September 17, 2024

 

Vickie and Richard Free have returned from an Alaskan cruise enjoying the summer of the north for a few days. They had planned on a European cruise but various challenges got in the way, so they opted for Alaska. Their nephew, Alex Huxford has come to Mink Creek several times as the summer months are closing.

Once again the LOTOJA bicycle race has made its way through our community on the Saturday morning of September 7. As the days get closer to this event there are always some bikers that are getting in a practice run ahead of time. On the day of the race the cyclists are scattered out, some individuals, alone, others in packs, all speeding with wheels spinning.

Jon and Peggy Flinders and their girls of Rigby, ID, spent Labor Day weekend with Peggy’s parents, Jimmie and Anna Beth Olson at their Station Creek home.

Per and Cassie Danfors, the new owners of the Egley Farms, are now in residence. Besides Justin and Kaytlin Jackson and their children who came earlier, there are four more brothers. Kalle Danfors has recently returned from serving a mission in the Sweden, Stockholm Mission. Erik and Kjell are missionaries at this time, Erik in Dares Salaam Tanzania and Kjell in Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The youngest, Kriste, is at home. Welcome to the Danfors family.

Hansen House, or ‘the cabin’ was occupied by Hansen’s for the holiday. Wes and Heather Hansen were up from Ogden, Roxann and Wes Beutler from Dayton, and Pat and Dirk Bowles from Fairview. It is a great place for sibling gatherings.

Patti and Forrest Christensen, now living in Florida, have survived the recent southern hurricanes and were home in Mink Creek for some summer time with family and friends. It is great to get at least an annual visit since they have relocated.

The youth of the community met at the Egley-Danfors Park for an outdoor movie party. It was a perfect night with no wind and all were glad for electricity and electronics to be working.

The weather has taken a rather sudden shift. Warnings going out to cover up our gardens. People thinking about getting in a wood supply, if that is the source of winter fuel. Lightning, thunder, lots of rain, and asking the question, “Are we ready for this? It could be an early winter, or just a wet end of summer.”

September 11, 2024

 

A large group of motorcyclists and other vehicles passed through Mink Creek on August 24 as they remembered and honored fallen veterans from world conflicts. This Ride For the Fallen started in Elk Ridge Park in North Logan, went through Preston up Strawberry Canyon. Their goal was to noon in Paris, ID, for a break, then rode through Logan Canyon, back to the park. Most of the bikes included driver and passenger there were others participating in following cars.

The family of Dana and Charles Peterson of Meridian came down for a weekend to her parents, Jimmie and AnnaBeth Olson. Their oldest son, CJ, was introducing his fiance to Mink Creek family and friends.

Robert and Phee Crosland took a road trip to Worland, WY, to spend a few days with their daughter Celina and Jesse Groesbeck and their little girls. Grandparenting is a fun activity. They discovered how beautiful that area is and had family fun. On their way home they stopped in Thermopolis and did some exploring.

The Fall Social for the community was enjoyed by nearly 200 people. It was held at the Mink Creek Ballpark and featured a tasty dinner of tri-tip and brisket, accompanied by Dutch-oven potatoes, beans, green salad and rolls. Clare Christensen and his crew and Stuart Ostler’s bunch were the main cooks for the evening. There was live musical entertainment--a duo called “Carter Junction” that are located in May, ID, an area close to Challis. The Carters are a young married couple that have three little boys who contribute in their own way to the Carter’s performance. After several disruptions to their presentation Clinton Carter asked if there was anyone in the audience that might be willing to entertain the boys for a bit while they finished up. Elsie McKague jumped at the chance and off to the playground they went. She had a great time with the trio, and Clinton and Sarah, on guitar and harp, finished up the evening in grand style.

Our backyard squirrel is having a busy time gathering summer apples and stashing them high in a tree in the yard.  This creature makes for entertainment in his endeavors and so far seems to have avoided any serious  meetings with our cat.  I have heard some squirrel 'cursing' when the cat is too inquisitive, but so far both are enjoying the freedom of the orchard.  Time will tell.

September 4. 2024

 I have always loved the month of September, even the way the word sounds.  I love the shift in the daily routine, school coming up, school supplies in the stores, harvests going on, winding down of hot days.  Getting ready for hunting season--I was raised in a hunting family, getting the hunting license and daydreams of a successful hunt. 

