April 17, 2013

The annual greening has begun.  In spite of a spring blizzard that hit with gusto, Mink Creek is starting to turn green.  The snow melted in a couple of days and served to water the length and breadth of the community.  Recent rains have been here and there, but the snow enveloped all.  Flowers from bulb planting are promising.  Little purple violets are scattered throughout the grasses.

            Austin and Katy Keller were up for a weekend, visiting with his parents, Kim and Dianna Keller.  Austin and Katy and their two children live in Franklin.

Lacey and Kerry Christensen and their three girls had a fun, warm vacation when they visited Matt Hutchinson and his family in Granite Bay, CA.  Matt became a self-appointed tour guide for exploring San Francisco.  He works as a fireman and so has a good background for such a trip.  The trolley was down and so the family got a good workout climbing hills, totally packing their little Kassidy the entire outing.  They loved their visit to the fireboat.  The good weather held while they were there, a real plus.

Eldon and Danita Wilcox have returned from a cruise taken with their daughter Lesli and David Evans.  The group drove from the Evans home in Texas to New Orleans, the port of the launch.  They went to Costa Maya, Mexico, taking a long river ride with the possibility of seeing crocodiles.  The country of Belive was a fun spot.  The residents there speak English since the country was originally a British colony, British Honduras.  A high point was touring the Lamanai Ruins. At Roatan, Honsuras the Wilcox duo had fun with a zipline above a jungle and some time at a beautiful beach.  The top prizes of their shopping on the trip were a bowl for Danita and a floating pumice stone for Eldon.  Stories go along with these purchases.

            This has been mentioned before but is worthy of an update.  MaKenzie Gunter, daughter of the Wilcox family, continues to do well in collegiate track meets.  She performs for Idaho State University.

Snow flurries, a little rain, a few glimpses of sunshine.   That describes how it has been this past week.  Sometimes that sunshine is only if you look to the sky, there is a glow in the clouds. The snowline is marching up and down, and up, the mountainsides.

            There has been some burning of the dry weeds along the roadsides. Only one brought the county fire department out when a tree in the middles of the weedy growth sent up some large flames.

April 10, 2013

Easter Sunday in our part of Franklin County was a beautiful day, full of sunshine and blue skies.  The weekend brought several out-of-town visitors.  Those that are currently at a university brought plenty of studies since final exams are looming on the horizon in just a few days.

Hannah Singleton and her children have been here entertaining her parents, Cecelie and Wynn Costley.  Hannah and her family live in El Dorado, AR, but she manages to come home every so often for grandparenting fun.

Thane and Angelie Winward brought their youngsters up for the weekend. They surely livened things up at the home of her parents, Kim and Wally Christensen.  It is nice having Garland, UT, their home base, not too far away.

The home of Vickie and Richard Free has been a busy one of late.  Jacob and ReNette Free and little boy came from Rexburg for a weekend visit.  The following weekend their daughter Heidi and her husband, Brenan Brown drove up from Logan.

Two of the Bob/Claudia Erickson grandchildren made a quick trip from Rexburg for a family Easter.  Bailey Collins and Sam McKague are both at BYU/I.  Sam will be leaving for a LDS mission to Brazil in May. Call this a farewell visit with the Erickson and Jody Janke families prior to his departure.

The Robert Hawkes family had an important day for two of their sons.  David Hawkes  was ordained to the office of a Deacon and received his certificate of Advancement from Primary.  Nicholas Hawkes was presented with the Duty of God award as a Deacon and he was ordained to the office of a Teacher.

The community has recently participated in a Desert Industries Drive, orchestrated by Camille Knudson.  Boy Scouts worked on the Scouting for Food effort, delivering empty bags to homes of residents early in the week, then picking up filled bags, bright and early, on Saturday morning.  The food was donated to the county food pantry.

            We had a spring blizzard last night and woke up to a white world---again.  Just when we thought spring had arrived and the mud was drying up,  snow covered all outdoors.  Residents heading out to work needed their ice scrapers for the covered windshields. A cold temperature accompanied the white stuff most of the day and only towards late afternoon did the grass become green again.

