New Year's Eve reunion. Mink Creek roots go deep.

             Kim and Sam Daines and family spent more than a week of Christmas time in Mink Creek! It has been a long time since that happened and Kim's parents, Judy and Dennis Clark were more than ecstatic. The Daines bunch live in Tuckahoe, N Y, about 10 miles outside of New York City. While here they enjoyed home fun: swimming at Riverdale Resort, sleigh riding, farm things with Grandpa. On Christmas Eve all of the Clark family were able to be together, children and grandchildren. Brenda and Greg Belew came down from St. Anthony, Casey's family from Layton, UT. Now the Daines family are ready to fly back east, doing some waiting because the recent storms have canceled several flights in that direction.

             Patti and Forrest Christensen have returned from a balmy cruise, soaking up the sun and beautiful surroundings that changed daily. Gone for two weeks,it started in Miami, sailing south, and wound up in Los Angeles. The ship took them to Columbia where they visited the old city Carte Enga and explored old Spanish forts and monasteries. The weather was 88 degrees, the humidity 95%. Going through the locks of the Panama Canal was a fun event. In Costa Rica they saw the rain forests, crocodiles, toucans, much exotica. The beautiful flowers and colorful birds always caught their attention wherever they traveled. Guatemala offered a tour of a coffee plantation, a visit to the 1541 city of Antigua and the monastery there with bells and architecture from that 16^th century, and a trip to a jade museum. From Nicaragua they went to gorgeous Cabo, the tip of the Baja peninsula. Patti says that as they traveled northward towards LA the chill in the air could be felt. Their flight home was delayed due to the holidays and they ended up getting back home to Mink Creek in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. A bucket list wish was fulfilled for these two, and now it is nice to be home, cold temperatures and all.

            This winter stuff is keeping us on alert. Snow, rain, freeze, ice, warm, melt, mess. There are reports of water in basements. A long-standing barn has crashed with the weight of the snow, leaving equipment buried beneath the debris. People slipping on the icy slopes. Cars sliding into the barrow pits along the Highway and needing resident help to be set right, not to mention those of us who are getting stuck in our own driveways. The rain on top of the deep snow has turned Mink Creek into a giant  dripping sponge, or else it is snowing.

Happy New Year, 2017

             Snow depth up the canyon is good and it is loaded with wetness. The cross-country skiing and snowmobile crowd are enjoying the gift of snow that has been received. One skier reported that the snow is similar to the usual in the early spring. Due to the heaviness the avalanche warnings abound in our back country. Cliffs and smaller drop-offs are easily disguised to the unwary enthusiast.

              Kurt and Margret Iverson and their entire family, 6 kids plus one son-in-law, along with grandparents, Johnny and Jeaninne Iverson spent a 10 day holiday in Hawaii. They soaked up whatever the warm paradise had to offer, the food, the snorkeling, the sunshine, the beaches, the snorkeling, the overall beauty and time for relaxation. Snorkeling was high on the list of preferred fun.Totally unplanned, they ran into Elder Iverson, a grandson to Johnny and Jeannine, who is serving an LDS mission. That was a bonus, along with a trip to the LDS Laie Temple.

             Lana and Ivan McCracken traveled to Salt Lake City for the blessing of a great-grandson, Alonzo. He is the grandson of Brian Baird, Lana's son. Brian was here for this occasion, having flown in from Springfield, MA. The McCrackens have had a big family gathering over the holidays. Maria and Devin Flake and son Jude were up from Saratoga Springs, UT. Daniel and Heather Baird and their children came fro Sugar City, ID, and Tamara Taylor and her children drove up from Woods Cross, UT. LaRon and Liesa Baird's family live here in Mink Creek, just across the road. Put this bunch together and the McCracken home has been rocking. It worked as the perfect time to throw in a birthday celebration for LaRon and Liesa's daughter Katiana.

            Jeff and Leigh Knudson are back. They took some time off to visit Jeff''s son Cameron and Rebecca Knudson in Marysville, CA. The special event was the sendoff of a missionary grandson, Adam Knudson to the Argentine, Posadas, Mission. He enters the MTC in Provo this week. Cameron and Rebecca have another son, Dallin, serving a mission in Brazil.

           Connie and Adam Westonskow of Logan spent the holiday with her parents, Karen and Layne Erickson. The holiday time here included some with the Paul and Terrie McKay family.

           Happy New Year, to you all. It arrived in a timely fashion in Mink Creek. The teenage set were provided with a dance on Dec 30^th, in Preston. Since the New Year came in on a Sunday, celebrations adjusted themselves to be more agreeable. The community of Preston held a big party at the old gymnasium of Preston High School the night of Dec 31^st. Obviously there was plenty of activities available for some sane welcoming in of 2017.

           Looking around our snowy hillsides we are well populated with deer. There seems to be bunches in the fields in all directions. There has been some cougar hunting in the upper reaches of our village and that may explain why the deer are hovering closer to the humans. We aren't as threatening as those big cat predators.