Eudaimonia

Prologue

I hope that these annual Updates are enlightening, amusing/dramatic and engaging.  With them, my family and friends around the world have an opportunity to catch up on the happenings at Winning Ways.   The stories also give those who have visited Winning Ways in 2017, an opportunity to look back and remember the time they spent here on the ranch. For those who are yet to arrive at the ranch they give you something to look forward too.  Throughout this Update you will only find family members and close friends named.  I believe in privacy for all individuals who visit Winning Ways whether as helpers who join the crew of "Kelly's Angels" or clients who enjoy our equines and landscape.

My updates usually start with last year's Winter arrival and continue through the seasons until we are nearly back to the present Winter Solstice. No one has scolded me unduly that there is a better way or that I should in fact make a Reader's Digest condensed version.  However, if you'd rather skip the factual, chronological items with the occasional silly story thrown in, go right to the end for a summary.  Those last paragraphs about the final concert of the season are worth a read.  They tell a story that is inspirational and uplifting.  

Salutation

Another series of seasons has completed its cycle and the Northern Hemisphere hunkers down for the longest nights of the year.  I'd like wish each of you the Experience of Eudaimonia in the next cycle of seasons.

"Happy Holidays" 

"Happy Hanukkah"

"Happy Christmas"

"Happy New Year"

The greetings go out around the world.  Many different reasons for holidays, many different greetings but they all speak to the common human emotion and the longing for the feeling of joyful satisfaction.  No matter the reason, we wish each other happiness!

Winter

During the shortest day of the year in 2016, marking the end of  Fall and the beginning of Winter, Winning Ways had many visitors.  We weren't celebrating--I'm not sure we even had time for tea!  It just seemed that many of our friends dropped in on some errand or other.  The following day we had to find a Christmas tree and off to the North Ranch we went, to eventually bring home a little spruce since there did not seem to be any suitable pines. The McLeans arrived a couple days after the Solstice with their pets, Yellow, the bunnies and 4 cats to spend a week of holidays at Winning Ways.

December 31 found my helper and I comfortably seated in front of  Brownie's TV fonduing (with chocolate & fruit), munching on snacks and each sipping a favorite beverage watching goofy old movies.  The Russians are Coming provided lots of laughs and so did The Solid Gold Cadillac (b&w except for the caddy).  Of course we looked out and watched the year 2016 depart and the appearance of 2017 from Brownie's doorstep.  AND we toasted the arrival of the New Year.  Quiet evening but filled with pleasurable moments. Happiness.....

The Two Bar C held the annual Sleigh Ride and Potluck that family and friends enjoy attending.  Howard MacCuish brings the team and Jan 1 he picked up our sleigh on his way.  Good thing the sleigh did not disintegrate before the sleigh ride as he had to take it home and make some repairs before bringing it back to Winning Ways.

The big, silvery Wolf Moon appeared when it was -49 C (with the wind chill).  A big bright January full moon is an omen of a good year and so we hoped for an improvement in climatic conditions.  In less than 3 days we were at 0 C and then the temperature rose above zero and there was water dripping in January!  Call it a Chinook or blame it on global warming but we were very happy to be warm again.

 Meanwhile the crew got to experience archery practice, butcher a cow,  practice target shooting at a gun range and attend dog sled races where they even got to hold some very young puppies.  Happiness......

I thought that my friend Tara was acting unusual when she arrived at the ranch on February 1.  She is a great co-conspirator and had been enlisted to surprise me with the return of an alumna who had a few days holidays from her job in Banff.  It is so great to create friendships that have folks wanting to return to Winning Ways whenever they have an opportunity.  Of course we had to visit our friends and fellow ranchers so the alumna could catch up all the latest happenings.

The WW crew headed into Meadow Lake for the Winter Festival and had an opportunity to take a spin on a snow machine, visit with Morris the Moose (note Roughriders shirt) and watch the Dog Sled Races.

