September 30, 2010

View of the day-The wheels are off...well one was, anyway. The only way to get the shaft out to get the bearing changed was to get the big tire out of the way.

The guys from Chicoine Equip. showed up bright and early with the parts and immediately set to work. It seemed like the further they got into the job, the more things had to get removed. After they got the tire shifted, they were able to get started...until the jack and blocks started sinking into the soft ground. They made a road trip to get some steel sheets to put the jacks on, but then decided to put the tire back on so they could remove the pickup head and find some solid ground for the jacks.

It took the better part of the day, but they were able to get everything apart, and since they had it apart, they made a point of changing out both bearings. With things being beefier inside, they had to unpin the feederhouse and almost take it off to get enough room to get the larger rock beater drum out...but they did, and once everything was back where it belonged, it was test time.

While the combine was getting worked on, Marilyn started getting the broken disappearing fingers replaced. Even though there were a couple of openings to reach inside the drum, Al's reach was further than Marilyn's, so with teamwork, that job was accomplished.

The other two combines had finished the canola field and came back to the yard to see what was going on. We were ready to roll with everything running better than ever, so it was time to try the combine out on some canola swaths. We all moved north to the next field and started in...success! Big thanks to the guys from Chicoine Equipment, they did a hell of a job.

There were a lot of low spots that were wet but fortunately no one got stuck and once we finished the first piece, we quit for the day.

No point in starting a new, wet field in the dark...

September 29, 2010

View of the day-Getting the combines ready to hit the field...well, one of them anyway.

Al was out at the combine getting the feeder sensor changed out so we could get another productive day in. Unfortunately, after getting everything apart, we could see the problem was deeper than we originally thought...the bearing was gone on the shaft.

We called around for parts...nothing close, but the guys over at Storthoaks were able to order what we needed and they would be able to make come out and get the warranty work done. We tried to get everything apart and didn't have any success, about the only thing we did manage to get done was plenty of cursing. Not even 400 hours and we lose one of the best days for combining.

We went out to see about getting the grain car repaired...a job that we thought would be the toughest of the day. Terry had it welded up in no time at all and within and hour, we were on our way with a 'better-than-new' repair.

Kim's dad and mom had gone to Hostfest in Minot and his 9600 John Deere combine was sitting idle, so Al got to drive it for the day. There is no worry that there will be a permanent change of colors, even with the red one being down.

Kim ran the cart and hauled grain, while Gordie drove the other combine. Marilyn got to get our combine cleaned off and all the tools put away before getting some shopping done in town. When Marg got home from work, we made some lunch then went out to the field to feed the guys.

Marg gave Marilyn a ride out to get the General from the farmyard where it spent the night...this time the trap line was empty. About time, after catching 7 mice, one of which was almost due to give birth to another litter of rodents.

They guys quit combining around 9pm, when they had the semi and cart filled to unload in the morning...one of many jobs to be done.

Hopefully the combine is back on the swath tomorrow...

September 28, 2010

View of the day-the General goes it alone after the cart is down...

It was a nice windy morning we got out to the field about 9:oo AM. The General was full and the cart so Al was busy unloading while Marilyn serviced her rig.

She hit the field and well that was it the feeder house would cut out when engaged so a call to Ray at "Pro Harvest" he gave us a couple of things to look at. Well after spending about an hour getting a shield off we got to look at the sensor on the feeder house and it was not quite right. The feeder would shut off randomly and when you are picking up those fluffy swaths of canola at 4.5mph, there gets to be quite a ribbon that folds up before you can get stopped. We sort of rigged it up to work and though it got the job done, Marilyn had sort of a frustrating day...but you know how it goes...shut up and drive.

Around 4:00 PM Al called on the radio to say the cart auger would not go down, after further inspection a weld had let go on the hydraulic cylinder so a trip to the welder was in order. Fortunately we were right next to a farmer who has the technology and manpower to repair it tomorrow, so it will be good as new...or perhaps better, since Marilyn noticed that there hadn't been much holding on before it broke.

Then the General wouldn't shut off...bad things come in three's, so Al worked on that and discovered if he just held his tongue right, he was able to start and stop it. One more thing to look at tomorrow.

From this point on it was just the General and it was a good thing we were dumping close by, this allowed Al to get back to the field before the combine was full. We got done on this job by 10:00 PM, then we fueled the combine at the farmer's yard and roaded it back to Kim and Marg's, so by 11:30 everything was where it needed to be.

Marg had picked up a new sensor in Estevan while at football practice for Gordie so it will get changed first thing in the morning, then we start on Kim's, the weather sounds good so we can make more dust.

Even with the late start and feeder house issues we still got 115 acres covered...

September 27, 2010

View of the day-Meeting the Massey round after round all day on the mile run in the canola field.

Another day out combining by 10:30 am and an excellent 140 acre day for Marilyn in her combine. The Massey was keeping up and only sat when he had to dump his truck, fortunately the bin he was dumping in was in the field.

