October 9, 2010

View of the day-A field on our way over to Kisbey...just a little green for October.

We were on our way over to Kisbey to start the last field of swathed wheat and after taking a drive around it with the pickup...in 4X4...we knew we wouldn't be able to get it all picked up, without getting stuck.

We put the straight header into transport and dropped it off, then got the pickup header put on before moving over to the wheat. Marilyn parked the straight header by the bins then started the General so it could air up while Al made room to park the truck at the field. After Marilyn picked Al up from the combine and dropped him off to take the General out, she had the rest of the day off...sort of.

With only 40 acres left on the field, Al offered to combine so Marilyn could join her family for a joint 80th birthday celebration for her mom and Canadian Thanksgiving. She wasn't going to go at first, but Al figured he could manage and would just drive the combine back to Carlyle when he was done...and god forbid she should be the only child not to show up.

The trip to Moose Jaw, about 175 miles, was uneventful...some combining being done and surprisingly, several fields still standing. When she got to Moose Jaw, her mother was in a state of panic...a Butterball turkey that she had put in the oven at 9am was still pink at 4:30pm. Marilyn took a trip over to the grocery store and bought 4 rotisserie chickens to fill the gap...and we never did get the turkey. That really was a "turkey".

Once we had the meal set, everybody was stuffed to the gills and after the candles were blown out on the cake, dessert finished everyone off. After supper in the common room of their high rise, they set up to play a few tunes. Anne and John, Marilyn's mom and dad play in an orchestra that entertains at various senior functions, anywhere from 1-4 times a week, so the group came to entertain for her birthday. In addition to the regular orchestra, Marilyn's oldest(Tim) and youngest(Brian) brother grabbed their guitars and joined in the jam session.

Tim and his wife, Naomi, had come from Calgary and brought Anne's older sister from Dawson Creek, BC with them as a surprise...and it was just that. Of course, Marg, Kim and Gordie were there and Marilyn's other brother, Mike, and his wife Lila and their family showed up...so all the brothers and sisters were together...once you get older, the frequency of that happening goes down dramatically.

Al called to say he had finished the wheat and only 'almost' got stuck once, but he managed to get most of the swaths picked up. After unloading the truck, he started back to Carlyle...our harvest down here completed.

Marilyn left Moose Jaw around 9:30pm after having a good visit with the family, including some cousins and good friends who had made the scene...a really great time with a lot of plans for getting together more often...isn't that always the way. A long trip back but in bed by 2am.

Tomorrow it would appear we are loading up to move...north...