September 30

View of the day-The farmer’s fleet sort of lined up...still can’t get the straight line thing going.

We woke this morning to a knock at the door; it was the farmer inviting us to go into Fort Qu’Appelle for Sunday brunch with them and two other couples. Since we didn’t stay long enough in Esterhazy to enjoy the brunches there, we jumped at the chance. We decided to go in with our own vehicle so we could go do laundry after we were done dining. We got into the last buffet of the season at the motel and sat drinking coffee almost long enough to get in on the lunch buffet…nothing to rush home for…

As usual, “it only rained a tenth at the field”, the familiar phrase that comes after a rain when you’re itching to get back out into the field. We were combining five miles north of where the farmer was and it appeared we had more rain than they did. They were combining canola, so the straw wasn’t as much an issue for them as it was for us and our downed oats.

The farmer figured it wouldn’t be worth it to try anything today, which really didn’t hurt Al’s feelings since it was NFL football day. He was a bit miffed at the Laundromat when they only had “peasant-vision” local over-the-air TV…the usual Sunday crap that comes on. He resorted to reading yesterday’s city paper to kill time, but just as we were leaving, the station we were watching switched over to football…perfect timing.

Back at the camper, Al busied himself with the remote control while Marilyn continued transferring video tapes to DVD. It’s amazing what you forget you taped over the years. We used to have a harvest supper for all the people we combined for in Canada…eat some great food, have a good chat, drink some “beverage”, watch the video from the summer’s harvest…that sort of thing. Since the local theatre group started having their dinner theatres in December, we just started buying tickets for that and never did have the videos again.

One of the tapes was a supper we held in the Grayson hall where we had some of the local “hams” crash the party hillbilly style, and proceed to try and take our customers. They offered to do their combining for “two cents an acre, but since our thrashin’ machine ain’t got no wheels, you have to bring your crop to us”…what knuckleheads…they were pretty funny going off the cuff…and everyone was so young…nephew Gordie was one month short of being two years old.

Good times…

The farmer was complaining that his fleet wasn’t shown in it’s best light in one of the view of the days, so when he said they were lined up better today, Marilyn decided to go out an do an updated photo with the added machine he had gotten. When she got out to the field, two of the machines were combining and two were sitting, one with its “wings” open. Apparently he didn’t want to combine too much…

After taking a few photos and chatting with some of the people out at the field, Marilyn went up to field where our combine was to see that everything was still there and write the blog before heading into upload. The elevator to make it a quick trip, or Fort Qu’Appelle to bring home a pizza?

Hmmm…or should it be Mmmmm…

September 29

View of the day-Trying to fight the sun and the dust to get finished.

We got up in the middle of the night…well, the middle of the night for us…6:30am. Marilyn took Al out to the semi at the elevator, then met the farmer at the card lock to get fuel for the combine. After Al got the truck unloaded and Marilyn got fueled up, we stopped for breakfast.

Al went out to the field and after servicing the combine, started combining while Marilyn went back to the camper and got lunch organized for the day, then took over in the combine. Al had to get the auger from the bin on the last field and set it up on the field we were in.

While he was gone, Marilyn fought with the downed oats, digging the header in the dirt and picking up rocks. At one point, Marilyn managed somehow to get a rock lodged in the header between the auger and the feederhouse, taking out three of the disappearing fingers in the auger. After shutting down the combine, Marilyn crawled into the header to get the rock out…it refused to go out either way…it was just too big…how the heck did it get in there? The only way to get it out was to unhook the header, take it off and get the rock out…so that is what she did.

When Al got back to the field, the combining continued as the sun disappeared and the clouds rolled in. The wind had picked up and the combination of heavy dust, downed oats, and hiding rocks…well…Marilyn picked up another rock. No more broken fingers, but it got in behind the auger and once again we had to take the header off to get the rock out. This has never happened to us before, never mind twice in one day.

We went back to combining and decided to call it a night, just as the sprinkling started. After getting everything parked, tarped and locked, we were just ready to leave the field when a friend pulled in to chat in the rain.

Back at the camper the rain continued to fall, the blog got written, then Marilyn went off to the new found source of wireless…the elevator. Last night while waiting at the elevator for Al to show up with the semi, there was signal galore.

Since they are never open, who’s to know…

September 28

View of the day-At the end of the day, some farmers just leave them where they sit. Looks a bit strange not to see the hoppers empty and combines all lined up for easy servicing in the morning.

Up bright and early to get the truck unloaded, quite convenient that it was parked at the restaurant the night before. We went into Balcarres to get fuel for the combine and take the truck to the elevator, but we did squeeze in the breakfast special in at the Sunglow Esso.

While Al took the combine to the elevator, Marilyn fueled and serviced the combine and was able to get rolling by 10:30am…what a pleasant change that was. Al made it back to the field and took the full semi into the elevator, the second of six trips on that lovely road.

It was a pretty uneventful day, everything when according to plan and we managed to get finished the field before the sun went down. Al dropped the General off at the next field, about 4 miles SE and Marilyn went to pick him up to bring him back to the semi. We hooked up the header trailer to the pickup so we could take the straight header off the combine. With only one header trailer we had to put the other pickup header back on the combine to move it to the next field, so we wouldn’t have to back track when time came to go back to Balcarres with the combine.

Once we got the combine and header over to the new field, changed back the headers and cut a patch to park things, Marilyn took Al back to the other field for the semi. Al took over combining and it was quite a task starting a new field that we had never been on in the dark…that and the crop is almost laying flat, which creates a lot of dust and is pretty nasty to pick up…shut up and drive…

A productive day and hopefully we finish the field tomorrow…

September 27

View of the day-A lovely stand of oats…well…it’s standing in most places anyway, yielding over 75 bu/ac.

Oh, the nightmare that was getting yesterday’s blog entry uploaded… The farmer wondered where the blog was today and when Al told him it was too late to go anywhere, he told him the house was open to use his dialup. Marilyn got lunch ready then when into the house to “quickly” upload the entry. First, the laptop wouldn’t recognize the modem, so that meant a restart. This wouldn’t be so bad if the laptop wasn’t loaded with programs and such-stuff that slows it down…and when Al is waiting somewhat patiently in the pickup to leave for the field (AIS is 10:30…A** In Seat) it seems to take twice as long.

