View of the day-Al unloads the cart as the combine waits to dump...the loads must be precise here in South Dakota.Well, catastrophe struck last night...our portable ice maker lost a shaft and we now have to purchase ice until we can get it fixed...or buy a new one, depending on how long the repair will take.
Marilyn was up early because the phone man was supposed to be stopping by to hook up the DSL…he never did, but the phone was hooked up anyway, so at least we had that. The farmer stopped by for a chat and told us we were good to go as soon as we got unloaded, which was at the top of our list anyway.
We went to the Rock for breakfast then went out back of the restaurant to get things unloaded. There was no wind to speak of and it was already hot and humid…at 9am, no less…so we got unloaded in a hurry to get out of the heat. We unloaded the header from the Horst trailer and got it into transport mode, then moved the Freightliner to the lot behind the farmer’s house in town.
We went to the Cenex to put fuel in the combine before moving it out to the field and couldn’t figure out why the card we had used on the way down would not work in the cardlock. A tiny sign on the machine said after July 1 they would not work anymore, so Al went in to see what the problem was and they told us we have to apply for the company card…it’s not local anymore. Al was somewhat irritated and after paying the bill from last month, got the combine filled then left with an application form…which he intends to use as toilet paper once he softens it up a bit.
We were on our way out to the field and noticed a tractor parked in the ditch that had been raking some hay. Al knew it was our other farmer so he stopped to see what the problem was…one of the front wheels was 90ยบ to the other one…the spindle had broken. He offered him a ride but told him it would be the scenic route after we had gotten to the field and cut a sample and patch to park on. After we dropped him off we went back to town to get the tractor and cart, which Al drove out to the field, while Marilyn got to take the General out.
We were finally organized and on the run by 3pm. Al was kept busy hauling since he could only haul 500 bushels…and you don’t dare go over in this fine state. He would just get back to the field and Marilyn would have a truckload on the cart which he would promptly dump and be on his way. He was unloading on the pile and they had a separate auger for the tandem trucks that were hauling…all two of them…so he got priority service. Marilyn got a ride in with him on one of the loads to bring the Dodge out so she would have fuel for the end of the night.
After his sixth load he stayed in town so he could get supper ordered at the VFW…it was $1 a burger night…and these weren’t those little baby burgers, no siree. Marilyn finished the cart load off then fuelled the combine before going into town to pick Al up at the camper before going for supper.
We had a 70 acre day and the crop was running around 50bu/ac, but the protein is only 10.7, so the farmer will get screwed on that…what a shame. There has been a lot of grain truck traffic and the campground has been getting a few more campers every day. Our spring wheat is grass green so it looks like we will be here for a while, but the weather is supposed to be hot and windy…what’s new…so it could turn around fast.
More bad news…the Laundromat in town is closed down…
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