May 29, 2018

         The shift in seasons seems to bring more visitors to Mink Creek, some for a weekend, others a more extended stay. Morgan and Eli Curtis of Logan,spent a day with her parents, Paul and Terrie McKay at their home on Station Creek. Connie and Adam Westenskow had a weekend with her parents, Karen and Layne Erickson, driving up from Woods Cross, UT.

          Bret and Jody Rasmussen enjoyed the company of two daughters. Brandi Allred and her children Eliza, Jet and Ezra came up from West Bountiful, UT. Cheyenne and her husband Kaden Lloyd of Fairview, ID, joined in the family get-together. .

           River McKay has completed two years of studies at Utah State University and has now been accepted into the Outdoor Product Design and Development program. She will be headed to the northwest in the fall. In the meantime she has moved to Rexburg, ID, for summer work where she is employed at Klim as a technical developer. Life is movin' on for River. She is the daughter of Lin and Sharla McKay

          Two young women of our community have invested some time and energy in the business classes offered by the Self Reliance program of the Preston North Stake. Both Annavelyn Wilcox and Jasmine Erickson feel it has been very worthwhile for their individual situations.

           Lana and Ivan McCracken made a quick trip to his home area in Canada, visiting a friend in Raymond, Alberta. Ivan extended his stay while taking care of some business matters.

           Larry and Lillian Hansen are back in town on a semi-permanent basis. They are expecting to have family members coming in and out of their home on Bear Creek with the onslaught of warm weather and outdoor fun.

            Funeral services were held in Mink Creek for Nyala “Sam” Crane Maldeney, age 72, on May 25^th. She is is the daughter of Molly and Basil Crane. “Sam “ has had a long battle with cancer. With Basil's job as a forest ranger the family spent the growing up years wherever was his current assignment, but Mink Creek has always had the sound of 'home.' The Crane family and friends gathered for “Sam's” burial in the Mink Creek Cemetery, near her parents.

           As we herald the presence of spring, we are forced to deal with the reality of flattened bugs on the windshields. Any trip down through the river bottoms is a reminder of that population being again a force in our lives.

           At this posting we are grieved by the death of long-time resident, Dennis Clark. He died in a traffic accident while driving for a hunting trip with his grandson-in-law Bracken Atkinson. Bracken has been in the hospital in Idaho Falls and we are hopeful of his being released to come home this week.

May 15, 2018

           There has been some changes in the Bishopric of the Mink Creek LDS Ward. President Richard Swainston of the Preston North Stake presided over the releasing of Lin McKay, 1^st counselor, Jessie Wilcox as ward clerk, and Trevor Rasmussen as executive secretary. Sustained to these callings were Kerry Jepsen as 1^st counselor, Robert Crosland as ward clerk and Miles Erickson as executive secretary.

           Other major changes were in the Young Men's organization with Bret Rasmussen now the president, Kent Egley his 1^st counselor, Trevor Rasmussen 2^nd counselor, Lin McKay as Priest's adviser, Jessie Wilcox Teacher's adviser and Mario Crosland Deacon's adviser. The men released from those positions were Terry Westerberg, Kerry Christensen, Robert Crosland, Jared Egley, Kerry Jepsen, Jeff Seamons, Kim Rasmussen and Mario Crosland..

          Terry and Hayes Carr and their family drove up from Centerville, UT, to spend the weekend with her parents, Mary Jean and Larry Rasmussen. Kevin and Nancy Alder were also up from their Utah home, getting their Mink Creek home ready for more frequent occupancy with the warmer weather.

          The new baby boy of Natalie and Jamie Forbush was given a name and blessing in the LDS Ward. He is Trent Gregory Forbush, and warmly welcomed by siblings Shayleigh and Kalel. The LDS chapel was filled with family members of the Merritt, Robbins and Forbush clans and friends from near and far that had arrived to get acquainted with this tiny newcomer to the Forbush family.

            After a struggle with several heart attacks and poor health, Elmer Eugene Oliverson passed away and has come home to his native Mink Creek, resting on our lovely hillside cemetery.