The laptop restarts, recognizes the dialer and gets online. We use two different browsers and neither one of them wanted to find the blogger very fast, but after another unbearable wait they finally got to the upload page. Getting the text portion wasn’t a problem, but the view of the day…that was a different story.

Because the resolution is higher on our pictures, of course it’s going to take longer to upload…usually about five minutes or more on dialup. Already Marilyn has been in the house for over 30 minutes…with no power adapter…yep, just as the picture is getting close to done, the laptop goes into hibernation because the battery needs charging!

What a colossal waste of time…

Oh well, off to Balcarres we go in search of fuel for the combine and wireless…surely during the day someone has some spare signal for a weary traveler. We used the wifi finder without much luck, then decided to just hit the convenience store, get some coffee for the road and head out to the field…Al said you could handle not getting the morning fix.

Al went into the restaurant and got coffee, while Marilyn asked in the convenience store if they knew of anyplace to get wireless in town…no clue…didn’t even own a computer, but check with the girls at the restaurant. Marilyn went over and they said maybe at the town office so she asked them to phone over for her to find out. The manager came out of the office and said “just sit at that table, there’s a plug-in right there and you can use our wireless.

HAL-E-FRICKEN-LOOLIA!!!

Got that done, then went out to the field, fueled, serviced and got right in combining just before noon. What a beautiful day…the sun was extra shiny, the wind was just right, it was warm…oh…it was just a super day. Al finished filling the bin in the first field, then moved the truck to the new field, got it filled up and got to take his first load to an elevator in Canada! He was able to get a load into Balcarres with the semi before they closed at 6:00…WHAT?! It’s harvest time for heaven’s sake…they’ve had enough time off due to rain and crappy weather…we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto. That’s probably why the farmer has over 100 bins…

Marilyn had filled the General by the time Al returned from the elevator, so he took over combining so she could get the blog done out in the field. This way it gets uploaded early to make up for yesterdays. They are open until 9pm, and Al will be leaving the loaded truck there tonight, so we can stop for eggs in the morning on the way to the field. We are camped 7 miles east of Balcarres, and the field we are working on is 12 miles north of Balcarres on the “highway to hell”. We don’t want to travel that road anymore that we have to, and for some reason, there aren’t any “back roads” to avoid the mess.

Marilyn is famous for her “short cuts”…

September 26

View of the day-There should have been a pot of gold in the hopper, but all we got was rain.

First off an apology for those of you who start your mornings with our daily antics...the reason why will be revealed.

The sun was shining and the wind was blowing in the morning, so we just knew we would get going. The farmer raised the limit on the moisture level so we could get going a lot sooner. We took the General out to the field, then came back to get the farmer's semi for back up after the bin was filled. Marilyn went back to the camper to get lunch, while Al took the semi out to the field and started combining. Once Marilyn got back out to the field and took over combining, Al was able to get back to his trucking.

The clouds slowly built throughout the afternoon and eventually it started to sprinkle, but not enough to shut us down...right away, at least. We moved the combine over to the next field and after getting the semi moved over, the skies opened up and enough precipitation fell to put an end to combining for the day.

Al had a meeting in Yorkton at 7pm, so he was just going to leave from the field and Marilyn would combine until the trucks were full, then go back to the camper with the full grain truck. Since neither truck was full, Marilyn decided to just go to Yorkton with Al, so that while he was at his meeting, she could go out to the house and get the blog done early for a change. Ahhh...the road to hell is paved with good intentions... First thing, we are still dealing with dialup...no big deal, at least it is internet. Second hurdle...old desktop does not have a card reader, so no view of the day...that just ain't right, and it just can't be done. Third...the computer is needing a good program cleaning...things collect over time and slow it down. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the thought of taking the laptop when she left the camper just wasn't strong enough, so all the "good" technology was back at Balcarres.

After trying for a good hour (it wasn't really 'good'), she shut everything down, made a few phone calls then went into town to pick Al up after his meeting. By the time we got back to the camper it was already 10:45, the lights were off in the house and there just wasn't time to finish the blog and drive to Ft.QuAppelle. So for the first time since June, we are a day late with the entry.

Sorry if it ruined your breakfast...

September 25

View of the day-Supper in the field...or, at least, in the shop.

We headed for town first thing in the morning and while Marilyn had her hearing test, Al dropped off a toy tractor for one of his friends. Once Marilyn received the results that there is nothing wrong with her hearing, Mumbles...err...Al picked her up and we went in search of answers to the transmission dilema.

The first truck shop we went to printed us off some pages of a service manual so we could see how the parts were supposed to fit together. We had a quick breakfast and then left for Balcarres, first stopping north of Melville at another truck shop that had worked on our truck in the past. He actually had a dismantled transmission, so we could see exactly what we were up against in trying to get the part back where it belonged.

Back at the camper, we went right to work on the truck and after about an hour we had everything put together...with no parts left over-a good sign. We replaced the PTO cable that had broken, then Al took the truck for a test drive...woo hoo...it worked perfectly, and a lesson was learned about asking for instructions before dismantling things.

The farmer invited us to a "supper in the field" that he had won in a draw from his local farm input supply dealer. Al had his heart set on going to the hockey game in Yorkton and talked of nothing else during the day. Marilyn mentioned that they would be having steaks, be only 100 yards from the camper, wouldn't have to drive all the way to Yorkton, then all the way back late at night...Al decided to stay for the supper instead. Since there was no combining today, even with the sun shining and the wind blowing, rather than have the meal in the field it was moved to the shop. It was still a bit cool, but with the wood stove stoked up, and a steady flow of "antifreeze", things kept pretty warm. Lots of story telling and laughs, and the "easy button" came out even though the harvest isn't done yet.

That couldn't be bad luck, could it...

September 24

View of the day-Commiseration over the rain, the breakdowns (note the beverage bar)…the faces have been withheld to protect the innocent.

Al got busy first thing taking taking the General apart to find the problem with the transmission. He thought to be on the safe side, he would take a few extra pieces off, which ended up removing some of the gear oil, and stuff… Once he phoned around to find the part he needed, it was time for a road trip.

We drove to Regina, about 65 miles and found the little part we needed and had the confirmation that it could have been replaced without taking out any extra parts…but, we just wanted to be safe… We met a friend for lunch, then, after Al fueled up the car we went over to Princess Auto to do a bit of browsing.