Early in March we arranged the hay, for the rest of the winter and into spring, in the paddocks to the east.  Thank goodness it was all set out so that when the snow melted and the ground became very muddy the cows moved to the hay not the other way around.  It snowed some more and the wind blew the snow into such big, hard drifts some folks couldn't get out their driveways. (We could.)  Then winter came back with a vengeance to show us it was NOT done yet.  The temperature dropped and with the wind chill it was down to a bone chillin' -40 C.

When the veterinarian had pregnancy checked the cows in the fall, he determined there were several going to be "early".  Probably going to calve in March he said.  So from the beginning of March the crew and I were diligently checking cows, early in the morning, late in the evening and periodically throughout the day.  I had found a good cow calving video on YouTube and had all my crew watch it so they would know about a calf's imminent arrival.  If they saw the first signs of parturition they would know what to expect so if an ordinary delivery did not proceed they could get help.  Sure enough a helper found a cow starting to calve March 16 and it arrived w/o incident to a chilly but not frigid world. 

Not quite a week later, I ventured to Meadow Lake to have lunch with Granny and shortly after we started eating I received a text that another cow had calved successfully.  Great!  Then a couple hours later I got another text, there's another cow calving and one acting funny.  I hurried with the grocery shopping because the weather was getting stormy!  Sure enough by the time I got to the ranch there were two very chilly, little black bull calves, covered in snow, shivering beside their mothers.  Then there was another cow acting like a thief trying to steal one of the newborns.  That was a sure sign she was also going to calve.  We pushed the one calf that able to walk and pulled the most recent arrival in the sleigh all the way to the barn. Of course the 3 cows followed us to the barn as well.  Eventually we had to lock the newborns in a small pen in the barn, put their mothers outside in the storm and leave the highly "emotional" calving cow to deliver her calf in the barn.

Spring

We celebrated Earth Hour 2017 by dutifully turning off all the lights and playing Rummikub by candlelight.  It was a good way to spend a "dark" hour and we had fun learning a new game.  The next day we met our friends at the Bar P feedlot for the Spring Cattle Drive to bring the cows back to Winning Ways from their winter in the corn fields at the Bar P.  Ten horses and some riders from Meed's Meadows, Winning Ways and Howard MacCuish cheerfully moved the herd in less than 4 hours. 

There were uncooperative cows and cold calves that had to be placed in the nursery pen beside the chute.  We put the cows in the chute and tried to persuade the calves to suck. 

At the end of April the crew went to the Rodeo in North Battleford  where they got to see the pros flip the calf and tie it down.  Meanwhile I went into the Meadow Lake Tradefair to listen to my friend Linda Nadon recite her cowgirl poetry. 

May meant that our enthusiastic little students were out regularly to ride after school.  The cows continued to calve so the helpers were doubly busy, however things started to dry up and we could walk on dry ground.  Well mostly it dried up, except for a few bog holes along the lanes the cattle had to use to come to the water trough.  There was a day when the youngest calf, born the day before, became stuck in the mud.  WW's longest legged helper immediately went to rescue him.  She got him out but then she was stuck--oh boy, was she stuck.  I tried very cautiously to get to her and very nearly became part of the bog too.  In the end she crawled out in her bare feet and, after a terrific amount of digging and pulling, freed the boots that had disappeared in the mud. 

Howard MacCuish picked up horses for the M's Ms & WW's crews the first Saturday in May.  We had a very eventful ride at Tall Timber Trails!  The young people and  Howard attempted to go down one trail while Marilyn and I were going to ride around the trails in the opposite direction.  The storm that brought a foot of snow in October 2016 had been further assisted in destroying trees by the snowfall in April.  The trail simply did not exist where Howard and the helpers attempted to go.  Of course when Marilyn and I finally reached the south end of the trail they had attempted, we also found it had vanished under a terrible tangle of broken branches and tree trunks.

We eventually found each other along the river, but we were very sorry that the trail, that had been so much fun to ride on, was completely destroyed.