Not quite April Fool's

I think last week turned out to be April Fool's prank, unintentionally.  Sorry, I'll try to do better.

Aaron Wilde, son of David and Judy Wilde, spoke at a recent LDS Ward meeting.  Family an friends attended, welcoming him home after his service in the Family History Center in Salt Lake City.  His great aunts, dubbed the Wilde Girls, were here.  Dottie Casperson, Dixie Bennett, and June Austin  all spent their own growing up years in Mink Creek.

A sure sign that spring is coming to some may be the arrival of robins.  In Mink Creek a sure sign is the arrival of Bryce Stromberg.  He is here getting the Stromberg home ready of occupancy for the warmer season.  The Strombergs winter in California.

Although it hasn’t been overly warm we have had a string of sun filled days.  Nearly all of the snow on lawns has disappeared.  Even our mountaintops are losing their halo of white.  Mud season is still with us, but there is hope and things are drying out.  It is not yet time to work the fields, but it is a time of equipment repair.

The Max Haws family is here for spring break from California schools.  His wife grew up in the Boise area and loves returning to Idaho.

Eldon and Danita Wilcox have been on the road quite a bit recently.  They are following the Idaho State University track team and the progress of their daughter, MaKenzie Wilcox Gunter.  MaKenzie participates in more than one event and is doing very well.

Clara Christensen Jepsen has passed away, at age 93.   Her funeral was held in Mink Creek this past Thursday.  Her love of music was very evident in the program chosen by her family, with enough grandsons and great-grandsons to make up a nineteen voice men’s choir.  All of her living children and their families were home:  Eileen Anderson, Kay Dawn Cole, Sannette Lowe, Debra McCloy and Darrel Jepsen.  Once raised in Mink Creek is it “home” not matter where a person lives.

I apologize to you readers for last week.  I got caught up in life, etc. and totally spaced adding to the regular column that made the paper.  As a result you got nothing, if this is your only source of MC news. 

The Mink Creek Missionary Newsletter was published this last week.  We have eight young elders and  a sister serving, plus two senior couples.  They are scattered across the globe and Bishop Kent Egley felt this would be a way for our community to be more aware of their activities, their lives, wherever that may be.  So far the effort seems  to be very well received.

The young set has been off for spring break the past week and the weather has been nicer than the last several years during the annual vacation.  Parents could even let them go outside to play without too much mud being tracked back into the house.  The sunshine has made for smiling faces on all ages.   Our snow is on the run, backing off at a speedy pace.  Even the mountaintops have only wisps of white here and there.  Farming is starting in earnest.

March 27, 2013

Forrest and Patti Christensen traveled to Kentucky to spend some time a new grandson, Tucker Zane Christensen, born to Zane and Amber Christensen.  They were in Alexandria, enjoying the wonderful southern hospitality of Amber’s family.  Zane is  in the army and is currently stationed in Korea.

Our scouts took an overnighter for Winter Camp at the Copenhagen Basis parking lot.  Clare Christensen  and Kim Rasmussen went along as our celebrated chefs/leaders.  The boys reported that they “ate like Kings!” The two turned out some grilled pork chops that were mighty tasty.  One young man said, “ I ate four.”  Scout leader Paul McKay and Jeff Seamons were in charge. \ Young men participating in the snow cave adventure were Andy McKay, Chance and Dakota Hatch, Nick Hawkes, Isaac Greene, Ty Beardall, Clay Jepsen, Walter Iverson and Ben Seamons.

New Beginnings, a special night for the Young Womens program, focused on the theme “Stand  Ye in Holy Places.”   Presidents of each class, Beehives, Mia Maids, and Laurels, described the motto of their classes.  The young ladies presented a skit entitled The Worth of Souls Pageant, featuring the traditional Young Women values.  Morgan McKay was the narrator and the rest of the girls modeled shoes(soles) and colors for each value.  Parents and friends who attended were served high heel sugar cookies and punch refreshments following the program.

