Thirty days hath September, 2020

 

In this neck of the woods when the colors of the leaves are telling us it is fall the Relief Society gathers to share recipes for harvested foods from their gardens or food storage. It was still possible with the restrictions of this time and the ladies of the village brought their fragrant dishes to the Mink Creek Ballpark for a sampling social. Casseroles, side dishes, salads of a big variety were enjoyed. Local deer are also aware of the harvest time and take it upon themselves to sample from our gardens and fruit trees.

We have had another wedding. Lauryn Hawkes, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Hawkes, was married to Zach Robb on Sept. 19, 2020. Zach is from Gooding, ID, and his parents are Brad and Lorri Robb. A reception was held in their honor at the Mink Creek ballpark the following evening. Lauryn and Zach will make their first home in Gooding.

Mink Creek has three young men participating on the Preston High School football squad. They are Stetson Ostler, son of Stuart and Alona Ostler, Charles Iverson, son of Kurt and Margret Iverson, and Jonathan Seamons, son of Jeff and Jennifer Seamons. There had been some concern earlier in the year as to the likelihood of various sports programs in the county with current restrictions for both players and spectators. Thus far the team is going forward and is having a good season.

Reed Swann and daughter Penny have been entertaining company. Reed’s nephew David Hale from California came this way, with two granddaughters along. He was delivering one of them, Alexandrea, to BYU/I in Rexburg and her sister Olivia came for the ride.

Another young equestrian enthusiast of Mink Creek participated at the Eastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot. Jancey Henderson, daughter of Shoni and Brady Henderson, placed fourth at the horse show in the walk-trot division. Hats off to Jancey!

The hillsides that surround us have taken on that seasonal change of color. We have yellows, oranges, reds, lime greens; sometimes just as a splash of color among our perennial evergreen. Other places, such as Evans Hill on our south end is awash with the reds of maples.

Our hillsides are so dry, looking parched and a bit on the brittle side. But it is the time of year for that. We would not complain for a nice gentle rain that helps erase the cracks that run through the fields. The weather has cooled sufficiently that I haven’t noticed any river runners going down the Bear. There are times during the hotter months when it looks like a flotilla of rafts and kayaks going down. I love living with the changing seasons. The work that goes with the changes, well, not so much.

September 22, 2020

 

McKenna Jepsen, daughter of Dr. Kerry and Melinda Jepsen, became the bride of Landon Johnson at the Jepsen home in Mink Creek. He is the son of Dr. Brian and Elizabeth Johnson of Jefferson City, SD. McKenna and Landon met at Utah State University. The new Mr. and Mrs. Johnson will begin their together lives in San Diego, CA, but have plans to move to Utah.

Another daughter in the Jepsen family, Tara, was scheduled to leave on her mission to New Zealand. As is often the case with the COVID-19 situation there has been some changes in that announcement of last week’s Citizen. At the present time Tara is not certain of her place of service, but she will begin the two weeks of Missionary Training at her home this week.

The LOTOJA commanded our highway for several hours over the weekend with its annual presence. After some rather chilly days the day of the race was ‘just right’ with the participants being able to take care of their layered outfits to suit the temperatures. Mink Creek residents recall the year that the summit of our canyon greeted the bikers with snow and the need of extra care, even with ambulances waiting if needed.

Wynn and Cecelie Costley are again serving in a mission capacity. The first call was to be in Russia, but with the twists and turns of 2020, they are now part of the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission.

Jyllian Christensen, daughter of Kerry and Lacey Christensen, received awards at the Eastern Idaho State Fair for her work with the Working Ranch Horses program. Austin Corbett, son of Sherrie and Shane Corbett, took second in quality at the sheep showing at the Fair. Congratulations on their accomplishments.

Emily Longhurst surprised us with a new event. She had appendicitis and was hospitalized for some surgery. Now she is getting back in shape to play volleyball for PHS.

One can both see and feel the days getting shorter in length. Summer visitors are all but disappearing with schools across the country beginning in some form or another, whether in the classroom, masked, or online with a ZOOM class. One young man is ‘attending’ school in Texas, while sitting in the comforts of his grandparents house in Franklin County, ID. This is something beyond the imagination not too many years ago. The current school year is an experiment for many families, and with children of all ages. Online kindergarten?

September 15, 2020

 Life has been a little crazy lately.  I have had my husband in the hospital.  He is home now, but we are in quarantine and that presents several challenges just by itself.  My friends and neighbors have been so good to us,  I am always finding  treats on my doorstep:  food, jigsaw puzzles, books, and more food. Offers to pick up anything I might need in town.  

Last night my dishwasher decided to quit, in the middle of a cycle.  So that is one more item, and, being out of contact, no repairman.  Good thing I still  know how to wash dishes by hand. 