About the middle of May we held our first little branding.  Unlike the other ranchers who want to have one big round-up and do all their calves at once, I prefer to have a few smaller, easily completed brandings.  Howard and Leonard do the roping, I brand and the volunteers learn about "wrestling", vaccinating, tagging, record keeping and whatever else needs to be done. 

A few days later, with the help of the MacCuish clan, helpers from the Two Bar C and Winning Ways, we held a cattle drive to move the yearlings and branded calves with their mommas to the North Ranch.

On the long weekend in May the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation at Loon Lake held a Pow Wow and the crew went to watch. 

Initially Franky got a bottle which he sometimes had to share but not very happily.

Dandy, the former milk cow, had a heifer calf, Ici (yes, "I am here"), who was just not capable of, or interested in, consuming large quantities of milk.  So instead of the crew having to milk Dandy, Franky was the "milking machine". 

This feeding process was definitely as time consuming as milking, but not as tiring on the helpers' hands.  Dandy was unimpressed with Franky's efforts to reduce the turgidity of her udder.  Franky wasn't nearly as rude as Ici, who was always bunting and being rough on her mother's udder. The volunteers had to supervise the milking process so that Ici was closest to Dandy's head and Franky stood beside Ici away from Dandy's dangerous head or sometimes the flying right hind foot.  The whole milking process could only take place on Dandy's right side because she has a damaged left hind teat. Lots of  2017 crew members can tell you stories about the "milking machine", Franky.  Happiness for Franky was waddling away from the cow(s) with a very full belly!!

The WW crew attended the first chuckwagon races of the CPCA season in North Battleford June 2, 2017.  They got to watch some fairly wild action when a rider got left in the dust and some harness malfunctioned causing a pile-up from which all emerged unscathed.

The crews from Winning Ways & the Two Bar C went to Fort Battleford a few days later in June to enjoy the world renowned RCMP Musical Ride and see part of the history of Saskatchewan. 

Winning Ways participated in the annual Rodeo Parade with riders and the truck decorated to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday. 

Winning Ways held its second Branding during Rodeo week too.

Again the MacCuish clan helped and the younger generation of MacCuishes really amused us with their antics in the nearest puddle.  Marilyn and three of her helpers plus George and his two helpers lent a hand to make short work of the next group of calves.  I even had time that evening to take one of my little students for a Trail Ride to the Creek where we got to listen to the waterfall.  Happy moments.....

We attended the Bull-a-rama, Rodeo and helped the local Equestrian Club fund-raise by selling tickets at one of the Rodeo performances.  That same weekend the crew got to do some target practice out in an open field, they found that they were accurate marksmen.  We still checked cows, tagged an occasional late calf, taught the children riding lessons, had another Cattle Drive--this one with some rain,  slogged through more mud because it rained many centimeters through the month of June, helped Howard at Tall Timber Trails clear a path through the tangled, mess of down trees, rode on some trail rides, and provided a venue for a graduating horsewoman to hold a photo shoot!

Summer

Canada Day, July 1, 2017, we participated in the Loon Lake Canada 150 Parade.  Our riders and the truck were all decorated in Canada's red & white flags.  We had a picnic at the beach, where some of our friends joined us for lunch.  The swimmers went swimming, the story tellers entertained and I think I managed a nap under a tree.  Later in the evening we met the Meed's Meadows crew at the Concert in the Park and afterwards we got showered in ash from the close proximity (front row seats) to the special  Canada150 anniversary fireworks display.  That was such a long day we all slept in until 8 a.m on Sunday ..... now that's happiness for the teenage crowd!

The cows from -P arrived on the evening of the Fourth of July and got turned out to pasture without incident.  The next day the Two Bar C held its annual round-up and Calf Branding.  As the visual story shows, the crew helped with all aspects of the branding.  Later in the evening the young folks went to the local watering hole in Dorintosh and indulged in some stress relief!  We returned to the Two Bar C and helped move and sort some more of their cattle the next day.  Some of the WW crew were off the following day with George to another neighbouring ranch's Branding. 

