November 23, 2009

View of the day-Shades of the summer...this lineup was at the elevator north of Yorkton that we pass on our way home.

Yesterday Marilyn drove Al to the farmers yard to pick up the combine and road it home to Yorkton, while she got to do some more set construction. We had a cat that was quite interested in what we were doing...or maybe it was just a warm place to sit in the crisp morning air. It took Al 2 and 1/2 hours to get back home even avoiding the traffic by taking the back roads most of the way.

Today Al got the combine all cleaned off...not washed, though...too cold to bring out the pressure washer. Then he loaded up the General with all the branches that he had cut down so we could get around the back of the house to load up the lumber from our deck. It is on the north side of the house and had gotten quite rotten, so it had to go. After driving to the village dump that we are allowed to use, thanks to our outrageous taxes, he discovered that it was locked, pending some sort of environmental report...now we have no where to dump. He check into taking it to the Yorkton dump...they would let him dump it...for $140!

Looks like there might be a big bonfire happening in the near future...

November 21, 2009

View of the day-The Qu'Appelle River runs through the last field that Al combined...he made a point of taking pictures today.

Al was up early this morning and Marilyn got to lay in...for a change. Al left for the field around 8:30am and was able to start combining right after servicing and doing the windows. He finished the straight flax and there were a few canola swaths left in one of the fields, so he switched up the headers and made short work of them...he had to change headers anyway, before coming home.

Marilyn was up at Ebenezer for the afternoon, rehearsing and set building until dark...which is at 4:53 this time of year, which makes for a short day. After having a productive rehearsal, it was time to head back to the farm, meeting Al on his way into town for the hockey game. We stopped on the road and got caught up on the day, then went our separate ways...what a difference from being together 24/7 all summer...

So, now it is officially, official...we are done combining for the season. We still have to clean things up and tuck them away for the winter...if that ever shows up.

November 20, 2009

View of the day-Nope, not out of the archives and not getting ready for storage...we, or rather, Al is still combining!

Just when we thought it was all over...

Yesterday Al got a ride down to Grayson to bring the combine home...he was going to road it the 45 miles rather that get the trailer from its winter storage. Al had roped in Brenda to help him out by driving our pickup back to Yorkton...which she started doing as soon as she dropped Al off at the combine. While he was getting fueled up by the farmer, another neighbor came over and asked if he would be able to stay and do a couple of quarters of straight flax...what the heck...and besides, Marilyn has a sewing machine fund that needs a little help. Of course this meant he had to call Brenda to come back to pick him up and by this time she was only 10 miles from Yorkton...she wasn't getting much done, but she did manage to see the countryside courtesy of Al's directions...and that's all we'll say about that.

The weather has continued to be unseasonably warm and dry, so he thought he would give it a whirl...the cutters the farmer had before blew out the wobble box on their header, so Al was a bit concerned that the same thing might happen to ours. He needn't have worried, it was plenty dead and cut like a dream, so with the farmer supplying the trucks and another neighbor joining him in the field with his combine...today turned out to be quite productive.

Marilyn on the other hand was still spending the day working at Staples, then getting home in time to change, eat and head north to Ebenezer for rehearsal for The Wild Guys. We are still three weeks ahead of our first performance, but it will be here before you know it and we will be gone to Edmonton for the Association of Canadian Custom Harvesters annual convention the first week of December so that only leaves two weeks to doll things up for the cast and crew...no problem...to quote a harvester we used to work for a long time ago..."as long as it looks good"...and it will...you'll see.

Here's hoping Al gets a few more pictures tomorrow...

November 17, 2009

View of the day-Well, not today...but wouldn't it be nice to be back in this again?

Last official day of harvesting for the 2009 harvest season, and what a day it was record setting high temps. 15ºC/60ºF. It is sort of a sad, yet sweet day when you finish the harvest season.

Al picked up the last swath at 6:03 PM Tuesday November 17th. The farmer was happy to have his harvest done as well. His bins were full and a semi came out and picked up a load from the combine and the farmers truck was full when the field was done. There was still about 500 acres of flax in the area where Al was working he called the farmers but they thought they could finish it up on their own. It is deer hunting season here and the back roads by the fields were quite busy so it gave Al something extra to see.

On Wed. Al put away the grain cart and then he came back home and even with the gorgeous weather, he figured he should put the dozer blade on the tractor because at some point in time we will need it this winter and from past years experience it is far easier to put it on the tractor when you don't have to dig it out of a 2 foot snowbank.

Well as this may be our last entry for a while we would like to say thanks to all of our readers from all over the world and we hope that you enjoyed our daily updates.

God willing we will be back at the harvesting next year. Tentative start of 2010 harvest is May 20 only 183 days away.

But wait...there could be more...

November 14, 2009

View of the day-The combine tries to get warmed up in the morning sun before heading into the flax.

It was a frosty morning so there would be no harvesting until at least after lunch. Al got a call in the AM from a former employee who had worked for us on the harvest run in the mid 90's. He was coming into Yorkton and was wondering if we could have coffee and catch up so Al met him in the Mall.

Marilyn also was in the Mall selling tickets for the dinner theater for Paper Bag Players upcoming performance, so after about an hour or two of gabbing and getting caught up with what was going on in Bucky's world, Al headed out to Dubuc to try the flax...turns out there is 275 acres of it in 30' swaths.

He got their about 1:00 PM and after letting the combine warm up, they made a round...it was testing 10.2%...almost dry, but good enough to keep going. He had to leave the outside swath on the north side of the field it still had frost covering it well into the afternoon...in fact it didn't melt all day. It will be picked up Monday when temps get up to 8ºC/50ºF.

After 50 acres it was time to call it a short day and head back home watch some hockey and call it a night.

November 13, 2009

View of the day-A new ride for the combine.

An early morning for both of us, Al was heading out to Balcarress to drive truck again and Marilyn off to Staples to work. Just as Al was heading out the door the phone rang it was a call from a farmer who had some harvesting still needing to be done, he had a local harvester who said he would do it but with the crappy weather through October he didn't get to it and is still working for another farmer. It was near Dubuc about an hour south of Yorkton.

