Yes, its been one week at a time.  We are only 1 week from departing for our first Chuckwagon Venue up in Grande Prairie, Alberta.  Training has been good, with cooler weather than normal.  Some rain and not much wind to dry things up.  But, that has not stopped us from carrying on business as usual.

The days are full with training and packing now.  Depending on the weather, we train either in the morning or the afternoon.  We always enjoy it when we have friends pop in to either lend a hand or just come to watch.

Since we moved here to Wetaskiwin, back in 2007, our relative Bruce has helped us tremendously with the horses and taking care of the Ranch while away.  He has honestly been a pillar of strength to our Chuckwagon Team.  We appreciate all he has done and continues to do to help us out.  And I must also mention his sidekick, Bonnie, that also lends a hand where needed.  Every extra hand is a part of “Team 23”.

Another Year Wiser

I tend to think birthdays are important.  We all have them so why not celebrate the big day.  And age to me, really doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just that we tend to be wiser as we get older.  I look back at the younger years, and chuckle at how we thought we knew everything.  Little did I know, there is always so much more to learn in life.  Every day is a new day of experience, knowledge and a life full of gratitude if we so believe it.   I enjoyed an evening of fellowship and supper at a Mexican Restaurant with my family and friends.  Such a treat not to have to cook.

I have been enjoying “MY TIME” in the early AM running in preparation for my first 5KM run that will take place in Grande Prairie on the 27th of May.  Training is important.  I started back a couple of months ago, and I do see the progress.  I have shortened my time by minutes and I’m feeling really good.  Along one of my runs around the pasture, I happened upon a duck nest full of eggs.  My dog Nugget, scared her away.  I checked on the nest later in the day and into the next.  No mother duck had returned.  Amy, our animal lover daughter, gathered them up and has put them in the incubator in hopes that they will hatch.  I hope so too.  Time will tell.

I am excited to have received my new camera from Airmiles.  Its an upgrade from my other one which was over 15 years old.  My new Nikon D5500 couldn’t be without a zoom lens, so I treated myself for my birthday to a Tamaron SP 150-600mm.   I have had a little bit of time to go out and test it out around the Ranch.  I love to seek out the wildlife that frequents our property.  We have a few squirrels that love to come and munch on the sunflower seeds that I put out for the birds.

This yellow chested black bird sits and watches as we are going about our business.  I love the brightness of their bodies.  It tends to brighten ones day just a bit.  To have the freedom to fly would be a tremendous experience.

And yes, I guess as people we can fly, just in a different way than all the birds in the sky.  Rick and I have had the privilege to travel to many places over the years to wonderful destinations with  friends and family enjoying different cultures along the way.  We are very grateful to be able to do this over the years.

A Ranch is not a Ranch, without one or two cats and dogs.  The cats tend to rule the roost at times.  Toupee, our grandsons dog is the best little dog ever.  He is Coy’s constant companion who makes a little boy happy day in and day out.

As the season draws near, the training continues.  This year, our son Cody has decided to step down from competition.  But that has not stopped him from coming out and giving us a helping hand with the training.  He is such a great hand and has the talent of a very good Chuckwagon Driver.  We are looking forward to him picking up the lines sometime in the future.

Yesterday we had  a special visitor come and join us.  Grandma Elsie was elated to come for a ride with Rick and the team.  This lady is an inspiration to us all.  She has a spring in her step and a love for life at 80’ish year young.  If we all could grow up to be like Grandma Elsie, life would be a joyous place to be.

Our daughter Kaylee, and grandson Ryker, made their way out yesterday to watch the action of training.  Ryker loves to see the horses and seems to have no fear of them.

It takes a team to make things work.  We here at “Team 23” pride ourselves to be the best that we can be to achieve great things.  Not only striving on winning and standing on a podium, but also to be the best we can be with the people around us that support us, and with the people we come in contact with on a daily basis.  With gratitude, we look forward to a very successful and fulfilling race season.

From Home on the Ranch

Sue, with Rick and Crew too

“Unity is strength…when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”     Mattie J.T. Stepanek

Sue Fraser