Enough about me,  I feel you should have an explanation as to why the usual Mink Creek news column isn't here this week.  We had another foul-up in the production of the Citizen.  Our editor took a trip,  articles had been sent to his email and I understand he had made arrangements to print a day later than usual with the company in Montana that sets up the paper.  However  the head honcho in this area, bypassed that and assigned the Pocatello paper editor to put it together---all well and good, except he didn't have access to our editor's email.  As a result nothing that the Citizen staff/writers had reported made the paper this week---the paper this week is filled with stuff from other locations, etc.---only our sports editor who became alerted to the situation as it was happening and she could send her stuff, raising a little dust as she did it, to include a bit about Franklin County, which is what we strive for.

This being the case the Mink Creek weekly news from this week will make print in the Sept. 11 edition, so I should not include it here.  I could give you the Out of Our Past column for this week, because, being dated, this is when it fits and it won't work for the following week.  I don't know if any of you readers are even interested in the historical columns I write.  Maybe you think history is boring...or something we can somehow change.

I just didn't want you to feel frustrated with nothing for today.  Hence you get the workings of my mind.

Feel free to make comments,  I always wonder who is reading and only a few of you claim to be signed up for the blog.  Thanks for the read.  Next week will be more "newsy."

August 27, 2024

 

Gardens are producing, a little erratic in their timing. But it has been that kind of growing season, the beginning started off with night freezes that knocked things askew and caused replanting, with hopes of no more freezes. There was a cloudburst or two that washed up planted seeds. Now we are saying welcome to the corn, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, etc. anything that made it through the gauntlet.

It has been Crane reunion time again in Mink Creek. Linda Shewmaker, Sheryl May, with a cousin, Lynette LaSan, gathered at the Mink Creek home of Bruce and Shauna Crane to remember childhood days together in this beautiful village.

Jeff and Barbara Olson enjoyed children visits from Andy Olson, his wife and their family from South Carolina. Jeff’s daughter Erica Olson came down from Alaska, getting in some time before the beginning of school at their homes far away.

With approaching fall Lin and Sharla McKay might be having less summer road trips and outdoor fun. They have been up in the Wallace, ID, they have made several river runs and not all on the same river, they have visited historic spots and had fun family outings.

The yellow school buses are rolling, filled with kids and drivers who are adjusting to new hours and new plans to extend into the next several months of their lives. This also includes the adults of our community who are connected with the school district in any way and the arrival of school days doesn’t make anything easier. There are still chores to be done and summer not quite over.

There are still reports of the wandering moose in Strawberry Canyon and around Copenhagen. Recently a buck deer collided with a vehicle one night on Highway 36. The creature received bruises and a broken jaw, at least, but he made it to a nearby resident's yard, away from the road, before collapsing and passing away a few days later.

If you are a fan of chokecherries it is time to be on alert. Some are getting ready for picking and the bird population works hard at getting their fill.

August 20, 2024

 

Jonathan Seamons, son of Jeff and Jennifer Seamons of Caldwell, ID, has been living in Mink Creek this summer, working a summer job to earn money anticipating a call to serve an LDS Mission. He has been called to serve in Brazil, Manaus North Mission, leaving in December. He will be speaking Portuguese. Both sets of his grandparents live in Mink Creek, Scott and Cathy Seamons and Joe and Kathy Jarvis.

Roxann and Wes Beutler of Dayton spent a few days here in the Hansen House. They felt this would be a good place for Wes’ s recuperation from recent knee surgery. Judging from their parking lot with additional vehicles, they had plenty of visitors for entertainment.

The family of Jody and Laural Janke drove down from Teton, ID, to spend a few days together having fun before the call of educational pursuits pull some of them elsewhere. Their son Keenan Janke had barely returned from serving a mission to the Barbados, Bridgetown, Mission, where he had been speaking French for the last two years. The family had a day at Lagoon, soaked up the festivities for the Famous Preston Night Rodeo, and enjoyed remembering when they lived in Mink Creek and were close to Bear Lake. Keenan will soon be headed to BYU in Provo and their daughter, Abi, will be in Salt Lake City with an extension of her nursing classes at BYU/I.

Elise and Jeff Hardy and their family, of North Ogden, came up for some days with her parents, Danita and Eldon Wilcox. Families visiting in the fall months seems to announce a change in the weather and the coming changes in family routines.

