Snow Moon, Feb 27, 2024

 

The community Valentine’s Day Dinner was a resounding success and well attended, all tables full. The tables decorated in red and white, held candy and favors, wooden crafts from the lathe in the shop of Clare and Linda Christensen. Clare claims the shop is his mental therapy. The menu for the evening was smoked pork tenderloin, baked potatoes and tossed green salad, both with all the trimmings, plus a dinner roll. The follow up was a pink frosted cinnamon roll. The cooks had some assistance from Amy Baldwin and the Relief Society. After the feast a relay game was entertaining. Teams were challenged in building a cup pyramid, wrapping old-fashioned curlers, and doing the “chicken dance” in a costume that was provided. Hilarious in the actions , lack of expertise and observation. The evening was conducted by Bret Rasmussen, Elders Quorum President.

Sharon Moran was back for a visit. She reported that her son Will and his wife live back east and are doing well. It has been years since she moved from Mink Creek, but her absence is still felt.

Cody McKay came up from his home in Queen Creek, AZ for some days with his parents, Paul and Terrie McKay. They were able to have some winter fun and a few snowmobile trips before he went back to the warm country.

The Syringa Camp of the DUP met this month at the home of Ramona Lower Hatchett in the Narrows Estates. Julie Westerberg gave a lesson and they had an enjoyable afternoon.

Candy Longhurst drove to Parma, ID, to witness the blessing and naming of her newest grandchild. The tiny girl is the daughter of Tiffany and Spencer Wheeler and was given the name Charlotte Elaine Wheeler. She is adored by a big brother, Hudson.

The Young Women’s group gathered to create some offerings for a night of “heat attacks” . After getting their messages whipped up they had fun delivering them ding-dong-ditch style around the community, being as sneaky as girls can be.

  The Snow Moon has been beautiful on clear nights. This moon was also called the Hunger Moon by some Native tribes, because they had used up their supplies set aside in the fall for the winter and food was dwindling, wild animals still in hibernation, or hard to find. Landscape hard to move about.   

February 21, 2024

 

No matter who won that football game, Reba’s rendition of the national anthem was a highlight! There were multiple gatherings around the community to share the SuperBowl, not to mention the snacks and sociability that go along with it.

RaeOne Stuart brought some family up from Utah to enjoy the hospitality of the Stuart/Christensen home and the beauties of winter in Mink Creek.

We have two sets of grandparents announcing mission calls for a grandchild. Clare and Linda Christensen are pleased that Sister Brittianna Wolfley, will be serving in the Ohio, Cincinatti Mission. She is the daughter of Janna Wolfley Small and the late William Wolfley. Jimmie and Anna Beth Olson’s grandson, Jaxon Peterson, son of Charles and Dana Peterson of Meridian, ID, will be going to England, Leeds Mission in July. This just happens to be the same mission where the Olsons served a few years ago.

The combined Young Women and Young Men organizations had an evening of fun competition and learning at the raquetball court at the home of Wynn and Cecelie Costley. The youth were playing walliball, a first time for many of them, or they were enjoying the activity from the observation post above the court. Adult leaders had as much fun as the kids.

Dr. Kerry and Melinda Jepsen are home from a trip to warmer climates, even warmer than the thawing temperature we have had.

Mink Creek has some bald eagles that are loving the winter skies. They keep a close watch on the earthly activities. One activity they cater to is that of feeding time at a resident’s feedlot for his cattle. The eagles wait their turn, along with a host of smaller birds that cling to an electric wire high on the posts. They also are helpful in cleaning up the deer carcasses after collisions during the nights.

A couple of good moisture laden snow storms have moved in the last week. It is warm enough to snow during the daylight hours, but when the frigid night temperatures descend the roads can became mighty slippery.  Black ice and a fog combination are a bad deal.

Valentines Day, tomorrow, 2024

 

Kasey and Julie Haws have made a mid-winter visit to Mink Creek. Now that the Haws/Engel family has grown up and expanded with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren interested in reliving memories of times spent in Idaho at the Haws home there is need for more frequent evaluations of readiness for the next occupants. Much of the Haws family are now dealing with that atmospheric river that is soaking up southern California according to weather reports.

Elliott Keller, the son of Jesse and Shauna Keller, is part of the C Team in the Preston High basketball program. Elliott is a Freshman. Keller is a long-standing name in this village and Jesse has ancestral roots from way back. This Keller family are fairly new residents in Mink Creek and are living in a home fondly referred to as “Aunt Ethel’s house” although it has gone through several occupants since that of Aunt Ethel Baird.

