January 21, 2025

 

Jeff and Barbara Olson spoke to the congregation of the Mink Creek Ward prior to their leaving for mission service to California, They will be laboring in the San Francisco Mission, serving in the Oakland Temple Visitors Center in Oakland, CA. Ron and Millie Mower, Jeff's sister, drove over from American Falls for the occasion. Jeff's daughters, Liz and Leslie, came up from their homes in Utah and Barbara's sons and families were also here giving support.

Adam and Camene Haws and family were up from Sol Vang, CA. to enjoy some ski time. It was good timing for the annual Mink Creek ski night at Beaver Resort. There was a good turnout from the community and lots of fun. Riverdale First Ward joined this activity. Mark and Carla Erickson Nielsen and their family made the trip from American Fork, remembering their days on the Beaver slopes.

Skiing brought in the new year for the family of Drew and Hilary Erickson. They drove from Tempe, AZ, staying with grandparents Bob and Claudia Erickson. All were ready for Beaver: Conner, Spencer, Paige and Drew, while Hilary, a non-skier, visited with other family members. During the holidays Laural and Jody Janke and their children came down from Teton, ID, to spend time with the Ericksons.

Most of the family of Robert and Phee Crosland came to ring in the New Year at the home base in Mink Creek. When counting kids, spouses and grandchildren it all adds up to a fairly large group enjoying food, games, memories and strengthening connections. A favorite for all is the treasure hunt which takes months of planning ahead.

Families and friends gathered for the recent ordinations of two young men to priesthood positions. Orrin Baird, son of Liesa and LaRon Baird, was ordained a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood and Danny Keller, son of Hollie and Bishop Jared Keller, was ordained a teacher.

We are all feeling like hibernating. It is very cold and we are told it is going to get colder. That sounds like the Idaho winter we expect. This is not the time that we need balmy weather. Usually we are looking at a January thaw, but for now there isn't much snow or ice to give a thaw something to work on.

January 15, 2025

 We appreciate every skiff of snow received, and they do add up.  Our canyons attract the snowmobile crowd,  both up Birch Creek and Strawberry Creek. Even with brown dirt and scrub brush poking through  patches of snow Mink Creek is a beautiful place to live.

The family of Kurt and Margret Iverson were busy people as 2024 wound down with the wedding of their son Charles Hamilton Iverson to Taylor Romney, daughter of Michael and Nicole Romney of Preston the last weekend of the year. All of Charles siblings were able to be here for the occasion. Johnny and his family live in Rexburg, ID. Alexis and her family are in Colorado, Walter and his wife, Andrew and his wife are at school at BYU in Provo, UT, and Conner is here at home base. It was so much fun to be together for a few days.

The family of Tom and Donna Nicholls brought the New Year in together at a gathering at the home of Brady and Shoni Henderson in Mink Creek. Cade and Leigha Nicholls also live in Mink Creek. Kaylee and her husband are in Utah, so it was close traveling for all of them. Grandchildren were part of the assembly. It was a potluck affair to make it easy on everybody, as long as it wasn't all potato chips and dill pickles.

Some holiday get-togethers got blown apart this season, even the night before when various forms of the flu took over and made for an instant quarantine that lasted a few days. Illnesses are making the rounds and in some cases, hit every member of the family.

Lin and Sharla McKay were able to have visits from all four of their children and families, grandchildren and dogs. Mallory, Peyton, Joshua, and River. The visits were spread out over most of a month, some from Utah, some from Idaho, but all fun.

Even with scanty snowfalls winter brings some wildlife visitors down among the human inhabitants. A bear showed up some weeks ago, perhaps having made its way over from the Worm Creek area. Currently a moose has been visiting various yards, they can cover quite a territory when they get moving along.

January 8, 2025

 

Missing that issue before Christmas, then Christmas, has put news items a week behind. The Relief Society held a beautiful Christmas party with feelings of both warmth and elegance. A program planned by Cecelie Costley centering around the reason for the season, the birth of Christ, was the highlight of the evening. Debra McCloy sang a vocal solo entitled “Certain Women” accompanied by Judy Wilde and a narrative about the Ten Virgins and strengths appropriate for our day and time. A lovely meal was served to those attending by the Bishopric and Elders Quorum.