Al was kept busy running the cart and hauling back to the yard site five miles away. He made it back in plenty of time so Marilyn didn't have to wait at all. It was a long day, but the weather was perfect and we covered a lot of acres which was easy to do with the mile long runs on a full section of canola.

The grain is dry and the weather is great...keep it coming...

September 26, 2010

View of the day-The dust settles on the canola field after the wind died down...it picked up later, though.

We were indeed able to get combining by 10:30am and it was a perfect day of combining. We finished the last of the field we had started on before the rain, then moved about 10 miles south to start another quarter of canola.

Al was kept busy hauling back to the yard and by the time 9pm rolled around we were done the field and ready to move everything to the next one. We got that done, then Al took the General back to the bins to unload so he wouldn't have to do it in the morning. The weather was perfect and the evening was so warm, we might have to have the windows in the camper open tonight...nice.

That was it for the day and more of the same tomorrow...

September 25, 2010

View of the day-Sunset at Carlyle, with the promise of some dust making tomorrow.

It was a gorgeous day, warm and sunny, unfortunately the humidity was still pretty high so there wasn't a lot of combining going on in the area. It seemed a shame since the weather was perfect.

Marilyn worked on getting a new floor cover cut out for the combine cab, then proceeded to give the windows a good cleaning. The squeegee had a notch right in the middle of the rubber blade and was a crappy unit anyway, so after trying to trim it down smooth enough...an impossible job...she gave up and chucked it in the dumpster. That squeegee sucked right from the store. Back to cleaning them the old way and Marg had a set of 'magic' cleaning cloths and they did a beautiful streak free job...even though Marilyn misunderstood the directions and used the wet cloth as the dry one and vice versa.

Marg had also been washer her Jeep with the hotsy pressure washer and had left it outside when she was done, so Marilyn decided to give the Dodge a scrub while she was in the cleaning mood. It looks just like new, except the magnetic signs didn't fair so well...we were due for new ones anyway.

As the insanity continued, Marilyn dug out the bread machine and decided to make a batch of cinnamon buns...or carmel rolls, if you prefer. While the bread machine did most of the work, Al watched the CFL football game and Marilyn worked on the computer. The buns turned out heavenly and the Riders won their football game and the Terriers won their hockey game...perfect.

Tomorrow, if the humidity stays down, we are scheduled to start combining at 10:30am...but even if we don't, we will be making dust at some point during the day.

And all week, by the look of the forecast...

September 24, 2010

View of the day-The old tandem sits in the field waiting for some action...maybe tomorrow.

We had a shower go through this morning...not forecast...again. It stayed cloudy until mid afternoon, then we finally got to see blue skies...off and on, at least. We knew there would be no combining today, even thought the wind was blowing.

Marilyn spent the day working on the computer while Al and Kim worked on the combines and headers, getting all the little things looked after...we're ready to go as soon as the grain is fit.

Since Marg and Gordie were in Estevan at football practice, we grabbed a pizza and had supper with Kim in the house. Al stayed in to watch the CFL game on the big screen and Marilyn went back to the camper to get some more work done.

We are over the hump now, the weather is supposed to be sunny and hot...relatively speaking...for the weekend, at least...

September 23, 2010

View of the day-Apples on our tree at home, and are they sweet and tasty.

We were up early and got most of the stuff put away that we had taken home from the camper. The day was cloudy and we knew with all the rain they had gotten at Carlyle, we would be able to make the hockey game tonight.

We took a road trip north to Canora to have a look at some grain trailers from a dealer there...a hot commodity it would seem, he only had three left sitting there and two of them were sold. No rush for us anyway...the Freightliner has to get sold first...but we did get a call on it today, so there is hope.

We got back from Canora then went back to the farm to get packed up to go back to Carlyle after the game. After fuelling up, we went down to the rink and Al picked up his season ticket...Marilyn even attended the game and didn't jinx it...the Terriers won 6-4 over Kindersley. We stopped to grab a coffee for the road home, then left for Carlyle.

We made Carlyle just before midnight, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky...

September 22, 2010

View of the day-Al gets to do some cutting at home, even though it is green…the grass and the lawn tractor.

After a couple of hours and several attempts at getting yesterday’s blog online with the dial-up internet at the farm, Marilyn gave up in disgust. Waking up to no coffee in the house was not a good start to the day, either.

We got to sleep in and when Al called down to Carlyle to see how the weather was, he was informed that it had already rained half an inch and it was still raining…no rush to get back today. He went over to the neighbours and borrowed their riding mower, since Al has the fall shift of mowing both yards. When Marilyn went to pick him up, she discovered there was pretty good wireless signal in their yard…something to remember in the future.

After the mowing was done, we went into town and Al stopped to visit a friend sitting in line at the elevator then made his rounds of the Case dealer…where he got to pick up the jacket they had made for him for buying a combine…Marilyn’s was not yet in.