The registration on the combine trailer and the General had expired but the farmer said he could haul the grain so Al decided to take the job and he would road the combine the 50 miles. However before driving the combine Al called his former employer Kardynal Transport to see if he could haul the combine for him fortunately his truck wasn't busy that day so with the help of Al's friend Danny, they loaded the combine and strapped it down and headed out to Dubuc around 2:00 PM got there unloaded and back in Yorkton and before dark which is quite an accomplishment considering it gets dark at 5:30 these days.

Tomorrow we combine flax...

November 12, 2009

View of the day-Action over at Balcarres, about 60 miles SW of Yorkton.

Al made a couple of more calls looking for work, one was to a farmer we had worked for in the past he said he had plenty of help with his harvest but could use truck drivers. He has 3 Massey 9895 combines and his neighbour came over with 2 Deere's.

So Al was off to Balcarres to drive truck for the day, hauling canola to Terminal 22 along with 3 other drivers and using 5 trucks.

It was a busy day, things got rolling at about 11:00 AM, the canola was dry except for one "rogue" load he hauled in which was 14% moisture...10 is considered dry, anything over that is wet. Things went well into the evening until all the trucks and combines were full...total acres for the day were just short of 500.

There was all sorts of harvesting going on in the area, also some swathing was still going on in some fields, with combines picking up the swaths right behind. Also in some places there still was snow in the ditches from the snowfall almost 3 weeks earlier.

And Marilyn was still at work...

November 11, 2009

View of the day-Al took a tour around the countryside and found this NW of Yorkton.

Marilyn goes to work in the dark and comes home in the dark, so pictures are hard to come by...Al doesn't think to take the camera with him, so...no blog.

Marilyn was at work yesterday while Al finished combining the flax. He was able to keep going all day with out having to dump once he started with everything empty. When he finished the field he was on, he moved across the creek to help the neighbor finish his last field.

After Marilyn got home from work, she took Al out to the field so he could dump the truck and cart, then bring the General home and park it...not necessarily for the year, but for the next little while, anyway. We will probably use it to haul the dismantled deck from the back yard...once it gets dismantled.

Marilyn went to work today...didn't have to go in until 11am since it was Remembrance Day. Al decided to take a tour around the countryside to see if he could find any more combining. He did see LOTS of combining going on, but didn't get any extra work...he's not too heartbroken about that...but we haven't washed the combine just yet. He might sub his services out and go drive truck for a farmer out by Balcarres...the one who had the snow on his swaths in one of the earlier posts.

So, perhaps the season is over...we'll see...

November 9, 2009

View of the day-Another great Saskatchewan sunset.

Marilyn was off to work in the dark at 6:45am while Al continued to check his eyelids for cracks...all clear on that front.

Once he was mobile, he got things moved around with the help of Murray, the neighbor we are combining for, and when everything was where he needed it he started combining around 1pm. He filled the truck and cart, and was just dumping in to the farmers truck when Marilyn showed up after work to take over combining while he dumped everything.

We combined until 7pm when the flax was starting to wrap on the auger and were just ready to head the mile back home when Marilyn got a text from her friend saying that she and her young 6yr old daughter were coming out for a ride. Marilyn took Al back home and waited until her friends came out from town, then went back out to the field to make a few rounds.

Al got to watch his Monday Night Football and once Marilyn got back from the combine and did a bit of work on the computer it was time to call it a day.

Morning comes way too early...

November 8, 2009

View of the day-Al coming over the hill on the flax.

We got to sleep in a bit today since we were done combining at Esterhazy and just had to move things home. We went to the greenhouse for brunch, then picked up some fuel for the General, then picked up Marilyn's friend, Brenda to help us move home in one trip.

We got to the farm and Al unloaded the truck and cart while Marilyn and Brenda moved the combine to town, then went out to the wheat field to hook the straight header on the trailer up. We met Al back at the combine trailer and got the combine loaded, strapped down and hooked up to the General.

Al headed out with the General and combine, and Brenda helped Marilyn get the rearview camera rigged up on the tractor and cart so she could see who was behind her. Brenda left with the pickup and header, then Marilyn got the job of roading the tractor and cart all the way back to Yorkton...about 50 miles at 18mph. It was a rough ride but she made it to the front lawn at home by 5:50pm...in the dark.

Al got the combine unloaded and the empty trailer hooked back up to the General just as Brenda showed up with the header trailer, then after giving her a ride home, Al took the trailer out to the winter parking spot SE of town. When he got back he took the General directly to the flax field that he will be straight cutting...we hope...tomorrow.

Marilyn picked him up from the field, then got the combine monitor all set up for him ,then we went into town to pick up a few groceries before coming back home and calling it a day. Tomorrow Al will start combining on his own for the day and Marilyn gets to go to work at Staples, and she has to be there at 7am...all week long. Of course this means she only has to work until 3:30pm, but she has drama rehearsal to attend in the evening...things are almost back to normal...no rest.

At least the field is only a mile from our house...almost walking distance...

November 7, 2009

View of the day-A bald eagle showing a coyote who's boss. He must have been used to the traffic on the corner or been really hungry because he let us get reasonably close.

What a crazy day. We left home for Esterhazy, planning to stop in town like we normally do, but thanks to repairs on the railroad tracks near the highway, we ended up taking the scenic route. We live 3.5 miles from the main highway and there is only one road that branches off to anywhere along that 3.5 miles, it is at the 3 mile mark. They put the blockade up a half mile from the tracks, which are 1/3 mile from the highway...sound like a math problem? Well, they certainly never figured it out and we had to turn around and take the back roads east and south to the highway. The worst of it was that Marilyn didn't get her coffee...we even drove around Saltcoats looking for some. We ended up going to the field through Esterhazy so we were able to stock up there. Rant off.

