April 26, 2023

 

Pickleball night has started each Thursday, lasting at least as long as the outdoors is not very welcoming. Starting time is 6 p.m. in the recreation hall. All levels of performance, beginners and professional, all are welcome. Serious play will be at 7. Spectators are welcomed and cheering allowed.

Jesse and Annavelyn Wilcox and their little boy, Desmond, enjoyed some days of warmth with no snow in California. They soaked up the spring flowers and the greenery, something that Annavelyn misses from her home in the Philippines. They toured Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate bridge, did family biking, the ocean, other touristy stuff, just down-time in every activity.

The family of Jody and Laural Janke were able to spend a weekend with her parents, Bob and Claudia Erickson. The snow was a bit limiting for outdoor activity, no soccer, no baseball, not even a picnic. They report having plenty of snow at their place in Teton, ID, just flatter terrain.

Eldon and Danita Wilcox have returned from serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the past year. They were located at the Priesthood Restoration Center in Harmony, PA. Even though the spring weather has been delayed they enjoyed a leisurely trip home, taking in various sites as they have driven across the nation.

The weather may not recognize this as a sign of spring. Families who raise chickens are moving forward with purchasing chicks. There are some that are adding ducklings to their flocks, both at the fluffy cute stage of life. These are not intended for the fun and cuteness we see in pictures of spring, but will become producers of the future. They will also need protection from the wildlife predators that are out and about with the warming weather.

We continue to have earth slides on our slopes, impossible to avoid with such super saturation of water. The change in color and texture that results in a slide appears like a scar on the landscape.

We are still very active in the business of sandbagging and appreciate the spirit of helpfulness that is prevalent in our community.

A number of our community exclaimed about the beauty of the aurora borealis that performed this past week on our northern horizon.  Above the blackness were purples, greens, pinks in light rays decorating the night sky.

April 19, 2023

 The internet has been down for several days with reports that the problem covered a large area.  Today we are hopefully back in business.  We become so dependent, don't we?  There was life before, if we just stop to think about it.

Our main thoroughfare, Highway 36, has been closed to through traffic for several days due to an avalanche of mud, water and snow pushing its way across the road. In its path have been some farm buildings moved in the flow, and others structures threatened as it advanced. A ditch that might be adequate for runoff in a normal year was plugged with the heavy snow of this past season and the water pressure forced its way through the sodden banks. Many people are grateful for the expertise and equipment of Lin McKay and the crews, both volunteer local and state, that have been sandbagging and overseeing the mess and destruction caused.

Blaine and Juliana Packer and their children have spent some ‘spring vacation’ time here with her parents, LaRon and Liesa Baird. Most of the family activities needed to include the snowy landscape in the area of the Baird home.

Robert and Phee Crosland flew out to Peyton, CO, for a week’s visit with their daughter Arianna and Ben Hostetter. Peyton is northeast of Colorado Springs. Even with the adjustment to the delayed spring weather they were able to visit the Painted Mines and the Wind Caves, with much fun with the Hostetter grandchildren. They also took on some building projects just perfect for the skilled hands of Robert.

The family of Jeff and Jennifer Seamons came down from Caldwell, ID, to be part of the celebration for the wedding of their son, David, to Kaylee Jensen. Kaylee is the daughter of Clint and Katie Jensen of Whitney and this couple attended Preston High together.

Two young people were baptized and confirmed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 8 at the Preston North Stake Center. Hendrix Gene Chatterton-Rynes is the great-great grandson of Colleen and Warren Wilde of our community and the grandson of Eric and Heidi Chatterton of Preston. Adrianna Brittain is the daughter of Harvey Brittain and she is now the newest member of the Mink Creek LDS Ward. It isn’t often that the ward has two baptisms on the same day.

We may have more snow still hanging on than we normally have as spring arrives, but we are still getting plenty of signals. Box elder bugs are staggering around, as are the wasps that are waking up and making unwelcome visits. The skunks are programmed to know this is their mating season and they are out and about. One resident reported lifting the lid from a garbage and discovering a beautiful black and white face peering back. She ran, and on a later inspection decided it was the right move. A later inspection proved the skunk had left not even a trace or sniff of its’ earlier presence.