Ahhh….Princess Auto…a place where men discover how women can spend so much time just browsing around a store instead of…”I just go in-buy what I want-and leave”…it can’t be done in this store. Marilyn was mildly amused while strolling around to hear little groups of male shoppers (the majority) discussing the fact that they didn’t have a list, so they would just look around until it came to them what they “needed”. Princess Auto is a store full of tools, parts, surplus items, all reasonably priced…cheap in most cases…heaven really.

We went back to Balcarres and got one of the parts installed without a problem, but getting the rest of the stuff jammed into where it belonged was…well…it got dark out, so we quit. We called one of Al’s talented cousins who is a heavy duty mechanic in Yorkton and arranged to visit and discuss our dilemma.

Marilyn had a conference call with the Canadian Custom Harvesters Association at 9pm, so after a tea break at Al's cousin's place, we went back to our real house. Marilyn had a hearing test booked for first thing Tuesday morning, so we we stayed the night in Yorkton.

Now we'll find out if it's mumbling...

September 23

View of the day-The ski hill at Fort Qu'Appelle changes in wait for the snow.

A step back in time as we review yesterday's attempt to get the blog up. It was composed at the camper and them Marlyn had to find some signal...the lights were out in the main house, so dial-up was out. Oh well, only five miles to Balcarres, surely there would be wireless there.

Marilyn gets to Balcarres, finds signal but no place to park, so she drives around the block. At the last corner to get back to signal, there is an RCMP pickup waiting to turn the same way as she is going...what to do, what to do? It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't going to be a quick trip so she didn't bring her wallet with all the ID they would surely ask for. Marilyn decided to make a run for it...well the internet, at least...and drive the extra 10 miles to Fort Qu'Appelle. He followed closely all the way into town, so by the time she found signal at the A&W, it was time to post and run. One time when we are not so dependant on the short battery life of the laptop, Marilyn will relate the "Pizza Hut Stalker" story.

Back to today...we woke up to sprinkling rain, but not enough to completely put a stop to any thoughts of combining. After breakfast, we decided to get the laundry together so that if it wouldn't go combining, we could at least get the laundry done in Ft. Qu'Appelle(FQ).

We went out to the field and Al finished filling the bin, then we moved the auger across the field to the other bin, quite a task to say the least. We had a ladder to get on the roof, but the ladder that was on the roof to get up to the lid was a feeder chain held on by baling wire. Weight-wise Marilyn drew the short straw and had to climb up to open it up, which will create a few bruises...the farmer will be the one to close it, for sure. We did a test and Marilyn took it into the elevator to get it tested. It was 14.5, but the farmer said to go ahead and just fill the bin.

Marilyn continued on to FQ to find a laundromat and perhaps get the blog done early. Because the laundromat was so busy, the loads were all staggered and she couldn't get any blogging done...that, and there wasn't any signal. By the time the laundry got done, a quick tour around town brought her back to the A&W, but this time the whole blog had to get done. Just when you think it will be a short one, the master of "making a long story, longer", gets rolling.

Now to find the ringing cell phone and go home...

September 22

View of the day-It’s not us…Marilyn was following this load near Dubuc…looks a little off the level.

We started getting the camper battened down and ready to hook up. Once all the hoses and cords were rolled up and put away, we hooked up the camper to the truck, and then hooked the shop trailer behind the camper.

Marilyn left first with the car and stopped in Melville to pick up some groceries and gas for the car. Al followed with the camper after checking to make sure we hadn’t left anything behind. Al made it to the “campground” shortly before Marilyn, since she was held up with the lineups at the grocery store. Once we scoped out the various parking options…actually measuring how far the cords and hoses would reach before unhooking the camper…end of the season is a fine time to figure that out. But in our defense, it was a new campground.

With the camper level and hooked up to power and water, Al went out to the field to start combining. Marilyn got everything unpacked, made lunch, got the satellite dish aimed, then headed out to the field to take over combining.

The bin was in the field, so Al was able to park the truck at the bin and Marilyn made a point of having a full hopper at that end of the field so she could just dump in the truck where it was parked. The oats was running around 80 bu/ac, so the trips to the truck were happening frequently.

All along the highway out to the field, along with various other warning signs, there were red diamond shaped signs along the side of the road. Marilyn is convinced they show the few places where the highway is good for about three feet before turning back into the nightmare that it is. While combining in the middle of the oats field, out of nowhere, there was one of those signs! Once she got a bit closer, she could see it was marking a huge rock…she avoided that one.

Marilyn got to go back to the camper while Al filled the truck for the night. Al figured since there is no internet service at this campground, she would have to take a road trip to get the blog uploaded in town, and she might as well get a head start. It might be time to test out an internet air card…

If it rains tomorrow, there is another auction sale nearby…

September 21

View of the day-Al checks out the load in the Tulleymet Park, north of Balcarres, just before it "settles" in.

What a day! Al went to Grayson to pick up the sunflower header to bring it back and get it serviced up for future endeavors. The plan was to switch out header trailers with the straight header, since the sunflower trailer was a smaller one just used for storage.

Marilyn had her appointment at the optometrist and then had lunch with her manager from Staples, getting caught up with the summer's activities at home. Al called as Marilyn was picking up her prescription to tell her we would be pulling up stakes and moving to Balcarres to straight cut some oats.

Once Marilyn returned to the farm, Al had the combine running and the trailer lined up to get loaded and ready to roll. After getting everything flanged in, we went back to the camper to hook up the straight header trailer and start the 85 mile trip to the field of oats.

The trip was uneventful until the last 11 miles of the worst road we have ever encountered...half chewed up pavement, all rolling and pitted...the other half a poor excuse for gravel, the whole stretch lovingly called the "highway to hell" by the locals. We say that is a compliment. That was the start of the problems...

We got the combine and trailer pulled into a small roadside park and started to get it unloaded so we could move everything into the field once we had cut out a spot. We put the metal plate on the ground under the hydraulic cylinder that lifts the trailer up and off of the pintle hitch on the grain truck...but...when we lowered the cylinder to lift the trailer the ground was so soft, all it did was push the plate into the ground. We raised the cylinder back up and tried to use a short railroad tie underneath...then two...every time the cylinder just pushed them into the soft ground.