Al got the truck and cart unloaded while Marilyn greased and serviced the combine, then we started right in combining by 11:30am. The neighbors had a few green ones move in to do a couple of fields of swathed canola...actually for the farmer that we had just finished for the other day. He had hired them when the plan was that we would be going to Dyersville and the weather would be good...we were okay with that since we had found other work to do in the area.

We got the field finished around 3:30pm, then moved over to the last of the flax. We got to combine along side Eugene and his 9500 JD and Al was the lone truck driver...but he was able to keep up, quite easily with the short haul. We got that field done by 8:30pm and that was also the end of Eugene's harvest for the season. Another 100+ acre day for us, which felt pretty good. Occasionally we had a lineup as you can see in the mirror in the picture.

The sun was shining and the wind was blowing hard again, unfortunately, the temps weren't anywhere near what they were yesterday...nice in the cab, but nippy by the bins. Al had a small chain issue with the auger...a trip into town and a few back to the shop trailer got him fixed and it was business as usual.

We decided to bring the shop trailer home with us, since we would be moving everything back home and after getting the clearance lights working, we headed north. We got through town and just as we hit the first set of tracks north of town the red and blue lights started flashing behind us...the mounties were pulling us over. Al is never in the mood for these guys and couldn't figure out what the problem was...the lights were all working, we weren't speeding, we stopped at the lights...we sat and waited to find out what the deal was. We did have a panic moment when we thought maybe the registration on the licence had expired...we couldn't remember because we usually let it go for the winter and this year was really late...they could have expired.

The officer finally made his way to the window and said he had run our plate number from the trailer and they told him it hadn't been registered since 2007, but after he got up to it, he realised he had one of the alphabets wrong...a G for a C, or something. Once he had the right letter, it checked out...Al mentioned the registration thing and he told us we were good until the end of this month, so we were good to go. Relatively painless.

Marilyn is sure it was the wafting aroma of the donut box on the dash...

November 6, 2009

View of the day-Morning servicing...and the guys found the donuts in the pickup.

We left town early after having breakfast at home, for a change, and by the time we got to the rigs, Jeff's crew was already there doing their servicing before moving back to the farm. The fuel truck showed up and while the combines got filled, Al greased and Marilyn did windows.

We had to do a bit of chiseling in the hopper to get all the goo that had collected on the auger in the hopper from the 'moist' canola. We couldn't figure out why the bushel count was out so bad until Marilyn took the cover off the sensor and discovered 4 inches of goo fused on to it. It took a bit of doing, but eventually we got it back into ship shape and we were on the road south. Al drove the combine and Marilyn went back to the wheat field to get the shop trailer.

Back at Eugene's, we got the combine set for flax, took off the spreaders and Al took the first swath around the first patch. He got a ride to get the tractor and cart and Marilyn took over combining. We had a terrific wind blowing for most of the day and the temperature was close to 70ºF...a gorgeous day for harvesting...especially in November. Once Al got back with the cart and unloaded the truck, he took over combining while Marilyn went into town to get lunch...no free pizza today, in fact they weren't even that friendly, but damn they make good subs.

We got the first couple of small patches done and moved over to the big piece and continued combining until 9:30pm. Marilyn was determined to fill the truck and the cart before going home and the way the wind picked up after sunset, we could have gone all night...if Al hadn't filled the bin. We had such a good day that it didn't matter that we had to quit...we still managed to do over 100 acres!

When was the last time that happened??

November 5, 2009

View of the day-Al tries to plug a few holes in the door of the bin so that the canola does not escape...the BlackBerry had to take the picture, so excuse the quality.

We got rolling a little later than yesterday...a couple of stops in town meant we had to wait until the stores opened. Marilyn had to stop at Staples to get some printing done and purchase some printer ink while Al went to grab some snacks to go. Once we had that done, it was time to head to the machines.

Marilyn dropped Al off at the General and while he unloaded at the yard, she got to go to the combine and service...what a difference from the summer. The grease gun battery was struggling with the stiff grease and the zerks weren't exactly cooperating either. Even though the sun was shining, the wind was strong and bitterly cold...insulated jeans and three jackets couldn't keep it from cutting through. Interestingly enough, getting a day like this in January would feel like we were in the Bahama's...still, it's easier to add layers when it's cold...eventually in the heat, you run out of layers to remove.

By the time Al got back to the field, Marilyn had already cranked up the combine and was making dust...not a lot, mind you...but there was dust coming out the back of the combine. Rudy and Mike showed up a little later and it didn't take long before everyone was getting the job done like a well oiled machine. Al was kept hopping even though the bins were in the field, between the leaking bin doors, a temperamental tractor running the auger and a grain cart that never seemed to get empty, he wasn't able to get any breaks.

We managed to get the field done around 7pm and after lining everything up and dumping the last of the canola for the season into the bin, we called it a night. Al decided to drop the General off in Eugene's yard where we had been camping months earlier...well, it was September back then...and Marilyn picked him up then it was home to Yorkton...on the highway, for a change. We got back home to see lights about a mile across the field from our place...four or five combines with lights flashing and all kinds of action going on...Al did say we could have combined all night the way the wind was blowing.

Tomorrow we tackle some flax...should be interesting...

November 4, 2009

View of the day-Nope, not out of the archives...we actually combined today!! Jeff dumping in the cart as Marilyn finally gets to do some combining.

We were up before the sun...that is not too hard these days, the way they are getting shorter. Sunrise is now at 7:50am...and we still have at least 6 weeks to go before the shortest day of the year.

We decided that combining was more important than going to Dyersville for the toy show...we actually are forecast to have at least four days of decent weather...above seasonal, if you can believe it. So this year we will pass on it and try to finish our harvest season at home...if that will ever happen. The phone has been ringing off the wall with farmers looking for harvesters...there is still so much crop out there...but we can only do so much.

We went into town early and had breakfast before going to the Case dealer to pick up a couple of clutch pads for the pickup head auger drive. Once we had those paid for...and had been given a couple of 25th anniversary hats...we left for Esterhazy.

