Feb 27, 2013

There was swinging and swaying and much visiting at our community Valentine Dance held in the recreation hall of the LDS Ward.  The Young Women group had decorated the hall with strings of light overhead and valentine décor on the walls. Refreshments were under the direction of the Sunday School organization and there was oodles: cookies, brownies, chocolate dipped strawberries, nuts, lemon bars, M&M’s , nuts, and ruby punch.  Sweet tooth paradise!

The Relief Society ladies provided the publicity for the event and there was a good attendance.

Kyle Beardall has returned home from his missionary labors in the England, London South, Mission.  He is planning  to attend USU this summer and in the meantime is employed

at Stokes Grocery and the Season of Hope.  He is the son of Kent and Tammy Beardall.

Johnny and Jeannine Iverson  have hosted their Snow Fest for their family near and far.

Steven and Jessie Iverson and two children came from Dallas, TX.  Cherie and Ted Shillig flew from Rural Retreat, VA, and their son Tyler and a friend took some time off from work in St George to join them.  Rebecca and Dane Jones, plus four children drove down from Washougal, WA.  Micheal and Susan Iverson and children hopped over from Brigham City, UT.   Kurt and Margret Iverson live within shouting distance of his parents.  The snow is like a magnet, particularly for those who live in snow free localities. There were grandchildren and even great grands present for this winter event that has become an annual thing for the Iverson bunch. 

Judy and George Rasmussen were happy having a visit from family.  Scott and Drew Pack and their son David took advantage of the snow filled slopes in our area for some fun sledding.  Scott is pursuing a Master’s degree at BYU in Provo.  David has been attending BYU/Idaho and will soon be leaving for his mission in Russia.

            Ami and Tom Fenton and their children were here for a weekend with her parents, Eldon and Danita Wilcox.  Fentons live in Tooele, UT.

            We are shortly going to have three missionaries coming home to Mink Creek.  At the same time we have three leaving shortly so the numbers in the display case at the LDS Ward will remain about the same, just get shifted around a little.

Spring is starting to make an effort to arrive.  Today we had a snowstorm of fat feathery flakes, falling while the sun was doing its best to break through.  The sky was filled with white light and one could almost see patches of blue through the falling snow.  A little weird, but beautiful.

Feb 20, 2013

As a person drives through our little hamlet one may think they are on a child’s roller coaster ride.   The highway has suffered from weather and there are buckles  and dips along the route.  It is hopeful that as weather improves so will traveling.

Old Glencoe Church is no more.  The building was converted into a hay barn years go and recently begun falling apart on its southern side.  On a calm winter evening   the owner, Kent Egley, set fire to what remained of the structure about a week ago. A big fire is always exciting.  Some additional excitement arrived when the county fire crews came to investigate.  Those vehicles make quite a parade.

Layne and Karen Erickson and Bob and Claudia Erickson drove to Farmington, UT, to attend the funeral of their brother-in-law, Alan Stine.  Alan was the husband of their sister, Imogene Erickson Stine , and has been suffering for several years with dementia.

Josh and Sara Newby came home for a weekend, spending some time with his parents, Sharla and Lin McKay.  The couple is busy going to school and working in Rexburg, ID.  

A Scout Court of Honor combined with the Blue and Gold Banquet of Cub Scouts for a special evening this month.  Young men and their families enjoyed a filling menu of Hawaiian haystacks, jello salads and multiple choices of desserts: cookies, cakes, pies.  Hawaiian attire was appropriate garb for the theme of the night.  More than sixty merit badges were awarded and five young men earned their Life rank: Chance and Dakota Hatch, Ty Beardall, Andy McKay and Josh Greene.  The following Sabbath the young men and leaders were encouraged to wear their scout uniforms to the LDS meetings.

            The Laurels and Varsity Scouts enjoyed a night of tubing on slopes of the Iverson Ranch.  There was lots of fun and only one serious injury resulting from a collision.  Claire Jepsen came away with a fractured ankle but appears to be doing well.

 Sorry this posting was a little late to match up with the Citizen's weekly publication.  It was a case of too many irons in the fire for me yesterday.  Don't give up checking out the blog, it is a constant thing in my life, just occasionally I get thrown a curve on the scheduling.

            Leonard Nelson and his wife drove down from Idaho Falls to visit the family of their daughter Emily and Tyler Jones.  Of course they attended a basketball game where Tyler coaches at PHS.  Leonard grew up in Mink Creek, a son of Edna and Doug Nelson.

