March 16, 2021

 Happy St. Patrick's Day. Hope you are ready for the 'wearin' o' the green.'

The turkeys have multiplied yet again. There are hordes, rather than flocks or herds, spread out on the fields near Bear River, all busy with heads down, searching for morsels in the dry stalks from last year’s growth.

They aren’t the only winged creatures putting in an early spring appearance. Beautiful swans have been enjoying the waters of the Bear over in the Narrows. They are so elegant and lovely to behold. The call of the local pheasants is heard in our valley and they are checking out empty orchards to see if there are any apples still available from winter’s winds.

It is a contest between the local deer and the birds to find withered apples or other orchard tidbits, too high to reach last fall that have since dropped to the ground. All critters are checking out the feeding spots for the domestic pets. The last couple of months has made for a very lean cuisine for our local wildlife.

Jimmie and AnnaBeth Olson made the trip to the Boise area during the days of the state basketball tournament. They have daughter Dana and Charlie Peterson and family who live in Meridian. Jimmie’s sister ReNae and Doug Mellor are also located in the area, so there are plenty of places for visiting and fun.

Richard and Vickie Free and Wally and Kim Christensen are home, back in Idaho, after several days of soaking up Florida sunshine. They loved the warmth and relaxation. They discovered they had arrived at Daytona Beach about the same time as a bikers convention and they saw more Harley machines than they knew were in existence. Another highlight was a visit to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center, learning some exciting things about a possible Mars exploration of the future.

Daylight Savings Time has struck again. It would be nice to say that the community completely adjusted in that one overnight step forward, but that would not be truthful. There are some of us that take quite some time to make that shift to realizing that it really is night time and our mental clocks need to shut down. We have to resist the impulse to keep finding one more task to finish before bed. If we were already “night owls” by nature DST only aggravates the problem with life going on in a daylight world.

March 9, 2021

Candy Longhurst is pleased that she has been able to sell the majority of her herd of Yak cattle. Friends and family gathered for the herding and loading of these critters and there were smiles on their faces when the trucks were loaded and headed down the highway. They have been beautiful animals, but a bit on the contrary side when it came to management.

The Iverson family was able to stay with a tradition, their annual Snowfest, when family travels to the slopes of Mink Creek for fun in the snow on the Iverson fields. They come from near and far. This year families attended from Texas, Colorado, California and Utah. Major activities were sledding and a variety of games, indoor and outdoor. Mink Creek’s two Iverson homes, that of Johnny and Jeannine Iverson and Kurt and Margret Iverson were kept humming for the weekend.

Sidney and Lisa Whitehouse are moving to South Carolina. This has been a work in progress and en route they have visited with relatives across this continent. They will be missed by our community, leaving memories of their first arrival years ago.

Brian and Jill Petersen and their children, Samantha and Jace have become recent members of our village. They have purchased the ranch that belonged to Dick and LaDawn Jensen. They come to us from Nibley, UT.

Elder David Seamons, son of Jeff and Jennifer Seamons, has finished his At-home Missionary Training originally called to the Argentina, Cordoba, Mission. With current restrictions, that changed and he has flown to the Alabama, Birmingham, Mission, where he will be serving. An interesting tidbit is that Elder Seamons will be met at the airport in Alabama by Elder Walter Iverson, also of Mink Creek, who is currently a part of that mission staff. A reunion moment.

This season has been punctuated with calving and lambing for those who own livestock. A barn or shed can become a welcome place of refuge when these procedures decide to take place during the cold night time hours, for both the animal and the human midwife in attendance.

It must be turkey gobble time, of food, not noise. There are not just one or two, but enough to thoroughly cover a farmer’s field. Any morsel of grain or hay, any unsuspecting bug, it being part of a big gulp. They are soaking up sunshine along with the grub.

March 2, 2021

 

Davanie Ostler is a member of the Preston High School cheer and stunt squad. Lately they have been competing with other schools in preparation for District. At Highland High in Pocatello the group was awarded 1^st in Pom, 1^st in sideline, and 2^nd in show. Most recently the squad took 1^st in show at District Competition. There are lots of hours and practice for these performances.

Jonathon Schenk is an official member of the congregation of the Mink Creek Ward, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It has taken some time for his records to match up with his residency.

The community Valentine Dinner was well attended, about 60 people. Clare Christensen, the Quorum president, is considered the community chef. The menu was barbecued ribs, roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, green beans & bacon. Each place setting had a cup filled with valentine candies and ice cream sandwiches served as the dessert. Clare’s assistants for the evening were his wife, Linda, Cliff and LaDawn Jensen, and Garth and Robin Stevenson. Clare can’t take credit for the rolls, they were purchased from Gerry Crookston of Preston.

