December 21, 2011

View of the day-No, it’s not the same picture…we just watched this combine get built and drove it off the line.

Lots of catching up to do since the last blog entry. We had a big road trip to Calgary, Alberta to attend the Association of Canadian Custom Harvesters annual convention. The weather was fantastic for this time of year…no snow, above freezing…at least until we got to Calgary. We met up with Lynn and Gerry on Tuesday night when we got there and did some shopping for the fundraising auction and scholarship raffle, before calling it a night to rest up for the next three days of ‘meetings’.

When we woke up in the morning, it was white with about 6 inches of snow…and the wind was blowing, resulting in blizzard conditions and closed roads. Apparently we got there in the nick of time. We were thrilled to have a contingent from the US Custom Harvesters Association attending the convention. President Tracy Zeorian and her husband Jim from Nebraska, VP Kent Braaten from ND and Roger and Lisa Sammons, a board member from Montana. Tracy started a blog this year and updates it a bit more regular during the off season than Marilyn does. And the Sammons were featured in Harvest a 4 episode reality show on the History Channel…reality being used loosely…but great harvesting shots.

We came up just short on the auction…we didn’t come home with a second mini combine, even though we bid it up way more than we did on the last one. Too bad the auctioneer decided the combine would sell like the big ones did and split the header and trailer from the main unit. Really…what would you do without the header and trailer? We also bid on a VIP trip for two to Belgium to tour the New Holland factory…missed it by ‘that much’…but maybe they will have another one at the US Harvesters convention in March. We did end up bringing home a new portable Weber BBQ to take with us in the camper…unfortunately it is plastered up with John Deere logos. But it should work great…we know how well they burn.

The snow was pretty much gone by the time we had to start back home, so the trip back to Yorkton was not as bad as we had anticipated. Al had stopped to look at a toy collection on the way out to Calgary and had planned on picking it up on the way home, but the lady wasn’t at home and it was just as well, because we had a truck full without the extra four boxes. Looked like another road trip was in our future.

Marilyn had another dinner theatre to set up for, this time on the road in Spy Hill. Those are always a lot of fun…the stage is sooo much smaller and the cast never gets to rehearse, so the performance is a crap shoot. Even so, this was the best audience we had for the five night run. The next day she was on the road to Regina with Pam and Teresa…her “Queen of Bingo” girls, to volunteer for Theatre Saskatchewan’s dinner theatre on the Saturday night. Sunday, she got to stop in Moose Jaw to visit her mom and dad, then drive out to get the toys that Al had purchased. That will go on “the list”.

Al finally went back to work at H&R and Marilyn was back trying to placate the Christmas shoppers at Staples…doesn’t the season just bring out the best in people?

Time for one more, very important, road trip. We left right after Marilyn finished work on Sunday, Dec 18 at 5pm and raced for the border, so we could cross before they closed…we made it with a half hour to spare. We continued on to Jamestown, getting there around 1am and booked into the Super 8 for the night. Monday, we continued on to Grand Island, but we had to take a bit of a detour, to pick up some toys in Wakonda, SD, that Al had purchased in an online auction. It was a bit out of the way, but we had the whole day to get to Grand Island and we made it there by 8pm…just in time for Al to watch the power outage on Monday Night Football at the hotel.

Tuesday morning, we were at the CNH welcome centre, to get geared up to watch our combine being built. We had decided to get one of the last 7088 combines to be built with the Cummins Tier III engine and it was down to the wire as the line was shutting down on Thursday. We had our favorite tour guide, Lew, spend the day with us, taking us directly to the station where our combine was getting the cab installed. This year, Al got to turn the key to start the engine for the first time…and it took off like a top. He also got to stay in the cab through the next four stations as it passed all the diagnostic tests with flying colors.

We took a lunch break, then got to see more of the factory, this time we got to see more of the windrowers being built. Marilyn is trying to figure out how she can get that roomy swather cab on her combine. There are approximately 1100 people employed in this factory and as we passed by each of the stations, they all greeted us and thanked us for buying CaseIH, some stopped to chat when they were finished their tasks and were waiting for the line to move. We watched as one lady was putting a sieve into the main frame of a 7088 and when Lew told her we were there to see our combine being built, she said “you must be Al and Marilyn”…wow, we were impressed!!

We got back to our combine in time to watch them putting the decals and tires on, then we watched from the cab as they did some of the final testing. We got our picture taken in front of our new combine by Charlene Goeden, the tourmistress extrordinaire for the plant, then Al drove it off the line and out the door.

Back in the visitor’s centre, as we were getting ready to leave, the plant manager came down and thanked us personally for choosing CaseIH and they gave us a framed picture of us with an engraved plate that had the date, serial number and our names on it. He asked us if we had any questions about the tour or the combine and Marilyn actually stumped him with a question on the frequency of greasing on a particular zerk…the answer is yet to come. They even called Kelly Burgess down out of his ivory tower to see if he knew the answer…Kelly was the big push behind the building of our Mini combine, so it was nice to see him on his home turf.

We said our goodbyes and hit the road around 5pm and started on the marathon drive back home. We weren’t sure how far we were going to go, we just pointed north…shut up and drive. About the time we hit central South Dakota, we decided to get as far as Selby and book a room for the night. That way we could get an early start in the morning…AIS 8am.

We ended up AOS…Ahead of Schedule…at 7:30am. We were interested in finding out how the construction on the highway turned out, north of Selby…we had suffered through the detour all summer long…surely it was finished by now. But of course, this is South Dakota we are talking about. The signs were all down…so far so good…but after we turned the corner…NOTHING WAS DONE! In fact, the first 5 or so miles were so full of craters, we thought we were in Saskatchewan. What the hell had they been doing all summer?? We went down a stretch of highway in Nebraska that had been completely redone and we never saw an orange sign…and it was between backhauls last summer. Enough about that.

We stopped ran into some snow in southern North Dakota, but before we hit the highway north of Bismarck the sun was shining, but now we had a brisk wind to drive into. We stopped in Minot for lunch, then stopped again in Kenmare for Al to pick up all the toys that had been shipped there for him, then it was on to the border. We stopped on the US side to turn in our H2A work visas...pretty sure we wouldn't be doing any more harvesting this year...then had an even briefer stop on the Canadian side. We had another couple of pit stops, one in Carlyle for a visit with Marilyn's sister and one in Whitewood...you guessed it...to pick up some more toys.

We finally got home and since last Sunday, we had logged just under 2000 miles...but that's the story of our life these days. Now we get ready for the Christmas rush and hopefully the next entry will contain our annual newsletter...