            A combination of snow and wind reduced the attendance at the LDS Ward recently.  The main roads were cleared but that doesn’t account for the driveways required to reach those roads.  It was that kind of weekend, not quite a blizzard but sufficient to load the off-roads.

            We have had some cougar sightings recently within our community boundaries. It bodes well for all to be alert for their presence.  The heavy snows will have affected their lifestyle, and not for the better.

Lincoln's Birthday, 2013

The Mink Creek area is a popular spot during the winter for snowmobile enthusiasts.  Many head up Strawberry Canyon to the forested mountains.  Birch Creek attracts another set and that parking lot, located where most of the farmed fields end, is full of trailers and trucks on most weekends.

The LDS Ward enjoyed a Linger Longer lunch following the block of meetings on Feb 3^rd.  Tables set up in the recreation hall were available for seating after the filling of plates.  There was a selection of soups, rolls, strawberry jam (a favorite, judging by how fast it disappeared), and several choices of salads.  Desserts were covered by choices of brownies, cakes and cookies.  This is an activity that is much enjoyed, giving our community that is spread out over ten miles an opportunity to catch up on one another’s lives.

Dr Kurt Iverson received some serious injuries recently. A tow chain came lose as he was trying to rescue a family vehicle that was stuck in the snow.  Dr. Iverson has some facial lacerations, a fractured nose, some damaged teeth and injury to an eye.  He has greatly improved since the incident and will soon be back at his dental practice. 

Juliana Packer  is home in Mink Creek to participate in a baby shower for her newborn infant, a bouncing baby girl.  She is the first child for Blaine and Juliana, the first grandchild for LaRon and Liesa Baird.  The Packer family live in Heyburn, ID.

Watch out for meandering deer.  This past week a lovely doe was mincing her way down the middle of the highway.  When she realized there was traffic coming at her from both directions she finally chose to jump a guard rail and bound down the steep hillside below.  So glad automobiles are equipped with brakes for the sake of both humans and wildlife!

For years our nation has lumped both Lincoln and Washington's birthday together and labeled it "President's Day" but I fondly remember celebrating each day separately and learning a bit about each man that had led our country through some momentous times.  Today is for Old Abe!

The deer are among us, looking for anything worth eating, particularly on the south side of our slopes.  Drivers may slam on their brakes to count how many deer they see.  Drivers may be paying more attention to the deer lying under the trees than they are to their driving.  Deer don’t go to sleep when the sun goes down.  Turkeys, on the other hand, find their favorite place to roost.

Lately most days have been rather dreary, gray and partially foggy.  Not many years ago our community always felt that we were above the fog.  The last couple of years have changed that outlook.  When an inversion moves in, causing Cache Valley to rate high with impure air, we are part of the package.  The clear days, however, are absolutely beautiful and glorious with the sun causing the banks of snow to be filled with jewels.

Feb 6, 2013

The weather has been an interesting combination of late.  A late January thaw came when a Chinook moved in. Everywhere was drip, drip, drip, with avalanches of snow sliding off our roofs. There was plenty of fog. A day later a strong winter storm hit and dumped a foot or so of heavy wet snow.  Wonderful stuff!  We have had a few storms since, so the depth must average out at about two feet where man has not disturbed it.

Residents from the past, Nettie and Joe Linton, of Logan, are headed for the mission field.  Their call was scheduled for a March departure date, but a recent phone call moved it up a month.  They will be speaking on Feb 10^th, at 11:30 a.m. in Logan.  The church is located at 100 E. 200 No.  The Lintons will be serving in the West Indies Mission.  This area requires FBI approval, fingerprints and the works, not to mention all the inoculations that go with foreign assignments.

Abigail Janke, daughter of Laural and Jody Janke, graduated from Primary in the LDS Ward.  She received her Certificate of Advancement and earned the Faith in God award.  She is excited to belong to the Beehive class of Young Women.

We regret the passing of Kristine Christensen, wife of Clare Christensen. Kris fought the cancer for about fifteen months before it won the battle. The Christensen family of Mink Creek is a large extended family and many relatives were present at her funeral held in the Mink Creek Ward church.  Kristine’s two sons, Joe and Jon Coplen, were here, as well as Clare’s children: Stephen Christensen, Janna Wolfley, Robin Francom, Tiffany Kinder, and Devin Christensen.  Kris’s mother, Barbara and Bernice Mecham came up from West Valley City, UT.  Some of Clare’s siblings were here, Clarice Feichko (his twin), Donald Christensen, Dorothy Shear, Verneal Lowry, DeeVirile Christensen,  and Royce Christensen.

