Hello All!

October zipped past me way to fast.  I was busier with things that were high priority.  Namely, I had to collect and input all my data for our books to get them to the accountant as year-end was September 30th.  There is never a dull moment in my life.  Well, I finally got that all wrapped up and sent away, and now I can look and list my next order of events.

On October 22, it was a time to celebrate and honour this years winning recipients from the World Professional Chuckwagon Association Tour.  Rick and I were sincerely proud of our son Cody, as he received the 2016 Rookie Driver award.  We’re pretty proud of Cody and his accomplishments this summer.  He did very, very well.

 

Along with Cody, there were many other award winners.  The most prestigious award goes to the horses.  Eddie Melville began this award a few years back.  He keeps a tally on all the drivers competing horses throughout the season, each getting points depending on their race results that day.  Only one horse from each position of the chuckwagon and 2 outriding horses are awarded champions.  It is very special to receive this award on behalf of the horse.  They are our star athletes!

There are always up and  coming stars, and I believe this young fella, Ethan will be one of them.  Ethan, son of Chuckwagon Driver Obrey Motowylo and wife Angie, captured this years Rookie Outrider Award.  Ethan began riding for his father last summer, and now has branched out to  ride for others.  With continuous practice and many more mounts, this kid will go far.  Presenting the prized trophy belt buckle, is three-time Outriding Champion, Chance Flad.  I still remember the first year Chance began riding under the wing of driver Doug Irvine.  Today he is in the group of many elite world champion outriders such as Mike Vigen, Jim Sheild, Dale Gray, Randy Armstrong and Chanse Vigen to name a few.

To see all the list of award winners and film footage, go to http://www.wpca.com website.  There is plenty to look at.

Without friends and family, this Chuckwagon venture of ours would not be.  The evening was fun with many memories to cherish.

It’s always fun to get off the Ranch, dress up and have some fun.  And fun we had!!

Every year, comes another birthday.  No ones exempt.  Rick’s birthday lands on October 28th every year.  We decided it was time to celebrate, so we invited just a few friends and family over.  Well one of Rick’s biggest fans, Grandma Elsie came bearing gifts.  What a nice surprise for Rick.  The evening couldn’t have been better.  The Grand-Kids always love to celebrate too.

With births, also comes death.  We are all destined to part this world at some point and time.  Last week we celebrated the young life of our friend, Ryan Widdifield of Grande Prairie.  He passed suddenly at the age of 35.  Way to young.  Many of his family and friends got up and spoke of this young man.  He was the life of the party, the friend you could always call upon when you were down in the dumps and the guy that brought everyone together.  He lived life to the fullest.  Many tears were shed, as this jolly soul will be missed.  The unspoken rule is, we are not supposed to bury our children.  I commend Ryan’s dad, Ed for giving the eulogy with his beautiful wife Janice at his side.  Only cherished memories remain.  Its moments like this that nudge me just a little bit more to enjoy each day to the fullest and to remember to tell my  loved ones how much they mean to me.

Halloween ended the month, and I just had to dress up.  It was the day to head to Grandson Coy’s school and partake in a couple of activities.  The first being, an hour spent with my mentee with the Boy’s and Girls Club of Wetaskiwin.  I meet  once a week with a young gal, to just enjoy “her” time.  We do crafts, chat, draw, have tea parties, bake and whatever else that makes her feel special.  I have been volunteering for this for the past 9 years and have enjoyed it immensely.  If you can spare just an hour each week, it might be something that you can do too, to volunteer in your community.

After the hour was up, I got to poke my nose into Coy’s class and join in with their festivities.  All the little kids dressed up into their costumes and headed to the gym for an assembly.  All the kids in the school got to parade around to enjoy the many different characters of their imagination.  I believe I even got to see Donald Trump!