The big winds that tore things up to the south of us did come through, but with less damage.  Some of the apples from our orchard were flung to the opposite side of the house. A few tree branches littered the yard. That advance warning, and tucking things in prior to the hit was most helpful.   

Tara Jepsen, daughter of Kerry and Melinda Jepsen, has received a mission call from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She will be serving in the New Zealand, Hamilton, Mission and receive her training at that Training center. Her departure date is September 24^th.

Bob and Claudia Erickson and two daughters, Carla Nielsen and Laural Janke made a road trip to Wyoming with two goals in mind. One was to pursue some genealogy information on Claudia’s lines and the other was to donate a vintage dress belonging to an early Wyoming settler to the Carbon County Museum in Rawlins, WY. After trudging through two cemeteries the needed info was retrieved and the dress delivered the following day. They took advantage of their location, taking the Snowy Range highway through the Medicine Bow National Forest.

The wedding of Conner Nielson and Harley Carlisle took place at the Egley Park in Mink Creek. The son of Tara and Jeff Nielson, Conner’s grandparents are Kent and ReNae Egley. The new couple will be making their home in Pocatello and pursuing studies at Idaho State.

Elder Walter Iverson, formerly assigned to the Dominican Republic Mission, is now serving in the Alabama, Burlington, Mission and is currently part of the mission home staff in that city.  He is keeping busy. Kurt and Margret Iverson now have two sons in the missionfield. Elder Andrew has just started in Texas.

Henry Wayne Phillips, oldest son of Brint and Brittnee Phillips, was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All of his grandparents were there to witness this occasion, Jonia Carlson of Mink Creek, and Dick and Babette Phllips of Glendale, ID. Other family members came from Oregon, Utah and Hawaii. Later that day family and friends enjoyed a watermelon bust in celebration at the Mink Creek Ballpark.

Kim and Joe Tracy of Star, ID, brought their children Perry, Kayla and Krystal for some grandparent time with Lorraine and Royce Christensen. Two sisters joined the group for a family cookout, Carrie Melton and her sons, Kenny and Thomas coming from Layton, UT, and Colleen Carter and her daughters Melanie and Addilee from Preston.

August 25, 2020

 Thanks for tuning back in after my extended electronic silence. I feel better seeing that you are still "out there."  I had about decided maybe it was about time I just bagged it since you are why I do this.

Eldon and Danita Wilcox have had a constant run of family visitors this summer, often arriving to help with work on the finishing touches of the Wilcox’ new home. About half of their children now live in Utah. Elise and Jeff Hardy and their children live in North Ogden. Ami and Tom Fenton’s bunch are in Tooele. Brittany Durant and her youngsters claim Salt Lake City. Idaho Falls became home for Brigham and Jennipher Wilcox’s family when Brigham became a pharmacist there. MaKenzie and Tyson Gunter have come back from Utah and are in Arimo, ID. It is nice for Eldon and Danita to have most of their family within easy driving distance. Only Lesli lives in Texas.

Mink Creek has a new family in town. Joe and Pearl Loyd have moved here from Weston. Their home is located on the hill with the Valley View road looping through the increasing number of homes.

We were sorry to see Chet Jensen find himself a house and move to Weston. Our loss is Weston’s gain.

A group of siblings and a cousin or two from the Wm. Crane family gathered at the Mink Creek home of Bruce and Shauna Crane for an annual reunion and lots of reminiscing. Bruce, Sheryl, Linda and Lynn kept the memories rolling, especially when they visited the local cemetery and took stock of all their old family and neighbors that are gathered there.

The community embarked on a river ride, with the Bear River situated handily in our back yard. Around 35 people enjoyed the wetness in kayaks and tubes, with no mishaps. After this cooling down the riders met with the rest of the village at our Mink Creek Ballpark for a dinner of hamburgers (3 varieties offered) with all the fixings, corn on the cob, potluck salads and desserts provided by the families in attendance. The event was well attended and included several of the summer-time visitors. We are fortunate to have the space for safe distancing

It has been a week of smokey, haze filled skies. When a person knows they live among mountains and yet they aren’t visible there is a strong feeling of being isolated. Add that to the restrictions we are living with the COVID-19, and it isn’t good.

Our kids started school this week and most seem to have an optimistic view, hoping for the best as the days pass. That goes for the parents as well as the students. There is no choice but to wait and see, we have never been in this situation before.

August 5 &12, 2020

 Trying to play catch up  now that things are up and running.  Computer went down, and then out.  It took some time to purchase and get things functioning again.  In the meantime the home phone also decided to go on vacation and since cell phones don't work all that well here---I have to remind myself that sometimes "no news is good news."  

We have missed two weeks worth of  local news.  The base of the blog was printed in our local paper, but I had to create that at the Citizen office so I can't easily share it here.  