November 23, 2011

View of the day-Technically not crop harvest, but Marilyn and her Paper Bag Players group did manage to harvest a couple of trophies for their performance of Queen of Bingo, (Winning Entry, Best Actress-Pam Milani) and an honorable mention for directing (Marilyn and Brenda McMillan) at the provincial short play festival, TheatreOne, in Kamsack. L to R, Teresa Weber-Babe, Pam Milani-Sis, Marilyn-Director, Leslie Moldowan-Exec-Sec, Theatre Saskatchewan, Brenda MacMillan-Co-Director(while Marilyn was planted in the combine), missing was Mike Hall-Father Mac, who's employer, Cargill, had him racing around the province.

So much for getting in at least a monthly update. It seems one week runs into the other and before you know it...Christmas is not that far away. Marilyn was back at work full time, working 8-4:30 M-F and between that and the rehearsal schedule for the Queens, there wasn't time for anything else. Our first big snow of the season hit while we were north at Kamsack for the festival so the trip home was a 'white-knuckeler' and took a couple of hours longer than normal.

While Marilyn was slaving over a hot script, Al got to make his pilgrimage to Dyersville, Iowa for the National Farm Toy Show. This year, he went with his toy buying buddy, Roger, from Lipton, SK...he said it was almost like having Marilyn along, since she never offers to drive, either. They were fortunate they didn't run into any nasty weather until they got north of the border, then they had issues with the cargo trailer loaded with farm toys slip-sliding around...but they kept it upright.

Once Marilyn's mad rush for festival was over, it was time to get some set construction done for the group's annual dinner theatre, which was two weeks later...nothing like leaving things to the last minute. Two weekends at the Painted Hand Casino in Yorkton, and right now we are mid way between performances, so after Saturday, we will pack up the bus and wait for our next performance, Dec. 9 in Spy Hill, about an hour away.

Al was busy getting things put away after his big toy trip...he managed to get a toy show in at Regina to disperse of some of his stuff before the tour south. He hasn't gone back to work at H&R, so he had a lot of free time on his hands, which he managed to fill up with some winter prep around the house...getting the snowblower operational, winterizing the camper and pressure washer, cleaning out the garage to make room for more toys...you know...that sort of thing.

Al also had some field prep to get done on the land we had bought in the spring. It never got seeded, just sprayed, so he helped work it over, then hauled some gravel in to make a base for the hopper bin he had purchased...and he is still waiting to get it delivered. It seems there is a call every other day that it is coming, then it isn't, then it is...hopefully it gets here before the next big dump of snow. We have had a couple of days with beautiful weather, just above freezing, which was a nice change from the -30º that we had been experiencing the last couple of weeks, so the outside work that was left was almost bearable.

We have always had a 'beater' for our second vehicle over the winter at home...an '87 Grand Marquis, an'89 Dodge Caravan, and most recently a '91 Grand Marquis. Because we have different schedules...and interests, there was no way one rig was going to cut it, but we had always been looking for another 4x4 pickup because our road can be treacherous in the winter. Al made the rounds of quite a few auctions, but always came back with a 'thumbs down'...until a couple of weeks ago...he finally lucked out, and now we are the proud owners of a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500. Exactly what we had hoped to find, and today someone came and bought the Marquis...bonus!

Today was the day that the combine came out of it's hiding place to get cleaned out for the last time. It seemed wrong to get into the cab and not be heading out to the field, although the snow on the ground might have made things a bit tough. Tomorrow Al drives it into the Case IH dealer in town to go on the lot...that's right, we are retiring it. Well, trading it in, actually. We will be making a fast trip down to Grand Island, NE once again to see our final (according to Al) new combine being built and to drive it off the line...on Dec. 21.

And if we aren't busy enough, next Tuesday we are driving to Calgary for a fun-filled four days of catching up with other harvesters at our Association of Canadian Custom Harvesters annual convention...there a lots of changes on the horizon, so it won't be all fun and games.

Watch for pictures and news of the event...

October 9, 2011

View of the day-Al looking quite at home in his latest ride...even pulling green.

Can't quit cold turkey, but can't seem to get to blog daily. We have been busy trying to get everything back where it belongs and have almost succeeded...at least the boxes are in the right rooms.

We got the camper all cleaned and were ready to park it, but we still needed to get the trees trimmed...an understatement, really...lumberjack Al was pretty much cutting them down, one chunk at at time. The hard work was getting the branches with the leaves still on to behave long enough to get them stuffed into the back of the General for the trip out to our new land for disposal. He got most of the branches in, but couldn't push them far enough to the front of the box, so Marilyn had to climb in and have Al pass them to her...quite a task, but we got it done.

Marilyn discovered, during her cleaning, that the dryer had quit heating so we took it apart to see what the issue was and after googling some issues and talking to the appliance repair man in town, we took the element out to see if that was the problem. Nope. Tried a new thermostat. Nope. We finally had to take it into town to let the professional figure it out.

Now, part of the problem with this, is that this is a stacking Maytag washer and dryer, which we had purchased some 20 years ago when we were first married. Considering it only gets used for half of the year, it has really stood up well. Even though it is 20 yrs old, it has electronic touch pads for the controls that are at eye level on the dryer. Marilyn thought she would still be able to get the laundry done by washing in the house and using the dryer in the camper...of course, she forgot the controls were on the dryer, which was now at the Dr.'s getting fixed. Now she had to use the washer and dryer in the camper...so it's almost like going to the laundromat...minus the quarters.

On Thursday, Marilyn had a rehearsal for the upcoming play that she is directing at the beginning of November. The group put a little blurb up on Theatre Saskatchewan's website...check it out by clicking the "Spotlight On..." link in the top right corner to see what Marilyn gets up to in the off season.

We tried to have an early night Thursday, because we had to get up early...really early, by our standards...to get Al to Rose Valley for a road trip. It was about 100 miles and Al had to be AIS at 7am so that meant we had to leave home around 5am...talk about a shock to the system. It was sprinkling a bit when we left Yorkton, but by the time we got to Rose Valley, it was raining pretty good. Al checked his rig over...he thought he was just pulling the super B's, so he had to get in the wide load zone when he discovered he was pulling the tractor and cart. Gerry keeps his trucks immaculate, so Al was not too bothered by the change...it was a far cry from the Freight-shaker.

They had to stop in Yorkton on their way to Sterling, ND so Marilyn met them at Humpties for breakfast, then they were on their way. They made it as far as Wilton with the big stuff, then Al got to bring Gerry's pickup home, while they took the camper and grain trailers on to Sterling. They were going back for the wide loads on Saturday and hopefully they would be starting to combine soybeans and eventually corn. Al will make the trip back down to help them move home when they are finished for the year...hopefully they have the weather we had for September to make it another short harvest.

