Martha's Journal - June 2008

June 1, 2008

Chance had a very good night sleep last night, never made a wimper. At 6:00 she woke up to be let out for a pee. What a good little puppy. We left Fleming and drove back to Kirkella where we were to start the ride. Since Deb arrived early I had her ride with me. I rode Daisy and she rode Rapper and then we switched halfway through the day. Deb has been very emotional about this ride and she said that when she drove up with the Toder’s and saw me riding Coco she was brought to tears and couldn’t believe how great she looked. We started out real early and arrived at the Saskatchewan border and were met by Ralph Corcoran and his daughter and son in law as well as a few other people. We visited and celebrated our arrival into Saskatchewan and then carried on to Wapella for 48 kms. Deb had a few pretty good stumbles on Rapper today. One was an erosion from the road down to the ditch into the dirt and Rapper’s legs went down into the deep erosion trench, which was covered by a light covering of dirt. Rapper was fine and Deb stayed down as he went down up to his belly. Erika is doing such a great job of driving and a great job of videotaping. Garry is always out of his vehicle with the camera as well, to make sure that no pictures are missed. I know that Garry and Sandy are finding it much easier to drive here than in Ontario. We arrived into town and then headed over to our overnight stay at the ranch of Hugh and Shelly Garrett. They have a great place. After we got the horses turned out and fed and watered we were led to a supper at St. Andrews Hall and church. When we drove the long approach into this property we were astounded by the old stone church that sat on a hill at the end of the tree lined approach surrounded by green meadows. Something out of a romantic movie. There were people everywhere strewn around the grass, a team of Clydesdales pulling a wagon, giving rides and about 200 people from babies to the elderly and everyone in between. I would have loved to capture that moment and freeze it in time. What took place this evening was unforgettable. This is a community that lives to help each other and all in need. I could not believe that all of these people were here for us. We had a tour of the old church and I was so happy to have been able to spend a moment to give thanks for this trip that the good Lord has bestowed upon us. I have so much thanks to give. We were then led into the hall where we were fed a delicious meal and then the fun began. Ralph and Linda Corcoran went over the top to begin the planning of this event and then the community and surrounding area rallied behind them and made it all possible. It was suggested that people bring something that was homemade to be auctioned off. We had a pie auction, squares, jarred preservatives, quilts, free range eggs, organic beef, bedding plants and vegetables, potted flowers, and many other items. The pies were going for $50 + dollars and one lemon pie went for $109.00. I was laughing so hard watching the activity that everyone was having so much fun at. When the pies were bought they were cut up and distributed around the tables. I ate a piece of Saskatoon pie, rhubarb custard and lemon meringue pie. There was not saying no to not eating them. We were also bought a cherry pie which we took home with us as our entire table was stuffed. Throughout the evening there was a silent auction and when the auctioneer was done we were entertained by the cowboy poetry of Hal Garrett, Jean Bogner and Ruth Mallo. After we all joined in a couple of sing a longs, one that was to the tune of ‘She’ll be coming round the mountain’, lyrics being changed to represent Giddy Up For Wishes and me coming into St. Andrews. So much fun. Then there was a bonfire outside. This was incredible community/family support for a charity, they raised so much money for The Children’s Wish Foundation. Seldom am I ever lost for words, but they sure got me on this one. Just when I think my heart can’t swell any more, my chest finds more room for expansion. What a beautiful welcome into Saskatchewan. We got back to the Garrett ranch and went in and had a visit with Hugh and Shelly. Off to Broadview tomorrow.

June 2, 2008

Had a quick visit with Shelly before she had to go to work and then I went into the trailer and worked on the computer for a couple of hours. I’m still having difficulty with sending messages, though I now think that it’s an internal computer problem. I’ll get that fixed by calling my IT guy in Cochrane. Deb rode again with me today. I received a call today from Everett More (vet) for a number of a really good farrier. I need to pull off the shoe of Champagne and reset it with another pad as this one has a frog support and is putting too much pressure on her sore heel. I look forward to this as I sure miss riding Champagne. Deb couldn’t get over the look and condition of Champagne. She has really muscled up and is so pretty. She is incredibly good with loading in the horse trailer and handling her is a treat. It’s really funny, everytime I go anywhere with the horses in the horse trailer, and I pull up to an event where I can drop down the windows, there are always a lot of ohhhhs and ahhhhs when Champagne is ‘revealed’. She sure is eye catching. We rode Daisy and Coco today and at one point we were riding passed this old 1800’s home when this man came running out of the yard towards us. I could tell that he really wanted to talk to us, so I rode to him. He told me that he had built an old western town behind his home/museum and wanted us to ride through it so that he could take some pictures. Deb and I did just that and what an experience that was. ‘Old George’ was a very interesting person and had done an amazing job at building this town. We had a saloon, store, cabins, trappers cabin, sherriff’s office, chapel and many many more buildings. Garry took a bunch of pictures and Erika videotaped a lot. This was definitely an unforgettable experience. He had a bone pile that he claimed was the largest around, (he was pretty proud of that). His home was built in the 1880’s and he had turned it into a museum. Most, most interesting. We even staged a little fun in the saloon. You don’t come across individuals like this too often. If you’re ever in Whitewood, stop in at Old George’s Museum. We then carried on with our ride and arrived into Broadview just after 1700 hrs in time for their bbq that they hosted for us at their Lions Hall. Margaret Rygh organized the event with the help of many others, as well as many Lions and they all did a great job. There was a turnout of approx. 140 people and the donations were plenty. Another GREAT Saskatchewan town, full of very generous people! There were quite a few children there and they sure enjoyed the horses. After the event Donna Brown jumped in with us and led us to the ranch of her and her husband, Duane. We had a wonderful visit with them and their son Mike, and his two daughters Victoria and Kelsey (Mike’s wife, Chantel, was working, hopefully we’ll get a chance to visit with her tomorrow). They were so eager to show us their new foal and their new kittens. Donna was picking ticks off of her horse and showed us one that had been on the horse for some time and it was huge. I am grossed out! What a great working ranch this is and another very sizeable one. The local Sweet Dreams Motel had donated a room to Giddy Up For Wishes so I let Garry and Sandy have it for the night, while Deb, Erika and I stayed at the trailer. While visiting in the evening, Erika was taught how to rope a metal steer (and she caught on fast). Kelsey and Victoria sure are good at it. We then entertained them with the videos that Erika took of Old George’s place. Mike is attending a branding tomorrow, so a plan was made for me to go and ride with them. Another plan was made for Victoria and Kelsey to ride with me out of town on Wednesday, they’re pretty excited. Such wonderful girls these are and a terrific family, so easy to visit with them all. It’ll be an early morning for my day off!!

June 3, 2008

DAY OFF!!! Well I awoke at 4:00 a.m. and thought to myself ‘what the heck are you doing riding on your day off, in the rain (as was the forecast), when I could sleep in and get all my catch up work done?’ Made the decision that I wouldn’t go and went back to sleep. A couple other things on my mind at this time, ticks (yuk) and my family. I’m sure missing them (my family, not the ticks I was obviously very disturbed by that ‘big’ one that I saw, such icky little critters they are). They’re sure liking Sandy and she makes some pretty loud noises when they are found on her. I saw Duane at 6:00 a.m. and asked him to relay the message to Mike that I would not go. I fell back to sleep and got awakened at 8:30 by a reporter from Moosejaw and I did an interview. I lounged around in my p.j.’s for most of the morning. We then had a visit from Ralph Corcoran who delivered a cheque from our event in Wapella. An astounding amount of money was raised, I was shocked when I saw the figure. He informed me of the fact that the area south of Wapella has some of the cheapest land in southern Saskatchewan and some of the best farming land. Another great place to hang your hat, I’d say. The Lions offered a breakfast to the Giddy Up For Wishes crew and the plan was to meet Garry and Sandy there in the a.m. on my way to the branding. But those plans had changed and with the steady rain, I was not in any hurry to leave the trailer. Garry and Sandy had a great visit with some of the Lions, I was sorry to have not attended. They are a great bunch in this Lions Club. Garry and Sandy then took Erika to the Regina airport for 1330 hrs, while Deb and I worked around the trailer, made soup and got some more computer work done. I was disappointed for Erika to leave, she is such a great girl, so energetic, easy to be around and jumps in and works so hard at anything and everything that needs doing. So glad that she had the experiences that she did, it’s nice to be able to share them with another family member. Speaking of family, I’ve made a decision to send Samantha and Ryder to Regina when I arrive there this weekend. She’s agreed to it……..I’m so excited. Shauna can’t come as she has not had a day off in a month and will not have till the end of June, and Sarah and Avery are in Ontario visiting with her dad. Though it won’t be long now before I get to see them all. The horses were flying around the field kicking up their heels and enjoying their day off. It’s hard to believe that Champagne has a sore heel when you watch her run around and buck, kick and twist in the field. Deb and I headed into town at 1430 hrs to do laundry, groceries and a few other stops. Sandra Ecklund, owner of the Laundromat, met us there and provided all of the services there for us. She brought her two cute little daughters, Calli (3) and Alexsa (6), who made a donation to me from their piggy banks. Sooooo cute and so very generous for these little ones. Sandra and her husband also have a business and she gave me a cattle stick with my name on it ‘so they’ll all know who’s boss’, you can bet I’ll be using it on Garry. Great souvenir!!! We then were invited to go to the Hotel where we were given a donation from the pot that Jackie (Manager) had displayed on the bar. She mentioned that she is going to keep it going for another month and then mail the money to us. They were also insistent that we eat so they fixed us a great Caesar salad and sent us with 40, most delicious, chicken wings. Such nice people. We then came back to a wonderful supper at the Brown farm and had another great visit, before heading off to the Lions bingo. Mike informed me that I missed a great ride rounding up the cattle though, due to the rainy weather, the branding was put off for another day. Chantel informed me that the girls are so ecstatic about riding with me in the a.m. I made a couple of calls to my truck and trailer sponsors to thank them for their donations.