We then tried to pull the whole rig out onto the road that ran through the park, but the truck wouldn't shift into deep reduction, so we couldn't get a low enough gear to pull the truck and trailer out. Worse yet, was the fact that the tires had sunk into the grass about six inches, making the tug to get out even worse...and the sun was going down...

We finally unhooked it the old way by using a chain and the grain box to lift the trailer enough to use a combination of the cylinder and both railroad ties to support the trailer long enough to get the truck pulled out of the way so we could set it down and at least get the combine unloaded.

Once that was done, we took off the pick-up head and replaced it with the straight head. While Marilyn cut a half a load of oats, Al got the trailer hooked back up and moved...a job that was a lot easier without the load on. After getting everything parked for the night, we headed back along the nightmare road for Esterhazy.

We stopped in Balcarres for a pop, then checked out the "campground" in the farmer's yard. It's not looking like there is high speed in the "overflow" section we will be parked in, so the dial-up dilemma could be back... We stopped in Melville to pick up a pizza for supper, stopped again in the Dubuc cardlock to fuel up the pick-up for tomorrows move, then forged back to the camper.

Back at the camper, Al got his daily "Voyager" episode watched, and Marilyn did her usual thing. This has got to be the shortest time we have ever spent here in Esterhazy, but we will get to see some new scenery...a lot more trees changing colors...blackbirds "mobbing" up, swarming all over...the Canada geese heading south and stopping to feast in the fields where the John Deere combines have pulled out...

And Al brought the sunflower header over to Esterhazy for nothing...

September 20

View of the day-Back in the yard doing a few repairs.

There was more rain during the night, so we thought we would be able to sleep in for a bit but the thought of all the things we wanted to fix put the kibosh on that. Al unloaded the truck and then got a ride out to the field to bring in the tractor and cart with the hopper of canola on it. It was only three miles from the field to the yard, so he just hauled it in the cart instead of running the truck out to the field.

We went in to town for Chinese buffet with the farmer, a nice change from hamburgers and sandwiches, the went back to work on the "rainy day" projects.

Marilyn dismantled the door on the grain truck and replaced the wrecked plastic strip in the channel that rolls the window up and down. Al was having a time of it trying to keep the dust out of the cab when the window would be open four inches because it wouldn't close all the way. Once we replaced the strip (only $14/ft and we needed five feet...), the window rolled as good as new. Al then proceeded to clean the cab out because he's claiming there is a mouse in it somewhere leaving its "mark". He needs to park it in the yard where the camper is and leave the doors open for some of the cats to get to work.

Speaking of cats...the power went out in the camper around 12:45am and Marilyn thought it might have been where the cord from the camper joined the extension cord to the power in the garage. Possibly because it was sitting in the wet grass,it tripped the breaker. She put the cord junction on a step stool then covered it with a plastic tub to keep it dry. She had to call in and wake up the farmer...a favor he thought about returning at 6am to get even...to get him to flip the breaker to get the power back on. Back to the cats...this one fell for the trap...or rather crawled in.

Marilyn worked on the spreader skirts that she had "pennied up" a month ago. We finally had time to take the old ones off...well...what was left of them, and replace them with the"new" ones. Hopefully it will help keep the dust and chaff off the axles and away from the air screen and rad.

Marilyn went into Yorkton to attend a drama rehearsal, get caught up on theatre "doings"and get a hair cut. She has another appointment with the optometrist in the morning, so will spend the night in Yorkton. Al stayed in Esterhazy and kept the recliner from floating way at the camper.

It was going to be a quick entry...dang dial-up...grrrr....

September 19

View of the day-Filling up with canola on our last field for a while.

Al unloaded his truck first thing in the morning, then picked Marilyn up to move the combine back to the yard from the field. While she got it set up for canola, Al and the farmer moved the pickup and grain truck to the field then went out to the barley field to bring the grain cart home.

Marilyn made the first round on the field then Al took over while she went in to make lunch. Once she returned it was back into the combine for the rest of the day. The day ended with the 105 acre field getting finished by 10pm. Al had a truckload so he took it to the yard and Marilyn drove the combine behind him, while the cart got tarped and stayed out at the field. Al drained the oil on the combine to do the regular oil change in the morning and we went back to the camper.

We got a lot of great pictures today and it was tough to decide which ones would make the cut. We had to go with two that Al took, and the rest will go into the archives so the winter photos don't appear before their appointed season. It still is officially summer, but fall will be here in a couple of days. The leaves must be mother nature's way of taking our minds off the depressing thought that the days are getting shorter and winter will be knocking at the door sooner than we think. But that's months away, right?

So at this point we are done combining for the time being, and it seems to be in the nick of time. The rain started falling around 11:30pm and it is still coming down now at 1:30am.

One would think we were moving somewhere...

September 18

View of the day-The valley along the field of barley. The trees have changed so much in the three days we were there.

Pretty much the same day as yesterday. Al unloaded his truck and serviced the combine, then started combining until Marilyn came out and took over. Considering the day started out cloudy and hazy we were still able to start shortly after 10am, so it was a shorter day.

We only had about 60 acres to do and were done by 6:30pm. Al went in with the last full load and got cleaned up to go the the Terriers hockey game in Yorkton. Marilyn finished the field then parked the combine on a high hill to get the best use of what little wind there was to blow off the chaff and dust. Once it was all cleaned off, ready for the canola field we will move to tomorrow, Marilyn headed for the camper.

The laundromat was open in the house (another one with no coin ops) so Marilyn squeezed in a quick load of laundry. Hopefully the water heated up before the farmer came home from his oats field looking for a swish.

Good thing we brought extra blankets from home...freeze warnings for tonight...

September 17

View of the day-Al dumps into one of the grain rings set up for barley...his latest elevator.

False alarm on the weather front last night...nothing came from the short lived lightning, except a power outage for about 15 minutes. This occurred after the blog was posted. It was unreal as Marilyn went outside after the power went out to see if it was just in the camper or everywhere. The last time she had seen it that black was during the underground tour of the potash mines just east of Esterhazy...it was like being blind it was so dark...spooky.

Al dumped his truck first thing, then serviced and started combining again around 10am. Marilyn went out after getting the lunch ready and took over combining. That was pretty much the rest of the day...shut up and drive...until 9:30pm. Makes for a short entry when nothing exciting happens.

Al took the full truck back to the yard at the end of the day and Marilyn continued on until the cart was full. She needed just a bit more room as she was only able to get 98 acres done before running out of space.

