Day after Spring begins, 2017

           The Relief Society held their birthday celebration this year, celebrating the 175^th year of their organization with the teenage girls invited to share in the fun. They met at the LDS Recreation Hall for a dinner of taco salad with multiple trimmings, ice cream and birthday cake, assembled and made by Dana Olson. The theme of the evening was “A Few of My Favorite Things.” Each lady in attendance had brought a favorite thing in a brown paper bag, some tied up with string, all anonymous. Laural Janke led the group in singing along with Julie Andrews “These Are A Few of My Favorite Things,” the precursor to opening the brown paper packages. As each was opened there was much guessing as to which individual claimed it as a favorite. There were many surprises and it was a delightful evening of fun. The room was decorated with heirlooms from the past and a clothes line full of aprons and other domestic duty laundry. Laural's able assistants were April Rasmussen, Jasmine Erickson, Anna Beth Olson, Jennifer Seamons, Juli Egley and Margret Iverson.

            Robert and Phee Crosland and family traveled to Rigby, ID, to participate in the blessing of a new granddaughter. She was blessed and given the name Makala Kunde, the daughter of Malia and Jason Kunde.

            The members of the Young Women auxiliary invited their parents to the annual spring meeting “Young Women in Excellence.” There was a display of the various talents of the girls: love of animals, cheerleading, tumbling, music in the form of trumpet, guitar, a vocal rendition, piano, soccer and softball. The young women are Celina Crosland,Hayden Egley, Hannah Greene, Abigail Janke,Tara Jepsen, Emily Longhurst, Davanie Ostler, Liberty Stanworth and McKinley Longhurst. Their leaders are Laurel Wilde, Maryann Jepsen, and Dawnell Greene. Refreshments served were banana splits.

          There are multiple mud slides on our slopes. One of particular interest is on the north side of Birch Creek Road above the Keller fish ponds because the road is heavily used. Most of the intersections on all of the roads that join with Highway 36 have had some erosion from the heavy runoff this last month. Bear River flows at the official entrance to Mink Creek community and the river is running very high, full of brown muddy water. As we drive to Preston Foster Reservoir is noticed with its shrinking ice cover as the warming temperatures and runoff water are collected daily.

           It must really be spring. My robin count today was 2, pheasants 3, and one chukar. I spooked the chukar and the sound of his flight was wonderful. Yesterday may have been the official day of spring on the calendar, but today confirmed it.

           Farmers all over the county are getting machinery ready to hit their fields. Many are waiting and hoping for those fields to get sufficiently dry after being submerged in water a couple of weeks ago. Wonder how long it will be before we complain about how dusty things are.