I really enjoy reading a good book.  Particularly autobiographies.  I don’t really have time to read in the summer, but come the fall and winter, there always seems to be a few that end up in my possession, and always for a reason.  My friend Sharon Mallon, was moved to write her story of her broken marriage.  Rick and I always enjoyed listening to Sharon and her Co-host Danny Hooper on the CFCW Radio morning show a few years ago.  They have since retired from there.  I have high regard for Sharon, for opening up and sharing all her personal life moments in this book.  This book is one of many feelings, which consist of sadness, anger, failure, humiliation, and  grief to name a few.  Then there is a whole lot of soul-searching and the beginning of healing.  I will never forget the morning Sharon announced on the radio, after a leave of absence and telling all of radio land as to why she was away.  Her marriage had ended, and  not by choice.  Yet through all that she endured, she realized, it was a gift.  Thank you for sharing your story Sharon, I commend you. And if it helps but one person  in their walk of life, then you have accomplished so much more.

Abuse is wrong, on so many levels.  Our good friend Holly, and her two sons, Jason and Mat endured much more than one can imagine.   Just recently, Holly released her story of what life was like being married to Sandy.  After reading the book, what hurts me the most, was all the years that Rick and I knew Holly, her husband Sandy, sons Mat and Jason, we never knew what they were going through.  We had no idea. She revealed the constant abuse from the man she loved.  The family had to constantly watch their back, not knowing what Sandy would do next.  I admit, during reading their story, I cried for Holly and the boys.  I cried, because a mothers love was so intense for her children, that she fought to her highest being to protect them and in the end, she won.  Maybe not the way a fairy-tale should end, but it did and today they are enjoying life as it should be.  Again, Holly, if your story helps just one person take a stand to remove themselves from abuse, then you have certainly done the right thing in revealing your lifes most ugliest moments. I commend you my friend.

This past summer, during the Calgary Stampede, we had quite the roller coaster ride as I call it.  Three days in and the unfortunate happened.  Rick and his Chuckwagon tipped over coming out of the barrels.  Rick and the horses were fine, the chuckwagon had a few bumps and bruises that were repaired, but the sadness of not being able to have a chance at the title of the 2016 Calgary Stampede Chuckwagon Champion hit us. We picked up and continued on.  The next day our spirits were lifted, as we had a day money run, and with the same horses that we used the day before none the less. We continued to have some pretty good runs over the rest of the meet.  It rained every day during the Stampede.  It was muddy.  The last weekend of competition, CBC Hockey Night in Canada Host, Ron MacLean was covering the Calgary Stampede.  As, I never get to watch any coverage until the winter,  thanks to the PVR on our TV,  I really never knew Ron was doing this job.  Then Rick told me the one day I was special, not just because I was his wife, LOL, but because Ron MacLean mentioned Rick and his mishap from the days prior, and then also mentioned me and my blog!  How it was a very  informative part of the Calgary Stampede.  Since then Rick and I had a little bet.  Rick says Ron reads my blog, I says he doesn’t.  I guess one day we just might find out.

At any rate, I came upon Ron’s book, Cornered.  Glancing over the comments about the book from other well-known folks such as retired hockey players Mark Messier, Doug Gilmour, figure skaters, Jamie Sale’ and Kurt Browning, I felt this book was a good read.  I went to bed with Ron every night.  Okay, not literally as my one true love is still Ricky, but when I retire for the night, that’s when I relax and enjoy some reading.  I just completed it the other day, and I must say, I enjoyed your book Ron MacLean.  Despite the life you live, you are one down to earth kind of guy.  You have a beautiful wife who loves you so and visa versa.   I connected with you totally when you mentioned those years of not much money to speak of.  Everyone needs to experience theses days to appreciate what we have today.  You and Don Cherry have quite the connection, and it was very interesting to see how your relationship started, blossomed and where you are today with each other.  I’ve always told my kids and others, never to idolize anyone, famous or otherwise, because we all use toilet paper just the same.  Having said that, we are all unique in this world that we live in.  And we all have a story to tell whether its written between the pages of a hard cover book, made into a movie, told to someone over coffee or known by our actions of how we treat other people.  Thanks for sharing your story.  You have inspired me to keep on keepin on.

And I just can’t leave without sharing those beautiful innocent faces with you all.   They always said it is so great to be a Nana and a Papa, and they were right.  There’s no feeling like it!!!  And you won’t know it, till you become it.

From Home on the Ranch

Sue

P.S.  Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart don’t know how to laugh either.

Golda Meir