Lee Stickland has a good memory. Sharlotte Nordquist was a horse lover for sure. She collected plastic minature horses, she drew horses, and she rode horse every chance she got. When she stayed at the farm, we rode somewhere every day. She was a good friend of Sharon Peterson, who also liked to ride and owned a nice horse. I usually let Sharlotte ride my Welsh mare and I rode the half wild two year old colt. I only had one saddle that was decent so I let her use that and I used an old McClellen cavalry saddle probably of Civil War vintage. We used to ride up to the swimming beach at School Section Lake, a mile and a half from the farm. It was real dry and hot in the summer of ’61 and by the time we got to the lake both of us and the horses were all bit up by the horse flies. The horses would run into the lake and swim around–with us still on them. The first time we tried to hold them back and not soak the saddles but after that we just rode bareback and let them go. We went there to swim anyway so it didn’t matter.

One time we had more riders than horses so I went over to Smiths and borrowed an old dapple gray mare named ‘Belle’. Unknown to me, she had been a cutting horse in, I think, Montana before Smiths got her. We had several horses of all kinds and sizes and decided to race out to and around a haystack and back. That day I was riding old Belle and when we got to the stack, I really laid the reins hard to the side of her neck to turn. I was never so surprised in my life when that old horse laid over nearly flat on her way around the stack. The rest of the nags were standing straight up skipping sideways and trying to turn and I was half way back by the time they got around the stack. I think the old horse enjoyed it as much as I did so we made a few more rounds. She might have been older but she never forgot her job!

Another deal was that Sharon Peterson’s little brother, Larrett, always wanted to go along when we rode but he didn’t have another horse except for one of Bill’s old team of Belgian work horses named Cip and Cap. Larrett would only have been 7 or 8 and even a bit small for his age but he would go and catch one of those huge old horses and before we could get out of their yard he had a bridle on one and would climb the fence to get on and here he would come riding with his legs sticking straight out to the side bouncing from side to side. He couldn’t get off unless he had something to climb up to get back on. He would stick with us all day. I don’t think you could have found a smaller kid or a bigger horse in the country! I remember Sharon had named her horse ‘Shawnee Lee’–I thought that was neat. It was a good looking horse too, with lots of spirit. Do you think the ladies like horse stories better than those boring car stories? Thanks Gary!

Dick

Darlyne E. Melgaard, 80, Minot, formerly of Bottineau and Newburg, died Tuesday, November 30, 2010 in a Minot hospital.

Darlyne E. Pladson was born on July 11, 1930, to Theodore and Marie (Jacobson) Pladson in Columbus, ND. She was raised and educated in the Turtle Mountains.

On July 25, 1948, Darlyne was united in marriage to Clarence Melgaard at the Salem Lutheran Church, rural Bottineau. They made their home in Bottineau and later in Newburg where Darlyne was a devoted mother and homemaker. In 2005, after Clarence retired, they moved to Minot.

Darlyne had a love of music from a very early age. Her passion was playing the guitar and singing with family and friends. Darlyne and Clarence also provided music over the years at various community functions and nursing homes. She also enjoyed baking cookies and buns and was known for her great potato salad. She was currently a member of the Minot First Assembly of God Church and was active in coffee Bible study groups in Bottineau and Newburg.

She is survived by: Husband of 62 years, Clarence, Minot; children: Connie (Stephen) Harish, Devils Lake, ND, Larry (Janeen) Melgaard, Kenmare, ND, Dean (Janice) Melgaard, Bismarck, ND, Gaylen (Diane) Melgaard, Minot; 14 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren: sister: Delores Holdaas, Seattle, WA; sister-in-law: Jean Pladson, Lake Metigoshe, ND.

Darlyne was preceded in death by her parents, brother Duane Pladson and nephew Jim Pladson.

Visitation: Sunday, December 5, 2010 from 1 until 5 pm at Thompson Larson Funeral Home, Minot

Funeral Service: Monday, December 6, 2010, at 11 am at First Assembly of God Church, Minot

Burial: Will take place in the spring of 2011 at Salem Lutheran Church Cemetery, Turtle Mountains

To sign the online guest register for Darlyne