November 24, 2020, two days until

 Happy Thanksgiving, readers.  May gratitude fill your hearts this week and beyond. 

Four of our residents traveled down to North Ogden to spend the day donating time and effort at the Cannery of the LDS Church. They were Jeff Olson, Clare and Linda Christensen, and Jonia Carlson. The product of the day was beef stew for the cannery. The group did manage a stop at Maddox in Brigham City on their way home, with a change of the menu.

The members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mink Creek Ward, were able to meet together this past Sunday after several weeks of canceled meetings. They have been looking forward to once again greeting each other with elbow and knuckle bumps rather than the handshake, smiling eyes above the face masks, and safe-distance conversations. Two auxiliary organizations have had a shift in their leadership positions since the last meeting. The new officers of the Young Women are Jody Rasmussen as President, Amy Baldwin as 1^st Counselor and Lacey Christensen as 2^nd Counselor. The secretary is ReNae Egley. The Primary organization will be staffed with Brittnee Phillips, President, Wendy Westerberg, 1^st Counselor, April Rasmussen, 2^nd Counselor and Hollie Keller, the Secretary.

This being the month of November when we honor our veterans the Citizen is recognizing those who live in the county at this time and have served in the military at some time during their lives. Mink Creek has two past members of the National Guard: Layne Erickson and Charles Swann. In the US Army were Clare Christensen, Royce Christensen, Bob Erickson, Richard Free, Glade Larsen, and Michael Jepsen. We have two who served in the Navy, Warren Wilde and Ted Mainini. Several were part of the Air Force: Glen Jepsen and his son Dr. Kerry Jepsen, Nate Olson, Raphael Arnsworth, and Ernest York. Ernie’s wife, Sherry York is also military, in the Naval Reserves. Dr. Jepsen’s son Clay Jepsen is currently serving in the Air Force and is stationed at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. These individuals are recognized annually in this community at our July Fourth festivities. If any of our residents have been missed I apologize and would appreciate your letting me know.

Families  here are getting ready for Thanksgiving. Feeling the warmth within, even when there is such cold without. Feelings of gratitude are always uplifting.

We have had a steady stream of Christmas trees being harvested from our canyons and it has been going on for over a week. For many families it is their tradition to come here, looking for that ‘perfect’ tree, and what is perfect to one is not to another. Hope these evergreens bring happiness to their destinations.

November 17, 2020

 

Julie and Jeff Workman were happy to have another weekend getting their home ready for the coming of winter. They live with one foot in Mink Creek and the other in Stansbury Park, UT.

The Relief Society planned a reaching out activity for the women of the village. It was strictly a drive-up affair and ‘come as you are’ since there was no need to leave your vehicle. Organizers Lacey Christensen and Jonia Carlson, aided by the Relief Society Presidency members, Kim Christensen and Phee Crosland, handed out a bag of chocolatey treats and a gratitude journal to start off the month of November to each lady who participated. Brief conversations accompanied the gift to start the month off with feeling of gratitude for blessings. It reminded us that we are all still neighbors and friends, even though safe distancing.

Our first snow has arrived and laid a light white blanket down the length of our village, increasing in depth from south to north. The mountain tops are feeling well covered, but there is still hope that the snow isn’t here to stay for the next several months.

A power outage hit us in the middle of a Saturday night, after we had gone to bed with most dreaming of being able to meet the following morning at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for Sunday worship services which has been interrupted so often in the last 8 months. No power, it didn’t happen, the power being out until nearly 10:30am, meeting hour being at 9am.

As the season has progressed so has the amount of box elder bugs multiplied. Skunks are moseying around, perhaps searching for a suitable winter home. Both deer and turkeys are down from their summer retreats in the high country, back to being problems for driving through our community. Our wildlife know that cold days are ahead.

We were able to have our church meeting this week, it has been several weeks since we were able to meet together. There has been some changes in both the Primary and Young Women organization. The details will be in next week’s issue of the Citizen. The rise of COVID-19 cases all over the western US has had its affect on even our little village. With Governors in state around us, as well as our own making decisions and tightening restrictions again it is hard to plan ahead more than a day or two for any thing beyond our home boundaries and even those get changed when a new announcement hits the news. Hang in there, in the long run, it will be all right.  Have faith, not fear. Not saying it will be easy.

Tomorrow, Veteran's Day, 2020

 Tomorrow is a remembering day, and if we are too young to remember any of the major conflicts  we should consider what might have been  and be grateful.