July 8, we had a Trail Ride with 11 (photographer & JG are out of photo) riders going to the Lake in the morning. In the afternoon some of the riders did a little jumping practice while those who had been conspiring to surprise Brownie went off to Meadow Lake to finish last minute preparations.  Vawn's friend and long time co-conspirator, Tara, created a Charlie Brown (NO make that Howard Brown) themed birthday cake and one of my creative helpers made a matching card.  I think Brownie was suitably surprised and appreciative of his 80th Birthday celebration in the church hall.   The Friedrich family and many of his acquaintances had fun fêting their long-time friend and several generations told a few stories about their experiences with Howard Brown.  That evening we sat around the campfire enjoying the camaraderie years of experience brings.  Lots of happy reminiscences that day.

The third Winning Ways Branding in as many months saw a slightly different crew at work.  Vawn, Chris and Kelton were the ropers and they started teaching the next generation how it's done.  It was truly a family affair since Fritz and his kids also helped.  Later that afternoon, Fritz made some of the helpers very happy when they got a chance to do some target practice on an improvised gun range out in one of the paddocks, away from the yard and livestock.  The following day Fritz took Kelton to the airport in Saskatoon to return to Hamilton.  Fritz also took a couple of helpers and assisted them on their journey to discover more of Canada.

The Roughriders Camp started the third week of July and enthusiastic students learned about many aspects of riding and horsemanship.  They participated in fun activities such as braiding a draft horse's mane sitting up on the horse's neck and back, saddle-up race, bareback riding, and trail riding.  For a Wind-Up the students took part in a Working Equitation style obstacle course which included their favorite object, the bell which they delight in ringing, as well as negotiating a series of poles, rails and barrels in a set pattern.

There were more trail rides, target practice sessions, Cattle Drives, trail clearing adventures, treating lame or sick cattle, an evening at the Chuckwagon Races, after which some of the crew went for a few beverages, and bales to haul before July was finished.

Toward the end of July, the McLeans left Winning Ways, Saskatchewan and Edmonton, Alberta to drive to their new home in Kitimat, on the west coast of British Columbia. They will live there for the next year while Chris completes his internship.

A group of riders from WW did a "Tracks & Trails" for 3 hours of steady riding to cover 8.5 miles/13.7 km.  We did not go the entire 14 miles/22.5 km that we had intended to travel because one of the horses became lame.  The next day some of us more adventurous souls saddled up again and this time went for an exploration of the "Elk Pasture,"  further north and east, then back to the west along the lake until we could no longer follow a trail.  So we climbed a very steep lake hill covered with a jungle of toppled trees and thick willows. Thank goodness there were two good old ranch horses to lead the way!  Eventually we topped the Jack Pine Ridge and made our way to the crew's favourite Lookout Point.

We went trail riding again the next day only we avoided the steep hill and even found a good Blue berry Patch north of the lake.  Mmmmm ..... happiness & blue fingers.  I spent the August long weekend  taking Trail Rides in different directions and with different folks.  Tuesday it was discovered that the geldings had been horribly affected by 'clover poisoning' -- there is mould that grows on the clover that is toxic to horses and can cause photo-sensitivity, respiratory difficulties, liver damage, lessions on the tongue and lips -- nasty!  We had to hide the ones with "sun burn" in a shady paddock and even give some antibiotics, pain killer and cover the affected areas with Tea Tree oil or steroid cream. 

The crew and I spent an enjoyable Saturday at the Meadow Lake Provincial Park with Fritz and his family--eating, lounging, reading, visiting, and of course playing in the water.

As August rolled along there were more lessons and trail rides and the Two Bar C held another branding at which the crew and I helped.  Some of the crew headed to Lloydminster with George the following day to watch the finals of the CPCA chuckwagon  races.  I was frequently scouting through the bushes at the North Ranch checking for lame or unhealthy cattle and observing the breeding bulls.  Sometimes we had to rope a cow and treat her.  Perhaps I should have taken a selfie the day my faithful dog, horse and I roped and treated a cow, there was no one else to take pictures.  On other occasions we put the unhealthy animal in the chute at the corral in the pasture to administer medication.