June 4, 2008

We awoke this a.m. to hear the news that Duane and Donna had a new stud colt that was born in the night. Sandy wanted to go look but she was leary about walking in the tall grass and getting molested by ticks. She just glanced from afar. I saddled up and then was met by Mike and Chantel and their two daughters, Kelsey and Victoria who were going to ride with me. Chantel rode in the truck behind with Duane. I was also joined by Kelly and Jay and their two daughters, Sadie and Emily and their son Rudy. They joined me for 7 kms and then Mike had to head to a branding and everyone off to work at their ranch. What a nice time and what great riders these little kids were. It’s so nice to have company. They reminded me of when my kids were little and Sarah and Shauna would share the saddle and Samantha would ride behind her dad in the saddle at the age of 2. Wish they could have rode with me longer. I carried on with Daisy and she did a great job for 20kms. I then switched to Rapper for the remaining 30 kms. I think that I’m going to use Daisy everyday for a bit as I think that this will be important to help her over her separation issues. While on the road I had a vehicle stop and came over to give a donation and it was a fellow Cochranite. Fred who’s wife, Rose, owns the Sure Print and Copy in Cochrane who also printed up all of the flyers, thank yous, posters, gala tickets, etc. for Giddy Up For Wishes. What a surprise. A little later on down the road, I ran into Ramish Ferris who is hand cycling across Canada to raise money and awareness for Polio. Wow, what a guy. He started in Victoria on Apr 12 and is heading to Newfoundland expecting to arrive by October. I felt bad for him as, even though I may have some heat while riding during the day, having a good wind at my back, he is riding in to east winds everyday. It was very moving for me to meet another Canadian traveler and one like him, who is a polio survivor, to have taken on such a feat. We exchanged flyers, stories and advice for our future travels. I had two bug jackets and face masks given to me in Northern Ontario, so I gave one to Ramish so he could fight off those bugs that he will be up against. To support Ramish, please visit his website www.cycletowalk.com We then arrived at the horse farm of Jack and Melissa Hosler and their daughter Taylor and son Aiden, Northern Speed Farms, home of ‘CrimeWave’. A top Canadian barrel stallion. Very impressive stud he is. They have a lot of horses here and a lot of colts. I had a farrier come out to take the pads off of Champagne, as the frog support was putting too much pressure on her heel. The farrier, Deana Thompson – Flatland Farrier, was excellent and handled Champagne very well. I’ll give it a few more days and hope that the soreness goes. Deana was very generous and donated her services. Much appreciated. I’m anxious to put full days on her. Lion Dennis from the Wolseley Club came over and gave a donation. I am feeling rather tired as it was a long ride today and it’s sure starting to heat up in the afternoon. I’ll be sleeping well tonight.

June 5, 2008

GREAT NEWS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!
Planned on getting an early start this a.m., but sometimes time just races by in the morning, especially when I receive phone calls like the one from Lona. She called to say that my mare, K.J., had her foal this a.m. It is a very beautiful paint stud colt. Tri colored, brown and white with a black mane and tail, 4 white stockings and a dark face with a star. I was so excited when I heard this. It was just a few days ago that I was telling Ingrid (a girl that rode her tri colored paint with me) that that was my favorite colored paint. Wow this is all about wishes coming true!!!!!!! We had breakfast at Jack and Melissa’s and then saw the kids and Melissa off to school and work. We visited with Jack and admired his herd of horses, especially his stud, ‘CrimeWave’, Daisy is in love with him, and I can sure see why as he is a beauty. We then headed out of Wolseley and I rode Coco to start out. She was going at an average of 15 kms/hr. Nothing slows her down when she gets going. I then got a call from Kimball Ford, the gentleman who rode from Guelph to north of Thunder Bay and who called me when I was around there. He was reading my journal and felt that my spirits were sounding low, and he was a bit concerned and called to boost me up. What a GREAT guy, I hope that I can meet him someday. I assured him that I was very high spirited, no cause for concern. We rode into Qu’Appelle where we were to go to the James Hamblin School and meet with the children. The students were all outside sitting on the grass and we brought Champagne and Rapper over to meet them. A few presentations were made and then I spoke to the students. There seemed to be a lot of interest as the questions were many. A hat and a fishing net were sent around and they gathered donations in them. They managed to put together quite a bit. We drove down the road to the Rusty Wire Stables, owned by Vern and Helen Barrett, where we were to spend the night. We were met by their son, Dustin who trains and shows horses, many of them appaloosas. We were in a bit early today so we had some time to sit out on the lawn chairs and enjoy a bit of the late afternoon. Chance is sure growing already and becoming a little more independent, walking a little farther away from our feet. Nice quiet evening after an exciting day!

June 6, 2008

Got up this morning and headed back to Jack Hosler’s place to drop off a few things and to let Daisy have another ‘visit’ with Crime Wave. His partner, Milt Regetti, was there getting ready to pick up Crime Wave to bring him home to his farm to do some pasture breeding. Milt offered his place to us in Belle Plaine to set up and spend the night. I was grateful, as we had not yet had anything there. We spent a little time and then headed to Indian Head to make a bank deposit. We also went to the tack store, Equine Assets, as I needed a new cinch and some cotton shirts. The owner, Cassie Bolingbroke, was so very nice and gave a generous donation of several items from the store. Nice girl. Got some groceries and then headed to pick up the rest of the horses and the crew. Off the ride went to Balgonie. Rapper did a steady pace all the way there in some great riding weather. CBC came out along the way to film us. Rapper is so funny, every time we cross a crossroad, Rapper stops in the middle of it, and looks both ways before carrying on. Today I decided to let me do what he wanted and he stood, looking for quite a while and then proceeded to head south, he did this every time. Not sure why he was heading south, maybe looking for a nice southern belle. Quite an entertaining horse. When we arrived in Balgonie we stopped at the car wash and washed all of the units, then headed to the horse farm of Curtis and Esther Metz. Unfortunately, they were heading out for the evening so we were unable to visit with them. We got settled in and then I headed to the airport to pick up my daughter, Samantha and my grandson, Ryder. VERY EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was worried that Ryder would not remember me as he was only 15 months old when I left. I watched them coming down the escalator, it seemed forever for them to get down and then Samantha set Ryder down on the floor. I called his name (the name that Nana calls him) and he looked up, spotted me and with a huge smile he walked as fast as his little legs could take him into my arms and he hugged me and kissed me repeatedly and kept saying ‘Nana’. This sure brought tears. So nice to have them with me. Carla was also at the airport to pick up her mom, Debbie Beynon, great to see the both of them as well. Debbie and Carla will ride with me into Regina tomorrow. We headed back to the trailer and had a great visit and then to bed, rather late. I look forward to seeing Samantha and Ryder’s faces in the a.m.

June 7, 2008

This morning I awoke to the cute little voice of Ryder calling out ‘Nana, Nana’. I opened up the bedroom door and when he looked at me through very tired morning eyes, he smiled and reached out to me. I picked him up and put him into bed with me and he hugged me and kissed me for about 10 minutes. I guess he really did miss me and I’m so glad that he remembers me so well. Little Chance sure does like Ryder. He’s a little much for Ryder some times as Chance is so rambunctious. We then got ready to head to Balgonie to start the ride into Regina. It was a shame that we didn’t get a chance to visit with Curtis and Esther much. They seemed like such nice people. We headed to the gas station in Balgonie and met with 10 other riders who would be accompanying me for the day. CTV News was there and did quite a bit of filming in the R.V. trailer of Samantha, Ryder and I, just to show where I have been hanging my hat at the end of the days. They then had Carla interview me outside and then videotaped as we all rode out down the road. The cameras covered a lot of shots while we were riding. There was such a beautiful variety in the colours of the horses. I really enjoyed riding with everyone, they were all such good riders and Samantha got some good video coverage of all of us, especially when we were all running. . Carla was so excited as was her mom, Deb. The day flew by toooo fast. I would have loved to ride on further with such great company. When we arrived at the home of Bruce Bolingbroke, Regina Therapeutic Riding Association, http://nonprofits.accesscomm.ca/reginatra/ (which was our overnight accommodations) we were met by Lions members from the four Lions Clubs of Regina, 35 Lions, Regina Central Lions, Lakeside Lions, Harmony Lions and Maple Leaf Lions. We also were met by Brenda, a rep from The Children’s Wish Foundation, 3 reps from Saskatchewan Equine Federation, a Wish child recipient named Brooke, and her family as well as several other people and some media personnel. Brooke had a trip to Disney World and brought her photo album to show me the great highlights of her trip. Such great memories that The Children’s Wish Foundation give to all of the recipients. Brooke also presented me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I am so moved by the gratitude that these families have towards the Children’s Wish Foundation and all that they do for them. Such a great foundation and I’m proud to be a part of their great work. The Lions set up a great barbeque, tent, etc. and fed the lot of us a great meal. There were some great presentations and several touching speeches. Little Ryder is such a typical boy, he had so much fun playing in every puddle he found, picking up rocks and playing around and trying to climb on every piece of farm equipment. It’s nice to look around and see one of my daughters here with me. We all sat around and visited in the barn. Great conversations and then off to bed.