Summer with its intense heat, storms that zip in and out, difficult animals and humans--al are present and affect the 24/7 lifestyle of the residents of this little community.  The very best thing about this place is its people, and second is the beauty of our surroundings nearly 12 months of the year.

Anyway, here we are again, and of course I can't use the phrase "back to normal" because nothing has been normal since the arrival of COVID-19.  Still we will strive for as near normal as possible and hope you will continue reading. 

August 19, 2020

 

Two gentlemen of our community lost their wallets, within just a few days of one another. One was fairly certain it had fallen out of a pocket as he was in the middle of checking a problem with a hay baler. Family members crisscrossed the big field, up and down, back and forth, on a Mink Creek slope, all to no avail. It was what it was, and likely some cow critter would end up chomping on a wallet when that particular hay bale was opened sometime next winter. The ‘start all over’ process of canceling, renewing, saying farewell to a few irreplaceables was accomplished and the owner of the wallet had started his new identity. Life does go on. The other lost wallet was in the waters of the Glendale Reservoir, with searching pretty impossible, so it was accepted as well and the new beginning took place.

Fast forward several weeks, some rainstorms and irrigation later. When some friends were hauling hay bales off of a different field that first wallet popped up, in a rather soggy, bedraggled state but with everything intact and returnable. Unlikely, unbelievable, but there it was, just needed some drying out and its sentimental value was still well preserved.

Sam and Sylvia Stanger are enjoying some Mink Creek time. It is nice to see their lights on and have an occasional chat.

The Haws house is busy with family visitors. Summertime brings the Haws siblings in and out of the residence, often with overlapping visits. Ken and Lauren Nash of Sol Vang, CA brought extended family to enjoy the relative coolness of Idaho, plus the green beauty that is still present in our community.

This has been the week of the heaviest meteor showers at night. It has been a great time for amateur observations of our heavens with the absence of city lights. Another one of those advantages of country living.

Learning new processes on a new computer, please bear with me, readers of this blog.  I have not given up but having been without computer and phone access at the same time has surely put me behind on my sending out information and news.  I was hoping to backtrack over the 'no contact' posting, but find I had better just forge ahead instead. 

As with the rest of you the days have been very hot.  We aren't accustomed to three digit temperatures in this little corner of our state.  Everything is wanting to wilt, including the human population.  Having to force ourselves to be out harvesting hay and now grain takes a very solid willpower. 

End of July, 2020, and a bit beyond

 I hope no one has given up on me.  My computer checked out and it has taken this long to get running again from home.  The news has still gone out from the Preston Citizen, but I haven't had access to personal stuff  for a bit.  I will endeavor to fill you in on what you have missed.

Not only has my computer taken a dive but the phone system in this mountain valley is busy throwing a fit and taking its sweet time to recover.   At this residence it feels a little like the early settlers when one had to climb on a horse to reach out to anyone, only my horse has 4 wheels.  A little different type of isolation to go with teh COVID-19 variety. 

Justin and Cynthia Longhurst gathered their extended family together in Smithfield to participate in the blessing of their baby girl. She was named Ellie Bea Longhurst. The couple chose Smithfield as the location because Justin's big brother, Jake, has an occupation as a pilot where he was on call that Sabbath day. Longhurst, Craythorn and Zilles relative were able to attend.

Wynn and Cecelie Costley have been excited about their prospects of serving in Russia as LDS missionaries for a few months. Due to the COVID-19 those hopes and plans have come crashing down. These two are known for their resiliency and are considering this change just a different turn in the road.

David and Judy Wilde had two of their sons at home earlier this month. Christopher and Heidi Wilde now live in Logan. Spencer and Paige Wilde are in Rigby, ID, while Spencer continues with studies at BYU/I in Rexburg.

Kassidy Christensen, daughter of Kerry and Lacey Christensen, was baptized and confirmed the newest member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Mink Creek Ward. Even with restrictions family and friends were able to share this milestone in her life.

Charles and Sarah Swann and their children have moved to Mink Creek. They have been in Lewiston, UT. , put their home on the market and it sold quicker than anticipated. The young Swann family is 'camping' with his father, Reed Swann and sister Penny. Those four children will find all sorts of adventures in their new surroundings.

Johnny and Jeannine Iverson have enjoyed some family visitors during the past few months as the restrictions in other states varied. Their daughter Rebekah Jones and her family came from Washougal, WA, for a lengthy stay and one of their grandsons from Ogden managed to spend some time in between limitations.

The youth of the community were able to get together for a Pancake Supper. They did this at the home of Bret and Jody Rasmussen and as their home is sufficiently spacious there was room to spare. Pancakes are a fitting menu item for any hour of the day.

That takes readers to the beginning of August that will be the next entry in a day or two.  I am up to my ears in making apricot jam and picking black currants right now, these things have to be top priorities.