April 12, 2023

 Easter was a beautiful day in Mink Creek.  Blue sky and sunshine.  There were even reports of some tiny flowers poking their heads through the ground in a church flowerbed.  Rather fitting for this wonderful day of renewal. 

Spring is a long time coming and any seeds are being planted in our dreams or indoors with the protection of four walls and a measure of warmth. For now the tool most being used in any gardening space is still the snow shovel, trying to get down to the dirt below. There is evidence of the seasonal change, with reports of box elder bugs awakening and making their presence known and the dormant wasps being a bit sluggish as they wake up in a temporary stupor.

Candy Longhurst spent a few days in the Parma, ID area, enjoying the companionship of her daughter Tiffany and Spencer Wheeler and their son Hudson. Jump Creek offers water to play in and places to hike and climb, some of Candy’s favorite activities.

Kasey and Julia Haws and some family members made their annual spring trip to Mink Creek from California, with plans to open up their family home, making it ready for family arrivals during the coming warm seasons. They knew we had snow, but were still surprised to find their place surrounded by deep drifts that took some removing before much “opening up” could take place.

The family and friends of Andrew Iverson celebrated his marriage to Annalise Cozet Brady, a young lady from Colorado Springs, CO. She is the daughter of Chris and Charlotte Brady, Andrew is the son of Kurt and Margret Iverson, Mink Creek. They were honored and greeted at an open house held at the Mink Creek recreation hall where beautiful decorations and a menu of many food choices pushed back the wintry temperatures and challenges for an evening, at least mentally, for a short time.

Spring break this year brought a chance for some to get away from the rigors of this winter, or maybe not. Jay and Kristin Collins of Lakeview, OR, came to enjoy spring in Mink Creek with Terrie and Paul McKay during the Oregon school break. No golf, no hiking, but they still managed to find plenty of fun in spite of the drifts of white.

April 5, 2023

 It is April, right?  I keep telling myself it is spring, but the reality of our outdoors is that all things it is either black or white.  There is no horizon, just white, but I know from my years that there really is a line where the sky stretches above our earth.  Snow, snow and more snow.  This week's forecast claims that this is going to change within just a few days.  I continue to be hopeful.

David and Melanie Law were more than a little surprised when they came up to check on their Mink Creek home. The Laws live in Kaysville, UT, and have had to deal with the onslaught of snow being received along the Wasatch front. They expected to find snow in Idaho, just not quite so much.

The community youth had planned a sledding party to take place on the hills of the Iverson family. The excessive snow caused a cancellation of this event. But that didn’t mean it was forgotten. There are an abundance of slopes in this locality and a couple of weeks later the sledding party happened, in a different spot, but with all the laughter, bumps and bruises that go along with this winter activity.

The Young Men and Young Women organizations combined for a Sunday fireside at the church house to listen to the broadcast featuring Elder Gerrit Gong. They indulged in a pancake supper with multiple toppings of choice prior to the broadcast.

Dual birthdays were celebrated by the McKay and Erickson families since Karen Erickson and daughter Terrie McKay share the same birthdate. All of the Erickson children: Bryan and Shannon Erickson of Wellsville, UT, Terrie and Paul McKay of Mink Creek, Julie and Todd Kunz of Idaho Falls, and Connie and Adam Westenskow of Logan—gathered at Maddox Restaurant in Brigham City, along with some of the grand children – to do the birthday thing and add some extra joy with Karen’s recent recovery from a hospital stay, due to breaking both arms.

We have no evidence of green growth poking up through the many inches of snow to indicate the arrival of spring. However, some of our winged friends have arrived. The long-legged sandhill cranes look a little out of place as they attempt to stride over the snow. The chickadees are busy seeking a cleared spot that might offer some bit of old growth or seed. Our eagles haven’t left and continue to keep a watchful eye up and down the length of our valley. It all provides encouragement that the season is only delayed, not canceled.