Marilyn stopped in at Staples to pick up some shredders for Precision Ag, and use their wireless to get yesterday’s blog uploaded. While in there, she ended up doing some wide format print designing for the store…nice to be back, even if it was only for a short while. We went out for a late lunch, then drove out to look at some land that was for sale, before stopping at the new Peavey Mart and, of course, Wal-Mart. Marilyn ran into the grocery store in town to pick up a few things…COFFEE…since the cupboards were bare. While she was going through the busy checkout, the clerk saw the name on her shirt and asked if the combiners were back home and that her husband has been following the harvest run online. It seemed to be a strange environment to hear that, but hello to Marion’s husband and thanks for following!

Back at the farm, with no cable, satellite or internet, Al parked in his recliner and started watching some DVD episodes of Star Trek Voyager. Marilyn went into town to sit in on the first rehearsal the theatre group was having for their Christmas production. She is usually the stage manager, but with harvest going like it has been, she will be lucky to get a ticket for the show in December.

Another call down to Carlyle gave us the news that they ended up with an inch of rain…great…

It looks like Al will get to go to the Terriers hockey game tomorrow…

September 21, 2010

View of the day-First load out of the camper.

Another cloudy day...no rain though...but still not a great day for drying. We decided we would take a load of camper 'stuff' home to Yorkton...you know, the summer clothes that hardly got worn, the sewing machines that didn't get used, that sort of thing.

Al was having ear problems...insert your smart comment here...and made an appointment to go see a doctor in Arcola to get the wax cleaned out...if that was the problem. Marilyn started cleaning out the closet and making piles of things that were not needed anymore. She had gotten a huge plastic bag, about the size of the truck box, to keep the stuff in the box dry in case we ran into some weather on the way home.

Al made it back in record time with a prescription to clean his ears...apparently they weren't so bad that the doctor had to route them out. We finished loading the pickup and left for Yorkton...no rain to be found.

We ordered a pizza and while we were waiting, Al went and got a jug of water to take to the farm and Marilyn went to get his prescription filled at Superstore. They told Marilyn it would be 20 minutes so she did a lap around the store to kill some time, then went back to get the prescription...and she was told that it was for some over the counter stuff which they proceeded to grab off the shelf...thanks a lot for the wait.

We got out to the farm and unloaded the truck, then Marilyn went back into town to get a much needed hair cut while Al got reacquainted with his old friend the massaging Lazy Boy recliner. Done for the day.

And all we have for internet...is...dialup...

September 20, 2010

View of the day-The fleet gets to cool down in the mist for another day...hopefully just one.

It was just cloudy to start with today, but that slowly gave way to fog, then mist...and then, of course, rain. Al was able to get the General unloaded and the combine fueled before the rain started...we're ready when the weather smartens up.

We went out to the Skyline for breakfast, then took a tour past the combine to do a bit of fixing on the pickup head before going back to the farm. We nicely got into the camper, when Al got a call from Lynn & Gerry Prevost who were stopping for lunch at the Skyline on their way north to Togo, so back to the Skyline we went for a visit. While we were there we got to visit with another couple of harvesters from Arcola...we got lots of catching up done.

Once more we headed back out to the farm and this time when we got there, Kim was showing their motor home to a couple of rig guys that had seen it parked in the yard...and they decided to buy it. This placed is a RV sales lot this week.

Marilyn parked herself in the camper for the rest of the day and Al decided to bring the combine back to the yard to see if he could get the straight header whipped into working order. Kim helped him move it back and after they checked things over, they were able to get the pickup head shields repaired, but didn't have any luck with getting the belts running the right way on the straight head. Al had gotten a fax with some info on how to get things working right, but it still didn't work, so it was back to the drawing board and now someone will be coming down from Whitewood to do the repair.

Monday night football and season premiers to finish the day off...no more rain, please...

September 19, 2010

View of the day-Two days in a row and this time Al gets to put in some seat time.

Al unloaded the General, fueled the combine and was combining before 10am! A promising day.

Marilyn got out and took over the combining and Al went back to his grain hauling and trap line emptying...that makes 5 mice caught. Except for the fact that the temperature was 50 degrees colder, we could have been in Oklahoma at the start of the harvest season...the combines had cranked up all around us. With the canola being as dusty as it was, we could pretty much count the plumes of dust to see how many machines were running.

We got the field finished, then moved a few miles NW to the next field and after making a couple of rounds, Marilyn had to take a short break to show the camper to someone who was stopping in after the big craft show in Carlyle. Al got to run the combine again until she got back and except for a short supper break, she stayed in until we called it a day around 9:30pm. It was starting to get tough and the rotor dropped down a couple of times, making Marilyn a bit gun shy...no sense in creating a 'make work' project by plugging the rotor. But still it was a good 105 acre day, even with the move.

The wind is blowing pretty hard, could be another early morning...

September 18, 2010

View of the day-What we woke up to early this morning...crispy grass and no water in the camper...just as predicted.

We were up at the crack of dawn so we could hit the US border as soon as it opened. We were going to the Toy Show at Kenmare and Marilyn had a package to pick up at the JD dealer. Mr. Happy was at the border, but after checking us all over and giving us the third about the size of our slip tank, he let us go on our way.