June 8, 2008

Awoke this morning to the hugs and snuggles from Ryder. Samantha is going to ride for awhile with me today before she has to fly out. She packed up and got her stuff all ready to fly home, so that she didn’t have to do it when we were done riding, more time in the saddle. We met Deb and Carla at the west end of Regina where Samantha and I started our ride. Deb and Carla took Ryder into Regina and told us that they’d meet us in an hour to pick up Samantha and take them to the airport. We had a nice ride, talking all the way. Samantha was happy to be back in the saddle. She’s a great rider, though it’s been awhile since she’s spent much time on a horse. She’s inspired to get back at it. It was nice to have one of my daughters ride with me and experience a bit of what I have been experiencing for the past few months. Deb and Carla returned and picked Samantha up at 1230 hrs. I sure hated to see her and Ryder leave, though I’m glad it’s not that far away that I’ll be home and seeing them again. I carried on to Belle Plaine through periodic rain showers. There was a tornado warning, then downgraded to a ‘watch’ for most of the afternoon. Thank goodness nothing turned out that way. We were met at the local restaurant by Milt Regetti who led us to his horse ranch. Milt is the partner in the ownership of the stud, Crime Wave. He then toured us around all of his horses. Absolutely spectacular horses he has. All top racing blood lines and excellent barrel horses. I think that I might have to keep this place in mind the next time I want to buy a good quarter horse. Milt is a very interesting man with extensive knowledge of the quarter horse blood lines. He certainly knows how to breed good looking, well built horses. He then took us back to the restaurant and treated us to supper, very nice gesture. After a great meal at ‘Chubby’s’ we were taken to his house which was on his crop land. He also had another bunch of yearlings at his house. Just gorgeous!! We had wonderful visits and conversations and a lot of reminiscing amongst Garry, Sandy, Deb and I about the trip so far. I realize that when I get home and have some downtime, I’ll have to look back at the whole trip and see it in its entirety, as I find that too difficult to do now, it would be too overwhelming. Drove back to the ranch where the trailers are before the sun went down. Samantha called me to tell me that her and Ryder made it home safely and then proceeded to inform me that just as they were getting ready to land, she was watching tv and all of a sudden the interview and coverage that CTV did of me, popped up on the screen. There was coverage of Samantha and Ryder as well. She said that Ryder was quite interested in the tv. That was a great surprise for them. Off to ride to Moose Jaw tomorrow and then a wonderfully planned day off for Tuesday.

June 9, 2008

I awoke this morning with grateful thoughts to everyone that has worked so hard on helping to make Giddy Up For Wishes such a success that it already is. There several back home, Pascal, Ann, Lona, Del, John and Don, who are working very hard on a daily basis getting things ready for a successful homecoming event. I’m also so thankful to Lona who is working so very hard at the website and especially for taking care of my mare K.J. and foaling out my new colt. They’re all in great hands at Lona’s place. I’m surrounded by great people!! Left the beautiful horses at Milt Regetti’s ranch and headed out on the ride. It was Sandy’s turn to have her ride with me, so she rode Rapper and I rode Daisy. We had a great ride and the forecasted rain dissipated and we were able to stay dry. I was riding ahead when I noticed a page wire fence in front of a nice farm. I put my eagle eyes on and figured that there was likely some farm animals there, as it was looking like a bit of a petting zoo. I spotted a horse, cow, miniature horse, miniature donkey, goat, chickens and then I squinted and looked harder thinking that there was, likely, a llama on this Ee I Ee I O farm, and sure enough I spotted it laying down in the trees. Remembering my last Daisy and llama encounter, I immediately dismounted before she spotted it. I pointed it out to Sandy and she also dismounted. It got up and then I got a better look at it and it was an Alpaca. It came towards us and Daisy was at the end of her reins, with wide eyes. She finally settled down and went nose to nose with it. We spent some time over the fence with all of these cute little critters and then carried on. We did quite a bit of trotting today and Sandy got a good taste as to the type of riding that’s been going on. She did very well, she’s a good rider. We had a nice ride in and then were met in Moose Jaw by Bob Smith and were led to his farm. His wife Arlie, met us in the driveway and we carried on down behind their barn to the campground area that they had set up. We were also met by Kim Reynolds, who was very enthusiastic about the ride. She’s a passionate horse woman and took many pictures of us in front of the Smith farm. After we got settled in, she asked for our laundry and took it home with her to have done. We had a little down time and then got ready for the evening put on by the local Lions Clubs and Lioness Club. The Lions fixed us a BBQ and made some incredible donations. There were a couple of wish children with their families in attendance. These are the times that are so precious. Nathan was granted a wish to Disney World and Braydon was granted a tent trailer for him and his family so that they could create lifelong memories while camping together. Braydon came to the horses and had himself a ride on Coco. I was so impressed with the donations that we received. The different ideas that people come up with to raise money is incredible. Bob Smith had donated a Highland Bull to the Lions to sell for Giddy Up For Wishes. The Lions approached a corporate sponsor who agreed to pay twice the going price for it. This, very generous sponsor, was Perry, from Triple 4 Advertising Ltd and South Hill Fine Foods, who then gave the bull to Johnstone Auction Mart who auctioned it off and then donated the money back to Giddy Up For Wishes. So a lot of money was raised for the double sale of Hippie the Bull. What a GREAT CREATIVE way to raise money. There were also many other donations given for a terrific sum of money. We were also given several ‘very unique’ donations: Free passes to the famous Temple Gardens www.templegardens.sk.ca for the mineral springs. Then 4 free massages for Deb, Garry, Sandy and myself as well as a much needed facial for myself and a limousine service to and from the Wrapture Spa, www.wrapturespa.ca . Then 4 free lunches at the spectacular Yvette Moore Gallery, Fine Art and Café www.yvettemoore.com . The Early Bird Lions Club and The Evening Lions Club did a spectacular job of a very entertaining, funfilled and successful evening. I seem to be at a loss for words about all of the generosity that I experience on a daily basis. I lay my head down and am thankful for the gifts that we have all received during this endeavor.

June 10, 2008

DAY OFF! I made a vet appointment for this morning for Champagne. I just don’t think that she’s getting much better with her lameness, despite all we’ve been doing to look after her Deb and I headed out bright and early and headed out to Regina to Sherwood Animal Clinic to get her checked out. This clinic was highly recommended as a good equine veterinary service provider. We met with the vet and were told to leave her there and pick her up later as they would be doing x-rays to figure out the problem and we had appointments at the spa, that we certainly did not want to miss. We headed back and were picked up at the Smith farm by a stretch limo and delivered to Wrapture for our massages. What a beautifully, relaxing place. We met Vicky, the owner, and her staff and they whisked us away for our relaxing massages and then I received an excellent facial. We were so grateful for such a wonderful gift. We would all recommend this awesome place to anyone who is looking for a great escape. From there we walked over to Yvette Moore Gallery, Fine Art and Café for our lunch. This place is so beautiful, could spend quite a bit of time browsing. We sat down to one of the best lunches I have ever had. The homemade soup and salad was incredible and they are well known for their Saskatoon pie, and rightly so, it was decadent. We were picked up there with the Wrapture Limousine and taken back to the farm where Deb and I picked up the truck and horse trailer and went to pick up Champagne. Well, I’m sure glad I took her in. She was diagnosed with proximal suspensory desmitis which is an inflammation of the top of the suspensory ligament where it is attached below the knee on the back of the leg. The vet said this would have been caused by a hyperextension of the fetlock, likely caused by something like stepping on a rock out in a pasture or stepping in a hole or something of the sort. The vet said it’s not a serious injury and she will heal completely, though she needs stall rest. She said that getting on and off of the trailer and riding in it every day - would be tough with this particular injury. So I am very sorry to say that Champagne will be heading back to the home of Ed and Rhonda Turco (the ones who donated her in the first place) to heal up. I’m really sorry to see her go and disappointed that this happened, but I guess it’s just one of those freak things that could have happened anywhere. A little rest time and she’ll be back at it. I will miss riding her as she is a beautiful ride. We returned and put her in a box stall with Coco as they are calling for rain. Lona has offered her horse Molly to me. Molly is a quarter horse/arab cross. We’re making the arrangements to get her out here. She’ll join Coco, Daisy and Rapper, who all continue to be in outstanding shape. Garry, Sandy and Deb went grocery shopping and then took their free passes back to Temple Gardens Mineral Springs where they soaked in the waters. I decided to stay back at the trailer as I have a lot of computer work to complete. Lona called to tell me that my little colt is doing well, running around in the pasture with mama in hot pursuit. It’s going to be hard to peel her away from Lona and her daughter Sara when I return. I’m so grateful to them for caring for her. What great friends to have. Later in the evening we went up to the, very cozy house to visit with Bob and Arlie. Such a great couple and many great horse stories. Off to bed in anticipation of a very wet ride tomorrow.

June 11, 2008

We saddled up in the yard of Bob and Arlie Smith, through the rain showers. They led us out to the highway and brought us coffees to start the ride. It never quit raining throughout, so I just dressed appropriately, with several layers, oilskin slicker and a yellow rain slicker. Luckily the rain was at my back the whole time, though by the time I was done I was soaked through it all, right to the skin. Coco moved at a real good pace. She is one of those horses that everyone would like to own. She puts her heart and soul into every ride. If I want her to keep going, she will go and go and go with all her heart, that is a phenomenal trait for a horse, especially on a ride like this. She’s worth her weight in gold. Chance is most entertaining for us. She’s really lightening up in her colour and is growing like a weed, cute as a button, she is. We arrived at the charolais cattle farm of Dave and Maureen Grajczyk. They had a delicious hot meal waiting for us and a hot shower for me to get the chill out. Also hung out all of my wet gear to dry. They had a beautiful wood fire burning in the wood stove, which I hung out by, a very cozy cedar log home they have. Such great people they are. They had an old rotary dial phone that didn’t ring, so Garry, the phone fanatic person that he is, fixed it so that it did ring the ‘old fashioned ring’ and when it rang, Maureen had the biggest smile on her face and said that it brought back such beautiful memories for her. I was so happy for her,…………. good one Garry. The horses were blanketed had some good shelter from the rain, as it plans on continuing throughout the night. I guess Calgary is sending their rain this way. No real complaints though, as this part of the country is in dire need of moisture. An early morning tomorrow to head to Walsh with Champagne.