While Al was gallivanting around, Marilyn went back and got started washing the combine...a much needed job, that took a few hours to accomplish. After that it was back to putting things away in the house...a job that seems to be taking longer than anticipated due to the short attention span and detours that every other box of stuff takes her. Ah well, it will get done sooner or later...more likely later.

Al made it back home at 2am Saturday and was able to sleep in for a while, before firing up the chainsaw and commencing to get rid of some dead wood...and some live wood that was in the way of our parking garage...AKA, the lawn. The camper just so fit under the branches and we wanted to make sure there would be a lot of room over the A/C unit and we have been wanting to get things cleaned up for a few years now. It seemed like in past years, the snow would hit before we could accomplish anything...but that changed this year. Marilyn has gone back to work at Staples already, so that will cut into the cleanup time.

And we still spent time daily, in the car, trying to get it running...to no avail. It will be going to the Dr.'s on Tuesday, since Monday is Thanksgiving here in Canada and everyone will be recovering from the big turkey feed on the weekend.

More lumber jacking tomorrow...

October 5, 2011

View of the day-Al gets to take the new pressure washer for a test on the tractor. It worked wonders on the oily dirt on the back of it.

Missed a day, but it was only a day of cleaning...and discovering the things that had not faired so well over the summer. Marilyn worked on the camper and Al tried to get the old Marquis running so we could have two vehicles. That didn't go very well.

Between getting the camper unpacked and everything back in the house, Al would call Marilyn over to run the ignition while he sprayed various liquids into the engine to try and get it running. It would start, but no amount of coaxing would keep it going for more than 30 seconds...well, actually with the spray bottle of gas going into the choke area it worked not to bad.

We thought it was the fuel that had been left in it while we were gone, so we got some high test gas and some See Foam fuel treatment and filled the tank...still no luck. We thought it m ight be the fuel filter...that didn't make any difference and the fuel pump was working fine, as Al found out when the key was turned before he got the hose back on the filter. At least it wasn't diesel fuel.

Al took a break to get the pressure washer fired up...what a sweet machine. He got the Dodge polished up, then moved the tractor to the wash bay and gave that a swish, leaving the rest of the rigs for Marilyn to clean up.

Al got to go see the Terriers play hockey and has started to split on a 50/50 ticket with the neighbor Darlene, who works in the canteen at the rink. They were lucky and got to split $560...Al's half is going into his "Dyersville Fund" for the trip in early November.

Al has been cleaning up the yard and getting rid of a bunch of stuff at the farm equipment consignment auction coming up on Oct. 15. After taking a load out yesterday, he went down to Grayson, where we used to farm and brought back a deep tillage...at 20mph, a long trip home. He still has a few more things he wants to get out there, but that will have to wait until after his big trip on Friday.

Al is going to help Gerry Prevost move back down to Sterling, ND for the fall harvest by driving one of his semi and grain trailer rigs. The bad thing about that is Gerry wants to leave his yard by 7am and it is a 95 mile trip...and remember, we only have one vehicle...unless we get it running tomorrow.

Marilyn finally got the camper all cleaned out, except for the few things in the basement, so tomorrow she will get to give it a swish and winterize it. Unfortunately the water pump doesn't work, so she got a portable one to get the job done until a new pump is put in. Speaking of new pumps, Al talked to the guys at Heartland RV about our warranty work and they were very helpful, letting us know that we would just have to fax in our issues so they could note it, then we could get the work done after the warranty period...we can't be driving back to Elkhart, IN to get the work done before, Nov. 3.

Marilyn had gotten a couple of names of authorized dealers in Saskatchewan and after calling the one in Carlyle...not a good experience and very rude...we discovered we would have to find an alternative repair shop. Al talked to one of the RV places in Yorkton and he said he would do the work, but we would have to pay and get reimbursed by Heartland ourselves...which was an option that we had been given. At least we don't have to drive it very far.

And by the way, Al is not afraid of mice as he has been hearing about from local blog readers...he is just not keen on emptying traps...

October 3, 2011

View of the day-Marilyn got a new rig to help with the cleanup.

Al was up early...only because he couldn't sleep. It might have had something to do with the mouse that had moved in while we were away. Marilyn spotted him running across the counter and laid out a trap line of sticky traps, which got the job done around 3am. These traps are not the 6x10 inch ones that she used in Pingree...they are 2x4 inches and hold one mouse quite nicely. Unfortunately, they are small enough that the mouse can move them around as they squirm...which this one did and it woke Al up. After checking it out, Marilyn just left it where it was, hoping that it would finally stick itself and...pass on. Al couldn't sleep knowing it was there and he "doesn't do mice", so Marilyn had to get up again and throw it out the door, where she hoped the cats that had been visiting would take care of it...and not get stuck themselves. At any rate, it was gone this morning.

Marilyn had a trip into town on the agenda in the morning...stop in at Staples to see her peeps, then get a few groceries. Al had taken the General and combine trailer out to Danny's to park it for the season, then he brought the General back to Yorkton.

Marilyn got a wake up call when she went in to Staples for her visit...she was put back on the schedule to start working this Sunday! That means nose to the grindstone getting the camper cleaned up and the house back in order. Al called while she was shopping and got her to meet him out at Yorkton Auction Centre, so out she went to see about getting our new purchase...the hot water pressure washer. Something that Marilyn has been wanting to get for quite a long time.

Al spent part of the afternoon trying to get the old Marquis running...with no luck, so we will be a one vehicle family until he figures out what is wrong with it...unless Marilyn decides to joy ride in the General. Marilyn continued on with camper unloading...a lot less stuff in this camper, but still a task. After Al gave up on the Marquis, he went back out to the Auction Centre to bring the grain cart home.

Marilyn can't wait to break in the new rig and start cleaning...

October 2, 2011

View of the day-Stopped to check the loads at the highway where we unloaded just over three weeks ago.

What a day! We slept in a bit, then started to get things organized for the second trip to Yorkton. The plan was to take the General's load and the camper back to Yorkton, then Al would come back at a later date to settle up and bring the pickup header home.

First on the list, we had to batten down the hatches in the camper, hook up to the Dodge, then take it to the...ahem...dump station. As we parked on a nice sloped hill, there was a gush of water from underneath the camper...and we weren't hooked up to any water. We figured it must have come in when the membrane on the water pump allowed the water to backfill into the fresh water tank and since the belly is enclosed, it wasn't until we were on tilt that it could get out. Something else to check on when we get home.