           More of the fruit trees are filling with blossoms: the apple, the pie cherry, a peach tree or two, the chokecherries, both wild and tame. There are a lot of nice fragrances floating on the airwaves, unless a person is allergic to those very things.

           These spring rains have turned us into a valley of green. Some of the fierce winds that have swept through have brought down a few of our trees, with no damage reported thus far.

           The sound of lawn mowers in action is almost as constant as that of the roaring water as it makes its way to the Bear River in one tributary or another. All this rain has made us very green, but it has also accelerated growth. It seems like there is only one day in between the need to mow those lawns, yet again. No complaints, we are pleased to be receiving the moisture.

            We have a new committed reader of this Mink Creek blog.  I say committed because I know some people who read it, but do not subscribe. Welcome, the plan is for it to be online at the same time as the Preston Citizen newspaper arrives in mailboxes since the first paragraphs are part of the published column in that paper.  The timing  is not guaranteed, but it isn't too often that it doesn't show up sometime on a fairly weekly basis. The original blog started when the editor at that time limited the rural columns to 300 words and I was prone to have more to say.  That condition has been removed. Another purpose has been to make the Mink Creek hometown news available to ex-creekers, or those temporarily cast adrift, though they may not be subscribing to the paper.  Now the paper has gone to digital, but the blog still works .

May 9, 2018

         We are surrounded with all shades of green. The deep dark of the evergreens, the emerald green, the kelly green, the sage green of our places with the sage brush that has always been here, the barely green of new plants just breaking through the crust of the newly planted fields. Green saturation, that is Mink Creek at the present time. We are appreciating the flowering trees, the daffodils, tulips, etc. that interrupt the green flow. The strips and patches of yellow across a growing field is scattered sunshine, also known as dandelions, looking their most beautiful. Water cress is at the perfect stage, at least in some of the spots where it grows.

           The Mink Creek LDS Ward recently held their annual Ward Conference. The various officers of the Preston North Stake were in attendance. Stake President Dax Keller, and his counselors, Richard Swainston and David Bosen, all shared words of encouragement and inspiration with the ward to help guide in the everyday lives of the congregants.

          The Erickson siblings gathered for dinner and visiting at the home of Gary and Sharen Erickson in Chubbuck, ID. It has been several years since they have all been together. Bob and Claudia Erickson and Layne and Karen Erickson have continued to live in Mink Creek their whole lives. Imogene Erickson Stine now lives in Saratoga Springs, UT, having moved there from Farmington, UT.

         Even though these accomplishments have been mentioned earlier in the Citizen we must lay claim to the residency of two young people. David Seamons, the winner of the string competition of the Bennett Cup with a violin solo, is the son of Jeff and Jennifer Seamons. Hayden Egley, the 1^st Attendant in the Distinguished Young Women program, is the daughter of Jared and Juli Egley.

          The sight of vehicles pulling snomobile trailers up to our canyons is being replaced by the not-so-visual roar of motorcyclists enjoying the warmer weather and scenic spring.

          The farming year has progressed enough that the irrigation systems are starting up, the big guns, the pipes, the wheel lines, the rotation lines, whichever suits the needs and finances of the farmer. Most of the Mink Creek farms are put together like jigsaw puzzle pieces so the watering has to be tailored to the shape of the field. Those nice big, level pieces of ground simply do not exist here.

May Day, 2018

         The spring break for BYU/I in Rexburg, ID gave a few days for two young men to head to Mink Creek. Rico Crosland spent some days with his family, that of Robert and Phee Crosland, before heading out to his summer employment in the state of Washington. Davis Collins came down to spend the week with his grandparents, Bob and Claudia Erickson, away from the college hubbub. His sister, Bailey Collins came up from Salt Lake City to join the group for a day. The Collins duo has discovered that Mink Creek has some good hiking country nearby.

         The community turned out one cold evening to do our semi-annual cleanup of our length of Highway 36. In years past it has been a project for the youth, but our population is shifting to not very many youth so it has turned into an all-ages event. There was a good turn out and all enjoyed the refreshments that followed the work: homemade slimjims, cheese and crackers and glazed doughnuts.

