Arrival of 2021

 Happy New Year, so far, so good, in our little hamlet. If people were out of town for those special holidays they are back now, resuming life in the "new normal" of dealing with COVID-19. Kids are back in school, masks are in place

Jonia Carlson went to Hawaii for the Thanksgiving holiday with her son and his family After spending several weeks in the balmy weather she has returned to Mink Creek to deal with real winter and cold. Already she has been having grandmother get-togethers with the children of Brint and Brittnee Phillips.

Mike and Anna Olson and their three girls drove over from Brigham City to spend some time up Station Creek with Mike’s parents, Jimmie and Anna Beth Olson.

David and Judy Wilde welcomed son Spencer and his wife Paige for a pre holiday visit. From here Spencer and Paige were flying out to Maryland to spend Christmas with her family. Their plan is to return to Mink Creek for the remainder of the holiday break from their studies at BYU/I in Rexburg, ID.

Layne and Karen Erickson and Bob and Claudia Erickson traveled with Gary and Sharen Erickson of Chubbuck, ID, to Farmington, UT. They attended the funeral of their sister, Imogene Erickson Jackson Stine, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Dec. 19, after a heart attack. Having been a widow for the last fourteen years, Emmy leaves behind six children, Valerie, Shirley, Douglas, Allen, Cynthia and Andrea, with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Mike and Mary Ann Jepsen are often on the road. They took some time to see sons Jonathan, Joe and Jared and their families in the Salt Lake City area. After a few days back in Mink Creek they headed to St. George, UT, for fun in the sun and golf.

These moonlight nights of the holidays are being enjoyed by both man and beast. The coyotes can be heard yowling and yipping, the sounds echoing and bouncing back and forth across the walls of our valley. There is nothing quite like the shine of moonlight on snow covered slopes.

A vehicle veered off of Highway 36 and took out a couple of fence poles and a telephone junction box. The box is now draped with a covering of bright orange as a protection until mended, I assume. Now there is no missing the lane that leads to the Smith/Gilbert residence tucked in at the foot of the juniper hills.