After we had gotten the combine loaded yesterday, Al discovered that the outside back dual on the combine trailer was flat, he aired it up so it would be ready for the road today...this morning it was flat again and there was no way it was going to hold air with the blowout on the side. Being as it was Sunday, we tried to get hold of the tire guy...no luck...so we came up with a plan. We would take the tire off, go home with just the camper load, take one of the tires off the Freightliner, which was at home, then go back to Balcarres, mount it and be on our way by 2pm. It looked good on paper.

We got home with the camper, Marilyn got it parked it in the unloading zone, just outside the front door while Al took the tire off the Freight. We loaded the tire on the Dodge and headed back for Balcarres.

Back at the farm, we were having a time of it trying to get the tire mounted back where it belonged. We had driven the inside dual up on a couple of the ramps that we use for loading the tractor and cart, which allowed us some room to get the tire off...but it wasn't working for putting the tire back on. The fender was just low enough that the tire had to be tucked under it before it would go into place and it wouldn't do that because the bolt studs were sticking out just far enough that it wouldn't clear. Then it started to pour.

We waited for a bit as the shower passed, then got another jack out to see if that would lift it high enough, because now the inside dual had shifted. After a lot of 'discussion', we finally managed to get it where it belonged and we were able to get on the road by 3:45pm...later than we had hoped, but with only an hour to drive, we were sure we could make it. Of course, that would be on a day when we had left our luck in another pair of pants.

After leaving the yard and stopping to check the load by the highway, we felt pretty good about the rest of the trip...we were even getting to take the pickup head home. We had just turned onto the highway, when Al called to say he was having power issues with the General...so it wouldn't be an hours drive, after all. He was pretty sure it was a fuel filter issue, so he kept limping along and eventually something must have shook loose, because he was able to get in the tall one, even though we had to fight a strong wind.

We got home, parked the header, unloaded the combine and parked it and the shop trailer in the yard, then Al got the trailer hooked back up so he could take it out to his friend, Danny's, farm where the cart trailer was. Marilyn started unloading the camper...oh, joy...and Al had a shower, then headed directly for his massaging LazyBoy recliner and some NFL football.

We still have to clean the equipment, so we're not done yet...

October 1, 2011

View of the day-Something is cooking...or will be, later on today. This rotor was made into a grill by the Young's the CaseIH dealer out of Regina.

Well, it was loading day today. Al hooked the combine up to the combine trailer with a chain over the feederhouse, so he could get the shop trailer hooked up...it was a lot easier than trying to do it after the combine was on the trailer and hooked up to the General. Once he had that done, Marilyn made the scene and the combine loading could commence.

After getting the combine loaded and the General hooked up and ready to go, we hooked up the straight header and took it home to Yorkton, where we parked it over at the neighbors until we could get it cleaned up and parked for good. We stopped in town to pick up a few things, get fuel, then headed back to Balcarres.

We saw a few combines going along the way, but most of the crop has been combined along the #10 highway...with the weather being beyond perfect, it was no surprise. We got back to the camper and got cleaned up for the harvest windup supper which was across the yard in the shop. Almost everyone was there...except for Trapper, who was in Regina to pick up his wife at the airport. Unfortunately her plane was going to be 4 hours late, so no festivities for him. After a fabulous meal, some great conversation and story telling, we called it a night.

Tomorrow another load heads for Yorkton...

September 30, 2011

View of the day-Getting the General back in operation out in the field where Al left it after the ujoint gave out.

Fixing Big Gen was the first thing on the agenda today. We took the shop trailer out to the field to make sure we had the right tools for the job and after getting the drive shaft shifted enough to get the remains of the wrecked ujoint, we headed to town with it to see if we could find a new one.

The first stop was the Bearing Shop in Balcarres and it was our lucky day, because he had one that was just what we needed. With that out of the way, we went to the Esso restaurant for lunch, then went right back out to the field to see if we could get things back together...without too much 'disCUSSing'. verything went back together way better than we thought it would and after a test drive around the field, we called that job a wrap.

Next we had to make a run into Lemberg to pick up a pump that Marilyn's sister needed at Precision Ag in Carlyle and after wrestling that into the back of the pickup, we headed for the combine. We had left the combine with some canola on it when we finished the first round of the field last night, so we needed to get it unloaded first and Blaine came to the rescue with the cart to take care of us. Al had brought the trailer for the pickup head, so we got that unhooked, loaded and strapped down, then we went back to the yard where the camper was parked so Marilyn could fire up the compressor and start cleaning off the chaff that had collected in those hard to reach places. We had a strong wind blowing from out of the SE which made cleaning off the rigs a treat...as much of a treat as cleaning can be.

While Marilyn was working on the combine and pickup head, Al went to get the straight header from the wheat field where we had left it earlier in the week. After getting that back to the yard, we hooked it up to the combine so we could get that one blown off as well. With that dirty job done, we got it loaded on the high speed transport trailer and parked it off to the side until we move it back home...or somewhere.

The trip back to the camper was just across the yard, so we had plenty of time to clean up, cook supper and watch some football.

Well, one of us, at least...

September 29, 2011

View of the day-Howie mans the fuel hose as the day is planned out on the ground.

We got out to the field early, got the combine serviced and fueled, then moved to the next field with the rest of the combines. While Marilyn started picking up canola with the other three combines, Al and the guys got the trucks moved around.

We were entertained again by the swarms of hawks and ravens cleaning up the mice that were scattering out of the swaths. They knew exactly where to hang around and followed us from field to field filling their bellies…the owl even showed up in one of the swaths again.

We finished the two quarters we had started on in the morning, just as one of the Masseys had bearing issues on the engine cooling fan. They had to wait for parts, so we were down to three machines for the rest of the day. We moved north of Abernethy to the next field and got another quarter finished before starting on the last one for the day.

We kept going on the canola until it got too tough…95% humidity will do that…then we parked and quit for the day around 10pm. Another good day, just over 150 acres for Marilyn.

Make that a really good day…

September 28, 2011

View of the day-The fields were swarming with ravens, hawks, an owl and a fox...only two would hold for a photo...and the batteries died in the camera.

We were out at the field, serviced then up and picking up canola swaths by 10am. There were clouds in the NW and we did have a few sprinkles, but only enough to make a mess on the windows when the dust started to stick.

There was lots of dust, but this time we had a pretty brisk wind which made going one direction a challenge...but with an arrow straight swath, a full mile long, there was no getting off the track. Those mile long runs made for great productivity by all four machines...a best acre day for Marilyn, getting 163 acres before quitting at 10pm.

