September 12, 2023

 

Lana and Ivan McCracken have been throwing their doors wide for company lately. Eden McCracken, Ivan’s daughter, came up from California for a few days. Ivan’s brother, Samuel and his wife Robbie, left the smokey skies of Raymond, Alberta, Canada for a visit down to “the States.” Robbie is Filipino and she and our resident Filipino, Annavelyn Wilcox, enjoyed some conversations in their home language of Tagalog. More McCrackens, Aaron and J’lene of Manhattan, KS, stopped in for a visit while they were taking their oldest daughter to BYU/I in Rexburg.

Lana spent some time with her daughter, Maria, in Utah where Maria is recovering from a recent illness. Devin Flake, Maria’s husband, attended a Flake family gathering in the northwest to participate in the Hood to Coasts relay race where twelve team members traveled a route from Hood, OR, to the Pacific Coast.

There has been a summer motor home parked at the home of Cade and Leigha Nicholls. It is the summer home of Leigha’s parents, Ben and Seana Beckes, who call Springville, UT, their more permanent location. The Beckes enjoyed some fun time with little Peter Nicholls, their grandson.

The Hansen House has been well occupied over some of the recent weekends. Wes and Heather Hansen of Ogden hosted a family reunion for Heather’s side of their family. The Hansen Girls, now better known as the Hansen Grandmas have been in town---Pat, Roxane and Sandy. Sid and Geraldine Hansen, of Richmond, UT, were welcomed by Mink Creek friends. This couple have recently returned from serving a mission in Hawaii for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

There are lots of “garden sharing” going on in Mink Creek. Reports on gardens are a big variety: totally wiped out by grasshoppers, just certain plants thriving while others wither, summer squash by the bushel, etc. This growing season has had extra challenges with the late spring and grasshopper invasion.

It has been stated that September is the month for recognizing our Constitution. We need to remember that it did not come about overnight, it took years before the final document would be accepted with many challenges along the way. Those men who met, discussed, argued, but stayed with it to its completion gave us a gift. Actually it was a gift for the whole world, as it would be an example to all nations in the many years following. Do some pondering on this gift this month, it deserves some thought and contemplation.