At the toy show Al discovered several small items he couldn't live without and Marilyn made a purchase of some air fresheners from one of the other vendors that were there. We stopped to pick up a case of pop, then started back for Canada...this time we had to leave some cash at the border in the form of tax...nothing serious, though.

We had called up to the farmer to see if there was a chance that we might get going today and he figured we would roll later on in the afternoon, so we took a side trip to Estevan to watch Gordie play football against a team from Regina. It was another sunny afternoon, perfect for football, unfortunately the boys lost although they put up a pretty good fight and were leading for the better part of the game.

We got the call at the end of the game from the farmer that he had just done a test and the canola was 13.5% moisture...not dry by any means, but good enough for us to crank it up. Since Marg had to clean up the concession booth and wait for Gordie, Kim got a ride back to Carlyle with us so he could go swathing.

We had to change back to the pickup head, so we decided to put the straight head in transport, just in case we needed to move it without the combine. Marilyn got in the cab and lifted it up all the way, noticing various footprints all over it, just as a grey cat came flying out of the feederhouse, over the knife and into the trees. The mouse he had been stalking did the same, but didn't make it very far before the dogs got hold of him...quite the day for wildlife. Al had another mouse in his trapline in the General and as he was hauling a load to the yard another one scampered across the dash while he was driving. Time to lay a few more traps out.

We got out to the field just as the farmer was starting up after getting his grain truck moved out. Marilyn started in combining...it was two weeks ago that we last did any real combining...and although we only got started at 4:30pm, she was able to get 60 acres of canola picked up. The combine never missed a beat...we definitely have the air filter solved. There was hardly any wind and at times when the two machines were side by side, you couldn't see anything for the black dust...if the filter didn't get filled up then, it never would.

It started to get tough just after 8pm and once the grain cart was filled, we called it a day. We covered a lot of ground today and finally got combining...woo hoo!

Now if the rain will just stay away tonight...

September 17, 2010

View of the day-Nothing related to combining, that's for sure...well, maybe...that's the barley we did a looonnng time ago.

We got to see the sun this afternoon and the wind was blowing hard, but we never did see any signs of action...at least in this area.

We went took a drive into town for groceries then went for coffee out at Precision Ag to kill some time before going back to the camper to do...well, nothing really.

Al got to watch the Riders win a game...he's still not on the bandwagon, but he was glad he didn't go to Regina for the game. Much more comfortable in front of the big screen with the wood stove stoked...in the house, at least. In the camper, the furnace fan was running for about a half hour and it didn't seem to be warming up at all. Marilyn checked the propane tank and sure enough...empty. Good thing we have backup.

We get to use the 'f' word tonight...well, both of them actually, but mainly the 'frost' word. We are right at the freezing mark and the furnace has kicked in...with heat now that the propane is flowing. It will be a short night anyway...we want to hit the border at 8am to get to the toy show at Kenmare.

Yep...the water will be hard in the morning...

September 16, 2010

View of the day-The only person who did any work today. Kim keeps Yeller calm as the farrier gives him a trim job.

Rain again and a brief moment of sun in the afternoon, but there was definitely no thought of going near the combine.

Al and Kim took Gordie to Estevan for his football practice, while Marg went to Regina with a friend, who had a couple of youngsters with tickets to see Justin Bieber. Marilyn worked on the computer most of the day and tried to stay warm.

Same old, same old...

September 15, 2010

View of the day-It's the Freightliner and it's got a for sale sign on it, as does the camper and the race is on to see which one goes first. If the Freight goes first, it's a new semi tractor unit and grain trailer for Al...if it's the camper, then Marilyn will see 5 slides....among other things.

Another day spent pretty much in the camper. Al went on a short road trip into town with Kim in the afternoon, looking for the new Bargain Finder, to see what he could find for trucks, or land, or campers...oh wait...maybe not the last one.

Nothing left to fix...

Oh yeah...we had rain again...

September 14, 2010

View of the day-Our 'neigh'bour across the fence, Yeller, doing a fine job of feeding mosquitoes.

The sun was trying to break through all morning and it finally did by the afternoon...it looked promising. Al and Kim took a road trip to Whitewood to pick up the MacDon head that was finished getting the warranty work done on it. They made it back in time for lunch.

After a quick snack, Al took the tractor and cart out to the field and brought the combine back to the yard so he could unload the header from the trailer...and test out the knife reverser. Yeah...about that.

Because they did not have a combine that they could put the header on to test it, they did all the adaptations by the book, then sent it home with Al. After getting it all hooked up, Al discovered that the centre canvas would reverse, but not run the right way and the knife would run the right way, but not reverse. Likely an easy fix, but they are sending someone out to look at it, just to be sure.

About the time Al got back to the camper, it started to sprinkle, so it was time to check his eyelids for cracks while Marilyn worked on a couple of reports for the harvesters association and the theatre board that she is on.

The rain came and went all evening...what's new...

September 13, 2010

View of the day-The only combines Marilyn saw making dust on her trip to Kenmare, ND.