At least it only leaves under 90 acres left for tomorrow...

September 16

View of the day-The first round of barley on the big field along Kaposvar Valley, south of Esterhazy.

Can you feel it? Ahhh...the excitement of high speed...you don't know what it means unless you've been deprived. Of course, those living with only dial-up, we feel your pain.

Al unloaded the truck full of canola that he had loaded last night, then serviced the combine and started in on the last 20 acres of canola. Marilyn got lunch ready and got the wireless internet service installed in the house, so we could be connected in the camper. The farmer had the router, but never had the need to hook it up until we showed up...talk about service!

Marilyn took over combining the rest of the canola while Al moved the tractor and cart out to the barley field south of Esterhazy. The elder farmer picked him up and brought him back for his grain truck once the canola was done. Marilyn took the combine back to the farm yard and blew off the chaff and dust that had collected, then headed out on the road to the field. Once the settings were changed on the combine she started in on the first round. The field is about 250 acres, so the first three rounds that make up the headlands added up to about 27 acres...better than one tenth of the field done.

After the first three rounds it was back and forth, east and west, just picking up swaths and enjoying the scenery. The hawks are great company as they hover overhead waiting for the mice to get flushed out of the swaths, and it seems there are lots at this time of year. The leaves are starting to change, especially in the valley, which surrounds all but the west end of the field. On the west end of the field there is a road which is well travelled by the local youth and various other four wheeler enthusiasts. The road out to the field would make it appear that we are out in the "petunias", but it really is well travelled and you never know when someone will come flying around one of the curves and pile into something...city folk...sheesh.

The rest of the day was pretty much more of the same. The farmer likes to swath real low so there is no stubble and what little was there wasn't doing it's job of holding up the swathed grain. The rain had pounded it into the stubble making it tough for the pickup teeth to...well...pick it up. We moved the gauge wheels on the pickup head hoping that would help to get the stalks that refused to leave the nest. All we accomplished with that move was to collect various sizes of smaller rocks and pebbles. Most of the bigger ones got knocked into the stone trap, but the little guys made it into the hopper and we could hear them rattle as the hopper was emptied into the cart and truck.

Al got to book of early as he went back to the camper with his last load for the night, while Marilyn continued on to get another hopper for the cart. Rules are rules...the truck driver gets to shower first, although we do have the option of showering in the house if the line up isn't too big.

Another couple of days on the field and it will go into Al's "history book" (his diary) once again. We have been combining these fields for over 10 years and, as we mentioned before, you get to know them really well. When you look the mile across the field and see all the swaths that have to be picked up (and at 20 feet there's a lot of them) it seems like it will be forever before you see the end. But before you know it you're at the end and you wonder where the time went.

The farmers bought a new combine this year (green...they needed the straw) and it seemed strange to see him combining the field next to the "campground" right along the highway. We have done that one so often in the past...another marathon field, but it's right along the highway so there is always "action" (as Al likes to call it). Oh, well, shut up and drive.

It was a beautiful combining day, sunny, some wind and hot (for this time of year) and no rain in the forecast for a few days...oh, yeah...weekend weather.

And now there is lightning in the south...

September 15

View of the day-The Kaposvar Valley Creek just north of the field we are combining west of Esterhazy, SK.

Our company left before we got up this morning, he wanted to get north of Prince Albert by noon...pretty ambitious. We finished getting the camper hooked up and ready to go, then after fueling up and having lunch, forged on to Esterhazy. Al pulled the camper for a change and Marilyn followed in the car.

After getting the camper parked set up, we went over to the combine, cleaned the windows and moved it out to the canola field a mile north of the yard. Marilyn combined enough to make room to park the grain truck, tractor and cart, then took Al back to bring the cart to the field after he dropped off the truck. Once he got back, Marilyn went into town to get an adapter for the water filter for the camper and pick up a few groceries. After Al combined the first truck load, Marilyn took over combining until he came back, then went back to the camper to hook up the water and dish.

Al got another couple of truck loads done, then called it a night after the straw got a bit tough. A productive day, and it looks good for a couple more. Once we finish the canola we will be moving south of Esterhazy to do a pile of barley.

Nice itchy barley...

September 14

View of the day-Well, it's not the festive season yet, but this is a shot from a few years ago when we spent $350 on lights to decorate the rigs only to win a $20 ham in the Xmas light judging contest. The tires, header, grain coming out of the auger, spreaders and air screen were all "moving" with chasing lights, and Santa was driving. We only did it once, since for the next few years, the combine would winter in Oklahoma.

Got up bright and early, no rain, no snow, but everything was white...from the heavy frost that had gathered during the night. Marilyn had an early appointment to get her eyes checked...the six month checkup after lazik surgery. Al did a road trip to Shoal Lake, Manitoba to get a spare rotor and separator belt for the combine...well that and to check out the toys.

Marilyn continued getting things put away in the house and dug out Al's "Sunday go to meeting" duds. Al was elected to the board of the local junior hockey team-the Yorkton Terriers-he has been a fan forever and decided this was the year to jump on board. Tonight was the season opener and they had the executive go out onto the ice so the fans could see the new faces on the board. Marilyn had sent her camera in with the neighbour who was going the the game, to get some pictures for the "view of the day", but...dark, smoke, fireworks...they didn't turn out too good. So it was into the archives for today's view.

On the way back from Shoal Lake, Al passed a catastrophe on the side of the road. A 36 ft draper header (which usually has it's travelling wheels mounted on it permanently) was sitting on the ground-minus the wheels. It had skidded for a way while it was still hooked onto the pickup. Once Al saw the rest of the crew parked further down the road, he recognised the name on the truck, so he turned around and went back to see if they needed help. They had everything under control, so he continued home. Later on in the evening while Marilyn was slaving away over the Friday night movie on CTV, the phone rang and it was the harvester booking a room for the night. Apparently, Al forgot to mention the invitation.

Al met the harvester after the game and he was able to park his rig in the neighbours yard, since our two acres is pretty much all trees. After getting cleaned up, it was two hours of catching up on the season's harvest, comparing notes.

The farmer called today and we could be combining canola tomorrow if the day is as good as today was-weather wise anyway.

The last move away for the camper...

September 13

View of the day-The welcome party of one waiting on the shoulder of the road a half mile from home.