As the date for the Prairie and Forest Horse Show fast approached the Pre-show Clinic had riders and handlers practicing their routines for dressage, reining, showmanship, etc.  The last Friday of August we loaded jumps and set them up on the show grounds in Meadow Lake.  We also took the horses into the show grounds and Tara and her family stayed there overnight in their camper.  The two day P'n'F Horse Show was blessed with great weather this year and the WW riders did very well bringing home several of the High Point awards.

At the beginning of September (when it was really way too late) we finally found some working shears so that we could clip the critters.  Lovic was our first attempt.  Although he lay quietly we still had people holding him very still so that we would not inadvertently nick him with the clippers.  Then the crew captured Krafty who looked rather terrified by the whole procedure.  I still have NO idea how the professionals clip an entire ewe in under ONE MINUTE!!!  I tried hard to make the ewe look like she had been shorn but I wanted to leave enough to have her warm for the winter.  A few days later Shelia also got trimmed up; she definitely was traumatised by the whole event but soon recovered her good nature and returned to looking in pockets for treats.

The crew got to attend the Annual Flying Dust Pow Wow for a couple of evenings.  They were awed by the colors, the sound and the movements of the graceful or sometimes flying dancers.  We had a farewell trail ride to the Lookout Point that was somewhat eventful when my horse decided to freeze & I had to lead her down the steep hill.  Upon our return from the ride the departing crew member barbecued and the rest of the crew pitched in with supper preparations for the Farewell Party.  The next day the crew got to explore at Gregg Lake,  wade in the water, bask in the sun although it was cool, go hiking and see some more of the Park. 

We rode at the North Ranch through a jungle of willows and swamp trying to find the cattle herd but only found about half the cattle.  We also treated a few more cattle at the corral.  The Two Bar C had a small round up of yearlings but again the cattle were elusive and difficult to find.  One of the gals was out checking the cattle at the Home Ranch and encountered a bear, needless to say she didn't go any further in that direction. 

I attended the annual Club Registration Night at the school and had many new students sign up for the Fall Lesson schedule.  We had weekly after-school riding lessons and Horsemanship lessons on Saturday mornings.  My crew and I were kept busy checking cattle, fixing fences or other maintenance chores during the morning and early afternoon and then preparing for our excited young students.  Happiness is riding Teddy or Flash or Scooter or .........

Toward the end of September we had a very challenging 24 hours when we were without water.  Apparently some electrical gizmo in the pressure system wore out but fortunately the repairman had the correct piece and was able to restore the water system.  That's when you realize how much water you really use!

One evening George, the WW crew, a gal from Meeds' Meadows and I went to the local Library to listen to Lucas Welsh entertain with Métis fiddle music.  It was a great toe tapping show.  That was the first of many such evenings of entertainment we enjoyed at the Library this fall.  The crew returned to the Library the following day and learned about making soap and creating scarves with alpaca fibre. 

This fall Winning Ways was blessed with a very musical crew and so was Meeds' Meadows.  The musicians put together a small concert that they presented to a gathering at the Lutheran Church in Meadow Lake.  George was actually the instigator of this undertaking and I encouraged the girls to share their talent and bless us with their songs.

The first Friday in October the Winning Ways & Meeds' Meadows crews, plus some of my friends and students had an opportunity to have some fun at the Play Day at the show grounds in Meadow Lake.  There were a couple of lessons in the morning and then team games followed by individual games in the afternoon.  There was much laughter and lots of cheering as the riders put their horses through or around the lines, cones, barrels and buckets.