We got out to the field, Jeff and Rudy were servicing their rigs, so we started on changing out the clutches...it went relatively easy...relatively being the key word. After several discussions on the best way to do it, the hammer finally came out and with a little persuasion it was apart, replaced and back together in no time at all. Since the humidity was still high...although, does that really matter at this point...the time it took to fix helped keep us out of the swaths and out of trouble...for a while. Once we got fueled up, Al went to dump the General at the bin and Marilyn started combining.

Al got to combine yesterday while Marilyn was away at Saskatoon attending the software course...which, by the way, was well worth it...we have only been utilizing 20% of what that software is capable of, so there will be lots of playing around with it now. Al had told Marilyn that he wasn't able to go much faster than 2mph since the straw was pretty tough...as you can see from what is left in the foreground of the view of the day. Marilyn got out and was being cautious...after all, with new clutches in the auger, that fail safe was eliminated...and sure enough, 0.47 acres into the field, the rotor plugged.

This was the first time the rotor has plugged on this machine, so it is was quite a shock...and the fingers started pointing as to who's fault it was. Was it the new clutches? Was it driving to fast...is 1.5mph to fast? Was it too early to start? Anyway, it didn't matter what the reason, the big wrench came out and once we dropped the concaves and Al started cranking the rotor back, we had it cleaned out and were back in the field within an hour. The canola was testing 16% moisture on the combine tester, and even though the sun was shining, the wind was blowing cold and it didn't seem like it was drying...like that matters at this point.

The rest of the field went without event, and once we got finished, the guys started out with the combines and the grain cart to move the 15 or so miles to the last canola field. Marilyn ran into Esterhazy to pick up a pizza that she had ordered earlier by phone. When she got to the station to pick it up, the lady told her it would be an extra 15 minutes...she had burnt the first one...but she was going to give Marilyn the new one for free! Should have bought a lottery ticket while she was there, although she wasn't so lucky with the rotor earlier in the day.

Back at the field, Jeff got it opened up and Al cleaned up around the bins he will be dumping in tomorrow. These swaths were only 25ft, so the productivity will be a bit better and they don't seem to be packed down so tightly which mean they aren't as wet underneath. Once the grain cart was full, we shut it down and gave Rudy and Jeff a ride back to their trucks, then headed back to Yorkton. We got there in time for Al to take in the hockey game...they lost...again. He got a ride home with the neighbor so Marilyn got to go home and get some work done.

We might even finish the canola tomorrow...

November 1, 2009

View of the day-At least the snow is gone...just barely. It was white yesterday morning, but the cat tails down the road from us don't seem to care..

Well, it was a week of doing absolutely nothing...in the harvesting department, at least. Marilyn worked all week and Al dug in and got the books done up to date...all the receipts from over the summer finally got entered into the accounting program...finally. It is amazing how many things you can find to do to avoid doing bookwork...if only we could just take the 10 minutes to enter each day as it happens...right, like that's gonna happen.

We had rain most of the week and snow for Halloween...we did manage to see the sun once or twice, but it never stayed out long enough to dry things down at all. The phone has been ringing off the wall with people from all over looking to get extra help for harvest...there is still a lot of crop out, but no one can make any head way and now the fields will probably be somewhat soft. There have been lots of pictures coming through the email of equipment getting stuck...not something anyone needs when you just want to get your crop in the bin...or dryer.

This coming week will be a busy one for us. Marilyn leaves for Saskatoon after work Monday to take a course all day Tuesday that CaseIH is holding. She has been wanting to take the course, but Case only offers a few per year and they only take so many students so it has never worked out. She will be learning how to use the desktop software that comes with the gps and mapping on the combine...Al is sure she will be disappointed because she has been using it for the past five years, and probably won't learn anything new. Marilyn wishes Al would attend...

Once Marilyn gets back to Yorkton, it will be a short sleep then we will be off to Dyersville, IA for the big farm toy show. Al's brother Jeff will be coming along and this year we know what to expect from the show...and we won't be sidetracked by purchasing a cargo trailer. The guys have everything mapped out and the wish lists have been getting longer and longer...Marilyn doesn't have a list...she will improvise when she gets there.

So hopefully we will be able to get some harvesting pictures while we are on our trip south and if we do, at least the blog will get back to a daily one.

Until we get rolling again...

October 27, 2009

View of the day-Moisture...it never ends...the wooden combine by the pillar is the only thing that is seeing action today.

Marilyn is back at work while the rain falls and Al just tours around...without a camera most of the time...he fears technology, so now we have an 'every other' daily blog due to lack of pics.

We didn't have any rain yesterday, but it sure wasn't much of a drying day...are any of them anymore? So we found other things to occupy our time...Al washed the pickup and cleaned out the inside...likely why we have rain today. He even discovered the vacuum and used it inside the cab...he is getting it ready for the Dyersville trip next week.

Marilyn worked from 8-4:30pm, came home and made supper, then went back into town for rehearsal and to drop off some posters that she had made for the upcoming dinner theatre that she is Stage Manager for. Earlier in the day she had to drop off some tickets, and found her Christmas present at Colettes Sewing Machine Plus...a four thread embroidery machine...and on sale yet. Heavy hints were dropped.

Today was another day at work for Marilyn and Al entertained, as Jeff came to town for business, stopped by for tea and to check out the farm toys Al had collected over the summer. They came to town to meet Marilyn for lunch, but by the time they had found someplace to eat where there wasn't a lineup, Marilyn had to go back to work...good thing she had a yogurt and a pudding stashed in her locker.

It rained and misted all day and there is a chance that it could turn into...the 's' word tonight.

Will we ever see the sun again...

October 25, 2009

View of the day-Waiting, waiting, forever waiting...actually from a few days ago.

Nothing earth shattering from the harvest end of things for yesterday and Marilyn spent the day driving to Moose Jaw and back...hence...no blog entry.