June 12, 2008

What a long day today. Deb and I got up at 0530hrs, loaded up Champagne and headed to Walsh to meet Jim Lesack who was transporting Molly to me. On the way I received a phone call from Barbara Kingscote, author of the book, Ride the Rising Winds. Barbara rode her horse in 1949 from Mascouche, Quebec to Vancouver to go to vet school. Her book was part of my inspiration for this trip. What a beautiful surprise when I received this call. I invited her to the homecoming, on July 2nd in Bearspaw and hope that she can come, though she has a horse show that she is attending in Nanaimo on July 1st. We had a great talk and made plans to get together and share stories. She’s living in Alberta, not far from me, so I’ll be sure to connect with her when I return. I then had a radio interview from Q107 from Calgary. We then carried on in the pouring rain to Walsh where we were met by Jim. I said so long to Champagne, hated to see that beauty leave, but I am happy for her to get the rest she needs. Lona, ever so kindly, donated her horse (very precious horse she is) to me to complete the ride. Molly is a beautiful quarter horse/arab X 12 year old mare. Lona competes with her in competitive trail with me, she’s a great horse and will definitely make the trip with ease, as she’s in really good shape. We headed back to Mortlach in driving rain. I told Deb that I never thought that the rain would ever stop me on this trip, but this sure is, as at times the rain was so bad I could hardly see driving. We unloaded Molly so that she could stretch her legs before getting in the trailer for the day’s ride. Garry and Sandy were taken out for lunch with Dave and Maureen at the Wagon’s West Cookhouse, Garry is starting to look like a Saskatoon pie. The ride didn’t get started till 4:30 p.m., but the rain had pretty much stopped, just the odd drizzle and lots of wind. The large Saskatchewan skies sure were full of interesting clouds today. I was watched from the top of a hill beside the ditch, by two coyotes, that was a neat picture. We were stopped on the road by a couple of First Nations gentlemen. They were very interested in the ride and took many pictures. We arrived at Chaplin at 8:00 p.m. and set up at the horse stalls of Cyril Hayward. We were met by Clem Millar, Chaplin Lions President. Clem and his wife Arlene, own the local insurance agency in town, C.W. Millar’s Insurance Agency Inc. We are parked beside the railway tracks and Molly was pretty wide eyed and got a bit antsy with the close trains. This is good exposure as she will be rode tomorrow and there are tracks alongside the ditch. Long day, to bed early!

June 13, 2008

Had a great sleep last night and didn’t even hear the trains that ran right beside us. Molly sure got used to them as well as managing her position in the ‘herd’. Daisy and Molly are buddies, Rapper gets along with any horse and Coco had to prove her ‘mature’ stature in the group, so she kept Molly at bay for the majority of the night. They all have established the hierarchy and all is well this morning. A knock came on the trailer door at 0800 hrs and it was the President of the Chaplin Lions Club, Clem and his wife, Arlene Millar and they prepared and delivered a spectacular breakfast for us. We enjoyed it all together as well as the visit. They also gave a few donations as well. I decided to ride Molly today to introduce her to her new ‘job’ and Deb rode Daisy to help make things run a little smoother for Molly. Well, the two of them talked and made a plan to go as slow as possible. I commented to Deb, that it is hard to believe that these two horses go like the wind in when competing in Competitive Trail. We rode like this for 28 kms and then Deb jumped in the truck and trailered Daisy. I figured that Molly might go quicker if she was alone. That did help, though my legs felt very tired after using them so hard all day to keep them going. Molly was not bothered by anything on the ride (even with the active train track right beside us), it was like she’d been doing it all along. She’s such a sweet horse, smooth ride and quite pretty. She’s had a tough couple of days, so I’ll give her time to rest up, before taking her out again. I’m sure grateful to Lona for lending me her top steed. I know what this little mare is capable of, so I look forward to her getting settled in and having my next ride on her. Deb did quite a bit of videotaping today. All of this coverage will be really nice to look back on. Alot of rain fell in a couple of days here and it’s a little tough riding in the ditches with all of the water, but I’m so happy for the residents/farmers here, as it was very much needed. Everyone’s happy for it. We arrived in Herbert at 6:30 p.m. and were met by Esther who showed us where to put our horses at her farm. She had to run off to work at the hospital and informed us that a few Lions members were waiting for us to have supper with them at the local Chinese restaurant. Lion President Doug Francis and his wife, Janine, were there as well as Lion Chuck and Isabell. We were treated to a great meal and visit with them all. After supper, I was pretty tired, so Deb and I headed back to the trailer to finish the day while Garry and Sandy went to the Strawberry Social for some socializing over dessert. While at the trailer, we were met by Tom Donnelly who delivered hay to us. Very nice man. There is a couple of lilac bushes near the trailer so Deb cut a few sprigs and brought them in the trailer. It is one of the most beautiful floral smells and makes it really feel like spring. Deb is heading out by bus tomorrow from Herbert. I hate to see her go. She’s one heck of an energetic worker and she gets it done, let me tell you. Her horse skills are excellent and her ability to go through the trucks and trailers like a white tornado is astounding. She’s such a great help and a terrific friend. Chance is sure going to miss her as she has been his sidekick since Chance has been with us. I’m so glad that she had the opportunity to spend so much time with Giddy Up For Wishes on the road, as she has been working so hard for so long on this event. She’ll be back to ride with me on the last week. Off to bed, I’m zonked.

June 14, 2008

Awoke at 6:00 a.m. to beautiful sunshine, by 7:30 it was pouring again. Esther came by to say good bye, nice place, nice lady. I took Deb to the bus depot at 9:00 a.m. It was great having her along, she’s such a great help, goes at top speed all of the time. It’ll be nice to have her riding with me for part of the last week. We waited till the rain subsided, then headed out. It wasn’t till close to noon when I got on Rapper and headed out of Herbert. Rapper and I had a very strong head wind to ride into. It made the going very tough. I had to follow on the gravel shoulder directly behind the horse trailer just to cut the wind a bit for Rapper. He still went at an average of 11 ½ kms per hour. When the shoulders turned to asphalt, I went back into the ditch. I saw my first antelope today, unfortunately it was dead in the ditch. At one point Rapper was trotting along nicely into the gale force winds, when all of a sudden he noticed half of a black barrel laying in the tall grass. He spotted it at the last minute and bolted and started bucking. I was able to stay with him until I got him settled down. I guess he must feel the need to test my riding abilities every now and again. We carried on and then were met at Swift Current by Lion Jim Pratt who led us to the Kinetic Exhibition Grounds where we stabled the horses and set up the r.v. in the campground. We no sooner got settled in when my sister Paula and my two nieces, Paige and Ashtyn drove in. They’re going to stay with me for 4 days. It was nice to see them. Chance was happy to see the girls and showed off her incredible amount of energy and spunk. We then were led to the home of Lion Larry and Carol O’Donnell where we were served a delicious homemade meal. We were joined at the table by another Swift Current Lions member, Barry and his wife Pat. What a spectacular supper and a wonderful visit. We were also given several Lions pins by Larry. He’s quite the collector of pins. We headed back to the campsite, checked on the horses and then settled in for the night. There was stock car racing going on last night but the noise didn’t really bother us. Paige and Ashtyn took Chance over to watch for awhile. I had been looking for a very special and meaningful leather pouch to carry the wish for world peace in. I was trying to think of where to obtain this, where it would have great meaning. I thought that I should get it from our First Nations people and decided to find a way of contacting Phil Fontaine to obtain this. A friend of my daughter Samantha’s is Connor Mahoney. He happens to be a very close friend of Phil Fontaine and explained to him my desire. Phil obliged this desire and passed on a magnificent leather/beaded pouch, which my sister transported to me when she got here. I feel this is a very powerful, meaningful & symbolic pouch and is so worthy of carrying the Wish for World Peace to Calgary. This pouch will be returned back to Phil Fontaine when the wish is passed on. I am so grateful to this man who helped to strengthen this wish, by the donation of this very beautiful pouch. I know that it holds great meaning for him and am grateful that he would lend it to Giddy Up For Wishes for this period of time. So I shall return to complete the end of this leg of Giddy Up For Wishes with two pouches……….one that holds many wishes from children and another, the World’s Biggest Wish, the Wish for World Peace.

Message from Deb Miller: WELL!!! I can't believe that two weeks are gone already! I rode with Martha a total of three days. I can't believe she did this every day and all the way from Ottawa to boot! Wow! Hats off to her!

The people we met, the hosts we stayed with, the many generious people and towns we visited - it's all unbelievable. The Lions Clubs and the numerious other organizations who helped put it all together - I applaud you all.

But most of all the Wish families I met with thier heart wrenching stories, their heart felt apprication and love for what Martha is doing for the Childrens Wish Foundation. The smiles of the children when they meet Martha and her Horses - it's very emotional.
The stars of this epic journey are the horses; Coco, Rapper, Champagne, Daisy and Molly who gave their heart and soul every day and each mile. Without them it would be a long walk, Martha!!

Seriously, I salute you and the horses for deciding to do this. You have warmed my heart. This is truly a time to remember. I have never been so proud to be involved with anything in all my life. Thank-you for involving me.

Deb Miller

June 15, 2008

Paula and the girls left this a.m. to get groceries while Sandy and I loaded up the horses. Garry went and emptied and refilled the R.V. Molly was the choice of steed for the day. I saddled her up and then Paula asked if she could sit on her and get a picture. This is quite a surprise as Paula never goes closer than on the other side of the fence to a horse, let alone, sit on one. Nervously, she got up and posed for a few pics, shuttered with nervousness when Molly took a step and then got down. Good for her for finally overcoming a HUGE fear of hers. It’s going to be a long ride to Gull Lake today, good thing it’s not super hot yet. Typically, I have the truck and horse trailer in front and the truck and R.V. behind, but Molly seemed to go much better when all of the vehicles were behind us. She’s not aware of the ‘follow the horse trailer’ routine, that was established in Ontario. She did excellent, much better than when she rode with Daisy. She went at an average 9.5 kms/hr. She’s such a pretty little mare. Paula, Paige and Ashtyn spent quite a bit of time photographing her. The ditches are drying up quite a bit so we’re able to ride most of the time on flat ground. Spotted several antelope in the fields today, they’re sure fast. There was a couple of times that Molly jumped and twisted a bit and I felt it in the muscles of my back. I’m noticing a lot of Alberta license plates and a lot of people honking. I had someone pull up and stop and was so excited to see that it was Kim Taylor, the photographer that took the pictures for my posters, website etc. She’s a phenomenal western photographer. www.kimtaylor.com So nice to see a familiar face on the road. She took a bunch of pictures of the units and Molly and myself. She lives in Bragg Creek, Alberta, but was in Saskatchewan visiting family and on her way to Maple Creek to take photographs. She informed me that she put one of my pictures in her 2009 journals/calendar. I carried on with Molly for 33 kms and decided to switch to Coco. Well, that horse is a machine. She takes this job seriously. I thought I’d start her out at a walk and then work into a trot. Coco had other plans, she bolted and was into a trot immediately right up to 20 kms/hr. hmmmmm this sure felt good on my sore back, so then into a lope she went, doing 29 kms/hr., with no slowdown in the plan. She was passing the truck and Sandy had to speed up to keep ahead. Ashtyn was sitting in the passenger seat and was videotaping and laughing her head off. I finally stopped her after 7 kms to force her to settle down. Well that worked for the time that she was stopped and when I got back on again she was off like a bullet. She seems to have more drive and speed the further into this trip. Maybe she senses home. I think that I’ll have to call this 20 yr old mare the superstar of the ride. The mosquitos are officially out. When Coco and I were nearing Gull Lake, we were in the ditch and all of a sudden there were swarms of mosquitos all around us. I was swatting them like crazy, we moved on up closer to the shoulder. We arrived into Gull Lake and we trailered to our overnight stay in Tompkins, at the ranch of Craig and Krista Todds. A great place to end the day. I bathed the horses, first Molly and Coco to help get that sweat off of them, as it is getting quite warm out now. Rapper was bathed and I’ll do Daisy in the a.m. It was a beautiful evening and we all sat around on our lawn chairs and visited till dark. Chance was playing with the kittens, hasn’t quite gotten introduced to the ‘swat’ yet. At one point Garry was sitting with the puppy and two kittens on his lap and they were all sleeping. I think we shall call him the ‘kitten whisperer’. Craig is a Lions member and tells me that the group is very young, good to see a young Club being so active as they are. They presented a cheque for Giddy Up For
Wishes when a fellow Lions member arrived, Lion Don Connick, who also arrived with muffins. Beautiful evening, off to bed, and yes, the back muscles are definitely sore. Hope they’re better by the a.m., as I refuse to get off schedule.