         We have a young man who is involved in racing of a challenging sort. Bryce Egley, son of Jared and Juli Egley, participates in a sport known as cross country mountain bike racing. He is presently involved in a national race series, the Pro Mountain Bike Cross-Country Tour (ProXCT). In April he has been in two races. The first one was the 2019 US Cup Fontana National in Fontana, CA. Bryce was awarded the 3^rd place for his excellent driving. His is the CAT 2 men's 15-16 year old division. His second race this month, where he placed 2^nd , was the US Cup Bonelli Park XCT in San Dimas, CA. Of course his family are his biggest fans.

         Karen and Layne Erickson enjoyed a visit from her sister, Linda Schmidt, of Mesquite, NV. Linda stayed a couple of days and the two sisters did some catching up. It has been over four years since they had time like this together. Linda had been able to catch a ride to Logan with Nevada friends who were delivering a student to Utah State.

        Some fruit trees are bursting into blossom. The apricot trees are wearing pale pink blooms. The hawthorn, service berry, and wild plum trees, full of white flowers dot our landscape everywhere, the side hills, along our waterways. The scenery is becoming beautiful.

        Spring! Wonderful, crazy spring! Another day of much rain, some snow. The snow line on our mountains dropped bit by bit during the day. That was yesterday, today warmed up and the snow line crept back up the mountain sides. This is a great way to usher in the month of May. The dandelions are putting forth their bright smiling faces that always are reassuring that another season has begun.

April 24, 2018

         Ex-Mink Creeker Sharon Moran came visiting for a few days. She headquartered at Kim and Wally Christensen's home but made contact with others in the community. She was headed up to Pocatello for some time with her mother before returning to her island home in the Puget Sound of Washington state.

          Jeff amd Jennifer Seamons and their boys: Ben, David, Jonathan and Jacob, used much of their spring break time visiting various national parks in these western states.

          The recent change in the Priesthood Quorum organization of the LDS Church has brought about a shift in the Mink Creek Ward. The new officers of the new Elders' Quorum are Paul McKay as the president, Forrest Christensen as his first counselor, Terry Westerberg as second counselor and Kim Rasmussen as the secretary of the group.

           The Cub Scouts and families met for the annual Pinewood Derby event. Each boy with their individually designed wooden car were excited to see how their vehicle would perform. The hall was decorated with racing flags and the track set up with starting gate and finishing line. Cub master, Sharla McKay enjoys this night just about as much as the boys do.This is a night where everyone is recognized, each being “the most 'something'” The fastest this year proved to be Grayson Stanworth, winning every heat. Cubs participating were Jacob Seamons, Grayson Stanworth, Orin Baird, Jake Stanworth, and Conner Iverson. Refreshments were car-related, food cars, axle rods, etc. provided by the Wolf leaders, Phee Crosland and Lorraine Christensen. Other leaders on board were Mario Crosland, Wynn Costley, Mary Ann Jepsen and Jody Rasmussen.

          Dawnell Greene, District Roundtable Commissioner for Cub Scouts, welcomed Hazen Baird, son of LaRon and Liesa Baird, into the 11-year old Scout Troop. Hazen earned his Arrow of Light as he moves up the scouting ladder.

          Seven individuals have graduated from the Self Reliance Personal Finance course in the Mink Creek Ward. They are Jesse Wilcox, Robert and Phee Crosland, Mario Crosland, Celina Crosland, and Trevor and April Rasmussen. They feel this class has been worth their time and effort.

          A bright sunny, rather cold day, with the wind coming at us from the north. Our countryside is looking green, as in spring color. Actually a little richer green than usual, must have had some nitrogen in our recent storm moisture. One could hear the lawn mowers in action up and down the village. Once started that is a constant weekly task.

          Resident pheasants are up and about. I am finding their feathers that have gotten misplaced and seen several darting across our main drag, somehow missing the vehicles.

          Several Mink Creek home owners are gardeners of the first quality and their personal greenhouses are in operation as they await a safe planting time. Night time temperatures are still dipping too low for security at this point.