After a run into Abernethy with Howie to get fuel from the Coop, Marilyn got back to the camper before Al, who was unloading the last truck at the bins before bringing it back to the yard.

Tomorrow we kick it again...

September 27, 2011

View of the day-A break for a delicious lunch out in the field...another gorgeous day, too.

We got the fueling and servicing done early and were cutting wheat by 10am. We got quite a chunk done, then when Jean showed up with the lunch, we all took a break. The field came together quickly with three machines running and before we knew it...it was time to move to a different field.

Al had been hauling with Big Gen and had noticed a vibration that had been getting progressively worse and on one of his trips back from the elevator, he discovered what it was. The back u-joint by the transmission had given it up. Fortunately his truck wasn't needed, so he limped in into a canola field that had already been combined, then got picked up by Blaine when he came back from the elevator.

Marilyn had the header unhooked and into transport by the time Al got back to the field, so we started the move south of Balcarres...about 10 or so miles. When we got there we got the header back on the combine, then took the guys back to the field to get the other vehicles moved to the new field. Then it was back to combining.

Marilyn finished her side of the field and by then it was time to quit, so she waited until Al got back from unloading at the bins, then we went home to the camper to clean up.

Tomorrow the General gets fixed...

September 26, 2011

View of the day-A moose makes the scene…not too concerned as it walked between two sloughs.

We were up and at ‘em by 10:30am and the going was good all day. We were working on a full section and were cutting out big patches to work around so we wouldn’t have to dead head back to the cart or trucks.

The truck drivers were hauling from both fields, to bins and to the elevator in town…which took a lot of coordinating so that no one was waiting too long to dump. Once the guys were finished picking up swaths at the field north of us, they moved over to our field and one of them jumped in to help out…only one straight header, so the other one had a break.

While we were hard at work on the wheat, the farmer across the road was working on flax swaths and as he would get some done, they would rake up the straw left behind into big stack…then set them on fire. What little wind there was, managed to be blowing in our direction, so we got all the smoke off the burning piles…and the sun looked like it was on fire, too.

Once we had most everything full, we quit for the night, stopped to get fuel for the combine in town, then went back to the camper for the night.

And the northern lights were dancing…

September 25, 2011

View of the day-The cart unloads into the semi which is parked at the bin in the field...one less driver needed...at times, at least.

We were out at the field, servicing, fueling, and waiting on orders for the day. It looked like there was going to be some time to wait, so Al sent Marilyn in to Fort Qu'Appelle to pick up a few groceries and fuel. He would be able to start combining in her absence...and he had the Sirius radion to occupy his time with some NFL football.

Marilyn stopped at the Coop for groceries and had quite a time getting back into the pickup...it must be wasp season. They were swarming around her shopping cart of groceries and seemed most interested in the fruit...and the donuts she had purchased for the guys. After flailing around and not getting stung, she got the cart unloaded and took off for the camper to get things put away.

Back at the field, Al had started combining and Marilyn took over after her shopping jaunt, just in time to finish the field. We moved over to a section of straight wheat and with only two machines running...the other two were up north picking up wheat swaths...it was quite a deal to get the field opened up...at least part of it. Al and Howie were kept busy at the bins...these were quite a bit smaller and required frequent moving of the auger to the next bin.

Marilyn's friend, Brenda, passed through for a ride on her way back to Yorkton from Regina. After a good gab and a scenic trip around the field a couple of times, she headed for home just before it was quitting time for us. That's right, we had gotten the word last night that we would be quitting at 6pm on Sunday...we thought it was a joke...nope. Marilyn shut the combine down at 6:15 and after the guys dumped the last of the wheat, we gave Howie a ride to his pickup and forged to the camper.

It was another beautiful day...not much wind and in the mid 80's...perfect for this time of year and with the trees changing color there is so much to take in during the day. It won't be long before that changes, so we enjoy it while we can.

Like there is anything we can do about it...

September 24, 2011

View of the day-Here we go again…but we weren’t the only one to get stuck.

Today was the day we were going back to straight cutting, so we went out to where we had left the combine to fuel and service before moving to where we had left the straight header.

While we were servicing we noticed that the feeder chain had jumped a cog and one of the three strands was shifted making the chain crooked. Fortunately, we were able to get it back in the right cog without too much work and we were back in business. But first we had to go and pick up one swath that had been left from the night before…there were a lot of sloughs that connected and it was no surprise that something was left out there.

We got moved over to the other field, got the header hooked up, then waited for the rest of the crew to show up from lunch before getting started. There was a farmer that wanted to bale some straw, so we took our spreaders off, moved the chopper knives and got started ‘laying a bead’ of straw…hopefully he doesn’t curse Marilyn too much. Although there was straw, the challenge of keeping the swaths in order was a bit tough because of the sloughs…and speaking of that…

While going around one of the sloughs, far enough out…or so she thought…the front tire dropped into a soft spot. The farmer that was wanting the straw made the mistake of coming to inspect…and got stuck too. There is the making of a song, here. One of the Massey’s was able to pull the truck out, but Al said not to even try using it for the combine…the big CaseIH 435 was put into action and since Marilyn knew from experience that once you hit the mud, you stop and don’t try to spin your way out, it wasn’t that deep. Or as Al likes to say…once you’re in a hole, stop digging…although it doesn’t only apply to the mud.

Once we got the tractor hooked up, it was no time at all and Marilyn was out…and back combining. We finished that field without any more incidents, moved across the road to finish the field we had started last week, then moved about 4 miles over to the next field and got started on it.

After the sun went down, the temperature dropped and the humidity went way up, making the straw pretty tough to spread…Marilyn had the spreaders and choppers back in operation, because there was no need for straw here. We shut down, had a short ‘safety meeting’…it was gorgeous out, even with the humidity. The 85º day probably helped a lot.

More of the same tomorrow…minus the getting stuck, of course...

September 23, 2011

View of the day-There’s a new kid in town…and it had to go to work pulling a combine that had slid off the road. Sorry, no pictures of that one…it was the neighbor.

We were up early and combining by 10:30am and never stopped until almost midnight. A very productive day in some heavy canola and after sunset the going got slow as the wheels on the pickup heads were shiny with moisture…the humidity had shot up and was making the big swaths tough to chew through.

Al was kept busy hauling the grain away from the three combines in the field, he had help from Lindsey, who works on the weekends and Blaine in the tractor and cart. A late night and early morning makes for a short entry...but a gorgeous sunset.


Tomorrow the straight header goes on and we start in the wheat…

September 22, 2011

View of the day-Servicing central, as all the combines get ready for another good day of harvesting.