The Two Bar C hosted the local volunteers for a cultural evening of international cuisine and Metis jigging to great fiddle music.  I think the dancing should have come first so we could work up an appetite for all the great dishes that were prepared by everyone. After the supper was cleared away and the tables moved the volunteers got to learn how to "step dance" as my Grandma used to call it.  They had great teachers in Bruce, Marlene's brother, along with his daughter.  I'm afraid that, like my Grandmother, I would have had to hold on to a chair to allow my feet to fly as fast as the fiddle in some of those tunes!  The gals who had led the singing the weekend before were again pleased to share their talents and delighted everyone with their songs.

The crew set to work digging post holes again and this time the ground was less stubborn and the work went much quicker.  Yellow, Alex and the two old cats of McLeans had been left at Winning Ways since transporting them to B.C. did not seem wise.  Yellow has a fondness for running off, usually to threaten the neighbour's dog, even when his master, Chris, is on the ranch.  I have told the neighbour that if Yellow terrorizes his dog that he can dispatch the menace.  So I give very strict orders about keeping Yellow on a chain or leash at all times.  The crew were willing to build Yellow a dog pen so that he could get more exercise and have a bit more freedom.  Hence the new fence in front of Brownie's place.

We had riding & horsemanship lessons throughout September and October.  The children really enjoyed their time with the horses and several of them didn't want to leave after their last riding lesson.  The patient and wise horses plus a great WW crew had made it fun for them and they had gained a great deal of confidence during their time at Winning Ways.  Of course the highlight of the fall was the Halloween Party we held on the last Saturday in October.  The students got to play some team games and then were able to paint the ponies and Slim.

Thank goodness it was a warm beautiful day so that after the Halloween party the WW crew could wash the ponies and Slim.  Unfortunately Slim still has orange, pink, purple and yellow spots on his white coat.  The two ponies came clean remarkably quickly and although there may be a few odd colored hairs in Teddy's tail he is much better this time than the last time he was painted.

That evening, after we made a flying trip at dusk to the North Ranch looking for an escaped cow, the crew turned into the Hippie who ran over the Road Workers!  They went to the Halloween Bash at the bar in Dorintosh where they met the witches and ghouls of Meeds' Meadows.  Scary lot they all were!

At the end of October Winning Ways was not the only place celebrating Halloween.  The crew and I attended a fall supper at the Catholic church hall and afterwards went to be spooked at the Haunted House in Dorintosh.  It was safe for kiddies so I thought it would be fun and it was.  The big clown that suddenly appeared at the end, was probably as surprised as anyone by my helper, who instead of being spooked, said "Well HELLO!" and the Clown answered in a deep voice "Helloo".

The next evening we struggled through several hours wait to be scared in the Pierceland Haunted House.  It was really too cold to be standing around outside and the crew came in relays, to get warm in the van and still maintain their place in line.  There was no way I could have stood for that long and even once inside the building there was a further delay.  Someone of the public spooked badly and in an attempt to get out, ran through some of the set.  It took the Haunted House crew 20-25 minutes to replace the pieces knocked over and fix the set.  Unless I can be sure of a shorter wait time, I don't think I'm willing to drive that far next year.  The spookiness was definitely good but we were too tired to enjoy it the way I would have liked.

Halloween, October 31, was actually a busy day at the Two Bar C as we rounded up and sorted the cows and calves.  Some of the calves were sent to market while others were vaccinated and returned to their mothers.  Marlene in her weekly article for the "Pride" newspaper wrote:"We've often said, the only explanation for a lot of our good luck, is we walk around with horseshoes in our back pocket because some days it isn't because of our great planning.  The snow began to fall in the last hour and the crew came in for supper brushing snowflakes off their shoulders.  Our luck held out and the sorting cow/calf operation was complete for half the herd.  The snow held off 'til the last hour as if we planned it that way.  We were wonderfully pleased with ourselves while we enjoyed a bountiful ham supper to the tune of 82 cows bawling for their calves that were likely also bawling from their pens at the stockyard.

Tricky for the cows but a treat for us."

Vawn suggested that since Hobo was 20 years old in 2017 we really should have a birthday cake for him.  Since November was a good birthday month (Granny & I celebrate that month, along with several other family and friends) we decided that the crew would make Hobo a King Kake in the Norwegian tradition.  It is very tasty and while we didn't give the cake to Hobo he did get the whipped cream.  Happiness is licking the cream off your whiskers!