Yesterday, Al went out to dump the canola that was on the General and get everything serviced so it would be ready to go when the weather allowed...someday. Marilyn drove to Moose Jaw to set up the computer that she had repaired for her parents. She also had to give her mother a quick lesson on the operation of the bread machine she had brought...and of course, had to wait for the fresh loaf to come out for a taste test before leaving for home. The trip home was less hectic because all the traffic from the Roughriders game in Regina had thinned out by the time she went through. It was just after midnight when she got home...a busy day of driving...and it was trying to snow.

Today we had someone come and look at the camper...they played their cards close to their chests...we couldn't tell if they were interested or not...Al is hoping for 'not'. Marilyn worked on posters for the dinner theatre all day and Al...watched football. What else is new.

Another cold dreary day and news from Esterhazy was that it was raining down there for part of the day. It was on the verge here as well, but all we got was mist...almost as bad.

Let's hope a new week brings new weather...

October 23, 2009

View of the day-The old timers stand guard outside the museum at Esterhazy.

Our goal for the day was to get the Freightliner and cart trailer put away for the winter. We started out for Esterhazy to get the Freight first...it has been temperamental to start in the past...well, actually all the time...so Al called Eugene and got him to plug it in, so it would be warmed up enough to help the starting procedure.

We decided to try to find a way of getting to where we were going to park the trailer for the winter without going down the major highway...we didn't have much luck...we were going to have to drive at least 4 miles on it. We got out to Eugene's and with a half a can of ether, we were able to get the old girl running...the Freight, not Marilyn. We went into town to the lot where the trailer had been sitting and got it hooked up to the truck, then headed north of Saltcoats to park it in a friends field. Once we got the trailer unhooked, we stopped for coffee in the house, then started back to the farm with the Freight. The Freightliner had a relatively easy summer...one load in Oklahoma and two in South Dakota.

We decided to take a tour to Calder to have a look at some land that is for sale...it's a bit of a drive from our place...about 30 miles, but we got to check out the crops along the way...there are still lots out there.

Back at home, we got the Freight backing into it's winter spot behind the camper, then went back into town for the Terrier pre game steaks. Marilyn left Al to watch the game and went home to do some work. Normally he gets a ride home with the neighbor, but she is working in the concession and has to do a lot of cleaning after the game, so Al can't wait that long...Marilyn went back into town to pick him up.

Well, we didn't get any rain...but it wasn't a drying day...

October 22, 2009

View of the day-The watch dog makes sure the fueling is properly done, as the guys make a game plan for the day.

We were on the road by 10am today and the sun was actually shining. The forecast was for rain later on in the day and from the looks of the clouds in the west, they were probably going to be right for a change.

While Jeff got his combine moved...taking the header off to make life a bit easier crossing the railroad tracks...Al unloaded the truck and Marilyn serviced and did windows. Once everyone was assembled at the field, the conference began and everyone got their orders.

We were working on the rest of the straight wheat that we had started on, back before the snow hit. The moisture was still 'up there', but again, it was going into air bins and it had to get taken off...it is getting late, after all. It didn't take long for both machines to take care of the 70 acres that were left standing and once that was done it was time to change headers.

While Rudy and Mike worked on getting the draper head into transport mode and hook up their pickup head, Marilyn was having issues with the PTO shafts that refused to break loose. That's what happens when you aren't taking the header off at least once a week, like we do most of the summer...things just seize up...a lot like life really. With a little help...and some pinched fingers...we managed to get it unhooked and loaded onto the trailer.

While the guys moved to the next field, Marilyn had to drive into Esterhazy to the lot where the pickup head had been dropped off. After getting it hooked up and locked on, Marilyn moved up to the next field of swathed canola. The swaths weren't drying down as fast as the standing fields were, which meant the moisture was 'up there' and slow going for both machines. There was a lot of stopping as the swather person had left a lot of 'beaver houses'...huge piles of canola, all very wet underneath. Needless to say, the productivity was halved from this afternoon.

Around 6:30pm the sprinkles finally showed up, and after filling the truck, we shut it down for the night...and perhaps the day tomorrow...and headed back to Yorkton.

Maybe the sun will shine tomorrow...

October 21, 2009

View of the day-The cavalry lined up and waiting in the field next to 'Mount Mosaic'...actually it's the 'leavings' pile at the potash mine near the canola field we are working on.

We left town after grabbing a quick breakfast from McDonalds around 10am, as we got to the corner to turn off the highway at Bredenbury, we were 5 minutes late to see an accident. A pickup pulling a trailer full of old tires must have been turning too soon and a semi clipped him, leaving his trailer on one side of the road and his pickup, with the smashed fender on the other side. Everyone must have been okay, because the semi driver was on his cell phone and the other driver was rounding up the tires in the ditch that had fallen off the truck. Marilyn did not stop to take pictures...she has to draw the line somewhere.

We got to the field and started servicing, while the farmer fueled the combine. Jeff and his crew showed up and got their rigs all serviced, then Jeff did a bit of touch up welding on our header after we straightened up the divider that had seen better days.

We got going around 1pm and with both machines running, the productivity had more than doubled...until the big 8010 bit off more than it could chew around a slough and ended up with a plugged rotor. Fortunately it had the hydraulic rotor reverser and after some coaching over the radio, Mike the driver, got it chewing again. Al was kept hopping hauling grain with the General and with Rudy running the grain cart, there was hardly any time to take a break...of any kind.

We got the field finished around 6:30pm, and for reasons known only to Al, he made the call to move back to the wheat field. That was the field we had left half done to move over to the canola and it was about 5 or 6 miles away...and he was going to lead the way with our grain cart...ahh, the road to hell and good intentions. He started out and had to pull over for a tractor and baler, then carried on...and missed the corner. Not to worry, we would just turn at the next mile...he got too far ahead and those of us following, Marilyn in the combine with the 30ft straight head, Rudy with the big 4 wheel drive tractor and 1100 bushel grain cart and Mike bringing up the rear with our pickup, were left in the dust.