April 17, 2018

           Brady and Shoney Henderson and their family crew of Tom, Calvin and Jancy enjoyed the area around San Diego for a few days. They managed to hit some fun activities in the five days they were there: The San Diego Zoo, the Midway Museum, old town San Diego, and of course, some hours at the beach. Add to that the warm, more consistent weather and they had a great time.

          Warm water called to Alona and Stuart Ostler, they packed up their duds and took Jody Sharp, Alona's mother, and flew to San Carlos, Mexico. They did some fishing and particularly liked swimming with the dolphins and snorkeling. Once they got home in Mink Creek it was only a matter of days before the whole Ostler family traveled to St George, UT, for the final National Cheer Competition. The whole family is Davanie, Stetson, AlliRay and Brenten, plus parents. Davanie's cheer team took 1^st place in the competition and were awarded Grand Champions for the most points scored at the event. Extra cheers are in order for such an accomplishment.

            Sheldon and Candy Longhurst enjoyed a warm break with daughters McKinley and Emily. The family took several days to roam Las Vegas and all the glitter and glam, the palm trees and relaxation, away from the rigors of winter and life on the farm, the jobs and school.

            A reverse visit was the family of Jody and Laural Janke coming to Mink Creek during their spring break from school in Richfield, UT. Grandparents, Bob and Claudia Erickson soaked up all the noise and activity that came with the grandkids. The Erickson 4wheel machines were one of the chief attractions, besides the Easter holiday and General Conference activities.

           There are a few more signs that spring will come, in spite of the snow bursts that we have received this week. The turkeys have headed for the high country. One hears and sees the nesting wild ducks. The crocuses are in bloom outside the LDS Meetinghouse in the center of our community. Down in Riverdale and Preston the trees are getting just a bit of green, not quite to the lacey look, but encouraging. Naturally, the Mink Creek slopes are a bit behind, as it should be.

            Tis the season for pruning trees. Those extra branches that somehow sprout over a year's time have got to go. Tis also the season for repairing fences. As all know, “good fences make good neighbors.” In a community such as ours being good neighbors enhances the whole village. Having your neighbors critters encroach on your freshly planted field is not a welcome event and causes much disturbance on both sides of the fence.

April 10, 2018

      Spring Break from school duties scattered Mink Creek families in all directions. Most headed to areas where it was a little warmer. After a week in the sun it was hard to readjust to colder temperatures when they returned home to reality and Idaho.

        Sherrie and Shane Corbett and family, Brooke and Austin, headed to St George, UT, for spring break. Fun and R & R were needed items on their itinerary. From all reports all those goals were met.

         Jon and Portia Jepsen and some of their family drove up from their Salt Lake neighborhoods to soak up some down time at their Mink Creek home. Within a few hundred feet Jared and Andrea Jepsen and their children were hanging out at his parents place, Mike and Mary Ann Jepsen. Cousin time is a wonderful memory maker.

         Richard and Vickie Free and Robert and Phee Crosland, plus Mario, Celina and Jacobi, flew to Hawaii during spring break. This excursion has been a year in the planning stages and the timing was perfect. They soaked up hours in the sun at the Free's condo on the island of Maui.

          There is that hope locally that perhaps our yearly mud season may not last too long this year. Provided the spring storms allow for some drying time in between as we are always and forever dependent on the weather.

           A drive through our community shows that our spring burning of dry winter debris and growth has begun. The fence lines, the ditch banks, canal banks, creek bottoms are just right---will still burn, but enough moisture about to help in a controlled burn. One burn got away from an“unknown someone” however and a power pole or two became part of the flames.

          Shawn and Calllie Beardall and their four youngsters have been up for a visit with his parents, Tammy and Kent Beardall. Visits get traded with this family, not long after Tammy drove down to Spanish Fork, UT, for some more grandmother time with the kids.

           It has been too wet for our farmer population to get started on their spring field work. No one like a tractor stuck in the mud. Things do dry out given a few sunny days and farmers are accustomed to relying on the weather for nearly every action, every decision. It is the way of life on a farm. It won't be long before we have our green world around us.

          The gazillion turkeys have moved out. It has felt like they almost crept away in the darkness—one day they were scratching up the new growth in the fields and marching across the highway and the next day—gone. All of them! It is a temporary situation.