The WW crew were very excited about their adventure to Edmonton the second weekend in November.  They headed to the huge West Edmonton Mall which is the largest in North America.  The crew got to see the ice hockey rink, the pirate's ship, the amusement park where they went on a wild ride, hundreds of stores and they had lunch in a Chinese restaurant.  Next day they attended the Farm Fair where there are cattle, horse, and dog competitions, hundreds of vendors selling everything from cowboy boots to cheese to cotton candy, and they watched the Canadian Finals Rodeo

Fritz, his son and another hunter visited Winning Ways that same weekend on their annual deer hunt.  The first day they sat in the blind and wandered about without finding what they were in search of.  Sunday the hunt was successful and both hunters were rewarded with venison for their deep freezes.

The holidaying crew returned to find that those of us left behind had been busy.  Some of the herd at the North Ranch had gone foraging in the forest and eventually found a very tasty grass field where the neighbour had been unable to harvest the hay.  It was a difficult job to find them and then required more than two riders to bring them back to the pen where we could sort the cows and calves.  The second day, with reinforcements and a plan, we got the wandering cows back to the pen

The Equestrian Club has done several Bar B Q fund raisers over the summer and each time it was necessary to find a person with the designation of  "Safe Food Handler" to satisfy the Dept. of Health's requirements.  Tara and I decided that we would take the course and become designated so that the Club no longer needed to look for someone else.  Toward the end of November the Club had been asked to do one more BBQ and one of the Club members was bringing some animals to the store for a petting zoo.  I offered to help her by bringing llamas, sheep and ponies.  Eventually we added bunnies to the list too.

When we had our Cattle Drive from the North Ranch to home there was a shortage of cows.  The ones we found were mostly cooperative except for a heifer who did not want to cross the highway initially.  We had to turn the herd around and hold them by the gate until we got her repositioned into the center of the herd and unaware that she was crossing.  But where were the rest of the cows?  We were headed back to the North Ranch to begin searching in bushes and possibly dugouts when a neighbour called to say that cattle had again been spotted back on that tasty grass field that was unharvested.  Ahhhha! Now we knew where to go immediately and put them in a small enclosure from which we hoped they could not escape.

The WW crew were off to the Holly Berry Craft & Hobby Fair that afternoon--lots of souvenirs to be found there.  However, with the help of  MsMs crew, I was able to haul home the cows that we had put in the small paddock the day before.  By the end of the day I had the all cows and my panels brought home and I was very tired but happy.

We sorted (the helper on Brandy had fun cutting cows that day), tagged some of the cows and got the WW herd ready for the next Cattle Drive.  Leonard, the WW crew, Ms Ms crew and George helped to move the cows to the Bar P.  If you encounter George ask him about his dream the night before the Cattle Drive.  We tried a different route this year and other than finding a soft spot in the ice, the temperature had been hovering around zero for most of the week but that day it rose to +6 C, we had a very good drive.  By the way, for our international readers, several days of above zero in December is definitely above average!

Culturally we were definitely blessed with many evenings of entertainment in 2017.  George, the WW crew and I attended two Jam Sessions at the Library where one of our international visitors got to contribute to the evening with her keyboard skills and pleasant-sounding voice.  We also went to the local High School's Dessert Theater which was a very comical musical with extremely talented young people.  The gifted young singer who joined in the Jam Sessions also joined also joined the Compass Immanuel Church Choir.  After weekly practices for 3 months, then the week before the performance there was an extra dress rehearsal, which all finally culminated in two presentations at the country church over beyond Rapid View.  Yes the Winning Ways crew does become a part of our community!  And the community is very appreciative and happy for their contributions.

