Kuntz Harvesting

December 21, 2011

2011-12-21T21:12:00.005-06:00

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 ? 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

2011-11-23T21:11:00.002-06:00

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

2011-10-09T23:46:00.002-05:00

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

2011-10-06T01:08:00.003-05:00

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

2011-10-03T23:12:00.002-05:00

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

2011-10-02T21:34:00.002-05:00

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

2011-10-02T01:15:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-30T21:03:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-30T00:36:00.003-05:00

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

2011-09-29T00:47:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-28T00:16:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-26T23:35:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-25T21:04:00.004-05:00

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

2011-09-25T00:26:00.001-05:00

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

2011-09-24T02:09:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-23T01:20:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-21T23:48:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-20T23:40:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-20T01:04:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-19T01:44:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-18T00:28:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-16T22:58:00.003-05:00

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

2011-09-16T00:11:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-15T01:18:00.002-05:00

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

2011-09-14T09:29:00.001-05:00

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

2011-09-12T23:54:00.003-05:00

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

2011-09-12T01:07:00.003-05:00

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...

September 10, 2011

2011-09-11T00:11:00.001-05:00

View of the day-Al unloading the General at the bin site…nice to be able to dump the trucks and not have to be moving the auger all the time. A 37,000 bushel bin helps…a lot.

We were up early and Al was out visiting with our campground neighbors, when he noticed there was water dripping off the frame onto one of the front legs of the camper. Upon further inspection, we could see it was coming out of the fill tube for the fresh water tank…apparently, the pressure was so good here that it was sending the water back through the water pump and into the tank. As the water was dripping down, it would run in behind one of the handles and end up on the ‘basement’ floor…so we began the mopping up process and those Shamwows really work as advertised…they soak up a lot of water.

We left the cargo doors open so it could dry out during the day, then headed out to the field. Al had to pick up the General from the bin site while Marilyn fueled and serviced the combine. We had to move a couple of miles to the next field, but after we got moved, we started making dust…well, not a lot to start with, but at least we were cutting.

We had a pretty good day and the truckers managed to keep up even though they had to deal with the weekend traffic that was a steady stream along the highway we were combining next to. It was another perfect harvesting day and we even had some wind to keep the dust away from the trucks as they were unloading at the bins.

Once the sun went down, we lost our wind and it was a good thing we finished this part of the field, because the straw was getting mighty tough. We had a ‘safety meeting’ under the almost full moon…the evening was just as nice as the day had been, although we could have done without the dampness and mosquitoes.

After the meeting, we went into town to fill the slip tank with diesel for tomorrow, then went back to the camper for the night.

More itchy barley tomorrow…

September 9, 2011

2011-09-09T23:09:00.002-05:00

View of the day-The army all lined up and ready for attack.

We had a bit of moving to do today. First thing, Marilyn had to give Al a ride to the elevator so he could get the General unloaded while she went to the cardlock to fill the slip tank with fuel for the combine. Al left the General at the bin site and went back to the combine with Marilyn to service, fuel and get the header into transport for the move down the highway.

We had to move about 10 miles to the barley field we would be working on for the day...that's right, barley...Al's favorite itchy grain to haul. Once the combine was moved over and lined up with the rest of the machines, Marilyn was going to get the slip tank filled again but there was such a line up at the cardlock that she passed and just went out to get the straight header trailer moved back to the yard. While we were there we stopped for lunch, then had dessert up at the house before getting the General and heading back to the field.

We started combining, this time all the machines were in the same field, so Howie, the cart driver had his work cut out for him. The trucks were barely keeping up until another driver arrived to help out, which meant we hardly had to wait much at all after that. The bin site was about 6 miles away and the field was right along the very busy highway 10...and it didn't help that it was Friday...so the truckers had a long wait to get on and off the highway to get to the field.

We finished the first field, then moved across the road to start on the next field, by this time the sun was going down and we had no wind so it didn't take long before the straw was tough and it was time to quit. We moved the combines across the highway to the farm yard, then Marilyn picked Al up at the bin site. We went into town to get fuel for the combine, then it was back to the camper for the night.

More barley tomorrow...

September 8, 2011

2011-09-09T01:22:00.002-05:00

View of the day-No clouds to speak of, but the contrails didn’t want to give it up as they criss-crossed the sky.

Al took the General out early to get the combine serviced…he brought it home when he quit last night at 12:30am…then he had to drive the combine about three miles into town to fuel up at the card lock. He was able to get combining when he got back while Marilyn got lunch ready and showed up later with the straight header, then went back to the bin site to get the trailer for the pickup head…there would be some straight cutting later on.

Al was helping out at the bin site as the truck was parked at the auger and the grain cart would shuttle its load from the field to the bin which eliminated the need for another truck driver. Here is a shot of Trapper picking up the last of the canola swath in one of the big Massey combines.