There is a list of residents that have taken advantage of these last few month to have surgery. New knees, mended backs, replaced shoulders and new hips have all been on the medical roster. It is hard to imagine the number of physical therapy hours that have accompanied these operations.

Dried green grass is not the choice of landscaping in mid February. Nor is the dryness of some of our hillsides. With a ‘main street’ that is several miles in length our village is experiencing rainy wet weather at the lower end of the community and snow banks at the upper end, north near Strawberry Canyon.

Snowmobiles are still having fun, but the area has to be selective. Winter hikers have to be a bit picky as well, avoiding paths that are more muddy than others. I refuse to call this ‘mud season’ because it is just too early to have that condition. I hope you all agree with me. Storms are still coming in—and going out. We still need the snowpack in our mountains, and it doesn’t take very many too warm days for it to be reduced.

Happy Valentines Day! Celebrate it whatever way works best for you---treats, cards, parties, etc. but whatever it is, feel the smile inwardly and outwardly. There are not many people who don’t need that feeling of acceptance and approval. Thanks for the reading!

February 7, 2024

 Groundhog Day came and went with little chance of any shadows.  The day was overcast through the daylight hours.  No sightings reported on any creature even remotely related to the famed groundhog.

Some months ago Ramona Hatchett d into her new home in Riverdale on the Narrows Estate. Her home in the center of Mink Creek was purchased by Jamie and Carl Osborne. They have two children, Shyla and Carl Jr. The Osbornes also own a small house on their property, often referred to locally as “little house” and it has been occupied occasionally by Carl’s uncle or other relatives. The family is welcomed to the community.

Devin and Maria Flake and their son Jude were up from Orem, UT, to celebrate Maria’s birthday with her mother Lana and Ivan McCracken. Maria had some health issues some months ago and is doing well, one more reason for celebration.

Jesse and Annavelynn Wilcox and their son Desmond have recently returned from a winter vacation to Central America. Besides the warmth and the beauty there were all sorts of things for a little boy to investigate that were completely different from his backyard in Mink Creek: insects, animals, jungle growth, oceans, even shopping and new foods. All of this made for a wonderful time in Costa Rica and Honduras for these three.

To help battle the winter-time blues, or blahs, each Thursday evening, starting at 5 p.m. there will be the opportunity for residents to gather at the recreation hall of the LDS Meetinghouse for some activities. A carpeted area will be available for yoga, pilates, mobility and balance strengthening moves. Participants should feel free to bring a mat if they prefer. All are welcome and all levels of fitness are welcome. There is the social side of just attending. The gymnasium floor will be set up as a pickle ball court. Again, all are welcome. The earlier hour will be reserved for beginners and anyone wanting to learn the game. Competition is not the aim of this activity, fun and friendship is the goal.

With the warmer temperatures sleigh-riding and snowmobile activities are being canceled. There must still be sufficient snow in the canyons because there is plenty of weekend snowmobile traffic regularly.

January 30, 2024

 

Graveside services at the Mink Creek Cemetery for Elmer James Call on January 20 brought many of his family back to Mink Creek. There were military rites for Jim, with several of his grandsons officiating. A winter burial is always cold and the family had arranged to meet in the LDS recreation hall following the services to warm up with a cup of cocoa and have a chance to visit with friends and old neighbors of the community.

Since the meeting house of the Mink Creek Ward members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently had some repair work done on the ceiling the leaders felt it might be appropriate to learn about the history of the building, built in 1929. In a Sunday meeting Bruce Crane, of Logan, a recognized authority on most things pertaining to the whole village, presented a faith-based historical account. His grandfather, William Crane, had been the bishop of the ward at the time of the building’s construction. Jimmie Olson, the bishop at the time of a remodeling project about fifty years later, share with the congregation some of the challenges with the more “recent” addition that added several rooms and office space.

There were interesting tidbits mentioned in this historical account. The women of the community in 1928-9 painted the walls of the building, one brush stroke at a time, with no roller devices in those days. They also varnished all of the woodwork, benches and pews. One of the aisles was widened in the remodeling to facilitate the entry and removal of caskets for the funeral proceedings that take place in the building.

More Crane family drove over from the area around Jerome, ID, to spend some time with Bruce and his wife Shawna. His sisters, Linda Crane Shewmaker and Sheryl and Bob May made the early morning drive in spite of the disagreeable weather.