A program of musical numbers was appropriate for the day. Linda Christensen played a piano solo, Terrie McKay and Anna Beth Olson were a vocal duo accompanied by ReNae Egley, Mike and Mary Ann Jepsen had a fun, comical duet, with back and forth love messages, accompanied by Anna Beth Olson. Liesa Baird and her son Dallon, accompanied by ReNae were a vocal number. Kim and Twlonie Bullock on violins, Judy Wilde on cello and Linda Christensen on piano played the final number with the hymn, “As I Have Loved You.”

Winter vacations are not always spent in the warm sunshine. Kent and ReNae Egley and Lin and Sharla McKay took several days to spend in Island Park, ID, enjoying the snowmobile trails when they wished and the warmth of the cabin when things got too chilly.

Spencer and Paige Wilde, students at BYU/Idaho in Rexburg took a school break in Mink Creek. His parents, David and Judy Wilde, went to Pocatello later to celebrate Paige’s birthday.

There was much concern and excitement at the Birch Creek parking lot during the few days that the county Search and Rescue were locating two lost snowmobilers who were up on the mountainside of the south fork of Dry Creek. Avalanches abound on those steep slopes. It was a relief for many to have them safely down, alive and uninjured.

With all the melting and freezing, repeat, and repeat, icicles clutching the edges of the roofs are soon going to be as long as the walls, or nearly so. The drip, drip, action is constantly lengthening those crystal swords of ice. The melting has made it possible to remove some of the ice that builds up underfoot, so there are bare trails here and there.

February 23, 2021

 Did you observe, or even notice that it was George Washington's birthday yesterday?  This combining of George's Day with Abe's makes for one less day to celebrate, and honors all presidents, but I have good memories of learning about these two men because of their birthdays.  Things I would not have learned and that helped lay my foundation for loving stuff historical

    If we had thought that winter was on its way out, we are now convinced that it changed its mind. We had the one blizzard and then a measure of warmth started things melting. A sense of alarm, “no spring, not yet” was felt. Now winter has sent us several days of heavy wet snow, with barely a break in the coming. The brown patches that were visible on our landscape are well covered with a thick, cold, white quilt. Snowmen are happily appearing in many yards, with smiles on their faces. Shovelers are out, also with smiles.

    Alona Ostler and some gal friends enjoyed an All-girl vacation in the area around San Carlos, Mexico. The absence of pressure was the order of each day as they enjoyed the warm sunshine, did some fishing for seabass, some hiking, played in the water and just relaxed with no schedule for working hours from any direction. It is safe to say a good time was had by all.

    Kim and Sam Daines were up from Draper, UT, for a weekend visit with her mother, Judy Clark. We miss having them as regular members of the community.

    The family of Joseph and Pearl Lloyd gathered here for the funeral and burial of Joseph in the Mink Creek Cemetery. The Lloyds are fairly recent residents of this community, having moved here a few years ago after retirement.

    Lana McCracken had the fun of a visit from her granddaughter, Tabatha (Tibby) Taylor, of Woods Cross, UT. Tibby is the daughter of Tamara Baird. She attends a charter school and was able to do her schoolwork online while in Mink Creek to extend her stay some extra days.

    Kassidy Christensen, daughter of Lacey and Kerry Christensen has had an exciting stay at the Franklin County Medical Center to have her tonsils removed. Cold throat treats have been part of her recovery process and probably shared with her siblings, minus the surgery pain.

    The Mink Creek Cemetery was the place for the burial of Stanford Jensen recently. He grew up here, a son of Rodney and Virginia Seamons Jensen. He was 67 at his passing and has helped his mother for the last six years at her home in Smithfield. Seamons and Jensen family members attended the services.

    Some of our trees held on to their brown, crisp leaves all during these cold months, providing a splash of light sienna color to mix in with the evergreens and tans of dry growth. Now those same leaves are letting go, dotting the snow cover on our lawns. Does this mean they are making an exit to prepare the trees for the eventual spring? Usually those leaves are long gone, off the trees, raked up or swept off, sailing to a new location in the wind.

February 16, 2021

 

The community enjoyed a Family History activity organized by the Relief Society who invited the entire village to participate. Their goal was to present the 21 Day Challenge of working on the Gathering of Israel, as given by Sister Wendy Nelson, President Russell Nelson’s wife. Four different ways to do family history were covered: Jody Rasmussen helped others to understand the various Apps that are available to us on our cell phones. JoAnn and Drew Ford presented the discovery of Family History in heirlooms, cookbooks, preserved handiwork, and personal life histories. Phee Crosland discussed the importance of journal writing, ways of sharing heirlooms and family traditions. She used an example of a “memory jar” given to Johnny and Jeannine Iverson by their children—slips of paper with written tidbits of memories, that later had photos added and even later was published into a book to be shared with the growing Iverson family. Clifford Jensen impressed the group with the importance of learning how to preserve old photos, to label and identify those in the photo and scan them for a more permanent document. Refreshments served were a perfect match for the Scandinavian descendants of the settlers of Mink Creek. It was aebleskivers, prepared ahead by Kim Christensen, Phee Crosland, April Rasmussen and Jody Rasmussen.

