Last Day of Feb, 2017

        The last day of February. This shorter month seems to have gone by quickly. We have been so busy keeping up with the capricious nature of the weather that we have hardly noticed.

         Clifford and LaDawn Jensen have been entertaining grandchildren of late. Their oldest grandchild, Rachel Mackelprang, has recently returned from serving in the Oregon, Portland Mission and is now living in Hyrum, UT, while making plans for college. Rachel is the daughter of Mercedes and Darren Mackelprang who live in Statesboro, GA. Not long after Rachel's visit Cliff and LaDawn enjoyed the company of all five of their son Jeremy and Heidi Jensen's children: Murielle, Brielle, Aurielle, Kasen and Keith. This family of Jensens live nearby in McCammon, ID.

         With the recent warming and rainstorms our southern slopes became bare and the deer and the turkeys flocked to them for grazing. Pun not intended but was irresistible. Since those few days the snow has revisited and everything is back under the white blanket of winter. With the deer back near the highway there have been at least another three deer fatalities.

           Abigail Janke and Hayden Egley were recognized in the LDS Ward as they have entered the Laurel class in the Young Women's organization. Ben Seamons was a first place winner in the Preston  High School wrestling program and qualified to go to the Idaho State Wrestling competition. His brother David also qualified for this event. They are both sons of Jeff and Jennifer Seamons.

             A Valentine Party is the perfect place for the presentation of gifts and talents. At the party last week there was an auction of volunteered goods and services to be rendered for the Young Women's organization, along with food and games. It was a fun evening for all that attended with lots of good food, laughter and visiting.

           The update of our ongoing struggle with the melting snow, plus additional rain, is that we have additional mud slides and our canals have overflown in a few places. We express appreciation to Stuart Ostler for providing a pile of sand that many residents have used to fill sand bags in efforts to divert the water's pathways away from buildings and homes.

          In the days that have passed since this was written the Idaho State Wrestling event has taken place.  We are happy to report that Ben Seamons claimed the  state championship spot in his weight division, 170 pounds.   The school bus had a police escort with flashing lights escorting them as they returned to Preston from Boise.

             Tis the season of Farmer's Auctions in southeastern Idaho. Even with the excessive wetness and areas still filled with snow the flyers announcing various auction locations are arriving in the mail. It is a bit like getting those seed catalogs, an encouraging sign that spring will come. More patience is required for the catalogs, but they also provide lots of fun plans for warmth and greenery.