Payson Roundup

Many of us spent this week trying to establish new routines or settle back into the old ones. Sometimes I wish I could take an extra week just to recover from the holidays, but I suspect even that wouldn’t be enough!

In Pine and Strawberry we continue to get snow interspersed with just enough rain to keep it a bit sloppy.

Sunday morning we woke to a fair amount of new snow and hemmed and hawed about whether the roads down to the highway would be too icy or slick to make it to church in Payson (we have three pretty good-sized hills to negotiate).

We ended up going and everyone there was surprised by all the snow clinging to the roof and back of the truck. Of course they hadn’t seen so much as a flake in Payson! What a difference a few thousand feet of elevation makes. Fortunately, that elevation change is exactly why the giant ponderosas thrive in abundance and why most of us prefer living here.

The snowy weather also has the animals on the move. This morning within a 20-minute period, we saw elk, a rabbit (on the run) and a coyote close behind. In fact, we’ve been seeing a lot of coyote signs lately so watch your dogs and cats.

Students back in school

The kids are back in school, various organizations are planning their agendas for the new year, and pretty much everyone wonders when, or if, we’ll hit the bottom of the bad economic news that seems to come at us daily. Still, life goes on and it helps to realize that the “what ifs” of the future and the “if onlys” of the past simply keep us from making the most of the present. So here’s to today!

If the winter weather is causing you to experience a bit of cabin fever, this is a perfect month to visit the Pine-Strawberry Museum. After all, there are no crowds to fight at this time of the year.

If you’ve never been to the museum you will be impressed with the variety of exhibits and the wealth of knowledge about the early days of Pine and Strawberry.

The museum is located at the Pine Community Center and is open Monday through Saturday. Winter hours are from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

For more information about the museum or other interesting facts about our community, you can visit the Pine-Strawberry Archaeological and Historical Society Web site at www.pinestrawhs.org.

The Isabelle Hunt Memorial Library’s new youth coordinator, Junetta Clifford, continues to provide activities for the young people in our community.

Movie Madness

The next “Movie Madness” event is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 30 from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. The feature is “The Pagemaster,” which is rated G.

The library is also scheduling art classes for home-schooled students which will take place in the library activity room every other Thursday.

The first of six classes begins Jan. 15 and is taught by Robyn Bossert. Each class runs from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. and is limited to 20 students.

If you would like to register or get more information about the classes, call the library at (928) 476-3678.

The Pine-Strawberry Elementary School will host its next basketball game on Wednesday, Jan. 14 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. This will be the last home game before the end of the season tournament, so head over to the gym and cheer on the kids as they play Oak Creek.

Water district meeting

The Pine-Strawberry Water Improvement District (PSWID) board will hold its next regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 15 at the Pine Cultural Hall.

I recently read that Gila County is now officially out of “drought” status, however, the goal of the PSWID is to ensure that our communities have enough water available year-round, regardless of our precipitation or lack of it.

While we may be fortunate to have a reprieve, it’s important that we do not become complacent about this important issue.

I have to say, I was disappointed to see the controversy being stirred up over the Cinch Hook Snowplay Area.

While we have generally saved our visits for weekdays when the crowds aren’t so bad, we’ve done our share of pulling unprepared people out of sticky (or should I say snowy) situations.

Like most local families, we consider Cinch Hook a perfect spot to spend a winter afternoon. It’s only 15 to 20 minutes from home, free, and tons of fun for everyone regardless of age, it’s a perfect family getaway.

Unfortunately, our natural treasures once discovered by the masses eventually risk becoming regulated and/or restricted. Hopefully, Rim Country residents will be able to continue enjoying the sled hill without being ticketed or charged exorbitant fees.

Hope you all have a great week! God bless!