News has come our way of the passing of Dr. James Low, formerly a physician in Preston, who lived in Mink Creek.  Both he and his wife, Betty, grew up in Wyoming.  Medical training and profession took them to California.  His specialty was family practice. From Fullerton, CA, they came to Franklin County. When he Betty, moved to Utah he practiced in Ogden.  He died in January, 2013, and interment was in the cemetery at Lovell, WY.

March 20, 2013

         The deer seem to have multiplied with the coming of warmer weather.  On one hillside field it looked like the owner had planted deer seed, so many were nibbling away  where the snow had vacated.  Across the Bear River at the Gilbert place turkeys in large numbers were enjoying the growth exposed.

          Jeff and Camille Knudson had family company.  Their son Tony and his wife Camille (yes, that is two Camille Knudsons) were up from Stansbury Park, UT, for a change of scenery.

          Both Mink Creek Ward basketball teams, girls and boys, had a fun season, under the coaching of Kerry Christensen.  Both teams played for Preston North Stake championship.  Both found themselves playing opposing teams from the same ward, Winder.  Our girls came out the winners, champions of 2013 season.  The boys lost to Winder , getting second place. 

           Chance and Dakota Hatch, twin sons of Katie and Sam Hatch, were ordained to the office of teachers in the LDS Ward.  They also received copies of contracts made with their stake president.  Identical in appearance, Chance is the oldest by just a few minutes.

            The Relief Society celebrated their March birthday with a light dinner and a program.  The multipurpose room was redolent with beautiful white roses in crystal vases on each table.  A scattering of pastel Jordan almonds added a hint of spring. Kathy Jarvis and Jennifer Seamons, a mother/daughter team,  were responsible for the decorations.  Dixie Rasmussen, Beverly Bruderer and Cathy Seamons prepared croissants filled with a yummy chicken almond mix, mini cheese kabobs, pickles and carrot cake cupcakes topped with cream cheese icing.  Tammy Coleman presented a video based on a book authored by Jennifer Phelps, encouraging all to see beauty within as well as without.  As the story unfolded there were vocal songs to add to the message.   These were provided by McKenna and Melinda Jepsen, Liesa Baird, Sharla McKay and Candy Longhurst.

            It is baseball and softball time at Preston High. The season is just getting underway.  Muddy , torn up practice fields are a challenge.  On the softball team one young lady that is fun to watch is Mink Creek’s own Tawni Hall.  It isn’t hard to tell that she comes from a family with two hard-hitting brothers in this sport.  Her biggest fans are her parents, Kristi and Brett Hall.

            We have had some days that taste of spring, but we are still getting days of gloom and storm.  Mink Creek community is not at its usual beautiful state.  Mud season has to come before the greening and with it is the dirty, crusted snow that is slowly receding, the bleak hills and fields with only shades of dry growth and earth.  However, this has happened before and all know that it won’t be long before happy changes will take place.  If things warm up too fast the water in the heights will fade too quickly and that is never good.

March 13, 2013

            Remember that we have two holidays in March this year.  Generally our mental timetable registers with St. Patrick’s Day on the 17^th , but Easter has moved into the last Sunday of March in 2013.  It is a tad early, but will get back on the normal schedule in 2014.  March is usually a pretty staid month but this go-around includes the move to Daylight Savings Time as well.  That always shakes things up a bit and takes some adjusting.

We have had some days with temperatures high enough to start the melting that needs to come before spring arrives.  The ice and snow are slowly creeping backwards.  The constantly dripping water of the daytime hours turns to sheet ice at night, but it does run off during the next day. All this is encouraging.

Aaron Wilde, son of Judy and David Wilde, came home on Feb. 27^th.  He has been serving in the Family & Church History Mission that is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT.  His interest in genealogical work has really grown in the two years he has spent there.

Tammy Beardall enjoyed some vacation in time with her sister and mother.   Tammy and her mother flew to Dallas, TX, picked up a sister there, and then on to Galveston to set off on a Caribbean cruise.  Their ship made some stops along the eastern Mexican coast and toured Grand Cayman island. The temperatures were at least warmer than Idaho.