            MaryAnn Jepsen slipped in an icy parking lot and broke some bones just above her ankle a few weeks back.  After surgery and a cast she found she could use a scooter to allow her some limited mobility.  Now, after following the Doctor’s instructions for the past six weeks, she has graduated to a walking cast.  Bit by bit, this new experience is moving her forward so that she can return to “normal.”  It will have been a long time of relative inactivity for this woman who is always on the go with her job, golf, family and other interests.

            We are still living in winter beauty, along with winter cold temperatures.  The thawing was short-lived, as it should be this time of year.  One can see the wildlife trails, criss-crossing snowy slopes, as they make their way down to water and back to winter shelter.   

            We are having a bit of trouble with the school buses---our kids ride on two buses, depending on the location of their homes.  Sometimes the dirt roads have been so slick that it has been difficult for the buses to navigate.  The temperatures have been cold enough that the buses gel up, due to the diesel fuel, and then the replacement bus arrives somewhere between an hour or 30 minutes later than usual.  When the bus shows up early, it presents a totally different type of challenge.  Hopefully these things will ease off as the weather decides to warm.

Jan 30, 2013

We are getting plenty of soupy London Fog.  One good thing about fog is that the decreased visibility causes traffic to slow down a little.  ‘Tis the season of rocks-coming-at-the-windshield any time you are on the road and increased speed makes for a stronger impact.

The LDS Ward held its annual Ward Conference on Jan 20^th.  Leaders of the Preston North Stake were in attendance, all three of the presidency, President Dax Keller and his counselors, Richard Swainston and Blaine Rounds.  All of the stake auxiliary organizations were well represented and these members instructed local membership in their particular callings.

MaKenzie Gunter, daughter of Eldon and Danita Wilcox, is presently enrolled at ISU in Pocatello.   While at Preston High this young lady excelled in several athletic pursuits.  She is now participating in track at ISU in the pentathlon event. This is a new one for MaKenzie as she does the shot put, hurdles, the high jump, long jump and the 800 meter race. In a recent competition she qualified for the Conference Championship in the high jump.

Beverly Bruderer took the long drive to Dickinson, ND, and back. Her husband, Doug, is employed there in the oil fields.  She reported that temperatures up there were similar to our locality, just plain cold, but that the prices of most ordinary items were sky high.  An example given was a gallon of milk for $4.50.

Betty Jensen Corbett passed away.  She grew up here, married and moved to Preston.  Her son Shane and Sherrie Corbett and children live here in the Albert Jensen home.  It was good seeing Betty’s daughter, Jackie, and  Jensen cousins that are now living in Utah:  Mark lives in Roy, Zina in Lehi, Joyce in Smithfield, Craig, here in Preston, and Clifford.  Cliff is the only one still in Mink Creek from that side of the family.

Moonlight nights seem to bring on owl talk. When the nights are bright the Mink Creek owls get in a conversational mood.  This isn’t just a winter happening, they gab during the warmer months as well.  Things are so beautiful right now, covered with sparkling snow that I am sure that is the topic of their discussions.

We have been dealing with the results of snow storms this week.  It has gone from rain turning into ice, to lots and lots of snow.  The county plows have shown up a bit late and that makes all glad to have equipment of our own to ge us in and out.  Two mornings so far this week and the school bus was late by more than an hour the first morning, then early the next day.  Of course buses have a right to difficulties on snowy morning, slick roads and big snowbanks don’t help anyone.

There has also been another funeral since the last news deadline.  Kristine Christensen passed away, that will be covered in next week’s column.

Jan 23, 2013

Jeff and Camille Knudson had a fun time with a visit from their son, Cameron and Rebecca Knudson and their children.  The family lives in Marysville, CA.  They had a good time with Idaho winter weather sledding and enjoyed the proximity of horses in the country.  Their son Trevor will be leaving for the MTC in  Sao Paulo, to begin his mission call to Brazil.

Steve and Terry Mainini took a trip to California for one week.  Their first stop was with Steve’s folks in Santa Maria, then to Steve’s mother and Terry’s folks in Ventura.  It wasn’t as cold as Idaho, but not as warm as they would have liked. 

