November 16, 2021

 

The parents of little Desmond Wilcox had a birthday party when he turned one recently., and the whole community was invited to share in the fun. The community involvement is traditional in the Philippines,. His father, Jesse Wilcox, served an LDS mission to those islands, and Annavelyn, his mother, is Filipino. Annavelyn’s sister, Haydee and her husband Keith Moore came up from Casa Grande, AZ, for this event. The family had planned to do the celebrating outdoors but the day turned rainy and cold. The Filipino food smelled wonderful and the flavor matched the aroma. Mink Creek has a number of residents who have spent years in the Philippines.

The Syringa Camp of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers met this month at the home of Ramona Lower-Hatchett. This camp have members who live in Mink Creek and Preston. They enjoyed a light lunch and Ramona shared a story about her ancestor, Patty Bartlett Sessions. Mary Ann Jepsen is he Captain of Syringa Camp.

The Jared & Juli Egley family, Hayden, Bryce, Chris and Ryan, plus Jared’s mother, ReNae Egley were down in St. George for some southern Utah relaxation along with bike racing. Bryce rides with the Green Canyon High School team and this was the State Finals of Utah high schools mountain bike competitions. While there they enjoyed a birthday party for Ryan at a fun park. It was a few days of family fun with pickleball, races, sightseeing and just being together.

Reed Swann took a hunting trip to the Cheyenne River reservation in South Dakota. He and Mark Mitchell, a friend from California, traveled there and met Mark's son, Brett, who lives in Kansas. The group were pheasant hunting. On their return trip they stopped at the Martin’s Cove Visitor Center on the Sweetwater River west of Casper, WY.

For me, a sure sign of approaching winter season is that of crickets making their way indoors. It seems like there have been more than usual. Hopefully that is an indication of the type of winter we need to replace dwindling water sources.

Bugs, bugs, I do understand that they are seeking protection, warmth for the winter, but could they try the barn or the woodshed instead of the house! Everyone is dealing with this, hoping that a good hard freeze would solve some of this problem, particularly for the box elder bugs, so persistent, in all rooms. Earwigs have gone dormant for the most part, a big beetle of one kind or another shows up, spiders, but the box elder bugs are on everyone’s “hit list.” Not Mink Creek news exactly, but a top mental priority for the author at this time. Wonder what plagues (other than COVID) some of you readers living in other places have at this season.