June 16, 2008

Had a bit of a disturbed sleep due to my sore back, so I decided to use Rapper today, as he is a fairly smooth ride. Craig and Krista came to the ranch to have a visit with us before we headed out. They have a house in town and are making plans to build on their land. They’ll have a really nice place when they’re all set up, a very peaceful and relaxing place with quite a few trees around. Rapper was great today, so smooth and my back didn’t bother me a bit. A couple stopped on the side of the road to visit with us. They were from Airdrie, AB. On their way back from Kenora, Allan and Lorna LePoudre. They mentioned that they remember seeing me on the news in March and were hoping to meet up with me somewhere on the trip. Nice people, I’m definitely getting closer to home, as there were also a lot of Alberta vehicles going by and honking. A train went by and blew his whistle at me and waved. I have to say, that I have seen so many trains along the trip and realize how much I actually like them. They seem like such an historical part of our country. I remember when the girls were little, I used to ride the trains a lot to Ontario and to Vancouver to visit family and friends. I hope that trains will always be a mode of travel or transport in our vast country. The day became very hot today and Rapper was sweating up pretty good so I stopped a couple of times and sponged him down. Certainly never slowed him down none. I got to Piapot in fairly good time and then trailered to the farm of Alf and Freda Wakelam. We settled in and had a nice visit with them as well as their friend Ken Taplin who will be joining me tomorrow for a portion of the ride with his team of Belgians and wagon. I’m looking forward to that. We then went to a fabulous ‘fork steak fondue’ at the Lions hall in Piapot. The population, we were told, was 38 and 10 children for a total of 48. I found this interesting, because there are 32 Lions members and there were 50 people in attendance for the supper. They sound like a fun group who have some great ideas on how to raise money. One of them is gopher races. I would have loved to witness this. They said that this event usually brings in a lot of money. We had a lot of fun and quite a bit of money was raised there for Giddy Up as well some great presentations. We all headed back to the trailer, very full and tired. Paula, Paige and Ashtyn were really taken by all of this great hospitality. It’s so good when new people have the opportunity to witness a bit of what this ride is all about. I got a call tonight from Rhonda to tell me that I will have a few of them riding with me west of Medicine Hat, I look forward to the company. Tomorrow’s an early start and a busy day in Maple Creek.

June 17 Journal,

We were invited into the home of Alf and Freda for a fabulous breakfast. What wonderfully friendly, hospitable people they are. I split the ride from Piapot to Maple Creek between Molly and Coco today. I was met part way into my ride by Ken Taplin who had his team of Belgians, pulling a wagon. At his side rode his good friend, Dave Everett and in the back of the wagon rode his wife, Sharon and his granddaughter, Sydney. What a wonderful touch this was for my ride and the time just flew by with this great company. Paige and Ashtyn rode in the wagon as well. Paula would ride ahead of the wagon, jump out of her vehicle and then take pictures. We were also met by the local paper and had some good coverage. Ken and the ‘Harness Club’ do a fundraiser every year in August in the Cypress Hills to raise money for the Children’s Wish Foundation. This year it is on August 16th. Sounds like a lot of fun and, obviously, a great cause. I was so honored to have them ride with me. When we reached in the junction of Maple Creek, we were met by Alf, who, with Dave, lead us into the high school where I received a wonderful reception, from the students who were all outside and a big sign that two students held up that read ‘WELCOME MARTHA’. They then presented me with a large cheque that the students all helped to raise. What a great job!! From there I rode to the Sidney Street Elementary School where all of the children were gathered in the gym to meet me. I was presented with some donations and then did a little talk to the students. A lot of the children had plenty of great questions for me. I just love talking to the children about Giddy Up For Wishes, and so great to see them so interested in the cause. We then headed to the Ag. Stampede Grounds where we were to spend the next few days. Afterwards, we were invited to go to the restaurant beside the rodeo grounds where the owners treated us to lunch. I’ve always heard about Maple Creek but was never here. Nice place, full of great people. It sure got hot this afternoon. I mentioned that I needed a few trimmings and a reset on Coco and Molly so Dave picked up on that and went home and told his son Kyle, who is a farrier, and he came out in the evening and fixed them up. Again, he did a great job and didn’t charge a penny. He no sooner got the job done and we had a thunderstorm roll through, short lived though. We then sat around at the table and Paige, Paula, Ashtyn, Garry and Sandy and I, sat around and laughed for quite some time. A fun night and very relaxing. Chance is getting a lot of attention with Paige and Ashtyn here, not that she lacked it before from Garry and Sandy. I’m pretty sure that they will be looking into getting a puppy when they get home. It was nice starting the day out early today and ending in good time to enjoy the day. Seems like a head start on the day off.

June 18, 2008

DAY OFF!! It seems that everytime I have a day off, I’m most ready for it. It is a gorgeous morning, sunny and warm already at 8:00 a.m. Paula, Paige and Ashtyn were busy packing as were Garry and Sandy. Paula is a hairdresser so she gave my hair a trim while Ashtyn gave me a pedicure. Paige called it the ‘Giddy Up Salon and Spa’. Garry and Sandy had seven weeks worth of accumulated things to pack up. I kept telling them that they were off duty but Garry still continued to clean out the horse trailer, grain the horses and organize the trucks, while Sandy cooked everyone breakfast and cleaned the r.v., and was still willing to make some calls to confirm overnight stays. These two were such a GREAT help on the ride, and sure got us out of a bind a few times when we were in dire need of drivers. Great couple! Not so sure who Chance is going to gnaw on now that Garry is gone. She was either interested in chewing on Sandy’s toes or rough housing with Garry. Paula and the girls left at 1100 hrs. Shortly thereafter, Dave Elliott showed up with his wife, Sue, who they claimed was my ‘tour guide’ for the day. Sue and I jumped in her vehicle and took Garry and Sandy to the bus depot, then we headed off to the Cypress Hills Vineyard & Winery www.cypresshillswinery.com I could not believe that there was a winery in Saskatchewan and then such a beautiful vineyard and winery it was. We had a bit of a wine tasting of their spectacular wines and then were treated to an absolutely delicious lunch on the patio. What a gorgeous place, I would recommend a stop there for everyone coming through. After lunch Sue took me to some nice shops in Maple Creek, did a little bit of shopping and then headed back to the trailer. I did some organizing at the trailer and then headed to the bus depot to pick up my sister Debbie Vandelaar and Judy Bailey, who were to be my drivers for the next week. They settled in and then we headed to Dave and Sue’s ranch for supper. What a great place they have. Dave cooked us steak over a wood fire while Sue served up some excellent food that she had prepared. We had a wonderful visit with them and their son, Kyle. Such a nice family, it’s a shame that I didn’t get a chance to meet their other two sons, Mark and Kirk as they live in B.C. and Alberta. We then went for a walk to see their beautiful horses and their log barns that Dave and his boys built. I can sure understand why Kim Taylor spends time here and gets some beautiful pictures. A working ranch run by some of the most down-to-earth people I have ever met. All of these people that I have met along my trip has definitely been a blessing ……one of the highlights of this whole trip. Sue is going to ride with me tomorrow YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

June 19, 2008

Got up at 0500 hrs this morning so that I could get an early head start on the day, as it is supposed to rather warm today. We went to the junction, met Dave and Sue and had breakfast at 1 & 21 restaurant. I received a call from Angela Knight from CBC radio in Calgary and they auctioned off the 2 best seats in the Calgary Stampede with all of the proceeds going to Giddy Up For Wishes. They raised over $5000.00, what great support! Sue and I then headed out for the ride. I rode Daisy and she rode her horse, Shoo Fly. It was soooo great to have her company, I don’t think that we quit talking the whole ride. This made the trip go really fast and Daisy kept up a good pace the whole time. Debbie and Judy did a great job of getting things ready this morning and did a really good job of driving. We crossed the Alberta border …………..YAHOO!!!! It’s interesting, the feelings that I’ve gotten at each border crossing. This time I had really mixed emotions when I saw the sign. First the excitement of seeing the word ‘Alberta’, extreme happiness about being so close to home and seeing my family and then almost a fear/sadness of knowing that this ride is coming to an end. I am anticipating the final ride in and feel mixed emotions about all that as well. I’m sure that there will be a bit of an adjustment when it is all said and done. Dan Kroffat warned me about that even before I left home. It will be interesting to see how that all unfolds, it’ll all be good, just the whole process will unravel the way it is supposed to. We finished the ride to Walsh, in good time and before the intense heat of the day and then went to the ranch of our overnight hosts, Lori and Courtney Jones. Unfortunately, they couldn’t visit for long as they had some branding to do. We sat under the shade of a large tree in their yard and had lunch/supper. Dave came to pick up Sue and joined us. What a wonderful couple they are. I hope to see them when they head to Calgary and Merritt to visit their sons. After they left Debbie, Judy and I were all tired and all went for a nap. This is the first time that napping has ever happened on this trip, nice starting so early in the day. It’s so quiet here I know that we’ll have a real solid sleep. Oh yeah, Chance has found Debbie to gnaw on and cats to chase here. She’s getting so used to people and different places with all of this exposure, she also thinks that the trailer is home, she doesn’t venture too far from it. She also had her first taste of a steak bone last night. It was bigger than her. Off to bed so I can get an early start again to head to Medicine Hat.