The Syringa Camp of the DUP held their Christmas party in town. Julie Westerberg gave a history of some holiday songs and the group sang the song after hearing the story. Leah Gilbert of Fairview catered a fun luncheon of soup, salad, breadsticks and chocolate caramel pretzels. LuJean Young involved the ladies in some special holiday activities. There was a fun 10 question quiz of Christmas history questions and prizes were mini Nativities. Beautiful table decorations were the nutcrackers of Mary Jean Rasmussen and a Christmas village belonging to Lorraine Christensen.

After living for years in Mink Creek Juan Argbella has moved to warmer country. He has gone to Florida to work with his brother and be closer to family.

The holidays were filled with much coming and going, particularly with Christmas coming in the middle of the week. Mike and Mary Ann Jepsen went to Coalville, UT, to be with their son, Joe and his family. Joe and Kathy Jarvis drove to St. George for family and warmth. Tiffany and Spencer Wheeler and their children spent a few days at the home of her mother, Candy Longhurst.

Steve and Terry Mainini welcomed all of their family home for the holidays. Tony Mainini is in Pocatello, providing computer and technology guidance for Idaho State University. Angelina and Iyar Koren and their two girls live in the Salt Lake City area.

There are days when looking at the surrounding hills, with little snow cover, makes a person wonder if this really is the month of January in a new year. Up in the canyon it looks like winter, feels like winter, drives like winter. Perhaps the mindset just depends on where one is located at a given moment. While it is nice not to be shoveling snow, there is always that need for future water.  We all want 2025 to be a good year.  Happy New Year!

December 31. 2024

 A day late, but considering that it was New Year's Eve, it doesn't matter.

The Community Christmas Party was held December 12. Friends and neighbors filled four long tables to enjoy the dinner. The menu was ham, cheesy potatoes, tossed salad, rolls and butter. The first course was an appetizer veggie cup that was front and center while the youth were serving the many plates of food. There was apple cider as a result of our fall party or wonderful Mink Creek water. Dessert was a scoop of peppermint ice cream and a brownie.

The program was a blend of Jesus and Santa, and nicely done from the stage of the recreation hall. Corey and Savannah Nielson, dressed in pj's and their kids, plus a couple of older “additions” started the narrative. Corey read the Christmas story from Luke and then they sang a duet “Silent Night,” with Terrie McKay at the piano. Anna Beth Olson led the group in singing Joy to the World. Exit Nielsons , and there was Santa, taking special notice of the Nativity set in the room as Kurt Iverson presented an appropriate poem. The woodshop of Clare Christensen had produced a wooden ornament  imprinted with an image of the creche as a take-away favor for each family attending the event. This event helped with moving into the season.

Alan and Nelada White were guest speakers in a December meeting in the Mink Creek Ward.. Just before their mission where they served in Delaware. The Whites served as High Councilman and wife to the ward for three years and were involved in our community activities during that time.

The family of Glen Jepsen gathered in Mink Creek for his funeral on a cold but clear day. The four Jepsen children, Kerry, Jill, Jana, and Kyle and their families plus Glen's siblings who grew up in Mink Creek, Bruce, Dan, Marilyn and JoAnn were all able to be in attendance. After a beautiful service they met in the Mink Creek Cemetery and Colonel Glen Jepsen's military career was closed by a U. S. Air Force Honor Guard.

Shalayla and Carson Christensen have moved into the home of Carson's grandparents, Lyle and Ruth Ann Christensen. While the home has been in the remodeling stages the couple have been living with Brian Christensen, Carson's dad.

Royce and Lorraine Christensen spent the Thanksgiving holidays in Arizona with their son Kevin. The change to warmer temperatures was an added bonus.

A recent youth activity, simple but enjoyable, was when everyone shared their favorite hymn and then the group sang them. Everyone brought potluck treats for samples all around.

It's the last day of the year 2024. Mink Creek has had a lot of changes over the past 12 months. People moved in, people moved out. New houses built. Some activities in our cemetery with new residents. Hopefully this blog has helped to update you readers at least a bit. It is still a great place to live. If you have been fortunate enough to get a copy of the book “Women of Mink Creek” that Cecelie Costley, with sponsorship of the Relief Society, has compiled and edited, I hope you enjoy it. It has a historical flavor, but the contributors are women who are living in Mink Creek now, with some exceptions. That was the original plan but things branched out a bit as stories were submitted. Happy New Year to each of you.