We were up early so Marilyn could get on the road to Kenmare to pick up a parcel that was getting shipped there. The delivery address had been shortened up from 52 Highway Bypass, which was the correct street, but they didn't put the business name where it was to get dropped off...and there were several along the highway.

When Marilyn left Carlyle it had just started raining...totally not forecast at all...and it looked like it was going to stay for the day. It pretty much rained all the way to Bowbells before the sky cleared off, but it looked dark in the north all afternoon.

Marilyn had a lengthy wait for the FedEx man and eventually had to get a phone number...from a confidential source...for the FedEx air service in Minot. They gave her the cell number of the delivery man and they got to rendezvous at Bowbells before Marilyn headed back for Carlyle...at 3:30pm...good thing we weren't combining. Although someone got to make some dust, but there was only one field being combined along the way and that was at Bowbells on the return trip...and there's still LOTS not combined and even some very green wheat that has yet to turn.

The border crossing went fairly well considering Marilyn had printed of the tracking receipt instead of the actual payment receipt. The lady on the Canadian side was pretty good about it and even used the tracking receipt to find the price online before letting Marilyn go on her way...hope that doesn't cancel out next pass through the border.

Al helped Kim do some work on the combine and header, then moved the Freightliner closer to an electrical outlet since it is now getting into the colder weather and it does take some coaxing and ether at this time of year. He had coffee in various places and made a tour of some of Kim's crop to see how it was coming along...as well as could be expected in this weather.

We dined in the house again and watched the rain fall, then Al settled in to watch the opening Monday Night Football games while Marilyn got the bread maker out to build some banana bread.

It can quit raining anytime now...

September 12, 2010

View of the day-High hopes that today would be the day that we would get rolling again...Marilyn cleans the combine window in preparation.

Sun shining, windy day, everything was pointing to a chance that the canola would be dry enough to combine...later on in the day, at least.

Today was the CFL 'Banjo Bowl' game, where the Roughriders would be playing the return game in Winnipeg against the Bombers. The Bombers called the Riders a bunch of banjo playing hillbillies seven years ago, and the name has stuck ever since. Al was hoping to watch the game before going out to do a test, but after the first half, he called the farmer and found out he was at the field doing a test. Good thing we had a distraction...the game was a catastrophe, they ended up losing 33-2...oh, the shame of it.

We moved the General out to the field, which was just a half mile from the campground. The farmer took us back for the combine and the cart, which was still out in the middle of the canola field. They had to boost the tractor...the battery wasn't dead, but the two-way radio had been left on which drained the battery enough that it wouldn't start. Marilyn drove the combine over to the other field and cleaned the windows while we waited to get the results of the test the farmer had taken...14.2%. We wouldn't be combining today.

We got everything parked away from the pump jack, then started out on a road trip to Redvers. We were going to check out the toy collections that Al had heard about at the Case dealer yesterday. We didn't see one combine running all the way to Redvers. Wow, what a collection...as you can see in the slide show.

We went back to Carlyle where Marilyn stopped to pick up a few groceries and found a tube of GOOP to repair the tarp in the grain cart. The straps that seal the tarp on the end caps had come loose and would snag on just about everything they could whether we were closing or opening the tarp...lots of exercise climbing up and down the ladder to unhook it, which sucked in the rain and wind.

When we got back to the farm, we pulled out the extension ladder and Marilyn used up the GOOP getting the straps back where they belong. We'll check it tomorrow and if that didn't work, it looks like we will be looking for a new tarp.

And the evening was filled with NFL football...

September 11, 2010

View of the day-Marilyn comes out of Walmart with half a cart of treasures...mostly for Al...all from our big win of the day.

No rain last night and the sun was shining this morning, plus we had a strong west wind...good drying weather. Of course, there is a lot to dry.

We knew we would not be combining, so it was Estevan day as we all went to the bright lights to watch Gordie and his Steelers play football against Notre Dame. We left just before noon and when we got into Estevan, we went to the Case dealer to check on their toy collection...pretty slim. The girl behind the counter asked Al if he collected toys and when he confirmed it, she said there was a gentleman who had come in earlier in the day and he had a collection of 1/16 Case and International toys. He was moving into a condo and wouldn't have room for them and wanted to sell the whole collection...BINGO! Al called him and left a message.

We got down to the football field and found a spot on the bleachers. The sun was shining and it was a great day for football...the Steelers posted their first win 38-0. Not only that, Marilyn talked Al into buying $5 worth of 50/50 tickets and we won $162! A good day all around. Marilyn was using Gordies video camera to record him in action so Uncle Al could analyze the action on the field when we got home...that should be interesting.

After the game, we went to Walmart to pick up a few things then stopped for supper before heading back to Carlyle...still no sign of moisture. If it doesn't go tomorrow there could be a road trip after the Riders game.

Say, perhaps...somewhere there might be a toy collection...

September 10, 2010

View of the day-Al cleaning out the General cab and doing some work on the box. Notice the scoop shovel leaning on the truck...just how much crap was in the cab?

We woke up to another cloudy day...at least it wasn't raining...yet.