The Primary enjoyed an afternoon of sledding at the Glen Jepsen farm. His driveway offers a perfect hill for this event and this is the second year it took place. It had been scheduled for January 29th but the weather had presented a January thaw on the 28th. The slope was bare and the outing postponed, scheduled for Feb 6.. Still the weather brought no snow until a day-long blizzard moved in on the 5^th, enabling the event to take place. Brother Jepsen and others brought their 4 wheelers to haul the sledders back up to the top of the hill for more rides. Even a few adults remembered their skills and took a ride on the runner sleds.

Vickie Free enjoyed a girls’ trip with her sister, Kathy Baldwin Jones, of Grace, and two of Kathy’s daughter, Katrina and Nina. The group went to Disney World and Daytona Beach in Florida for several days of laughter, memories and fun, along with the ocean, beach and seagulls and some feelings of Nature’s peace.

As of this writing we have had three days of snowfall and the inches have piled up. Big soggy wet ones. We have not only the temperature of winter, but also the appearance.  White sky, white mountains, white fields, white roofs, sidewalks, etc. Quite often, during these hours it hasn’t been just a storm, it has been a whiteout where one couldn’t see much across the streets of our homes. A great time to be home, feeling snug and cozy, grateful that the electricity gave us power and comfort. 

February 9, 2021

 We have some bald eagles in the neighborhood who consider themselves on duty regularly to clean up any carcass from road or field. Such beautiful birds. Turkeys and deer are happy with the bare southern slopes offering grazing areas.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints of Mink Creek held their annual ward conference on the last Sunday of January. Visitors were officers of the Preston North Stake, and they were sufficient in number to fill the choir seats of the chapel. Speakers were President Richard Swainston and 1^st Counselor, Brandon Stephenson. The congregation enjoyed a special musical number, a vocal quartette: Ramona Hatchett, Liesa Baird and Hazen and Dallon Baird singing “Come Unto Christ.” They were accompanied by Judy Wilde on the piano. This meeting and the following one were available on ZOOM, for those unable to attend.

Our members of DUP Camp Syringa are not having their monthly meetings at their various homes due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 virus. Several members of the group have been afflicted with the disease. The women are missing these social hours.

The Primary organization had planned a sleigh riding event, scheduled for January 29^th. When the late January thaw arrived a few days prior to that the event was postponed to the next Saturday. In the meantime we have had no snow so we are holding on to the promise of a storm with Nature’s party planning.

I hope you have looked to the west as the sun goes for a rest. The sunsets lately have made all of us breathless in a much better way than the COVID-19. It is a riot of rippling colors every night lately. Enjoy the show that Nature is giving us, no charge.

We had a day long blizzard on the 5^th, timed perfectly for that sledding party. The whiteout lasted for most of the daylight hours. The party was really a celebration of the storm’s arrival. The only reports I have heard have been good ones. No injuries and lots of fun. Now it has warmed up again, but more snow is hoped for in a few days. No matter how much the lazy side of us might think we want to be done with winter, in reality this part of the country needs more winter, some wetness to take us into a good spring and summer. It gets pretty difficult when the water tables drop sufficiently.

Groundhog Day, 2021

 

The Young Men and Young Women groups are meeting for a combined New Beginnings session at the home of Kurt and Margret Iverson. It will be breakfast and making plan for the coming year’s activities for those in the community from ages 12 to 18.

Two young ladies have graduated from Primary and are now members of the Young Women program in the LDS Ward. They are Kate Rasmussen, daughter of April and Trevor Rasmussen, and Greenlee Christensen, daughter of Lacey and Kerry Christensen. They have plunged right in and are having fun with the older girls.

Kent and ReNae Egley attended the funeral of Paul Tate. He is Kent’s uncle and grew up in Riverdale.

A Mink Creek old-timer passed away on January 9th. William (Bill) Ernest Crane (89) was the youngest of eight children in the family of William and Jemina Crane and wasraised on the farm on the banks of Birch Creek. He had been living in Kanab, UT, with his wife, Betty, and daughter Lynette. Bill was a navy veteran of the Korean War. He worked for the BLM or the National Forest Service and moved with the job. They lived in Paris, ID, Cheyenne, WY, and Las Vegas, NV. He was buried in Kanab.

Jonathan Seamons, at 160 pounds, continues to do well in the various wrestling tournaments where the Preston High School participates. He comes from a family o f brothers, all of whom have been in the wrestling program at the school, as was his father, Jeff Seamons.

The southern sides of our slopes are pretty bare of snow, with only patches. Fields still look white, but the turkeys are scratching through the snow to gobble any feed beneath. Above a livestock feedlot in the south end of our valley the small winter birds line up on the overhead power lines, waiting for those critters to fill their stomachs so the winged ones can snack on the scattered leftovers.

Around here the groundhog certainly saw his shadow, hopefully that is encouraging. I guess it depends on a person's perspective. We are hoping for more real winter to avoid a parched growing season.