Dr. Kerry Jepsen’s work as an orthopedic surgeon takes him to many places.  Among these spots is Tupelo, MS.  Recently Kerry was in that area over a weekend and was attending church in a ward. Elder Cody McKay, who is now laboring in Starkville, happened to be there at the same time. What a surprise! It was a nice reunion with someone from home, Mink Creek, for Elder McKay.

Five days after that first report of dripping, we have now had several days running of melting temperatures.  Ice and snow are sliding off the roofs so watch out overhead!  This is causing a need for shoveling the  sudden excess, but who cares, it is warming up!  I have heard geese honking overhead.  None have settled on our icy pond yet, but I am expecting the usual group to gather before long.  I wouldn’t want to put my toes in that water right now.

Elder Leon and  Sister Katherine Noorda, are winding up their time of serving a humanitarian mission in Thailand.  On their way back to the United States they hope to have a few days to visit friends in Indonesia, at Surabaya, where they labored during a past mission experience.

Elder Jimmie and Sister Anna Beth Olson, now serving missions in England, report the fun of celebrating the Chinese New Year with friends.  This happens to be the year of the snake and fireworks and dragon parades, along with special Chinese treats were part of the event.

March 6, 2013

Winter has felt rather lengthy this year.  The calendar proclaims that March has arrived, yet the ground is still covered with a heavy blanket of snow, and more predicted.  People are talking about starting seedlings in personal greenhouses, and the desire to leaf through seed catalogs that arrive in the mail.  Let’s hope that March brings some spring with it.  If it comes in like a lion, it is supposed to go out like a lamb, well, we shall see if that is true this year.

            Alexis Iverson, the daughter of Kurt and Margret Iverson spoke in the LDS Ward prior to leaving for her service in the Texas, San Antonio, Mission.   Both sets of grandparents were present, Walter and Sharon Knapp of Cub River, and Johnny and Jeannine Iverson of Mink Creek.  In addition there were lots of relatives from both sides, plus roommates and friends.

A wasp that had awakened early with the bright winter sun caused some concern, dipping and diving in the Iverson meeting.  Thanks to the expertise of Clay Jepsen it was batted down and peace reigned once again.   Kyle Christensen, son of Phillip and Krysta Christensen, received a plaque of commitment to serve a LDS mission from the Preston North Stake.

Eldon and Danita Wilcox traveled to Bozeman, MT, to watch their daughter MaKenzie Gunter participate in track events at the Big Sky Conference Indoor Championships. MaKenzie is a sophomore at Idaho State University.  When all was said and done she placed 12^th in the Triple Jump and 7^th in the High Jump.  Twelve colleges were represented.   So pleased for this young athlete!

Elaine and JR Rasmussen visited his parents, Mary Jean and Larry Rasmussen for a weekend.  Their little boys, William and Luke, had a great time. Grandma Mary Jean always makes sure of that. The young Rasmussen family lives in Riverdale, UT.

The Scouts spent their Mutual activity shoveling snow around the community.  Leader Paul McKay divided the boys into teams and they split up to do their thing.  Three homes benefited from this:  Karl Haws’ deck, Arden Rasmussen’s driveway, and the entry and drive of Jim Harrison’s home.  Cheers for great service rendered!!

           

            Up and down our community there has been the need to shovel snow off roofs of homes and sheds.  The weight of several inches of snow can be threatening to a roof.  Some of us have gone to metal to replace shingles just because the snow slides off a little better.

A small herd of cows were out on the highway on a cold night this past week.  An unsuspecting pickup plowed into them, killing one, injuring two more.  It was a hit-n-run situation and the next vehicle that came onto the scene were the ones that reported it to our county sheriff’s office.  The animals were cleared off and traffic could move safely.

            Our local basketball teams are having fun and will be moving into tournament play this week.  Games will take place at the Preston North Stake building.  We have both a girls team and a boys team, and in each there are players from age 12 up to Seniors in high school.  Lots of diversity to add to the fun.