August 16

View of the day-The pull-type combine in the next field picking up wheat swaths.

We actually got rolling by 1pm, what a nice change that was. We finished the 40 acre piece and moved over to the last 100 acres. It was running around 40 bu/ac and was just dry for most of the day.

There was quite a bit of action about 60 miles to the north of us. A suspected murder was loose and had been spotted in the Drake area. They had picked up his accomplice, but he was at large and they were warning everyone to be on the lookout. All the law enforcement had shown up, Border Patrol, FBI, State and local law, even Conservation officers, it was big news on the local stations. Every place was being searched top to bottom.

What was amazing to us was the local people that were being interviewed on the radio, everyone had one or more guns at the ready. One guy said when he was stopped at the road block, he had two rifles sitting on his truck seat beside him, and the officer said "I see you are prepared". No big deal...only in America. Could you imagine that in Canada? You'd be in the slammer!

Anyway, the suspect was from the Louisiana, and they did get him around 6:30am. He gave himself up after unsuccessfully trying to start a couple of buildings on fire...really...95% humidity and 47 degrees outside. No boy scout, that's for sure. They finally flushed him out in a grass field where he dropped his weapon and gave up...three days on the run, too tired, too cold and just couldn't fight the "collective"(again, too much Star Trek Voyager). The community and law enforcement really worked together.

Marilyn was determined to get 100 acres done today, and was down to the last acre and a half, when she decided to get just "one more pass" to get over the top. The feeder plugged up a couple of times since the straw was getting tough, but both times it backed out and she kept on going. With less that 1/2 an acre to go it plugged again and it backed out without a problem, but when she went to start it back up again, there was a loud and strange clunking coming from the side of the combine. Al came over to see what was up, and because it was already 11pm, dark and dusty, we called it a night so we could inspect it in the morning.

So, we're not sure what the problem is, we have an idea it could be the fan drive gear box, which sounds major.

Tomorrow we call the doctor...