June 20, 2008

Got up to a beautiful early morning and headed out. I started out with Rapper this a.m. We left Walsh and headed towards Medicine Hat. Rapper was a ball of energy, actually a bit too much. I thought he’d settle down after 30 kms, but he didn’t, he seemed to get more hyped up and was spooking and bolting constantly. He certainly didn’t like the miniature horses that came running towards us. I think I had better slow down the amount of grain he’s getting. I increased it, though I think that I need to decrease his for sure. Too high in protein for him to have that much, I guess. I decided to finish the day on Coco who is also a machine and full of energy, but at least she’s level in her mind and doesn’t spook at anything, just looks straight ahead and throws herself into high gear. We had quite a few people stop by on the side of the road to say hi and to give a donation. There was a couple and their two little children that we met in Brandon, MB that happened to be driving by and stopped. I’m noticing all the wild flowers that are out now and some of them are so fragrant. Saskatchewan is so green right now, I guess this is not typical of here, but due to all the spring rains and now hot sun, things are greened up and quite lush. Dave was telling us that in typical years they go by 1 cow/calf to 40 acres, there will definately be some fat cows this year. The Medicine Hat Newspaper came out to interview and take pics. We arrived at the Medicine Hat Stampede Grounds and were met by Donna Serr, Chairman of the Children’s Wish Foundation in Medicine Hat, her daughter, Melanie, who was a CWF recipient 10 years ago and Melanie’s two children. As well, Donna’s assistant, Cathy Stober. They went to meet me on the highway but we were already done. They had a great CWF sign, a gift for me and more enthusiasm than a child on Christmas morning. Such a wonderful welcome. We were met by Jim MacArthur from the Stampede office and he showed us where to put the horses and the trailers. He gave me some good history on the grounds and told me that it used to be a Prisoner of War camp in 1944 and at that time there were 12,500 POW’s and the population of Medicine Hat was only 10,000, more POW’s than residents. Debbie and Judy bathed Rapper and Coco and we got them settled in. These girls have settled into the routine very nicely. We were then visited by 3 members of the local Lions Club and they gave a donation and took some pictures. We then called a cab and went to the friends of Judy, Mat Woolstencroft and Darlene Breckenridge, for supper. What a great visit, shower, and a terrific meal. They had some company from Calgary and, once again, we proved that it is a small world. Darlene and Pixie both worked/work for the Calgary Fire Dept. so I caught up on all the news of the people that I used to work with there. We were then taken to their store ‘Croft’s’, full of collectibles and the largest variety and selection of assorted merchandise that I’ve seen in a store. The store is definitely worth a stop for anyone, as there are many extremely interesting items for the antique collector, toy collector, sport fanatic, etc. They took us back to the trailers, checked on the horses and then hit the sack and were all out like a light. Off to Suffield tomorrow where I will be met by 5 friends that will ride with me for a couple of days. That’ll be GREAT!

June 21, 2008

Headed for breakfast at the home of Donna Serr, Chairman of the Children’s Wish Foundation. What a warm, caring woman she is. She had a terrific breakfast prepared for us and we had such a nice visit. The plan was to get up and ride early this morning to avoid the heat of the day, but we ended up visiting for a good part of the morning so we got away later. She told us the story of her daughter, Melanie’s, battle with her illness that she has since overcome and their strength in faith that helped to pull them through. I certainly feel blessed to have met her. When we were leaving she packed up an incredible lunch for us all and gave us each a c.d. that her daughter made during her time of illness to help raise money to pay for her treatment in Texas. We got in the vehicle and put in the cd, wow…….what a beautiful voice Melanie has. We were just shocked to hear this absolutely beautiful voice, I bet she raised a lot of money selling them, her voice is incredible. Probably the most amazing part is that she made this cd 2 weeks after receiving part of her treatment, which caused her to be very sick and to have double vision. What a talented, blessed lady. We then headed back to the rodeo grounds to load up the horses and head out on the ride to Suffield. I started out on Molly. I was a few kms into the ride when Debbie radioed me to tell me that there were llamas up ahead. I continued riding till Molly halted when spotting them. I wasn’t sure how she would react so I dismounted and walked her. Well, she was at the end of her reins and she ran circles around me the entire length of that field, snorting the whole way. She did not like them at all. It was now very hot and it was getting tough due to the heat. Halfway through the ride I switched horses and rode Coco the rest of the way. Coco is certainly the superstar of this whole ride, she just keeps her head forward and makes a mile. We were both pretty sweated up at the end of the ride. From now on it’ll be early morning rides, the heat is just too much. I couldn’t imagine carrying on this ride any further than Calgary/Cochrane. Riding through July and August would be treacherous. We had a few people stop along the way to give donations, one being a young girl named Bobbie with her parents, Bob and Cathy. Bobbie is the granddaughter to Norma Dwyer, who has organized our overnight stay in Suffield. She loves horses and was very eager to meet me and my 4 legged friends. We finished the ride and met up with Rhonda, Rosa (sisters that drove for me in Ontario), their sister Roxanne, Debbie (rode with me in Regina), and Rita (all members of my ladies riding group) and all their horses. I’m so excited as these girls are going to ride with me tomorrow. They all saddled up and went for a ride while Judy, Debbie and I settled in to the ball diamonds in Suffield, met there by Norma. Now this is quite the lady. She looked after us so very well. She arranged a trough for water in the field beside the ball diamonds for the horses, which was filled up several times. She then had supper ordered, delivered it, and it was paid for by the Suffield Community. She also supplied us with a flat of water and a few other things that we were needing, all donated by the Suffield Community. She has such a big heart and an incredible sense of humour. We asked her to hang out for awhile as we really enjoyed her company. She just couldn’t do enough for us. We all sat around on lawn chairs and visited and laughed till the sun went down. I just loved all this company of such great people. Went to bed feeling very tired from all this excitement and from the heat of the day. Looking forward to riding with this group tomorrow!!

June 22, 2008

Got up early and was met shortly thereafter with the smiles and gifts of breakfast and lunch from Norma. I could just take this woman along with us, she’s so great. When we learned that she had been married for 47 years, we asked what her secret was. She stressed the importance of communication and ‘talking things out’ and then stated that she was lucky to have such a wonderful husband. This was so nice to hear that her life has been so blessed, she’s a great lady and obviously, deserves it. We all had a great breakfast and visit and then headed out early for our ride. Daisy was the horse for the day, she seems to do so much better with company than on her own. She did very well. It was a perfect day for a ride. A good breeze, not too hot, as a matter of fact, the first ½ hour of the ride, was in rain, but then it cleared up and the sun came out. All of the other horses were anxious to go, while Daisy paced herself very nicely. They all settled in after a bit and we all had such a great ride. After 30 kms Rhonda offered to drive so that Debbie could ride her horse, Turtle. Debbie was ecstatic and fell in love with Turtle. A little later, Judy was offered a horse while Rosa drove, and she too had an ear to ear smile. After 35 kms, I switched to Molly. Near then end of the ride I noticed her having a bit of a limp again. This has happened on and off throughout her short stay with me, so I decided to send her home with Rhonda. Rhonda offered her palomino, Turtle to stay with me, that sure brought a BIG smile to my face as Turtle is a cadillac horse. Just before ending the ride for the day, my sister Paula showed up with her son Ian and delivered my brother, Ron, who flew in from Ontario to drive the last week of the ride. He took me out of Ottawa the first week and I am so happy that he’s bringing me home. My father would have done this but he passed away suddenly last summer, so I’m thrilled to have my brother fill those shoes. Just before we completed the ride Paula drove Judy into Tilley where she was going to try and find a place for us to spend the night, as we found out we didn’t have one. Well Judy found us a great ranch to stay at, and quite the funny story to go with it. She went into to the bar to ask around (the reception she got was quite entertaining) and then went to the place that was recommended. Refusing to open the unlocked gate, she jumped the fence, (I’m guessing she’s a seasoned fence jumper) braved the friendly dogs and then approached the house to ask. Max, Corinne, and their two children were very willing to put us up. We all loaded up the horses and drove into Tilley. We found a large parking lot and set up our chairs, took the horses out of the horse trailers, fed and watered them and then fed and watered ourselves. We visited for a couple of hours and had so many stories and laughs. Rosa played a song off a cd that she said was about people like me, called ‘Ordinary People’. It made me teary, a beautiful song. We then played it again cuz Rhonda said that she had a dance to go with it. Boy, am I ever glad I put that on video. Rhonda, Rosa and Roxanne had some most entertaining ‘sister’ stories to tell. I sure admire their close friendship as sisters, they are a strong unit. We all laughed so much. Debbie even gave me the go ahead to tell some of our stories of our ‘growing up’ years, as she made me swear to secrecy on a couple of them. Today was the day for revealing. We were reminded of the time of day and loaded up the horses to head off to our overnight stay. I wish that this group could have rode the rest of the time with me. We arrived at the home of Max and Corinne Tateson and were met by their two children, Dillon and Delaney. What a wonderful ranching family this is. We are so grateful that they took us in with such short notice, again, another wonderful family. The horses are settled in, though they are definitely keeping Turtle at bay. Off to bed for a short ride to Brooks tomorrow. I can’t believe I’m this close to home. :o)

