Old Man winter finally came to Elm Springs, and heavens to betsy, he came with a vengeance. Saturday morning, most of the kind citizen’s thermometers registered twenty to thirty degrees below zero on the Farenheit scale. Such bone-chilling cold put a damper on social activities, to be sure.

The Elm Springs schoolchildren had their annual ski trip to Terry Peak on Monday. Terry Peak, and all of the Northern Hills, are having an incredible snow year, and the children and their parents had great fun zooming down the hills.

And the Elm Springs schoolchildren had a Valentine’s Day party at the Elm Springs school on Wednesday.

Marvin and Carolyn Anders, accompanied by Casey and Shirley Trask, managed to have some fun on a business trip, first to Sioux Falls and then to various points in Nebraska, stopping most notably in Lexington, NE to visit former South Dakotans Kenny and Lisa Wood.

Austin Trask accompanied Baxter Anders to the well-fought Wall/Phillip boys basketball game Friday night.

When called for news, Doris Burke said “well, we didn’t do anything fun or entertaining around here this week,” and her husband Lawrence added “we didn’t even do anything boring!”

Ryan and Chrissy Elshere hosted Clyde Arneson Sunday night for supper.

Kellie and Emily Linn attended the Winter Women’s Retreat in Rapid City over the weekend.

Even the Morris Linns had a sedate week. Matt Trask was a supper guest Monday night. Kody DeVries and Clyde Arneson were supper guests Wednesday night. Sandy Van Vleck was a visitor Friday, and John and Jean Linn stopped Saturday afternoon for cookies, taking Kassandra with them when they left. And that’s it.

Young Mayzee Pauley celebrated her 12^th birthday Tuesday in the company of Jesse Bail, Melvin and Dorothy Anderson, and Jim and Caroline Wilsey.

Kody DeVries was a guest at the Cary and Pam Tines residence Thursday and Friday nights. Matt Trask visited the Cary Tines residence Friday night.

Tuesday morning dawned cold and dreary in Elm Springs, and the weather was probably about the same in Al Trask’s heart as once again he saw the lovely Ms. Bridget Madrid off to the airport. But young Al Trask, who is no longer quiet or reserved at all, continues to hog all the headlines in the ESN. This latest one is a showstopper. Please pay careful attention; Wednesday morning Al Trask left the “Upland Trask” residence, bound for Columbus OH, where he was reunited with Ms. Bridget Madrid at the 25^th wedding anniversary party of his future in-laws Mr. And Mrs. Partick and Nancy Madrid. From there, Al will drive to Washington, DC, where he will live for an undetermined amount of time to be closer to Ms. Bridget. Before your tongues start wagging, two things should be noted. First, being good young Catholics both, they will live in separate residences. And second, once they are married, they do intend to move back to South Dakota.

Back at the “Upland Trask” ranch, the remnants of the once-mighty horde struggle on. John Paul and Joseph Trask competed in the regional wrestling tournament in Ft. Pierre, which Pat attended and where John Paul earned a spot at the state wrestling tournament by winning first in his weight class; and several of the “Upland Trasks” went to Alexandria to visit “Sister Rebecca,” as they are now supposed to call her, as her birthday was Friday. Sister Rebecca seems to have found her place, and will pass from a postulant to a novitiate in a special ceremony on March 25^th. She sends her best to all. Visitors at the “Upland Trasks” included Jim Anderson, Morris Linn, Coby Tines, Todd Jaquot and a host of coyote hunters.

Matt Trask couldn’t eat enough cookies in a month to top young Al’s announcement, so in defeat, he hosted Ben Linn for a guitar lesson Thursday night and sister Gemma Saturday night.

Philip Wilson attended a South Dakota Association of Conservation Districts leadership conference Wednesday and Thursday in Chamberlain. Mary Kay accompanied Pam Wilson to the state gymnastics meet in Huron Friday and Saturday.

The kind citizens hope it warms up around here.