More rain and cool weather, so we found other things to occupy the day. We went into town for breakfast then Al dropped Marilyn off on his way to Grayson and Grenfell. Marilyn met with Lynn, the harvester association's exec-sec. to retrieve "the book"...you know the one...about Custom Combining on the Great Plains. Lynn was on her way to Regina from Togo and her timing was perfect for making the exchange.

Marilyn and Pam, the Paper Bag Players theatre group president, and her young daughter made a road trip to Kamsack to check out its local theatre facilities. Kamsack is hosting the annual Theatre Saskatchewan short play festival November 1,2 and 3. Marilyn is directing Yorkton's entry Myrtle and Rosalie, the first act of a full length production the group performed in May this year for a Mental Health fundraiser dinner theatre. After meeting with the two Kamsack club reps for dinner, the group went over to the theatre to check out the stage and lighting specs. We returned to Yorkton driving through the rain and sleet, making it back in time to pick up Pam's other daughter from school. She dropped Marilyn off at McDonalds, where Al picked her up shortly after.

Al went to Grenfell via Grayson and brought home another toy-a 1/16 scale Versatile four wheel drive tractor to add to his collection. We went to the mall to check out the farmers market for any treasures. Marilyn had a hankering for corn on the cob, and has had for a while, but we never found the roadside sellers that are normally about at this time of year. Most of the sellers were getting ready to fold up their stalls and leave for the day, but we did find one at the very end who was only too happy to get rid of some organic corn...and it was great.

We did get hit with a snow flurry as we left the mall, but it didn't last very long and it was back to the rain on the way home. We were looking for something for the view of the day, when just as we were getting close to home we came upon "ol' friendly", only too happy to pose for the shot.

Back at home we did a bit more unpacking, had supper, then relaxed after a tough day...it's so much work doing nothing. Marilyn had good intentions of going back into town to watch some rehearsals for a different project the theatre group was working on. Unfortunately, she found herself with a piano tied to her a**, when after zoning out for a while, couldn't move off the couch...the blanket was too heavy...

Trying to get things done online on dial-up...argghh...

September 12

View of the day-They were calling for snow, but so far all it did was rain, but...it could be worse...this is our back deck last winter after one of the many snowstorms left its mark.

Woke up to rain and it continued pretty much all day. We went into town to pay our *^%8#-ing land taxes...and just leave it at that. We drove around and checked out the changes that took place in town while we were gone, and there were a few but nothing major. After lunch we decided to take a road trip to Grayson to visit the local banker and get caught up with the gossip there.

It rained all the way down there, quit for a bit while we had coffee and checked our lottery tickets. The local hardware/license issuer/video rental/bus depot/lottery outlet, runs Marilyn's favorite numbers on the Western 649, every Saturday while we are away. After checking the all the accrued tickets, Marilyn had won a total of $34, which meant she still owed $12 for the summer...looks like we won't be retiring anytime soon. Just as we left the store it started to rain again as we started the drive back to Yorkton.

We did a bit of shopping and it seemed to be "seniors day" at the grocery store...not that there is anything wrong with that, but it was slow going up the aisles. We came back home and just looked out the front window at the pouring rain...a perfect day to just curl up on the couch and watch TV...the stuff from the camper will put itself away.

Marilyn had been suffering with sort of a head cold, or perhaps allergies. Something seemed to rear its head right after having to clean out the rotor. Now is a fine time to discover an allergy to grain, isn't it? Well, that's if it is indeed an allergy. Today was head achy, chills, stuffed sinuses...a day just made for recuperating.

We talked to Marg and Kim down at Carlyle and they had a beautiful day, with lots of combining...

Maybe we do bring the rain...

September 11

View of the day-Al rolling through the Qu'Appelle Valley on the way to Esterhazy.

Well today we really did get up bright and early so we could say good bye to Gordie before he went off to school. We also wanted to give Kim a hand pulling his sieve out of his 2388 so he could repair the system for the third time in his short season. Once we figured out what the problem was and he had sent his father for parts to repair it, we figured he had everything under control and we decided to head north once more.

Al left the farm and waited at the junction for Marilyn who had gone to say goodbye to Marg at work, and to get her to make a copy of the service manual section on the cleaning system to give to Kim. Marilyn noticed red flashing lights a mile north of the Ag Services where Marg works, and the discussion in the office was that the DOT had some kind of check point set up and they were stopping everybody that passed. A comment was made that they would probably give Marilyn a ticket for only having one running light, but she fixed that by turning on her headlights because she knew they both worked on dim. There was a bit of concern on her part that they might stop her because the shop trailer didn't have the lights wired, even though it was narrow enough that the camper lights were clearly visible. But why tempt fate? She drove back out to the farm and came around the back way, after letting Al know on the radio that "the restaurants were open all over the place"(our code in case the bad guys were rubbering in) and he should leave without waiting for her.

We got to the farm just west of Esterhazy, unhooked the shop trailer and unloaded the combine. No one was around, so we just headed up to Yorkton with the camper, the coast was still clear. Although at this time it didn't matter because we were 'legal'(not that we weren't before, but the rules change all the time depending who stops you), and to prove it...at the tourist booth just south of town, there was a checkpoint set up. They were channeling cars into the tourist booth parking area and they had the big rigs in another lane, all marked off with pylons. They waved us through! AND we left all the pylons standing.

We got out to the farm, the gardener had mowed the lawn so it looked nice and neat. Al was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't get to use his weed eater right away. Marilyn started getting the camper unpacked, while Al got "Frank" into running order and took it for a test drive. Marilyn had made arrangements to go into town to have coffee at Tim Hortons with a couple of fellow thespians from the local theatre group. Al went next door to visit with the gardener and drop off the "beverage" that he had brought back from the US.

After we both got caught up with the latest gossip it was time to call it a day...and the rain and wind came. Not to worry, we get to stay in our house for the next few days while the crops dry down at Esterhazy. That can't happen too soon since the "campground" there has wireless high speed access and here we only have dial-up, until we move back in permanently in a couple of months. Speaking of months...it was four months ago tomorrow that we left the yard to start the season.

Where did the time go...

September 10

View of the day-The end of the day, the rig is loaded and waiting to move to Esterhazy, SK.

Clouds and rain first thing in the morning, so we weren't sure what we were going to do today. The farmer decided they could finish up on their own, since we would have to wait a couple more days for the wheat to cure enough to combine.