Just after lunch, Marilyn and Phil got rid of the pickup heads and moved over to a wheat field that had some cutting done on it, and put the straight heads on to continue the job.

The other two combines were still going on the canola and they had the grain cart, so we were left with the General and the Mack tandem. Al was driving both of them to start, but since the wheat was running over 60 bushels/acre, he was having a time of it…Phil had to leave his combine once to meet Al with the loaded Mack, to swap out on the road as Al was coming back from the elevator with the General.

Ahh, yes…the elevator. Now, you have heard stories of some of the elevators we have frequented…oh, how we wish this place could take a lesson. This is a relatively new concrete elevator built around 13 or 15 years ago, capable of unloading trucks in record time…however, unloading is not the bottle neck. Think of those high school girls in Oklahoma and Kansas who do the probing and testing of the trucks…weigh…probe…send you to dump…return to weigh…get your ticket delivered to the truck…on your way within 5 minutes if there isn’t a lineup.

Here in Balcarres at the Cargill elevator, they pretty much take the probed sample and make bread from it. They get the tweezers out and pick through it, grind it, weigh it, pick through again…you get the idea…all while the trucks are lining up outside. Oh, no, you won’t be unloading until they have done all their tests…they will not be rushed, either.

So here we are combining wheat and the moisture reading is not that bad…13.5% is wet. We had 12.6% on the first load, 12.8% on the second…and they told us we had to quit!!! Too many green seeds…seriously. Al had a few words to say about that, but the guys with the tweezers have the control, so we had to quit early and will have to find something else to combine tomorrow…sounds like barley.

Al still had a load of wheat on the General, but the elevator closed at 8pm, so he parked it at the elevator and Marilyn picked him up and we came back to the camper for supper. Bob, our landlord came over to inspect the premises and have a chat after a long day of seeding winter wheat. The camper got his stamp of approval, including the solar sunflowers planted outside the door.

Yesterday when Marilyn got back to the camper, there was a bag with cucumbers and a big ripe tomato, courtesy of some garden gnome…the tomato disappeared at supper tonight between a couple of slices of toast.

C’mon, seriously…12.8%...

September 7, 2011

2011-09-08T00:21:00.003-05:00

View of the day-The gangs all here…almost…just missing one more Massey.

Al was up really early to get the General unhooked from the trailer and get the low down on what was happening for the day. We were out at the field by 10:30 and after a pile of organization, were able to get combining before noon. It was another perfect day for combining, it was almost 90º with just a light wind…beautiful fall weather.

Al started combining since he didn’t have to truck for the first part of the day and Marilyn had to go to town for groceries and to do some banking. Balcarres didn’t have a Credit Union, so Marilyn had to drive the extra miles to Fort Qu’Appelle to get the work done. After loading up at the Coop grocery store, she went back to the camper to get lunch made, then went back out to the field.

Back at the field, Al was still making dust with the rest of the crew and Marilyn hopped in and rode with him until it was his turn to run the tractor and cart…no pictures of that since the windows were pretty dusty and it was impossible to keep them cleaned off. Marilyn continued combining until Al was finished with his trucking duties, then he took over around 10pm…that’s right 10pm.

We had a hand held radio from Bob so we could keep in touch with what was going on and could talk to the cart driver when we needed to dump. With four combines in the field, it was not an easy task getting the dumping cycle coordinated…there was no telling where the next swath would take you and Marilyn’s yield map looked like spaghetti with all the twists and turns. It was to be expected what with the field conditions being so wet, but thankfully it was plenty dry enough so no one got stuck.

We are so used to being just the two of us in the field…we hardly ever talk on the radio because we know pretty much what the other is thinking and we have a system…most of the time. Today, it took some getting used to with all the chaos…at least it seemed like chaos to us…but it was perfectly orchestrated and everyone was where they needed to be at the right time. Marilyn just wasn’t used to the chatter, especially when Al would be calling on our radio and someone would be paging her on the hand held radio…and she would answer on the wrong one and wonder why no one was talking to her.

The good news for the day was that we actually got to see the hopper ‘full’ lights flashing on several occasions and when Marilyn left the field we had combined over 100 acres…and Al was still at it.

Marilyn guesses Bob wasn’t joking when he told Al this morning that they start combining at 7am and quit at 2am…

September 6, 2011

2011-09-06T23:26:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Bob in the combine and Kim in the truck, picking up on the go...something Marilyn has never seen...at least with a grain truck.

We were out at the field by 11am and started making dust shortly after. We had done about 8 acres, when Bob sent a test in to Marg at Precision Ag...plenty dry, but 4% green count. We had to quit.

Since we couldn't do any combining and Bob and Kim would be able to finish it off once the green count came down, we got everything back to the yard and started loading to move north to Balcarres. We loaded the pickup head on the trailer, then hooked it up to the combine trailer, before loading the combine.