Al went to work giving Kim a hand with his combine, then they got the General backed into the shop and started to do some welding on the box. Al finally got the horn on the General working and when he took off the bracket holding the air valve for the horn, some of the headliner in the cab started to hang down...another job to work on. When they took a look at what was weighing it down...a mouse house, with nobody home, thank goodness...although that didn't make it smell any better. Kim got the shop vac out and started cleaning out the mess and Al got his trap line set up, then he finished cleaning out the cab.

Marilyn had to meet one of her Staples co-workers at Precision Ag...he was on his way back to Yorkton, from Minot where he is attending college. He was bringing a stash of diet Coke and Twizzlers back for us since we didn't stockpile like we usually do. After meeting and making the exchange, Marilyn went into town to get a couple of jugs of water and a few groceries...what insanity on main street and in the stores...must be the rain.

And of course we had more of that today, with .7 in yesterday, it is adding up and it doesn't look like there is any relief in sight. We had supper in the house with Kim since Marg and Gordie were away at football practice, then Al settled in to watch more football and Marilyn went back to the camper.

Looks like we get to watch football in Estevan tomorrow...

September 9, 2010

View of the day-The view out the camper window...rain again.

You can just guess what today consisted of. Al went out and helped Kim get his combine moved into the shop so they could do some work on the new sieve he had put in...but there was no sense in getting carried away and starting on it today.

Marilyn just stayed in the camper and worked on the computer all day, then had a phone meeting with the theatre group again. It was pretty quiet in the camper as Al went into the house to watch the NFL opening season game on the big screen.

Just as he got back to the camper after the game, the big rain came, complete with lightning and thunder.

Oh, joy...

September 8, 2010

View of the day-Crater Lake on the way home from Yorkton on the #9 highway.

Road trip day. We needed to take the MacDon header to Whitewood for some warranty work, so we were up early. Al went to start the Dodge and get the header hooked up...the battery was dead. Kim came out with his pickup and between the two of them, they got it started and spent some time tightening down the clamps on the posts. That was the only thing they could figure could be the problem...it was charging just fine after that.

We got the header hooked up, stopped at Precision Ag to get a coffee to go, then took off. We got to Whitewood and dropped the header off, then stopped at the CanAm for a late breakfast, then forged on north to Yorkton.

We stopped out at a friends farm just north of the valley to check out the new grain cart he had purchased...well, new to him, at least. It looked pretty good and considering he is 'old school' and never could see why anyone would need a grain cart, it was a surprise that he actually had bought one...he will wonder how he ever lived without it, we're sure.

After a visit with him...they are never short...Marilyn was able to get Al back into the pickup to get on the road. We got to Yorkton and Al dropped Marilyn off at Staples, then he made the tour to the CaseIH dealer, Flamans and the Coop to see about getting the Diamond W Portable Corrals on their sale lots. After Marilyn was done visiting, we took a look at the campers around town...very disappointing...can't believe there isn't a bigger selection.

We stopped by the new site for H&R Block, where Al will be working this winter again. The old building was wrecked in the Canada Day flood and the black mold had taken over, so they had to find a new home. They were in the midst of painting the walls, so after we had a tour around the place, we hit the road...just in case they found another roller or brush for us.

We went out to the farm to see how things were doing there...same old, same old. We needed to pick up our oil filled radiant heater for the camper, so we wouldn't be using up all the propane. Al went next door to have a chat with the 'gardener'...he is claiming his half of the year of yard work is done and Al will have to take over. Looks like the grass will be pretty tall by the time we get moved back in.

When we got back to town, we met up with a friend for supper at the newly renovated Hong Kong House. After a leisurely meal, we topped up the coffee and headed back for Carlyle.

There is rain in the forecast for tonight...what's new...so we are trying to come up with a 'to-do' list. After all, we have fixed almost everything on the old list...Kim on the other hand might need a hand with some tweaking on the new sieve he had to put in his combine. Not so good after spending 5 digits to get it ready for harvest.

And those 5 digits were before the decimal point...

September 7, 2010

View of the day-Not a lot of action at the Weyburn Inland Terminal...not a lot of action anywhere, really.

Today was a day Marilyn had been looking forward to...camper 'browsing'. We had been looking online for an upgrade to the current camper...it has been making the run for 8 years already, after all. We had found a couple in Weyburn, so today we had the chance to 'kick some tires'.

We stopped for lunch and at the CaseIH dealer to pick up some parts before we went over to Minard's Leisure World to check out one of the campers that Marilyn had found. The saleswoman showed us a couple more...all beautiful campers, but not one of them had all the features we were looking for. We were, however, able to get a new handle for the awning on our camper and Marilyn can finally start using the microwave again...$30 later and she has a new turntable glass plate to replace the one that jumped out a couple weeks ago.

We went back to Carlyle and stopped at Carlyle RV to look at a couple of campers that they had for sale after the big hail went through. Again, they were beautiful, but lacked all the things we were looking for in one camper...a sign, perhaps, that the 'one is out there somewhere?

We went out to the combine to see if we could get the air cleaner issue rectified.We talked to a service manager in Yorkton and he suggested checking the outlet on the air cleaner housing that runs to the muffler.