We talked to the farmer at Esterhazy, and they had gotten some rain and there wouldn't be any combining for a couple of days, so if we wanted to stay here we could. We decided we should get the rest of our stuff moved to Esterhazy and wait there, just so the elder farmer wouldn't have to phone when the panic set in.

We went for lunch then went into town to get a new fuel filter for the Dodge, to replace the wrong one they had sold Al the day before. He already had the old one off so we had to borrow a truck from the landlord. We also had to renew the license for "Frank", our second vehicle. Frank is a 1987 Grand Marquis that we use to shuttle around town when we want to go our separate ways and it comes out of summer retirement when we get to Esterhazy. The name comes from the gentleman we bought it from, it just stuck...and it fits. Marilyn took Al out to the combine at the field and he roaded it back to the yard to get it ready to load.

We got back out to the farm and tried unsuccessfully to fix the window on the drivers door on the General. For a while it wouldn't roll up all the way, which wasn't bad in the summer, but it's getting a bit chilly now and it really needs to close. Especially if Marilyn switches over to truck driving for the fall harvest. We dismantled it and discovered the plastic strip that moves the window up and down had all the holes stripped out of the middle. We tried several repairs but quit short of fabricating a new one, the thought of punching all those oval holes didn't seem too appealing. Al decided to tough it out with it the way it is and we will look for the part at a wrecker.

The farmer came out to the camper to settle up, and after a gab, left us to do what we normally do after a job. We got the combine loaded without incident and hooked the trailer up to the General, then parked the rig for the night. The plan is to move the combine to Esterhazy, parking it in a different spot that the grain cart, of course.

We will take the camper home to Yorkton to unload most of the summer's accumulation of stuff that tends to collect. We will also get rid of the "summer clothes"...sigh...to make room for the jackets and warmer clothes that will be needed for the rest of the Canadian harvest. The forecast low for Thursday is 26 F...that's gonna be cold.

Hope the gardener has mowed our lawn...

September 9

View of the day-Clouds that let go the rain with no rhyme or reason.

The sun was shining bright and early (for us) and it looked like it would be a great day for combining canola.

We moved the grain truck over to the field of canola east of Carlyle shortly before lunch. We gave one of the farmers a ride back to their yard, then went back to Kim's field to get the combine after he fueled it up for us. Al serviced the rig, Marilyn did the windows and reset the computer so it would monitor things properly. Al complains that since ProHarvest updated our yield and moisture monitor, he doesn't know how to change things like header width or crop. This means it is pretty much useless for figuring out yield or acres covered.

Once the settings were all changed, Al went out to the field and started combining the canola. Marilyn went back to the camper to make lunch and take down the tent, just in case the wind came up and a catastrophe should happen. When she got back to the yard, everything had been dismantled and not by the wind. All that was left to do was bundle up the poles and secure the folded tent.

Back out at the field, Marilyn took over combining for Al and he went into the farmers grain cart for the rest of the afternoon, taking a break when his truck was full. Marilyn had just made a couple of rounds and was curious as to how fast Al had the rotor going under load, when he suggested a ground speed, Marilyn stated that she was being cautious and just didn't want to plug the rotor. Al replied that the feeder would plug long before the rotor would. The rogue clouds would dump rain at random, never enough so it was running off the header, but enough to make the straw tough. We were along the highway and after one of the showers the vehicles were spraying up water which meant it wasn't just a sprinkle. Not to worry, we had the same thing with the oats the other day, so off Marilyn went...for about 200ft...you guessed it...the rotor plugged.

Al came over and we took the shields off to examine the slug that was refusing to let the rotor turn, and it really wasn't a bad one, just one thick band of wet straw. Once we dropped the concaves and backed the rotor up to dig out the slug by hand, it was clear enough that the combine was able to cough up what was left. It was nice of the farmer to stop by to supervise and note how tactfully we "discussed" the various reasons for the slug and how to clear it. We do have our own language when it comes to these sorts of things. It didn't even take twenty minutes from plugging to getting rolling, so it was just an excuse for "fresh" air.

At one point during the day, the farmer went over to do a test on their wheat, thinking it would go, but it was still 17% moisture so we stayed where we were. The rest of the day was uneventful, with Al in the cart picking us up on the go there was no stopping until we quit at 8:00 covering 100 acres.

A good day even with the small delay...

September 8

View of the day-Marilyn's big purchases at the auction sale-a 10X30 party tent and Gordie holds a gas weed trimmer...what deals! Our gardener will be happy.

Up early to get in "the zone" for the big auction sale. We got the call that the wheat and mustard were too wet to go, so we had the better part of the day off.

Al went out and helped Kim do some fixing on his pickup head, while Marilyn, Marg, Gordie and his other aunt Kim (it's confusing with so many "Kim's in the family) trekked north to the Wawota corner to the auction sale. Oh, there were bargains-a-plenty to be had but someone always managed to outbid us, but we didn't come home empty handed, as you can see by the view of the day.

Al didn't have much to do, so when Kim went out and checked his canola and found it was good to go, Al decided to go out and combine with him, while Kim's dad hauled grain for them. With two machines going, he even left the tractor on the auger running between loads since the haul was close and the trucks were always full. No idea of what the yield was because Al didn't know how to change the settings on the combine...he doesn't like technology.

When the happy shoppers came home at 5:30pm they were still hard at it...and no breakdowns! Marg whipped up burgers for supper and Marilyn and Gordie put the party tent together...we got the easier job, we had it up in no time and still had to help with supper.

Once again the junior weather forecast was wrong...supposed to be 70% chance of rain and the sun shone all day.

Maybe tomorrow will be the same...

September 7-Wow 100 posts!

n

View of the day-Hmm, a short corner, the approach just wasn't wide enough.

No sign of combining today after last nights rain and the cool, cloudy day. Al took the General into town to get the clutch set up while Marilyn cleaned off the combine and pressure washed the engine compartment. Once we found out we wouldn't be combining today, we decided to take the tractor, grain cart and straight header up to Esterhazy.

We got everything loaded and then made our way the 90 miles north to Esterhazy. Once we got there Marilyn scouted out the field where we were going to park the rigs and it looked like the approach would be wide enough to accommodate the long load. Unfortunately, the road leading to the approach was a bit on the narrow side. As Al turned in the approach the back axles of the truck went down on one side and the cart trailer tires went in on the other side and the trailer ended up high centered right on the approach. No backing up, no moving forward, fortunately the farmer showed up to laugh...er, help us out. After getting his tractor and hooking up the tow strap, one tug and he had the rig pulled up onto flat land.