We were eager to get back into the field after a couple of slack days off…harvesting, at least. We fueled and did the windows before moving across the highway to finish off a field that had been started previously. It was still a bit chewy, so we all stopped and went for lunch at Bob’s mom and dad’s place…you just can’t beat a home made meal and this one was delicious.

Once we got back to the field, it didn’t take too long before we had it lapped up and we getting the combines into moving mode to start the next field…about a five mile move. There was lots of entertainment in the field today as the hawks and ravens were picking off rodents like the seagull nabbing fries in the McDonald’s parking lot.

We were split up with two machines in each field, so Phil and I worked at getting the swaths around the sloughs picked up before it got dark…a necessity when you aren’t sure how it was swathed. Al and Blaine hauled grain for us and were able to keep up, even though the canola was yielding as high as 70 bu/ac.

We worked until they had filled the bin and didn’t want to set up a new one in the dark, so we filled both trucks and left the combines full as well. We stopped to get fuel for the combine on the way home and called it a wrap at midnight.

Tomorrow is supposed to be an even better day…

September 21, 2011

View of the day-Al blows out the rads while Marilyn stays in the cab waiting for ignition orders.

Cloudy and overcast…it didn’t look promising for combining. We had some work to do on the combine, so we hooked up the shop trailer and started out for the field. We decided to stop for eggs at the Esso and made it just under the wire for breakfast, then it was off to work.

The clouds were starting to clear off as Al got the compressor running to blow out the air filters and rads. Marilyn worked on the windows that had gotten pretty nasty from the combination of canola dust and rain. After getting the windows on our combine clean and having some time to kill, she went over to the Masseys to work on their windows…she got one done and quit. Those machines are not very ergonomic in the window cleaning department…curves, hinges and no handles…very precarious.

Once the combine was ready for action…should that happen later on…we went back to the camper, where Marilyn worked on the computer, getting caught up on work that had been piling up. Al went out and visited with the guys who were cleaning things up in the yard…then they decided to crank up and do a truckload or two.

An eight acre day…

September 20, 2011

View of the day-The Freightliner is parked in the "shed" for the winter...back at home.

There was rain during the night and well into the morning, so we knew we would have the day off from combining. Al had his list made out and the first thing on the list was to stop in Melville to get a couple of things done, then head for Yorkton.

We got to Yorkton just before lunch so we decided to have an early one and went to Melrose Place for a much missed real pizza. After lunch, we went out to Yorkton Auction Centre to unload the tractor and cart so we could get that load ready for the off season. It was the first time the new tires on the front of the tractor had touched the ground...as a matter of fact, it was the first time the tractor was off the trailer since July 18!!

It took some doing to get the unit off the trailer, since somewhere along the road, one of the inside duals was completely flat. We didn't notice it while it was on the trailer, because the duals sit in a wide cradle, but when we start to back it off when unloading, only the inside dual rides on the narrower ramp. Al was in the tractor and couldn't figure out why he was on 'tilt' so bad and Marilyn had no idea what was going on since she was on the other side watching the hitch and the other tire. We ended up using one of the wooden ramps to raise it up a bit and backed it off...in a hurry...which got the job done. Ugly...but accomplished.

Once the tractor was off, we hooked the trailer back up and Al took it out to his friend, Danny's, yard where we usually park it. Marilyn took the cameras off the grain cart while she was waiting...lots of cable ties to remove from the thorough job of mounting them. After that was in the bag, there was more time to kill.

To kill that time, Marilyn stopped in at Walmart and was pleasantly surprised to see Folgers coffee was on for $5.97 for the big container...she drinks a LOT of coffee and the price has been ridiculous this summer, topping out at 14.97 for the same size container. With five containers in the cart, she took one look at the lineups at the cash registers...not to mention the notice that said, "no debit or credit card machines, sorry", and said screw it...put the coffee and cart back, then left empty handed. Too bad they aren't 24 hours, because she would make the trip back at 3am just for the coffee.

After that waste of time, she went out to our place to meet Al and get the Freight put away for the season, right over this 8 inch mushroom that was right on the path to the 'shed'. Once it was parked we went back to the tractor so we could get it moved back to the farm. We unhooked the grain cart and left it for Danny to pick up at a later date, since he would be using it for their harvest. After everything was where it needed to go, we went back into town, picked up a few things, fueled up and left for Balcarres.

Back at the camper, Al got cleaned up so we could go out for a dinner date with his 'toy buddy', Roger and his wife, in Fort Qu'Appelle. On our way out, we took a detour to check on the trap line in the General...one kill...a baby, so there is likely more to come. He needs to park it in the yard by the camper with the doors open, so the two foxes that are playing around here can clean house.

After a good gab session and some Chinese food, we came back to the camper...and it was raining again! We even heard thunder a couple of times.

That wasn't in the forecast...

September 19, 2011

View of the day-Al in his latest drive...the Freightliner...one of several he hopped into during the day.

We were up early and out to the field to find the Masseys already making dust. It was an overcast day that threatened rain off and on during the day, but all we got were a few sprinkles...at least while Marilyn was combining.

We finished the field we were on, then moved across the road to the next quarter of canola, which we finished around 5:30pm. Marilyn had a theatre meeting to attend in Yorkton, so Al took over combining after we had moved to the next field. Although she offered to stay and combine, Al 'insisted' she go to the meeting...could it have had something to do with the flat field with one mile long swaths...and he had the satellite radio to listen to Monday Night Football? Yes, to all the above.

Marilyn left for Yorkton, had her meeting, then went for coffee with her friends before fueling up and starting back for Balcarres. While she was dropping her friend off at home, Al called to suggest she stay in Yorkton for the night, since Bob had to come to Yorkton tomorrow and Al could get a ride with him. They had gotten rained out and it hadn't let up yet, so tomorrow was going to be a day off for us.

The plan was to get the tractor and cart unloaded tomorrow, then park everything for the winter...we wouldn't be needing them again...so far, at least. Marilyn decided to return to Balcarres because she didn't have anything with her...computer wise...so the blog wouldn't be getting done...Al said no big deal. Marilyn disagreed.

Bob said it was getting boring anyway...all we do is combine...

September 18, 2011

View of the day- The combines waiting for servicing and the seeding rig ready to chase them down.

Al was up early to get some servicing done on the combine and Marilyn got to sleep in for an extra half hour and woke up to rain on the roof of the camper. It sprinkled on and off for about an hour, then the sun broke through and it looked like it was going to be a great day for combining.