Jane Malouf, granddaughter of Jeff Olson of Mink Creek and Jim and Donna Malouf of Riverdale, has qualified for Junior Nationals in ski jumping. Jane is the daughter of Erica and Matt Malouf of Anchorage, AK. This is an exciting accomplishment for the teenager.

The Chinook arrived in January this year, which we consider normal for winter seasons. Last year this was not the case. Now everything is thawing and there is the rhythmic plop, plop, plop cadence, heard no matter where or when in the outdoors.

January 23, 2024

 This is the Mink Creek rural news column that should be in this week's Preston Citizen--but it won't be. Difficulties in the assembling of the paper this week and nothing turned out right.  So I am still going to post it on this blog, because next week it will be old stuff.

In spite of the combined winter snow storm and winds presenting whiteout conditions, filling roads and driveways with 2-3 feet of snow, the members of the Mink Creek LDS Ward were able to hold their Sunday meeting this past week. Early that morning volunteers arrived to clear the sidewalks and the parking lot. Residents who have snowplows on their pickups went about opening up the side roads to connect with the main roads. Driveways were up to the individual households. Attendance was a bit limited for this reason, but the congregation welcomed three stake visitors, Tom Madsen and Jay and Nancy Jensen, who have recently returned from a Senior mission to Georgia.

Candy Longhyrst and ReNae Egley enjoyed a few warm days in the St. George area with friends. Fun activities and a break from the ice and snow that has descended in this month of January.

Three young men of the Mink Creek ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were ordained to various priesthood offices this month. Issac Cheney was ordained to the office of a deacon, his brother, Jared Cheney, to the office of a teacher. Both are the sons of Jacob and Christy Cheney. Morgan Keller, son of Jared and Hollie Keller, was ordained a priest.

The Primary organization honored Issac Cheney, Annie Rasmussen and Kassidy Christensen as they graduated from Primary to become part of the Young Men and Young Women programs. Annie is the daughter of Trevor and April Rasmussen and Kassidy is the daughter of Lacey and Kerry Christensen.

Jeff and Julie Workman of Stansbury Park, UT, have been here for a good sized visit and were able to be part of the community and being able to meet the challenges of winter in our mountains.

The closure of the highway 36 over to Bear Lake on several days has done much to limit the traffic passing through. It makes us realize how much this road is traveled from our neighboring county and across the border into Wyoming.

If you want to read the  column "Out of Our Past for January 24, 2024" it won't be in the paper version of the Citizen, but it will be on the Citizen Facebook site.  The same applies for the Development column, historical info---this week's is about the early days of owning and driving one of those new-fangled contraptions called an automobile after being dependent on a team of horses for every move.  There were no service stations and a tire for an auto was completely different from that for a carriage or farm wagon.

January 16, 2024

 

The annual Mink Creek Ski party took place at Beaver Mountain Ski Resort on January 5. All ages and levels of ability are able to enjoy this night on the cold slopes with skiing, snow boarding and sleigh riding. It has served as a time of learning and gaining experience for many years. Some people go to just observe from the warmth of the lodge. The energy level is sustained from the potluck offerings of those participating.

Hannah Singleton and her sons, Samuel and Grey, of El Dorado, AR, chose to have a white Christmas this year with Hannah’s parents, Wynn and Cecelie Costley. Most of the Costley siblings that live within easy driving distance joined the group scattered through the holiday.

The family of Laural and Jody Janke of Teton, ID, spent several days of their Christmas break with grandparents, Bob and Claudia Erickson and other family members. There were lots of late night games and some hours spent sleigh-riding in the moonlight.

The Syringa Camp of the DUP met this month in Preston. Linda Carlson, second in command of this group, was in charge for January. Lorraine Christensen presented a lesson about the ladies that had written pioneer songs.

Royce and Lorraine Christensen spent the holidays in warmer locations. They were down in Gilbert, AZ, with their son Kevin. This trip included a drive into New Mexico, with the holiday lights as part of the changing scenery.

Elmer James Call passed away in Perry, UT, on January 9. He was 90 years of age, and living with his son Preston Call. The blended family of Verdell Pace and Jim Call lived and farmed in Mink Creek for many years, with nine children in the combined family. With retirement the couple moved to Perry. After a funeral in Utah on January 20, Jim will be buried in the Mink Creek Cemetery.

Several days worth of snow storms left Mink Creek with several feet of snow. A number of our residents have plow-trucks(pickups with snow blades attached) and some of them quickly opened up our side roads to the Highway 36, at least for one way movement, knowing that the county crews would arrive later, but giving us access to the main street of our community.