June 23, 2008

Awoke to the cute little faces of Dillon and Delaney at the trailer door. They were wearing their Giddy Up For Wishes bandanas that I gave them and Delaney was heading off to school. They were so cute, such ranch kids. They were playing ‘bull and rodeo clowns’ with Chance. Chance was the bull…….so cute. We got things ready, said good bye to Corinne and Max and headed out the driveway. When we were leaving the gate, we noticed a sign that read……’Trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again’, we all got a laugh out of that, except Judy who winced when she saw it and was glad that she didn’t see that sign yesterday when she was fence jumping. She feels like she’s defied death. Just before approaching Brooks, I was met on the highway by a pair of percherons, pulling a beautiful wagon, owned and driven by Councillor, Bill Prentice. Debbie jumped in with him and his dog, while Judy and Ron drove the trucks. We headed into Brooks and Rapper was really good throughout the trip in town. I am starting to notice that Rapper is getting a little tired, stumbling here and there, I think all the horses will be glad to be home. They are still enjoying it, it appears, though I think 3 months of this is enough. We settled in at the Rodeo Grounds, which was all arranged by Bill, very thankful to him as he worked hard in a short amount of time to make our stay in Brooks a GREAT one. I was met at the grounds by a couple members of the media. One being Bruce Parker from the local paper and Dennis Seidel from CTV. I cannot believe the coverage that I have received all along the way from CTV, they seem to be everywhere and people in most provinces are seeing their coverage on tv. I was also met by the Mayor Martin Shields who presented me with a couple lovely keepsakes from the Town. Robert Warren donated 8 bales of hay for us. My nephew Francois, his wife Melanie and her parents met us there and we had a great visit under the shade of the poplar trees and a delicious barbecue. I know I’m close to home now, as I have family/friends meeting me in the evenings. One more day of riding by myself and then Deb Miller will be here to ride with me the rest of the way home. The company is certainly welcomed. Been talking to the Bearspaw Lions and my committee and it sounds like they are working very hard at getting things ready for the homecoming event. I’m sure it will be a success, and certainly a lot of fun.

June 24, 2008

Got up early and gathered things up to head for the ride to Bassano. The weather was a little unfavorable in the morning, which saw me riding through some rainy weather, but I soon rode out of it and into partial sun and cloud. I started out with Coco this morning, and then switched to Turtle. I did about 10 kms on Coco and then 25 kms on Turtle. Turtle went so well with the group when he rode a few days ago, but today he was living up to his name. Guess he just doesn’t know the drill yet. I was able to enjoy the smells of the wild flowers while sauntering along with him. The air is so fragrant with all of the spring plants in bloom. When I got tired of the slow moving, I decided to switch back to Coco for the last few kms, as Daisy has the same problem as Turtle does today, and time was ticking away. I saddled up Coco and off she went like a bullet. This horse totally floors me. I swear that she has Jet B fuel running through her veins. She was trotting at 20 kms per hour, passing the truck and then breaking into a lope. We were all laughing so hard. Everytime Debbie would go up ahead to take a picture, Coco would be out of the frame before she could hit the button. At one point she was on the phone and I just blew passed her, I could hear her laughing as she was telling the person on the phone about Coco and her speed. Talk about extremes in horses today. I got stopped on the road by a lady who is the mother to Carol Schaffer, our host for the night, and she informed me that Carol and a few others were going to meet me on the road and ride in with me. I don’t think that they expected that I was going to cover as much ground as I did. They thought that they’d have 5 miles to ride with me, but Coco covered ground like a bullet and I met up with them for the last mile of the trip. I couldn’t slow Coco down and she was passing all those horses, so I finally put her head behind the trailer just to make her walk/prance. Quite the horse, unbelievable. What a place this is. Doug and Carol Schaffer own it and it is called Sandy Ridge Stallion Station www.sandyridge.ab.ca They artificially inseminate mares and have several of their own studs. They are all so beautiful. A great great place and such super people. They invited us for a steak dinner into their beautiful home. Such a lovely welcome. Had some great homemade chocolate sauce on ice cream for dessert. Carol could sell that secret recipe to Dairy Queen and make a million, I’m sure. Doug raises all kinds of pigeons, reminded me a lot of my dad and his birds. Debbie and Judy decided to spend the night and then head out in the early morning. These two girls were great to have along. Very helpful in everything and very good at it and a lot of fun. Looking forward to hanging out here for my day off. The vet is coming in the morning to ultrasound the bred mares. I’m going to have Daisy done,…………….fingers crossed.

Excerpt from Judy Bailey (driver):

After one week driving a truck for Martha, caring for her horses, and just working in any way I could to help, I have come home a different person. I have learned that driving 15 km/hour along the shoulder of the Trans Canada Highway is a beautiful way to see the country-side that we normally only glance at while we zoom past at 120 km/hour... I was not bored for one second! I have a stronger faith that there is a Higher Being who has a plan for us, and will help us if our need is true and good.... I have learned that our country is full of truly good caring people, and when we look for them, we will find them... these are just a few things I've learned, it's going to take many months to really process all the wonderful experiences I had in this one week. I had so much fun, and when it was time for me to leave, I didn't want to go home. Bless you, Martha and thank you for letting me be a small part of it all.

Judy Bailey

Excerpt from Debbie Vandelaar (driver)

WOW,AMAZING,WONDERFUL,MOVING,HEARTWARMING,FUN, and so much more. I now know why I was meant to drive for that week for Marta, to witness the beauty in our country. I saw beauty everywhere I looked, in the faces we met on the road, the people who put us up for the evenings, the man with the Percheron team, the horses who are trying to give what they can for Marta, the prairies and all the wonderful things I saw out of the truck as I went 10 km an hour and of course the heart of my sister. I will never forget this week and am forever greateful that I was able to take this time and drive for her. I will remember all that I saw and felt and know that my heart can't help but to continue to grow from this experience.

June 25, 2008

Got up bright and early this morning as the vet was coming at 6:30 to ultrasound the mares. It was really interesting to watch. We decided to have Daisy checked and she is indeed in foal. YAHOO!!!!!! GREAT NEWS. Carol and Doug and their staff sure have a system going here. After the ultrasounding was completed they started bringing in the stallions and collected semen off of them, one at a time. Then they would bring in the mares and Carol would impregnate them. This was so interesting to watch. Carol really educated Ronny and I about the whole process, looking at the semen under the microscope, etc, then Carol asked me if I wanted to put a glove on. So I did, and in no time flat I was up to my armpit in a mare checking for how things are done with artificial insemination. Oh the things that I am experiencing on this trip. This lasted the morning, then we went in and had lunch with them. I was able to get all of my laundry done, clean the trailer, and get caught up on my computer work. Ronny and I took the horses out 2 by 2 to the hay field and let them chow down on the nice green field. The weather was great today. Ronny helped Doug with some fencing and made a trip into town to pick up some lumber. While I spent some time with the horses, grooming them. It’s a busy place around here. Coco, Daisy, Rapper and Turtle are so relaxed here, even though there are close to a couple hundred head of horses, they’re enjoying their time here. We were invited in for a delicious supper. Afterwards we all went outside and Doug gave us a show with his Birmingham Rollers. I was laughing so hard at them. They all flew together in a flock and every once in awhile they would tumble out of the sky and carry on with flying. I’ve never seen anything like it. While we were watching, my drivers, Jim and Marva and rider Deb and Garry (who will drive their horse trailer) arrived. We got them all set up in the trailer and settled in for the night. I sure had a terrific day off here at this fabulous horse ranch. I think that if I put all of the people that have hosted me, together in one room, I would have a room full of the finest humans on the planet. Doug and Carol add to these phenomenal hosts. They are beautiful people through and through. Doug is so very funny and has me laughing all of the time. He is so quick witted and full of sayings and jokes. I’m glad that my home isn’t too far away from these people as I know I can be here in 2 ½ hours. I’ll be back to visit and probably bring a mare here to get bred to one of their phenomenal studs next year. Off to Gleichen tomorrow with Deb as a riding partner. No more days in the saddle alone.

June 26, 2008

This Sandy Ridge place is sure a busy one. The vet was out at 6:30 again and the place is buzzing with activity. Marva cooked a great breakfast and then we packed up and were off. I rode away from here knowing full well that I would definitely be back. Turtle was the horse today. Deb rode her horse, Pete, and the two horses wouldn’t slow down for nothing. Turtle is a beautiful horse to ride and has such a great mind, an all around great horse. I had the experience of having two of Ed and Rhonda’s horses and I have to say that they are top notch horses in my mind. I guess it was just a matter of Turtle learning the drill, because he’s got it down now and he was great. These two sure had the speed. They started slowing down after 35 kms. Jim was admiring Turtle all the way, I’m wondering if Ed and Rhonda would notice if I just didn’t bring him back and kept him??? Hmmmm. Somebody asked me today if I felt like I would never want to get back on a horse again after this trip. I assured them that that would not be an issue, as every morning that my foot goes in the stirrup, I’m happy that it is. I got a phone call on the trip from Derek Arthurs, the vice chairman of the Calgary Stampede Parade Committee, to inform me that I was accepted in the Stampede Parade. GREAT NEWS! I am apparently, #14 in the parade out of 162 entries. I best get going on ordering serapes, etc. We completed the trip to Gleichen with a stop at the Gleichen School. The students were pretty excited to see the horses. We met our overnight hosts, Lion Dave and Laurie Sammon and he led us to their place. They live on the same property as Dave’s dad, Jim. Turns out that Jim (Sammon) and Jim (Lauder) know each other from years ago, but more so they seem to know all the same people. We got ourselves settled in and then Dave, Laurie and their two children, Jordan and Cole took us all out for supper, paid for by the Lions. We went to an awesome place, very unique. The restaurant, The Country Farm House, is built in the country, about a mile off the Trans Canada Hwy, actually situated in Cluny. They cooked a delicious home cooked meal, and that is the meal on the menu for the day. It was just like having a great home cooked meal at home, served up by someone else. It was delicious. The other half of the restaurant is a very nice shop full of antiques and all kinds of merchandise. We all did some shopping on a very full stomach. I’ll definitely stop back here again. We got back and I was offered a bath and a lovely visit with the Sammons. Such a nice family. Jim went over and watched the football game at Jim’s. We all got to bed good and early for an early start in the morning. I’m pretty excited to head to Strathmore tomorrow as this is the day that I will see a lot of my friends and most importantly, my family. I’m nearly there! :o)