It might have been a great day for combining, but Marilyn’s phone had crashed and after calling Sasktel support, they said the only way to reload the software was at a Sasktel dealer or online…the latter would not work because we use the phone to connect to the internet. On Sunday, the only dealer in the area that was open, was in Regina, about 65 miles from Balcarres...Marilyn had a road trip.

We went into Balcarres for brunch, then went back to the field just a big dark cloud started our way and before long, the rain was falling again…road trip was on. Al stayed at the camper, since they were pretty sure it would only be a couple of hours until they could start on the canola and Marilyn left for Regina.

They got combining about 45 minutes after Marilyn left and were just finishing the field and getting ready to move when she got back at 5pm. After getting everything moved to the next field, all four machines went to work again and got the first 70 acre patch done in one hour and fifteen minutes…nice flat ground and good dry swaths helped a lot, yes indeed. We got the next patch done, then moved across the canyon to the rest of the field and after the truck drivers left the field one at a time until Al was just left, we got the trucks and the combines full, then called it a day…at midnight.

The morning is going to come early…

September 17, 2011

View of the day-The Masseys are dumping into the cart…Blaine was kept busy roading the cart back to the bins a couple of miles away.

Al was up early and off to find the bearing for the sprocket…he got to the John Deere dealer too early, so he went for coffee at the Esso and Blaine was there, so he stopped for a chat until the store opened. They had the bearing, so he came back to the camper to press the bearing into the sprocket, then went out to the combine and put it back together, including the new drive chain.

We were moving from picking up canola over to straight cutting some wheat, so we drove the 10 miles or so to the field, dropped the pickup head on the ground, then hooked up the straight header that Al had brought over from the other field. We managed to combine a couple of loads, but it was 18% moisture, so we had to shut it down and move back over to the canola.

Al took the last load into the elevator while Marilyn switched out the headers…she ran into a bit of trouble with that. The feeder on the combine had to go to such a steep angle to hook the header, that there was no lip on it to pick it up…every time Marilyn tried to lift it, it just slipped off and back to the ground. She went over to the pickup to get a couple of blocks to try and get it just a bit higher…she was sure it wouldn’t take much. That didn’t work, so she thought blocking the pickup wheels would keep it from scooting ahead and allow her to reduce the angle…no luck there either…the pickup is meant to walk over obstacles like that. In the end, she is not sure how she managed to get it picked up…just held her tongue right, she figures…but finally it was on and hooked up just as Al got back from the elevator. We were on the move again.

Marilyn got right into combining in the canola and Al worked at the bins for a couple of loads before going back to the camper to shower and head to Yorkton for the hockey game… it was the Terriers home opener and he has season tickets. Marilyn stayed to combine…she will need Monday night off for a meeting in Yorkton.

It started to get really tough around 8:30pm so we all quit combining and went home for the night. There was lightning starting to light up the sky…kind of strange for this time of the year, although it is only September. There was rain to the east and south of us, but once again it missed us during the day, even though the clouds were threatening.

Tomorrow could be a different story…

September 16, 2011

View of the day-Looks are deceiving...a steep hillside makes for cab cleanup after everything slides across the floor.

We were up really early today...early for us, at least. Marilyn had a conference call at 8am and Al wanted to get started gutting the breakdown from yesterday. Once he got all the chaff blown away and bolted off the important parts, he discovered the problem...the locking collar had come off the shaft. So that meant when the return started to get overloaded and fill up the elevator, it pushed the housing out and out popped the shaft.

Al took the auger out and thankfully it wasn't broken or bent, but on the opposite side of the combine, the plate that supports the auger had a couple of cracks. We took everything over to the welding shop a few miles from the farm and got it welded right away and he even had the bearing we needed. We got back to the combine, got everything put back together and tested, then Marilyn drove it out to the field, while Al followed in the pickup. Al tested it out in the canola and it worked like a dream...and we were starting just after 12:30pm...pretty good considering what it looked like last night.

While Al combined, Marilyn drove up to the field where the other combine was cutting wheat, to get the hand held radio to keep in contact with the rest of the "A Team", as we have dubbed ourselves. After grabbing the radio and giving Phil a ride over to the General...he was the grain hauler running the two tandems for Lindsey in the combine...she gave Phil some sticky traps to lay a trap line in Big Gen, because Al's roll of paper towel was slowly disappearing.

After stopping in town for groceries and fuel for the combine, Marilyn went back to the camper to make lunch, then went back out to the combine to ride around with Al for a while. Once he got the call to go haul grain with Phil, she took over picking up the canola with Barry, Howie and Blaine. We finished the field we were on, between showers...thankfully it was never running off the header...then we moved across the road to the next field of canola.

Marilyn started in and made it part of the way around the field and since the swaths were a bit tough because of the rain, she plugged the feeder house and when she went to reverse it...the chain on the reverser broke. After calling Al to come over with the pickup, she went out and took the shield off, then discovered a bearing was also gone on one of the sprockets. Of course, it was after business hours so...no parts tonight.

An early night at the camper...and the rain missed us...

September 15, 2011

View of the day-Al had a short walk to work yesterday...from the camper to the semi. Not today, though.

Al was up early and got the combine serviced and fueled for Marilyn, so she could get started by 11am. Marilyn was pretty confident it would be another good day of combining canola...she found a penny on the way out the door and you know what that means...find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck. So she did.

Al was hauling wheat off the fancy big Massey 9560 combine that was out for a demo. He didn't get a ride in it, but he did get a good look at it and was impressed by the engine setup...7 cylinder inline Sisu with 460hp. The motor is mounted longitudinal with the rads on an angle on the side of the engine...and they had a 42 ft flex draper head on the front. Marilyn is not ready for that, yet.

While Al was busy with the wheat, Marilyn was out picking up canola swaths with Howie and Barry in their combines and Blaine manning the grain cart. Halfway into the day her sample was looking a bit dirty and the return alarm kept going off, so she went out to inspect, but couldn't find anything amiss. She actually had the return elevator plug a couple of times and the last time it went off, there was no warning like she usually got.

When she went out to open the trap to run the slug out...nothing happened...and upon further inspection she could see the auger shaft had somehow backed out of the bearing and was jammed in the elevator. She was done combining for the day.

After driving back to the yard, she started dismantling things to find out if the auger was bent...she couldn't get to it for all the chaff that was jammed in the auger trough. She cleaned out as much as she could, reporting to Al on the radio everytime she found something new that was wrong, but he said to leave it until morning...which she decided was a good idea. Thanks to the frost the other night, she didn't have to deal with mosquitoes, at least.

