Searching for Spring

by Jan Drexler

We live in a beautiful place. I know! I keep saying that!

But it's true...

We went for a drive last Saturday, and we had three goals:

1) Get some fresh air. We aren't suffering too badly under the constrictions of the Corona Virus Pandemic, but when it's combined with bad weather, the four walls begin to feel a little stuffy. And we have plenty of fresh air when the weather clears!

Those are stacks of round hay bales. After two wet years in a row,
 the ranchers have plenty of hay to sell - even at the end
of the winter.

2) Find the spot in Buffalo Gap where the Black Moment happens in my new story. We found it - and it will work perfectly for the key scene. Of course, I could have created this spot in my imagination, but when it's already there, why mess with perfection?

3) Our third goal was to find some sign that spring is coming. We've seen some of the signs already - a couple robins, some meadowlarks, and bluebirds - but where is that elusive first glimpse of greengrass?

We saw some lovely and interesting sights....

Part of our drive took us along French Creek, into the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. The bluffs along the creek were gorgeous.

The little guy standing to the right doesn't have an ear tag yet, so
either he's brand new, or his mama hasn't let the rancher
come close.

We saw a lot of new calves, and this beautiful Texas longhorn bull.

I don't think I've seen a more striking bull! You may be surprised to see a Texas longhorn in South Dakota, but they have a long history here. The South Dakota cattle industry was started by drovers bring herds of Texas longhorns north to feed the Black Hills gold miners in the 1870's.

He was big, too. We stopped the truck by the side of the road to get a picture, and I think he was expecting a hand-out. He didn't get one, though! I kept hoping the barbed wire fence would be strong enough to hold him in if he decided he wanted a closer look at us. :-)

But he just gave us a dejected look as we drove away.

Our road continued south through the prairie.

We saw a lot of pronghorn antelope. This herd was grazing near a stock tank.

Ranchers in the prairies make stock tanks (man-made ponds for cattle and horses) by building a berm across the downhill end of a depression. Water collects behind it and forms a pond. In good years, water remains there all through the summer.

We also saw a lot of abandoned buildings like this one. Most of them were built by homesteaders in the early 1900's, but then left them behind when the country emptied out in the "dirty thirties." The land is now owned by someone else, but the old buildings are left standing empty. This one has a barricade across the front door to keep cattle from wandering in and getting hurt or trapped.

So, the big question is: Did we find spring?

Almost. We saw some meadowlarks and those new baby calves. And there's the beginning of green tinge in the grass.

But as we drove through the mountains on the way home, we still saw plenty of snow!

I guess we need to wait for a few more weeks.

So, how is spring looking at your house?

Jan Drexler is an author by day who is addicted to counted cross stitch and sauntering through the Hills with her dear husband and their puppies - goofy corgi Jack and baby border collie Sam. You can find Jan's books and other fun things on her website: www.JanDrexler.com.