First Marilyn had to cross some tracks...apparently they didn't anticipate wide implements crossing when they put the cross bucks up...it took some squeaking to get through...ugly but effective...then we had to drive down a mile or so of tree lined road...Marilyn is in the tree trimming business now. Al decided to wait until Marilyn was maneuvering the last narrow stretch of road before giving the next turn direction, so she turned the 'other' left and ended up having to turn around in a field to get back on the right track. In the end we all got to the field we were supposed to, got parked and went back to drop off Rudy and Mike at their truck.

Let's hope the rain stays away...

October 20, 2009

View of the day-Al gets the updates from the farmer right after he fueled up the combine.

We stopped in town for breakfast and then made our way back to the field to service and get things ready for what we hoped was another productive day.

It was overcast for most of the day, but the cutting went fairly well. We got the last of the field done that was left from the night before, then we moved over to the next field. The farmer came out to help us move and while Marilyn roaded the cart over, Al got the truck dumped at the bins, then got back to the field in time to help his brother Jeff get moved.

Jeff finished his own combining yesterday and is coming over with his CaseIH 8010 and his grain cart to help us get finished on the canola...hopefully before the weather turns crappy again.

The rest of the day was 'shut up and drive' and Marilyn was able to do that in the combine until around 9:30pm when it took 4 times as long to make one pass down the field. The dew was starting to form on the machines and the crop would not feed smoothly...as a matter of fact, Marilyn spent more time stopped, backing out the wads of canola stalks out of the feeder, than she did driving ahead. Oh well, the plan was just to get the truck loaded and by the time she made it back to the rigs, she even had a bit extra for the cart. It was time to head for home.

Three days in a row of combining...we're on a roll...touch wood...

October 19, 2009

View of the day-The canola stands high waiting for the combine to cut it down to size.

Marilyn was up early to go into Staples for a few hours. She had to pretend to be a cashier to cover for the regular guy who was attending his grandmothers funeral. The cavalry came in at 10:30am, so she was able to go back home, change, then get ready to head for the canola.

Al was fueling up the pickup when she got home, and after stopping in town to grab a quick snack, we were off to the field. Al did a test and Marilyn ran it over to Jeff's to test it...it was as 'dry' as it was yesterday when we started. By the time Marilyn had gotten back to the field with the sample, Al had finished it and it was time to move the rigs to the next patch just down the road. Conveniently, as Marilyn was coming back from Jeff's, the farmer was just in front of her and he helped us to move.

Once everything was parked close at hand, it was business as usual and by the time the lights had been on the combine for a couple hours, the canola had 'dried down' to where we could have gone a lot longer. Of course, we still had the 45 minute drive back home, so once the General was full, we called it quits and headed for home.

A load of laundry and another 15 bags of camper 'stuff' put away and it was time to heed the call of the pillow...

October 18, 2009

View of the day-Nope, it's not from the archives...WE GOT TO COMBINE TODAY!!!

We got to sleep in...nice after a late night...then made plans to visit the combine later on. We stopped for brunch at the Cedar Cafe in the greenhouse, just down the road from us, the grabbed a coffee and hit the road.

We got out to the combine and it started like a top, Al moved it over to the new field and Marilyn followed in the pickup. Al cut a test and after checking it on the little tester, he decided to take it over to his brother, Jeff's shop to test it on his elevator tester. It tested just under 14% moisture...not very good when 9.5-10% is considered dry...but it was going in an air bin and since it looked like it was only going to get dryer, the farmer said we could start.

Marilyn started combining and Al got everything moved with the help of the farmer, by the time he got organized, Marilyn almost had a truckload for him to take to the bin. Straight cutting the canola went surprisingly well because it is standing up pretty good in most places and the freezes we had over the past couple of weeks pretty much killed the stalks. There is some shelling, but that was to be expected and it was a lot less that what there would have been if it had been swathed first, then picked up...at least that is the theory.

We actually got to combine with the lights on, a nice change...everything was going smoothly, until Marilyn got a call from Al on the radio while he was on his way back from the bins. He wondered if it was raining at the field because it was sprinkling at the bins. Marilyn could see some sort of mist in the headlights but there wasn't anything collecting on the windows...or more importantly...the header. By the time Al got back to the field, it had started to collect, so we had to shut down. We did get 40 acres done...not bad considering it was 19 days ago that we last cut.

Then we had the commute home...

October 17, 2009

View of the day-Al gets to back the camper for the last time as it gets parked for the winter.

It turned out to be a beautiful day out, just as the forecasters had predicted...sunny and warm. Since Al had decided we would be commuting to Esterhazy until we were done..about 50 miles one way...Marilyn go to finish unpacking the camper.

Once again the best laid plans fall by the wayside...bring two boxes in unpack and put them away, turns in to...fill everything up in bags and bring inside to cover most of the floor and counter space, so we can deal with it after the camper gets winterized. And 'we' means Al asks where 'item X' is, Marilyn finds it then continues putting everything away. We eventually go everything out, got it cleaned out and winterized just as the sun was going down.

Al got to watch his football/baseball games, then went in for the Terrier game in the evening. Marilyn had to help work a wedding bar in Esterhazy for a member of the theatre group who was tying the knot. The hope was that we would still be staying in the camper at Eugene's, then the trip home would only be three miles...no such luck, so she didn't get back home until 2:30am...hence, the late blog.

But the big news is that we will be in the combine on Sunday! Of course it will just be to move it to the straight canola and do a test.

But at least we will be in the field...

October 15, 2009

View of the day-Not again. We just about got rid of the last round of snow and we woke up to this, this morning.

I has been a few days without a blog entry, mostly due to the fact that Marilyn has been back at work during the day and splitting evening unpacking the camper, doing theatre work, fixing computers...just not enough hours in the day.

Al on the other hand has been doing all sorts of things during the day...none of which have been archived, so Marilyn can only guess at the doings of the day. He has been travelling to Esterhazy, Melville, Gerald and who knows where else...but he does not take the camera with him, so without a view of the day, it just doesn't seem right to have a blog entry. Wouldn't it have been nice to see one of the rain gauge on the combine with an inch of ice in the bottom of it, or some foolish farmer testing canola at 20% moisture?