June 27, 2008

Got up early this a.m. to have breakfast with Dave and Laurie and then to get an early start as the temperatures are supposed to increase substantially throughout the day. I started out on Daisy and she did a great job. I then decided to put her away halfway through the day and switch to Rapper, so as not to overheat her, especially since she’s in foal. I saddled him up and just started out on the ride when he must have heard some loud voice in his head, as he often does, but this time he blew pretty big. He crow hopped and carried on. I tried to spin him in a circle, but there was no way that I could muscle it. He finally quit, but not before he had us in the middle of the road. I had the time to look up the road to see if there were any cars coming but the closest ones were a distance away, so I decided to stay with him. Jim was struggling with his seatbelt to get it off and finally, as I was walking him down to the ditch, Jim won the seatbelt fight and headed toward us on a mission. He very politely insisted that I get that horse in the trailer and ‘take out the ole reliable mare’ to finish the trip. ‘You’re too close to home to get hurt now’. Rapper remained tense and wide eyed for quite some time. There wasn’t a thing that we could see that brought this on, this just seems to be Rapper’s way. I think he’s just done. I saddled up Coco and she got the job done. Nobody can get over that horse, she’s truly a superstar. Deb’s horse, Pete, didn’t know what the heck happened, he thought we were just chugging along, but here came Coco-motion and there was no dilly dallying. My drivers sure are good and pay attention so well. Ronny’s really good at seeing things ahead of time and acting accordingly, very proactive. We arrived in Strathmore at 1330hrs, before the real heat hit. We settled the horses in at the rodeo grounds and then set up the R.V. in the campground. Soon, friends and family started showing up. My oldest daughter Sarah and my 23 month old grandson, Avery arrived with my husband Ken. So great to see them, though Avery was playing very nonchalant with me. He definitely remembered me but was being very coy. My sister Linda and her husband Venanz and 4 children flew in from Ontario today. Their son, Matthew, was granted a wish through the Children’s Wish Foundation and his wish was to ride his bike into Calgary/Cochrane with his Auntie Martha. They granted that and so much more. My sister, Paula, came to welcome me to ‘almost home’, and then I had a great group of friends pull up with their guitars and they all entertained us around the campfire. This was so great and meant so much, I truly feel like I’m home with such good friends and family so close. An evening that will remain very precious to my heart. A late night getting to bed, but that was acceptable, as it is a day off tomorrow.

June 28, 2008

A relaxing morning, still not much of a sleep in, guess I’m just used to the early mornings. I was peeking in at Avery as him and Sarah were sleeping and he awoke and saw me. He just smiled and then when I walked away I heard him saying ‘Nana, Nana’. He’s much less coy this morning. I had an appointment to go to the Sobey’s parking lot for a Lions pancake breakfast. Sarah and Avery came with me. It was really nice, they had a microphone, did a beautiful welcome for me and then handed the microphone over to me. There were a couple of Children’s Wish Foundaton reps there who also got up to speak. My sister, Linda and Venanz came to Sobey’s for the pancake breakfast. They then walked over to WalMart to buy their son, Matthew, a bike for the ride and then said that they would donate it to the auction at the homecoming on July 2nd, to raise more money. When they went to Wal-Mart, they were told that the store would like to donate the bike. That was an incredible surprise and so very nice of the Strathmore Wal-Mart. Linda and Venanz do so much volunteering for the hemophilia society in Ontario and they are very touched by The Children’s Wish Foundation that Venanz said that he will be putting a lot of extra efforts into volunteering to this great charity as well. These are GREAT people to be on board, they always commit so much of themselves to volunteering. My daughters Shauna and Samantha with my 18 month old grandson Ryder came over. I feel so wonderful having my family around me. A beautiful sunny day relaxing in the sun/shade. The horses are enjoying their down time. This was probably the most relaxing day off that I’ve had to date. Good rest before my very last, long day in the saddle. The plan is to arise at 0530 hrs tomorrow to head out.

June 29, 2008

We all got up at 0530 hrs this morning to get things packed up for an early start. The temperatures are supposed to hit fairly high today. I really need to get the job done early. We were on the road and riding by 0830 hrs. I rode Daisy, Deb on her horse and I was very honored to have Sarah ride Turtle alongside me. I was also very honored to have my nephew, Matthew, who is a wish child, ride his bike alongside us. He was so happy to do this, though going at a slower speed was hard on him, especially up hill. Ron and Jim were really worried about him on the road as all of a sudden their driving job got that much more intense. We loaded him up in the truck when the traffic started to get real heavy the closer we got to the city. Sarah is 4 months pregnant so Turtle, being the smoothest horse, was the choice for her. Everytime I looked at her she had an ear to ear smile. So nice to have my daughter ride and experience the ride for a bit with me. Avery traveled in the truck alongside us with Jim and Marva. He enjoyed watching us, but everytime we stopped and rode off again he cried. He is a real horse lover and would have loved to be in the saddle with us. We started out early to avoid the heat of the day, though this morning was already very hot. Sarah rode for 25kms and then felt it was enough for her as she was starting to get some discomfort. I switched Daisy out at that time and took Coco the final kms to Calgary. The horses needed sponging down every stop we took and they were drinking a lot of water. Thank goodness my ride is nearly done as this heat is just too much for all of the horses to take, especially when they’re working so hard. They all have in their head to go, go, go since the beginning and they just can’t get out of that mode. We reached the ‘Welcome To Calgary’ sign at 1300 hrs. What a GREAT feeling, I realized that this was my last real riding day, no more getting up early to ride, just a couple more days of riding, but they’ll be afternoon rides, as there are evening functions for me to attend on horseback. Marva is doing such an excellent job as my personal secretary. She’s always so happy when she gets an official ‘job’ and does it so well. Jim, Marva and Sarah took the horses to the overnight stay in Bearspaw while Deb and Garry took hers into Cochrane. My sister, Linda, came and picked up Matthew and then they headed to West Edmonton Mall for part of his wish. Ronny and I had to head to Brooks as the 4-H clubs from Brooks and surrounding area had a presentation of a donation for us. I didn’t want to haul the RV trailer so Marva jumped into action and walked to the closest farm and asked if we could leave it there. They were very happy to oblige this request so we unhitched and headed to Brooks. This is an incredible community. When we arrived they had a country fair going on, with a petting zoo, bake sale, garage sale, mini putt, ring toss and pie throwing contest. What an awesome event. Tracy Musgrove, the 4-H parent leader, gathered everyone into the Kinsmen Hall and introduced me with a beautiful speech. I was then presented with an unbelievably substantial cheque which all the members helped to raise by selling raffle tickets on a steer as well as matched bids from local businesses/people. They said that they always pick a charity to donate to and Giddy Up For Wishes, seemed to be the one that fit for them this year. They then begged Ronny and myself to throw a pie in the faces of the President and Vice President of the club. It’s a good thing that they liked all that whipped cream as they were full of it. This was such a fun event and I am so impressed with this area for what they did to fundraise. Brooks and area (Newell) have certainly left a very positive mark on Giddy Up For Wishes. It’s hard for me not to shed a tear when I say a speech to thank people like this. Great community spirit!! Ronny, Chance (my wish puppy) and I headed back to pick up the trailer. We picked it up, dropped it off with the horse trailer and then made a stop to visit my new foal. What a beauty he is. Lona and her daughter Sara, have done such an incredible job with him. He’s so very friendly. He comes right over to the fence when he sees you. I don’t think there’s anything that that Lona can’t do well, from all the time and effort that she’s put into Giddy Up For Wishes, she’s a great friend. I then had Ken pick us up to take us home. We dropped Ronny off at my sister Debbie’s, place and then I made the exciting trip to my home. When I left on March 21st we were still in the middle of renovations on our place. We were transforming our cabin into our permanent residence. Needless to say, that things didn’t go as originally planned and we moved in in October and were still without indoor plumbing and living in the ‘cabin part’ when I left. I was excited to see it, now that it is complete. What a fantastic reward to come home to after such a trip. The place is beautiful, Ken and our builders worked very hard to get it to where it is now. Ken laughed at me, I wanted to do so much when I got here. Sit on the deck and listen to the river and birds, sit in every room, do laundry, have a bath in the Jacuzzi tub, a shower and a bath in the claw tub. I headed to bed and thought that everyone should go away for 3 months to appreciate their own bed. :o) If feels soooooooooooooo good to be home, so good.

June 30, 2008

Couldn’t sleep in, guess I’m just used to early mornings. That was just fine though, as waking up in my new house is a treat. I had a great sleep!! I lounged around and then headed into town to go to the trailer to get some things out of it to give to the Lions for the Homecoming event. The ticket sales seem to be going very well for it. I got home as quickly as I could and then had Sarah and Samantha and my grandsons Avery & Ryder come over as well as my sisters, Debbie and Paula and her kids, Paige, Ashtyn and Ian and my brother Ronny, come over for a visit and for supper. Nice to be back to a normal life. We had a wonderful visit, the boys sure like being here. We had an afternoon thunderstorm that seemed to last for quite a long time. We had a great supper and then everyone left, but Ronny stayed overnight. Just as I went to bed, my sister Paula called to tell us that the four cyclists that were cycling across Canada to raise money for Diabetes, were hit and two killed in Manitoba. The foursome consisted of a father, son, daughter and a friend. The father and his friend were killed. I feel sick for them and their families. It’s a harsh reality that traveling in any way, horse, bike, foot, etc. along the Trans Canada hwy is not anything that should be taken lightly. It’s definitely dangerous and I’m sure they knew this, but sometimes the drive to do good for others is so strong that you just carry on and hope for the best. I am thankful that I made it safely, but feel so very bad for the two men and their families. I pray that God will bless and care for them all. Tonight I lay my head down in prayer for them.

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