We unloaded the tractor, got the Freight parked close to a plug in (it doesn't like the cold) and then proceeded to raid the garden. We were instructed by the farmer that it was supposed to freeze tonight so we were to rescue any veggies that we wanted. With a bag of tomatoes, a bag of cucs, some carrots and beets in the box of the truck we headed home.

We talked Al's step dad into meeting us on the way with our mail that he had been collecting for us all summer. After meeting with him and getting caught up on some of the Grayson gossip, we started back to Carlyle. We stopped at the truck stop in Whitewood for supper and then stopped again at Moose Mountain Auctions to check out what would be on sale at tomorrow's auction. Marilyn had already booked off the day to go to the sale with her sister Marg and she wanted to see what bargains were to be had.

Most of the trip home was spent with Marilyn opening the mail and Al asking "what's that one" and "I paid that already". Of course with the mail dating back to mid-May, there was bound to be some "old news" in the batch of letters. We found the odd cheque too, which could go to purchase the leather recliner sofa Marilyn spotted at the sale barn.

We're still refusing to turn the furnace on in the camper even though it is supposed to get mighty chilly tonight. It's a matter of denial...summer is not over, we only need the small heater...just to take the chill off.

Marilyn got an extra blanket from the house...

September 6

View of the day-The self-propelled combine taking care of the outside round.

A day we never saw the sun, but we combined just the same. We went over to Kisbey just after lunch and started in on the last 40 acres of oats. It tested dry enough but as soon as we got rolling it started to sprinkle. We kept on combining through about eight different showers. Every time it would start to rain we would finish a round and decide to quit, then the rain would quit and we just kept on going. By the time we got to the last round the rain had really started to fall but that didn't stop us from finishing.

While Al unloaded the truck in the rain, Marilyn got the combine fueled up and roaded it the 20 miles back to Carlyle. When Al got back with the pickup and shop trailer, he enlisted Kim to go back with him to bring back the grain truck. Right after they left the yard the rain started pouring down which we're pretty sure will put a stop to any thoughts of combining tomorrow.

Maybe we will move the tractor, cart and header to Esterhazy...

September 5

View of the day-At least nephew Gordie gets to combine some canola in his dad's 2388.

We woke up to a couple of rain showers. Just enough to screw things up for the day, by actually giving us the hope that it might dry out later on when the sun came out.

We went in to town to have lunch then drove over to Kisbey to service the combine and unload the truck. The sun was trying to shine and there was hope until the farmer did a sample and it was 17% moisture, so that settled that. Marilyn decided it was time for a Walmart fix, so since we were almost halfway there, we went to Estevan.

On our way back to Carlyle we spied brother-in-law Kim's combine in a field by the highway. It was stopped and the pickup truck was parked behind it so we decided to see if we could be of assistance. Once we got across the field we could see it was the lunch wagon...that was a relief. Since Gordie had finished eating, he was instructed to drive the combine over to the semi and unload it. Marilyn went along for the ride and then rode with him for a couple of rounds as he combined, changing all the settings to make use of all the technology available (which Kim probably changed back as soon as it was his turn to combine). He did a pretty good job...very careful... which was a refreshing thing to see.

Gordie also informed us that he had done a search for Kuntz Harvesting on Google and found we had a video on YouTube. We couldn't figure how the heck that had gotten up there, but when we checked it out we found it was one of several harvesting videos that Tom Isern had taken back in Tuttle, ND. There was also one of Prevost Harvesting, Brownridge Harvesting and even kuchen making in the Tuttle Store! Check them out if you get the chance.

Speaking of video's, we are trying out the video posting feature on the blog today to see how it works. It is of 12 year old Gordie picking up canola swaths. Remember too, that if you click on any of the pictures, you will get an enlarged version in which you can see a lot more detail.

No more rain, please...

September 4

View of the day-The pull-type combine leads the self-propelled with the Moose Mountains in the background.

First thing Al went into the local Coop at Carlyle to get the pickup belt re-laced that we had taken off the header yesterday. After getting lunch together it was off to Kisbey to continue picking up the wheat.

We finished the first patch and moved about four miles NE to another field that had three different pieces of wheat. With three machines working together in the small fields, it didn't take long to lap things up. It seemed to be a race against the weather on the last field as the lightning show to the west was quite spectacular and we were expecting the high winds and rain to kick in at any moment. We did manage to get finished and had time to blow some of the chaff off the combine before heading back to Carlyle.

Not much of an entry when you are parked in the combine for 11 hours going around in circles. Back at the camper the lightning was still flashing and there were a few sprinkles, but no down pour.

But the night is young...

September 3

View of the day-Canadian wildlife. An extended family of moose parade by the field south of Kisbey, SK.

WOW we have been harvesting for a long time and you see a lot of different things as you combine but today we saw a first while working not one or two but four, yes four moose or is it mooses not quite sure. Two bull moose and a cow and a calf. Al kept wondering where Rocky the flying squirrel was because we sure saw Bullwinkle and his peeps.
We had a slight change of plans from last night (imagine that a change of plans...) we thought we were going to be in canola but the change put us in the wheat instead. This meant we had to road the combine 20 miles east of Carlyle, just south of Kisbey.

We started in on some organic wheat and with the smaller swaths we made good time. We were working with the farmer and his brother in the same field. What a change from the day before...going from lots of technology and big machines to regular old time farming. Two three ton trucks with a pull type 914 International combine and a self propelled 915 International. The 915 was having pickup head troubles, and went back to the farm yard 1/2 mile away for repairs a couple of times, but the 914 stuck with us.

We had patched the belt on our pickup head to try and make it through the day, and it did do the job until the sun went down and the straw started getting tough. It would start jamming under the pickup teeth and stop some of the belts, so we quit around 8:30pm and drove back to the camper.

It wasn't a good day for brother-in-law Kim and his 2388. His top sieve decided it didn't want to stay in the machine and tried to exit the back of the machine...good thing the chaff spreaders were back there to help slow it down...well, until one of them went flying too. He did get up and running after a couple of hours of down time.

Oh dear, the leaves are starting to change color...