Marilyn has gotten quite a razzing at work because there hasn't been an entry for a while...those doing the chirping might want to watch the back of their shiny head...it could appear as a view of the day before long.

So the weather has been horrible...cold, rainy, snowy, windy...but, it is supposed to get up to 50ºF this weekend...just before the rain comes back again. So now, Al has made it official...we will be commuting to Esterhazy once we get rolling again...so that means a total clean out of the camper...oh, joy.

There hasn't been a wheel turn in the area and the crop report says the harvest is 75% done in Saskatchewan...we wonder where they get their stats...maybe 75% of the carrots or potatoes have been harvested...there is a LOT waiting to be taken off.

Al actually got to do a bit of harvesting related work, he went down to Esterhazy to unload the truck and grain cart into the bin at the farmers...it won't be that dry and dusty coming out of the truck for a while. When he got home, he was full of promise and started to schedule out the next day...then it snowed...back to square one. Lucky for him he has had hockey and football of all sorts for entertainment, live and on the tube.

We had a recall on the pickup...windshield washer motor...so Al took it in to the local dealer to get fixed. He sat from 8:45am to 10:20am and not one person even drove through the parking lot...those commission guys must be hurting.

Speaking of hurting, Marilyn was making stew for supper the other night and was stirring the pot with a metal spoon...you can see where this is going...she got such a shock that the spoon hit the ceiling and she jumped two feet...WOW, that was something! The house must be purged of the evil thing and a new smooth top range must nestle into it's place...no talk of bad grounds or faulty wiring will change her mind. Might as well match up a new fridge while she's at it.

Marilyn has been busy getting organized for Paper Bag Players upcoming dinner theatre in December, working on sets, sound and lights...and getting the web site set up to sell the reserved seating...a new experience for everyone involved. We are doing four performances, Dec. 17-20, in town. We just started advertising by sending flyers out to the businesses for their Christmas parties and the Saturday night is pretty much sold out...not even one poster has been put up...there will be some cranky people that didn't get tickets, we're sure of that.

Let's hope everyone gets harvesting soon...

October 12, 2009

View of the day-The snow is trying to melt off the camper, it now has some extra stability with the icicles that have reached the ground.

We got to sleep in today, before commencing to unpack the camper. The job never ends...it seems like the bags multiply if you leave them too long in the camper and they aren't filled with anything new.

It was our Canadian thanksgiving and we had the leftover care package that Marilyn had brought home from her mom...almost as good as fresh. Al got to watch football most of the day while Marilyn worked on unpacking, computer repair, script analysis, sound effect prep then got sucked into the 'Dancing with the Stars' vortex.

Al made the mistake of giving Marilyn the remote, since the Monday Night Football game hadn't started...and he never got it back. After DWTS was over, she found the Canadian equivalent...Battle of the Blades. What a brilliant concept...take professional figure skaters and team them up with NHL hockey players for a figure skating competition.

Anything to get out of unpacking...

October 11, 2009

View of the day-A couple of Massey combines waiting for the snow to disappear...at least they are lined up this year.

Marilyn was up before the crack of dawn to get ready for a road trip to Moose Jaw to have Thanksgiving lunch with her parents, her brother Tim and his wife Naomi who were visiting from Calgary, Alberta.


It was pretty dismal all day, low grey clouds that looked like they were ready to dump at any time, but the roads were good and the only snow that fell was around Regina and it didn't last long. After lunch and a visit...and a motherboard catastrophy on her parents computer, Marilyn left for home with a piano keyboard and a desktop computer that badly needs a transplant so her mother can get back online. Because who can last without the various 'pass this on to 10 friends for good luck' and 'good jokes you probably forgot about since you got them the last 30 times' emails?

On the way home Marilyn was amazed by the amount of crop that is still out in the field and it was quite obvious that we did not get near as much snow as they did closer to the Qu'Appelle Valley. The geese were able to find some open water and could be seen picking through some of the swaths burried under the snow in the fields. The field of canary seed looks as though it will be a bit of a nightmare when the snow disappears...all lodged and laying down...not good at all. There was a lot of standing canola that didn't look like it it had made it through the wind without giving up a lot of seeds, but the stuff in swaths...well, rock and a hard place...

Marilyn decided to call Al before she went through town to see if she needed to pick something up in town, but there was no answer at home. Then she remembered that he had gone to Melville to meet his step-dad for supper and coincidentally, she was just passing Melville as she was talking to him, so she stopped in and had a chat with them while they finished their supper. Al went to the hockey game after they had eaten...the return match against the rival team and this time on their turf...the Terriers lost 8-6. You win some, you lose some...

And this internet is slower than dial-up tonight...grrr...

October 10, 2009

View of the day-More of the same...

Another slack day. Marilyn got the desktops all put back into their winter desks, no easy task, but at least the cords are all labeled. Al did more propane tank shifting as the camper seems to think 50ºF requires the furnace to be running constantly. Good thing Marilyn found a nice oil filled heater in her Walmart pit stop last night, so Al will have a break...he claims the tanks are heavy and clumsy.

It is our Canadian thanksgiving weekend and the first anniversary of Al's nephew Myron and his wife Shantal, so the family decided to go to our favorite place for steaks...Slow Helen's in the Waverly Hotel in Melville. There were about 20 of us there and the Roughriders football game was on the big screen, so after everyone had eaten, we decided to stay and watch the end of the game...they won...Al is back on the bandwagon.

We came home and after a long day, Marilyn did the blog, but apparently pressed the 'save now' button instead of the 'publish post' and didn't realize it until she started in on the next entry.

Sorry...won't happen again...

October 9, 2009

View of the day-We knew we would wake up to the white stuff covering everything and it fell off and on during the day, then it kicked up a nasty one just as everyone was heading home from work...ahhh...Saskatchewan weather.

Marilyn was up at the crack of dawn...no, really...she was going in to Staples to do a bit of training in the shipping/receiving department so she had to be in by 8am. Al decided at the last minute to drive her in to town so he could have the truck to gad about in without the worry of getting stuck or sliding off the road somewhere.

