Sandman's Journal

Yesterday was sunny and warm. I helped Dad insulate and sheetrock up on Killdeer Mountain. Grandpa came, too, and helped out. Three generations of Sand men. Grandpa wanted to worm the horses, so I used the 4-wheeler to find and herd them in. Finding horses on Grandpa's ranch is not as easy as gazing across a flat prairie and locating them. The Lazy E Four is filled with hills, gullies, shadowy trails, and hidden meadows. The vegetation consists of aspen, oak, ash, birch, and lots of fruit-bearing bushes: chokecherry, buffalo berry, june berry, hazelnuts, wild plum, and snow berry. Along the way I saw a massive sloth-like porcupine. Also, the beaver dams are overflowing. My long-time friends from Montana, Tom Smith and Karin Stallard, are visiting today. I look forward to showing them around when they arrive. Last weekend I took my pal Vaughn from Minnesota up there, and on Thursday my flame Jan will be flying in from Philadelphia for three sweet days of cruising and camping here in west Dakota. As spring slowly thaws me out, I'm reminded that I live in one of the most beautiful areas in North America.