March 14, 2023

 

Lana Baird McCracken escaped to some warm country for a whole week. Her daughter Tamra Taylor, having a break from school, drove down to New Mexico to visit another daughter, Annette Batchelor. Annette lives in Placitas, a small community north of Albuquerque, on the Diamondback Ranch. It was a week of fun and relaxation. Lana reports that the area did receive a small amount of snow that disappeared within the day, nothing to measure up to what was coming to southeastern Idaho.

Kathy and Joe Jarvis traveled to Boise during the Idaho State Wrestling Tournaments to support their grandson, Jonathan Seamons, as he competed. He is the son of Jeff and Jennifer Seamons, now living in Caldwell. Jonathan is a Junior and was awarded the second place in his weight division.

Candy Longhurst has been soaking up some time with family. Her daughter Tiffany and Spencer Wheeler and their son Hudson came for a timely few days visit. They were able to help deal with the snow piled up around the Longhurst home.

One of the first priorities in this community is that of removing the snow from the roofs of our buildings. The first tool next to our doors is the shovel. The further up our valley the deeper the snow. Roofs with 6 plus feet of snow are showing wear and tear. Several sheds have caved in. Snow blowers, tractors, trucks are in daily use. Snow rakes are in demand. Just keeping the short driveways open is a challenge and the long driveways are nearly impossible. Heavier equipment may be required. With the storms rolling in every few days, the wind assisting, those areas that were once cleared fill in quickly, needing a repeat performance.

Jake and Renette Free and their children of Pinedale, WY spent some days with Richard and Vickie Free. This provided some help in shoveling snow from the roofs of their home and ranch buildings.

Usually we expect a thaw in January. Not so this year, both January and February have been loaded with snowstorms blowing in with regularity. We have had a March thaw, however, in this first week of March. The snow drifts have shrunk. The water is dripping from the eaves. It is ice underfoot in all directions. Once the ground is discovered it is in a muddy state.