Al took a road trip to Melville to pick up a jersey he had won in a charity auction...a Dallas Stars NHL team jersey signed by Marty Turco, the goalie of said team. He had hopes that it was a goalie jersey so that it might fit him...no such luck...BUT, it does fit Marilyn quite nicely! He stopped to have lunch with his H&R Block buddy, Curtis, then picked Marilyn up from work at 4:30pm. The oat swaths along our road were all covered with snow and it looks like some of the 'beaver houses' left by the swatherman will really soak it up once it warms up.

It was Yorkton Terriers hockey night in town and they were hosting their Hwy #10 rivals, the Melville Millionaires...always a good match up. They have a great deal on some excellent steaks in the lounge at the arena and since Marilyn didn't get taken out to lunch, it was decided that we would eat there before the game. Marilyn was just along for the steaks, so once the game started she headed back for the farm.

Of course, she needed some new hair goo...and Walmart was on the way home. Apparently they are expanding the Walmart into a Supercentre, so there was a lot of construction going on and everything was moved around, so she had to cover a lot of the store to find what she was looking for...only to find it where it has always been. Imagine that.

After the Terriers came out with a 4-2 win, Al got a ride home with Darlene from next door, who was working in the concession at the rink. The snow had let up a bit after the white out that hit during the game and the roads were starting to get iced over with all the traffic that had been on them all day and the temperatures hovering just below the freezing mark.

And there is more snow forecast for our Thanksgiving weekend...

October 8, 2009

View of the day-Need we say more? It started around 8:30pm and there is no sign of let up.

We really got to sleep in today and it was nice to be inside and warm. Marilyn spent the day working on emptying the camper and Al took a trip into town to do a bit of shopping and visiting.

The forecast was for snow...most of it was going to fall further east...kind of where we are combining, of course and originally Friday was supposed to be the heavy day. We certainly hope it is over by tomorrow.

Al spent the evening watching hockey/baseball and Marilyn was entertaining, Pam, a fellow Paper Bag Player theatre group member. We spent the evening bundling and addressing 2000 flyers to go out to the surrounding communities for our annual dinner theatre coming up in December...fortunately, there was no envelope licking, just vicious rubber bands. By the time Pam left at 11:30pm we had to find a broom to sweep off her car so she could see to go home...it was starting to pile up already, but she made it back to town safely.

Marilyn had left the awning out so she could get from the camper to the house without getting wet with the unloading...the snow was not sliding off at all, in fact, it was sagging it enough to make a nice little trough to hold the snow. That got cleaned off and the awning rolled up for the night as the snow keeps falling.

Can't wait to see what it looks like in the morning...

October 7, 2009

View of the day-Trying to unload the camper in the rain, sleet and wind...not a nice day at all.

More rain...another 1/2", but we had planned on taking the camper home to unload it so it just didn't matter...except for the strong northwest wind making the 35ºF temps feel even more frigid.

Al got a ride from Eugene into town to get the Dodge out of the body shop...they did a darn nice job, it's ready for another parking lot idiot. We got the camper battened down and hooked up, then left the yard to fight the wind back to Yorkton. Al followed in the van and had to stop for fuel at the #9 junction, so we figured we might as well stop for lunch, then we wouldn't have to stop until we got home.

We made it home, raining all the way and after we got parked in front of the house...close enough to put the awning out to keep dry while unloading...it got cold enough to start sleeting. So far there hasn't been any flakes, but the weekend isn't here yet, either.

First on the list was getting the internet hooked up. Fortunately it was just a matter of bringing in the router and hooking it up. Next priority was the dish...after all there was a baseball game to watch so it good thing it didn't take too long. Actually, it took longer to get the coax untangled than it did to aim the dish.

While Al made sure the fireplace still worked, Marilyn started to move some stuff out of the camper...but we really didn't want to overdo it and have a mess inside and out, so there was a break or two taken to avoid that. Al decided to take a shower and we unpleasantly surprised to find the water wasn't very hot...or even warm. After inspecting the water heater, Marilyn discovered it had just been put on pilot for the summer, so no wonder there was no hot water...that got turned on immediately.

Marilyn went into town to have coffee with one of her friends, who also is the manager at Staples where Marilyn works in the 'off' season...there was a couple of hours spent catching up on all the latest news. If the rain keeps up the red Staples shirt could be making an appearance before we actually finish the harvesting season.

At least we can sleep in a warm house...

October 6, 2009

View of the day-The old rigs sit out in the rain...a daily event lately.

Got to sleep in...again and although the sun was actually shining, it didn't take long to cloud over...and eventually the rain showed up and continued well into the night. Same poo...different pile.

We went into town to do a few errands and have some lunch, then went back to the camper to decide what to do with the next few days. The forecast is for rain right through to the weekend and there is a possibility of the 's' word...that will make for a chilly night or two in the camper.

We agreed the best thing to do was to take the camper home and empty all the summer stuff out of it...it will make the mass panic that hits when we get done combining and move south for soybeans a lot shorter. Besides, Al wants to take the hockey game in on Friday and Marilyn wants to take in the rehearsal for the theatre group...win-win.

And the rain continues to fall...

October 5, 2009

View of the day-The trees are changing along the Kaposvar Valley north of Esterhazy. After the freeze expected tonight things will really start dying off.

We were up early and Al took the Dodge in to the body shop to get the fender fixed...it should be out tomorrow. Marilyn went in to pick him up then we went for breakfast at the motor inn...it was a nice change from leftovers. We stopped out at the combine so Al could get the mileage off the General and do his quarterly fuel tax online...still muddy out there.

Back at the camper, Marilyn worked with some new software on the computer and Al went on a road trip to Whitewood to get out of the camper for a few hours. Of course when he came back it was time for Monday Night Football. It sprinkled off and on most of the day and even though we actually saw the sun for a while, it didn't do a lot of drying.

Another productive day...