The frequent short, but intense, storms that have been popping up are causing some stress. Particularly for those who have houses under construction, or reconstruction. An open roof doesn’t shed much rain. Grain harvest struggles with dampness as well.

August 14, 2024

 

Mike and Mary Ann Jepsen spent a few days in southern Utah with family. They have been grateful for air-conditioned buildings in the triple digit heat. It has been some good recuperation time for Mike following some surgery.

Some of the visiting Haws family stayed in Idaho to take in the rodeo weekend. Kasey and Julie Haws were joined by Adam and Camene Haws and their family from Sol Vang. The Haws children have been busy in California with their 4H projects and things are winding up, ready for school to begin.

Carla and Mark Nielsen and Aidan and Victoria Nielsen enjoyed family time with Claudine and LaMar McKague. They came up from American Fork, UT, to attend the Famous Preston Night Rodeo, meeting up with their friends, the Adam Haws family.

Walter Iverson and his wife Jillian are temporary residents of Mink Creek in an unusual situation. Walter is studying dentistry and has been doing an internship the last several months in the office of Dr. Kurt Iverson, a local dentist, who happens to be Walter’s father. If it were possible we would keep these two young people, but educational pursuits will call them elsewhere.

The youth and their leaders enjoyed a night of floating the Bear River in the Oneida Narrows. Kim Rasmussen and Jared Keller drove shuttle service for the trips back upriver. Kim also cooked up yummy hamburgers with all the fixings, he has a chef reputation to keep up with the guys. Bishop McKay had chips, drinks and licorice enough for all. Cookies were dessert on the menu, thanks to the girls’ leaders.

Clifford and LaDawn Jensen’s life recently has been a bit of a whirlwind. Their granddaughter, Murial Jensen was married on July 16, the rites taking place in Boise, the reception in Pocatello a few days later. Mercedes Mackelprang, the Jensen’s daughter, and aunt to Murial, came for the occasion , all the way from Statesboro, GA. With Mercedes was her daughter Melissa who lives in Boston and a friend, Domitille, who is from France. Idaho was certainly new territory for these girls and there was much to be seen and done during the family visit.

The fall version of COVID-19 has arrived in Mink Creek. There are several residents suffering from the malady, some feeling wiped out, others managing to keep plugging along. Often in a farming operation there is not much choice. People are doing the testing with this round and there is the usual irregularity.

August 6, 2024

 

We have had lightning, we have had rain, big gulps of it, we have had loss of power several times. The dryness has perked up a bit with the gift of the rain.

Elder Charles Iverson returned from serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Philippines, Bacolod area. He spoke to the Mink Creek Ward of his experiences and testimony. He included moments of typhoons and long hikes. Charles is the son of Kurt and Margret Iverson and all of his siblings were able to attend as well as grandparents, Johnny and Jeannine Iverson of Mink Creek and Sharon Knapp of Mapleton. Relatives on both the Iverson and Knapp sides of the family gathered for the occasion.

The Allen and Pearl Christensen Family Reunion was held at the Mink Creek Ballpark. Robin and Joseph Francom of North Carolina combined attending the reunion with the graduation of their daughter from BYU/I in Rexburg. Dorothy and Larry Shears came from Denver, CO. With shorter distances of travel were Devin and Shaundeen Christensen from Layton, UT, Verneal Lowry from Tooele, UT, and Janna and Rod Small from Preston. A stormy wind with rain caused them to move from the park to the workshop of Clare and Linda Christensen for a more pleasant, drier gathering.

Jeff and Barbara Olson have received a mission call to the California, Oakland/ San Francisco Mission. They will be leaving in January and serving at the Visitors’ Center of the Oakland Temple.

Judy Wilde and Anna Beth Olson are called to serve in the Preston East Stake to use their musical talents. Anna Beth is the Music Specialist, and Judy, the Music Adviser.

RoZann and Tom Baker from Salt Lake City enjoyed a few days in Mink Creek’s relative coolness. RoZann grew up in Mink Creek, the daughter of Keith and Ramona Crane, on what is now known as the Two-Creek Ranch.

It has been rodeo weekend in the county and it is amazing how many people come home for this three day extravaganza. Parades every night,  the carnival, the hamburgers from the Rotary and Kiwanis service clubs, all part of the event. There are class reunions often held during this time, perfect since so many return for the fun and memories.