...... the final concert

Sunday evening I attended a local choral group re-enacting the Christmas Story, the Carpenter High School Band playing carols and one of its members singing O Holy Night with the band accompanying her and the Catholic parish priest (in the style of the 3 tenors) delivering Bridge Over Troubled Waters as a solo and leading the choir in hymns and carols.  It was called "Celebrating Christmas as a Family of Families" and was part of the series of fund raisers Hope for Hana.

To find out more about Hope for Hana please go to www.gofundme.com/hope-for-hana .  Hana was always an enthusiastic Winning Ways student and upon graduating decided that she would appreciate having some of her Grad Pictures taken with her favourite horse, Tango.  When you check out the gofundme website you will see a photo of Hana and Tango.  A couple of my crew and I visited Hana shortly before she and her family traveled to Germany at the end of November to receive the latest treatment that was hoped would help.  We certainly hoped that the German doctors would be able to bring some relief for Hana.  We sent her well wishes from Tango and the crew at Winning Ways.

The community of Meadow Lake and now the larger on-line community has helped Hana's family with the expenses incurred by such cutting-edge treatments not available in Saskatchewan.  Troy Johnson, Hana's father expressed the gratitude of their family on Sunday evening at the concert. He acknowledged the huge undertaking that the Meadow Lake community has put together to generate funds for Hana's recovery.  Troy said, in part, that they were so grateful to be a part of the greatest community on earth.  Meadow Lake's reputation (in fact all of Saskatchewan's) for generosity and giving is a recorded fact.

The nativity scene was brilliant as one of the choir members came forward to the straw bales and lifted up a small bundle laying behind the bales and placed it in 'Mary's' arms. When the little head swivelled around to view the audience, there was a collective gasp as we realised this was another actor!  As I sat there in the theater with goose bumps listening to O Holy Night and Bridge Over Troubled Waters, I thought 'It doesn't get any better than this!'  I was in awe of the gifted singers and their willingness to share their glorious talent.

 After the concert we were invited to share with the Johnson family and other friends some coffee, dainties and fellowship.  I saw the Johnson's gathered around one table visiting with several people.  I immediately noticed there was a young lady with her back to me seated at her father's right, could it be???  Was Hana there?  I watched over the shoulder of a lady I was chatting with and the young lady turned and smiled at me.  IT WAS!  

Now, my heart had been filled by the concert and I was still on the 'high' that such an immersion in song and theater brings.  But when I went to visit with Hana my joy was way beyond happiness!  The Hana that loved to ride and enjoy Tango had returned!  She even dared to say that she would like to ride again.  Oh what a wonderful feeling to know that Hana's HOPE had been restored.

Happiness is ....... being surrounded by family & friends for festive occasions, snuggling with adorable puppies, feeling a warm wind on your face, watching a cow tending her newborn calf, listening to Linda's poetry, making your dream of riding on a Cattle Drive come true, watching a graduand fly over the jump in her grad dress,  celebrating Canada, making your dream of helping at a branding come true, helping others in big ways and with small deeds, enjoying a day at the beach, getting the job done, receiving an award, seeing a bear, elk, moose, taking a shower, absorbing the sound of the bow on the strings, singing along with a group of friends, riding in a gymkhana, watching patient ponies indulge excited children, traveling with your friends, finding just the right present for someone special, having your dream come true, marveling at the talent before you, helping change lives.

Valediction

Earlier I wished you the Experience of Eudaimonia in the next cycle of seasons.  In case that word is new to you (it was to me) eudaimonia is the best activities of which humanity is capable. "The Greek word eudaimonia means literally “the state of having a good indwelling spirit, a good genius”; and “happiness” is not at all an adequate translation of this word."  So though I used happiness throughout this review, I was really thinking of the best that we can experience.  Here at Winning Ways I believe that we have the opportunity to have those experiences daily as we are blessed with the greatest sentient beings (all the critters and humans), the most varied of environments and the freedom to express ourselves and experience what we choose.

Eudaimonia is being the best human being you can be.  There is nothing more that I could wish for each and everyone that reads this. 

     May you experience Eudaimonia until our trails cross again.