Johnny and Jeannine Iverson were California bound as well.  They visited a daughter, Christine and Charles Clark in Roseville, picked oranges, enjoyed family times and warmer-than-Idaho weather.  They went for the occasion of Johnny ordaining a grandson in the priesthood of the LDS Church.

            Jimmie and AnnaBeth Olson have reported that they may be on a mission in England, but they now have a Chinese-speaking LDS Branch that meets in their home.  The Olsons are serving in the city of Hull, England.

The youth who are playing basketball with the LDS Ward are having fun  in both practices and their games.  Kerry Christensen is coaching both teams, girls and boys.

Kurt Iverson was released as the Second Counselor in the Mink Creek Ward Bishopric.  He is now serving on the Preston North Stake High Council.

Night skating was enjoyed by the Scouts; their leader is Paul McKay.  The Longhurst family has created a small rink on their property, equipped with lights and music.  There are bumpers of straw bales to line the outer edges.  The sounds of fun echo off the mountains, as well as shrieks when bruises occur.

Two turkey fatalities have occurred along our highway.  The birds feed along the road sides in groups, and they seem to feel that they have the right-of-way and might step out suddenly in front of a vehicle.  I often wonder if there is any way to judge the IQ of these creatures. 

Bob Erickson and Vernon Keller went up to Pocatello to take in the annual Agricultural Expo at the Holt Arena on the ISU Campus.  They returned with new ball caps and florescent vests to add to their wardrobe of farming attire, plus a new gadget or two.

We are still in the grip of below zero weather.  The forecasts are not one bit encouraging.  It is hard on the human residents and their livestock; imagine what it must be for the local wildlife.  My backyard magpies seem plenty lively but I note their feathers are fluffed out for more warmth.  Even when the sun shires it is brittle and sparles, beautiful but bone-chilling.

I just realized that I have been writing this blog for a little over a year.  It started because I am too verbose to match the imposed limit of words by our publisher.  I have struggled during this time wondering which was the most important to put in the printed column---the names and activities, or the local color and scenes.   54 posts later, I still haven't come up with the answer for that one.  Most people tell me they don't do the online thing, no technology for many readers.  So I am still seeking the answer---tell me what you think.  This blog is not connected to the newspaper at all, it just includes info that I wrote for said paper.

Jan 16, 2013

It has been frigid up here as well as the lower regions of the county.  We have had our share of fog and hoar frost.  While it is beautiful it does not make for comfortable living.  Cars don’t want to start, water sources for outside animals have to be broken regularly, house pipes freeze, etc. etc.

Eldon and Danita Wilcox had most of their family here to wrap up 2012:  Matt and Brittany Durrant and their baby girl from Salt Lake City where Matt is at the U of U. Tyson and MaKenzie Gunter, now going to school at ISU in Pocatello. Ami Fenton and her bunch of four from Tooele, UT. Elise and Jeff Hardy and family of six from North Ogden.  When the family gets together it really fills up the Wilcox home quickly, not to mention their lack of  parking spaces for that many vehicles.  Located up against a hillside, their place doesn’t allow for spreading out or turning around.

Michelle Wall brought her two children from Grand Junction, CO. for a stay with her parents, Kent and Tammy Beardall.  Michelle also brought a batch of puppies.  She is a brave woman to make that trip in the winter with all these noisy passengers.

Hayden Egley, daughter of Jared and Julie Egley, has graduated from Primary.  She received her Certificate of Graduation and also earned the Faith in God award.

The community enjoyed their annual ski party at Beaver Mountain.  It was a very crisp night and families enjoyed visiting together in the lodge and sharing victuals of all sorts. Preston 4^th Ward joined in the fun. Approximately 90 people had fun on the slopes, with all levels of skill involved.  In addition to skiing there was snow boarding and sledding going on.  No injuries were reported.

           

We have had more than our share of the flu that is going around.  A person doesn’t know for sure whether “flu” is the right label to attach or not.  Some cases are a flu match.  Much of the problems are more along the bronchitis line---coughing, coughing for several weeks.  Not much voice, tired to the bone. Not much fun!!

            Some of you may be missing a familiar smiling face at the United States Post Office in Preston.   Eldon Wilcox has been retired for several weeks.  He is happy with his new position of house husband.  The smiling face is still intact along with the sense of humor.