We opened up the engine compartment...and the pipe was right off the muffler. When we tried to put it back on, the bottom of the pipe slipped right off the air cleaner housing. After digging around in the opening on the housing that the pipe came off, we found quite a bit of fine dust, so we cleaned out as much as we could, then put the hose back on and really tightened the clamps on both ends.

Once we started the combine and revved it up there was a fountain of dust shooting out of the muffler...get out the Easy Button! We are pretty sure the problem has been solved, although we won't be sure until we get to combine again...if that ever happens.

Although we did see the sun today...and it was even warm out...

September 6, 2010

View of the day-Our rain gauge at 3pm, and the rain never stopped...all day long...and it's still raining.

The rain started during the night, just like they said it would, so we had a pretty lazy day. Marilyn went into town with Marg to do a bit of shopping, while Al was in the house watching a couple of football games.

We didn't get some of the heavy downpours that other areas got, but our rain was slow, continuous...and never let up, not what anyone wanted to see at this time of year. But what can you do about it?

And we did no labor on Labor Day...

September 5, 2010

View of the day-Al trying to get to the bottom of the air filter issues.

The rain finally came during the night...not much, but just enough to put the brakes on combining for the day.

We went out to the farm to do a bit of work on the combine...fuel it up, blow the rads, move the feeder drum up among other things. After Al removed skin off his knuckles a couple of times, we decided to go get the shop trailer from Kim's so we would have the right tools for the job.

The nuts on the feeder drum were in such an awkward position that trying to get them loose with a wrench alone was not going to happen...hence the bleeding hands. We got the socket set out...no 18mm deep socket to be found, but we got the impact wrench out and were able to get things loosened up and the drum raised. Hopefully that will help the canola feed a bit better.

The next order of business was to see what was hiding under our duct tape job on the air filter canister...same $h!t as before...fine dust. We opened up the rads and decided now would be a good time to blow them out, even thought there wasn't that much dust accumulated. We started blowing out the venturi's that feed the air filter and there was a bit of dust that came out, but nothing that would have given us any issue...or so we presume. We will see how it works once we get going again.

Marilyn finally was able to get the camera mounted and the monitor and transformer wired in to the combine. It has to be a temporary mount since we use the same camera/monitor in the General when we move the combine. Industrial Velcro is amazing. Since the Velcro was handy, Marilyn decided to trim up the cab and added some neon wire lighting...it had only been in the buddy box since it was mounted in the 2388.

While she was working on that, Al took the General back to Kim's because he needed to get some welding done on it. Then it was time for the Labor Day Classic...the game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Regina.

Marilyn got back to the farm, got the shop trailer parked and made it into the house just as the second quarter of the game was starting on the big screen. We watched the Riders win the game then went into town for supper with Kim and Marg. Gordie had been able to go to the game in Regina with his cousin Matthew...full stadium and a great game.

By the time we got back from town, it had started to sprinkle...and then it started to rain...and pour.

Just as forecast...

September 4, 2010

View of the day-What we like to call a beaver house...a pile of canola that the swather man leaves. You really have to sneak up on them or things end up getting plugged.

We were up early today with the hopes of getting a good day of combining in. Al went into town and got the slip tank filled so the tractor could get fueled up, then grabbed a quick breakfast at A&W before coming back to the camper to pick up Marilyn.

We got the combine serviced and the new air filter put in, the proceeded to tighten the springs on the feeder clutch to see if that would improve the feeding. We got started making dust...and there was lots of it...before 10:30am, and although the stalks were tough, Marilyn could already see the improvements in feeding. But it wasn't perfect.

The field was a mile and a half long, which meant there wasn't a lot of turning to take up time. The farmer worked the south half of the swaths from the middle of the field and had his own truck to haul for him, which left Marilyn doing the north half, with Al picking up on the go with the grain cart. The farmer had a small breakdown and was out for about an hour, but by the time he got back, there were only 6 swaths left and that took no time at all to lick up.

Marilyn had to stop once during the day to swap out the new filter for the old one that Al had blown out last night...the dang thing plugged solid again. This time when we changed it we brought the duct tape and taped the gap around the lid that seemed to be where the dust was coming in. We had tried a new seal and even doubled the seal with the old one to see if that would work...no chancy. We will check under the duct tape tomorrow and see the results.

We finished just after dark, got the truck unloaded and the combine parked in the yard, then headed back for the farm. Al blew the new air filter out before getting cleaned up then stopped to check on how Kim had made out with his canola combining. Al had stopped in the yard during the day and Kim was working on the roller of his pickup head, so Al gave him a hand getting the chain and sprocket back on. A little bit of welding will hold the sprocket on until the bearing goes and the cursing will start when the have to take it off.

But at least he was running...and we covered 110 acres, what a great day...

September 3, 2010

View of the day-Al on the phone while he fuels up the combine at Kisbey.

We weren't holding out any hope that we would combine today...in the wheat at least. Al had talked to the farmer at Kisbey and he was pretty sure we wouldn't be combining at all this weekend since the wheat wasn't really fit before the rains came.