The huge, beautiful moon was perfect for Halloween night. However the virus limitations surely caused this holiday to be one to remember, perhaps because of what did not happen. Our community celebration of soup and visiting, getting to view the fun costumes of the youth and even whole families did not take place. A few individuals did go out trick‘r treating. Some families gathered for a traditional meal and just to be together. Some drove down the highway to partake of the few available activities in Preston.

There were a few hours of excitement when a small control burn took off and became a large grass fire. The area locally known as Badger Hole Basin, between Bear Creek and Station Creek, quickly became filled with flames on the march, devouring dried grass, weeds and sagebrush. Nearby neighbors met the situation with Kent Egley on his bulldozer and Jeff Olson and Terry Westerberg manning tractors pulling discs. The Franklin County Fire Department responded. It was estimated to have burnt about 100 acres before the final clouds of smoke ceased.

Voting kept Mink Creeks poll workers busy this year. Voters were greeted by three ladies, all wearing patriotic face masks designed with the stars and stripes. They were Kim Christensen, Vickie Free and Danita Wilcox. Safe distancing was the rule of the day. It was a good turnout and there were quite a few people newly registering. A lot of citizens had voted early and there were a number of absentee ballots to be counted. It was a long day for the workers and now there is the waiting for the national results. A lesson in patience, perhaps?

Paul and Lisa Auger are new residents in our community. They come to us from Tremonton, UT, but have roots and relatives that go back in Franklin County history. The last name of Auger is a familiar one and they are related to Dave and Marge and Bill and Deon. Paul and Lisa retired, packed up their Utah bags and purchased the home built by Brad and Zona Palmer in Valley View Heights subdivision. More recently the home has belonged to Kent and Evelyn Mortenson of South Jordan.

I wouldn’t say we welcomed winter, but it arrieved without any red carpet. It gave a hint that it was on its way two days ago and managed to turn our mountains into white. Today has been the real deal. White sticking down to the valley floor, not that we have much of a ‘floor,’ more like the point of a V. The snowfall hasn’t been constant, just off and on, but so cold that one set of flakes simlpy waited for the next batch to cover them up.

We had a power outage during the night on Saturday and our hopes for being able to meet once again at the LDS meetinghouse were crushed when it didn’t come back on until around 10:30. More details of that for next week’s blogging so that the paper readers can share.

This is that special month for counting blessings, also a bit more publicly with social media, etc. It is a good thing to raise our awareness. The blackout certainly made me appreciate a lot of things daily that I take for granted.

Election Day, Nov 3, 2020

 

McKinley Longhurst, daughter of Candy and Sheldon Longhurst, has made a big decision and is now engaged to Skylar Stevens, son of Steve and Jamie Stevens. This decision has been a long time in coming because McKinley is very determined about her educational goals.

One of Mink Creek’s young ladies participated on the PHS girls soccer team that recently became the 4A State Champions. Ella Jepsen is the daughter of Melinda an Kerry Jepsen.

The LDS Ward Relief Society has done some changing in the presidency. Counselors responsibilities are now Cindy Hanson with education and technology, Phee Crosland with activities. An activity is in the works at the present time. Kim Christensen is the President.

Mink Creek has a new baby! Annavelyn and Jesse Wilcox are happy to announce the arrival of a healthy little boy on Oct 23, weighing in at 7lb. 4 oz, with a thatch of hair. He is the first child for the Wilcox’s. The trio is home in Mink Creek and making the adjustments that come with parenthood and families. According to Jesse all are doing "spectacular.”

Russell Westerberg was here for a visit with his brother, Terry and Wendy Westerberg. His mode of arrival was a little unusual in these sloping side-hills. He flew in, landing in one of the fields near the Westerberg home in what they laughingly  called the Station Creek Air service.

Our countryside provides for crunching hikes. It is dry and the leaves have been sailing down in the winds. We have a mixture of oranges, yellows, browns, greens, even some purple to trod underfoot whatever direction might be chosen.

Due to the strange restrictions that the world is enduring in 2020 our village canceled its usual Fall closing social and the costume parade that takes place on that evening. This is one more reminder that each little glitch that happens in our lives must be dealt with separately. So many things we take for granted.

Election Day, hope everyone reading this has voted—whether by absentee, or by mail or in person. It is a privilege we need to use, then no matter the outcome, do what we can to unify our nation, not cause more chaos and grief. The polls in our village were open at 8am and just now are wrapping it up, nearly 8 pm. It is a long day for those poll workers, I write from experience, having done it for years. Giving that service is one of responsibility that the laws are followed, that all who want the opportunity are given that chance. They go home tired, but satisfied.