While she waited for Al to come back from his hauling job, she got busy cleaning a big bag of assorted vegetables that Barry had dropped off at the camper. This is a great time of year to get all the veggies you need, because everyone has way to many to eat themselves...Marilyn never turns them down.

Now back to the lucky penny...don't think it worked...

September 14, 2011

View of the day-Marilyn avoids the organized chaos during the opening of the field of canola.

We woke up to everything covered in a thick coat of frost. It was white outside and had been since we got back to the camper last night. We had to move the combines over to a field near the yard and at about 11:00 AM the combines started rolling in the canola.

Al had to unload the General from the wheat field from the day before, then it was put at the wheat field where the big new Massey combine was coming for a demo. It showed up late in the afternoon, but Bob didn’t get to drive it right away…he was given a 3 hour course on running all the technology it has available. Glenn, who brought the combine from White’s Ag Sales, needed a trailer to haul the pickup header back to Whitewood to exchange it, so he borrowed ours.

Al was kept busy unloading the semi, which was parked at the bin in the yard and since we were combining right next to the yard, the cart would come in to unload right onto the semi. The bin was the one right next to the camper…we are actually using the aeration fan plug in for power to the camper…and since Marilyn finally aimed the dish, Al got to watch some TV in between loads.

Al, meanwhile, called one of our customers from southwest Oklahoma while he was waiting and he said it is still very dry there. They have not had a rain of more than ½ an inch since Oct.11, 2010 in fact he told Al they had one stretch through June and July this year where it was a 110ºF or higher for 41 days in a row and also the wind was at 40 MPH for those days! He still has not planted his 2012 winter wheat waiting for rain. So like farming it seems custom harvesting is next year country.

Phil, Howie and Marilyn continued combining until just after 11pm with Blaine running the grain cart…quite a task in the heavy dust created from the combines. We had to be extra diligent to make sure we didn’t back into one another when we turned around on some of the shorter swaths.

Tomorrow, hopefully, we will get to see the big new Massey that made an appearance… 

September 13, 2011

View of the day-All four machines in the canola today made short work of this field.

Marilyn had a road trip on her agenda today. After getting the combine up and running for Al, she headed out for Yorkton with her list. It was a lot colder today…frost warnings for tonight and the wind was blowing hard and cold...definitely a day for layers.

Al got to combine wheat for the most of the day while Marilyn went to Yorkton to pick up the shop trailer and a few other things…one thing from six different places, so productivity wasn’t that great. Groceries, parts from Case, Sirius radio from the tractor that was still parked out at Yorkton Auction Centre…and most important, for Marilyn at least…insulated jeans.

After a stop at Tim Horton’s to get a coffee and some donuts for the gang, it was back to Balcarres to take over the combining from Al. After dropping the shop trailer and groceries off at the camper, Marilyn went out to the field just as they were finishing the wheat and were getting ready to move over to a field of canola, so she went back to get the pickup head that was on the trailer sitting in a field that had been seeded with winter wheat.

Al had dropped the straight header off the combine onto the transport wheels and left it in the wheat field before coming to get the pickup head hooked up where Marilyn had left it. Marilyn had gotten a ride into town with Barry, one of the other combiners, to Bob’s parents house for supper and after everyone had gotten there and had their fill, we went back to the combines to make the move to the next field.

We started on the canola and it was so nice to be making time picking up those 35 ft swaths. It had been really slow going in the wheat that was lodged and the straw was green which didn’t help either…it had been desiccated, so the grain was fine but the new guards and sections had a workout.

Al went back to hauling grain and Marilyn combined with the three Massey’s and it didn’t seem to take any time at all before we were done and quitting for the night. The frost was already starting to form on the pickup and the outside temperature guage showed 27ºF(-2ºC)…at 10:30pm!

Let’s hope we have water in the morning…

September 12, 2011

View of the day-When we left the field last night there was a nice line up, but this morning we showed up and someone had rearranged the rigs.

We had rain during the night, complete with lightning and thunder...it sounded like a lot of rain fell at the camper, but at the field, it didn't even settle the dust in the rain gauge.

We got out to the field early, but everyone was moving equipment or getting set up at other fields, so we went into Balcarres and took an early lunch.

After lunch, we got started combining and it was slow going for quite a while...especially where the wheat was laying down and lodged. We also did a lot of moving but fortunately it was only 1/4 mile here or there and we could move with the headers on. Al was hauling to the elevator so he was kept hopping from one truck to the other and with the exception of a couple of minor breakdowns, it was a productive day.

Did we mention we finished the barley? Al is pretty thrilled about that...

September 11, 2011

View of the day-The combine pulling the header to the next field, freeing up Al to help with the rest of the shuttling of vehicles.

We didn’t have to get up as early today, but we were still combining by 10am. We finished the part of the field that we were on, then went about our business cleaning up all the patches that we had left when we first started…because they were too tough to cut at night.

The grain haulers were kept pretty busy when all four machines were running, but after we got closer to getting finished…the pieces were getting smaller all the time and we were pretty much running into ourselves as we circled them. Unfortunately, both regular cameras had dead batteries, so it was the phone camera for the view of the day.We got finished with the field and while the Masseys roaded over to the next field with their headers on, Marilyn got her header put into transport and pulled it over behind the combine.

We moved back over to the wheat field that we had started a couple of days back…the one that was dry, but too green for the elevator and the difference in cutting was amazing. It was going through like butter…three days of 80º+ weather will do that…the wind we finally got today didn’t hurt, either.

We got to see clouds for the first time in several days and we were wondering what the weather was going to hold in store. Now, in the USA we usually have access to at least one of seven channels on the weather band on our combine and two way radios…sometimes, as in Kansas we will have up to six channels from the surrounding areas.

Weather is very important in our business, so it is irritating enough that the Environment Canada weather bands have the weather reports in English and French…so that means, if you tune in to find out what is happening and it is during the French portion, you have to listen to the whole report in that language before you get the English version. This has been bad enough, but now we are lucky if we can even find a weather band…even with the French…we had heard they may even be getting rid of some. Guess they think nobody wants to know when there is bad weather bearing down on them…and it’s not like there is a real person doing the reports, it’s all computers now. Priorities…

We all ended up at the bins after we had finished the last parts of the field that we could get done, even with the few sprinkles that ended up falling while we worked. The wind had really picked up and it was still good cutting, but we ran out of wheat, so we quit for the night. We had to wait for the cart to finish dumping and while we were waiting, Marilyn saw the box on the tandem lift as it was being dumped…apparently on its own because she could see everyone that was left there…who was in the cab lifting the box? Al had the remote control for the end gate and the hoist in his hand and was running it from well out of the dust.

Guess what is on the wish list now...