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...