We were planning on taking a road trip to Weyburn to have a look at some campers...looking, being the operative word. We took the header trailer over to Kisbey with the intention of getting the straight header loaded so we could take it up to Whitewood to get the knife reverser put on at some point in time. Since Kisbey was on the way to Weyburn, we figured we would get the combine ready to move back to Carlyle to help another farmer out with some canola, then we could road it over on our way back from Weyburn.

We got the header off and the pickup head back on the combine, then Marilyn drove it over to the yard to get it fueled up. We parked over by the bins, then we thought we might as well road it back to Carlyle, then go to Weyburn after, that way everything would be there waiting for us when we got back. So Marilyn started driving the combine the 20 miles back.

The field of canola was on the way to the farm and the farmer was just doing a test as we got there...wouldn't you know it, it was testing 11%moisture and we were good to start combining. So much for camper browsing.

Marilyn started in combining right away and Al was able to recruit Kim's nephew, Matthew, who was visiting from Alberta and helping out with the harvest, to help move the cart and General over to the field. While they were moving things over, Marilyn was having issues with the feeder plugging...it would appear to be a slip clutch issue, because it was plugging with next to nothing in it.

Marilyn just kept combining, taking it easy so she wouldn't have to stop and unplug all the time. It seemed to get better as time went on...maybe is was getting dryer. The farmers wife brought supper out to the field and we stopped to eat, then got right back at it. After the sun went down it started to get tougher again, so we filled the truck, then quit for the night.

There must have been another ghost in the machine because the header started lifting on it's own at random times and when we quit for the night, it kept lifting up and down to different heights when the front end was running...and Marilyn didn't have her hand on the control stick...more things to check on tomorrow.

Well, at least we got to combine today...

September 2, 2010

View of the day-One of several freak showers that passed throughout the area today...all day long.

Kind of a bizarre day with these cloud bursts that shot up from the NW, most of the time the sun was shining while the rain was falling.

We went into town to pick up the belts that Al had ordered for the Freightliner, then Al and Gordie put them on and moved the truck out to the back lot.

Al and Kim took a tour around the area to get the oil warmed up in Kim's pickup so they could change the oil and that was pretty well the extent of the hard work that was done today. Marilyn worked on getting the 2008 blog book organized and tried to figure out what the problem with the power converter in the camper...neither job got completed. An evening of preseason football and not much else, finished the day off.

Tonight is supposed to go down to 40ºF/4ºC...in either language, that's not camper weather...

September 1, 2010

View of the day-Marilyn gets up high to work on the clamps on the auger boot.

Al had one more load of flax to take to Whitewood, so Marilyn decided to go along to give the elevator an official rating. Once Kim had the truck loaded, we were on our way once again.

It was overcast as we left Carlyle, but by the time we hit Whitewood, the skies were mostly sunny and it was actually warm out.

We got to the elevator and had to wait for a truck to finish dumping before we could get in, but that didn't take long. Once we got in a young lady came out with a bucket, sample cup...and a BROOM!

After the truck was unloaded and the scale swept, we went in, got our ticket and were on our way. This elevator rated four out of five scoop shovels.

We stopped at the CanAm truck stop for lunch, then stopped at White's Ag to find out about getting some work done on the flex head. We had ordered a reverser kit for the knife and they were going to put it on for us when it came in...and it was in, so all we had to do was bring it up to Whitewood and they would get it put together for us. No more getting out to pull straw when the knife gets plugged.

As we drove back to Carlyle, the skies got more and more overcast and by the time we started down the hill into town, it started to rain...what's new...it didn't last long, but it didn't look like it was going to be the last of the rain, either.

Al decided we should take a trip to Kisbey to put the new starter on the combine, so off we went. Al was pretty disgusted when Marilyn checked the rain gauge on the combine and it had 1.30" of rain in it...an inch more that we got at Carlyle...great.

Well, it didn't take too long to get the old starter off and get the new one on...except for the one bolt that required an extension and a swivel adapter to get to. We got the new one on then got the pickup lined up to get the auger boot refitted so it wouldn't dribble anymore. The strong winds we had driven against when we moved had given it a bit of a twist and we never did get it back on straight...until now.

Al went out to the swaths and checked them out...wishful thinking...the bad weather was rolling in from the west and it didn't look like it was going to miss us. We went back to Carlyle.

Back at the farm, we figured we might as well cross another thing off the 'to-do' list, so we went to figure out why the two way radio in the tractor had such poor range...it would hardly reach across the field. Marilyn went inside the tractor and Al took the magnetic mount antenna off the roof and passed it to her...there it was...the cable was rubbed through in two places. Marilyn cut out the two foot piece of worn cable and spliced it back together, then Al took a trip down the road to see how much range we could get. Success...well at least the three miles he decided to go...loud and clear.

That was it for the day, a lot of things marked off the list. By the time we got back to the camper, the rain had finally caught up with us and it was good to be inside for the rest of the night.

What to do tomorrow...