We had a bit of an issue getting the combine trailer hooked up to the General. As soon as we started to use the hydraulic lift to get it high enough to set on the pintle hitch...it started to sink into the ground and getting it high enough with the lift was just not going to happen. We had to go 'old school' and use the box hoist, chains and blocks to get it to the right height...and of course it was plenty hot with no wind back in the bin area...just as it always is when we load up.

We had to get a safety chain welded up...Marilyn forgot to unhook it when she unhooked the hydraulic hoses and it snapped...the first time ever for that mistake. While Al was getting that and the water hoses looked after, Marilyn got the camper ready for the road. We got the camper hooked up and were on the road by 3pm.

The trip up had no breakdowns, but lots of traffic. Since we weren't sure we would be able to get unloaded in the farmer's yard, we stopped on the grid road just off the highway, dropped the combine trailer to unload the combine, then hooked back up so we could park it in the yard without it's cargo.

We got the camper parked and flanged in with power and water, then unhooked the header trailer from the combine trailer and got it and the General parked. We had left the combine parked in a roadside area after we unloaded it and once we got directions to the bin site where we would be starting tomorrow, we moved the combine and pickup head out there.

We took a run into Balcarres before going back to the camper and had an excellent supper with pleasant service considering it was only 1/2 hour to closing when we showed up. After we closed the place down, we went back to the camper for a much needed shower and to check out the internet service...super high water pressure and five bars on the Blackberry for internet.

Now we check the power to see if we can use the washer and dryer...

September 5, 2011

2011-09-06T00:04:00.003-05:00

View of the day-Al gets to pick up some canola…finally.

We got to sleep in a bit, then went to work getting the last of the tweaking and cleaning done on the combine…we had high hopes to start after lunch. We had lunch in the house, then after Bob did a couple of tests, it was time to get the machines into position and ready for action.

Gordie drove Kim’s rig, Bob was in his JD and Al got to drive our machine…Kim had the hauling job for the day. We didn’t need the General or an extra driver, so Marilyn had the day off to get some work done in the camper. For instance, after giving the water pump a couple of knocks…it started working. Not sure for how long though.

It was a gorgeous day and the guys made some time getting that canola picked up, finishing around 7:30pm, then going over to Bob and Audrey’s for supper. Marilyn and Marg grabbed a quick snack at home in between doing the books and working online.

Another good day tomorrow and we will be done here and ready to move again…

September 4, 2011

2011-09-05T00:41:00.004-05:00

View of the day-That time of the year again...time for a pedicure for the horses.

We had a chilly night, it got down to 38ºF, but we only noticed it when we had to pry ourselves out of bed into the cold temps. The furnace did not seem to want to work, but at least the fireplace took the bite out of the air and with the sun shining it, it didn’t take long before we were back to normal.

We had brunch at the house, then got started with a few little things that needed to get done on the combine. Marilyn picked the header off the trailer and moved the combine by the shop so we could use the compressor…Al wanted to blow the rads, air and cab filters, while Marilyn had an ‘inside’ job to do. The wheat awns, or beards, tend to pack in along the edge of the sieves and it takes a screwdriver and some nifty maneuvering to get all the stuff chiseled out.
After spending an hour getting the sieves cleaned, it was time to put it all back together and blow everything out the back. Al got all the tires aired up to the proper pressure and by then it was time to get into the house for the big Labor Day Classic, between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers…quite the rivalry.

Marilyn went to work on the furnace in the camper…it didn’t seem to want to kick in…so after some monkeying around, she finally got it to start and run. We will see if it works tonight when it cools off. Kim’s dad, Bob, went out and did a test on the canola, but it was pretty wet under the swaths, so it looked like we wouldn’t be doing much combining today, that meant there was time to watch the Riders kick the Bombers 27-7…a pretty good deal since the Bombers were doing a lot of crowing…they even took out a billboard to raz the Riders. Who’s eating crow now?

Kim and Marg had gotten a boat this summer and since there was to be no combining and it was reasonably nice out, we all decided to take the boat up to White Bear Lake, just 12 miles north of Carlyle, to do some wake boarding. Marg was at the casino for their big game day festivities so she met us at the lake just as we were getting organized on the water.
It was a nice change of pace to be on the water, neither Al nor Marilyn took a chance on the board…we left that to Gordie and Kim. Gordie was new at the sport and initially had a time of it trying to get up and stay up, but eventually he mastered it and after quite a bit of time in the water, gave up the rope to Kim so he could give it a whirl. Marilyn and Marg were riding in the front of the boat when a passing boat sent out a wave that soaked them pretty good, so it cooled of a lot with the wet clothes and the wind. Marilyn had started taking pictures with her camera when the rope snapped down and clipped the camper…fortunately she had the loop on her wrist, but the impact popped the battery door open and they both went flying, so no more pictures…at least from the camera. Good thing the new Blackberry had a good charge and you can bet the big bucks that she was on guard every time a boat went by.

As the sun was setting, we loaded up the boat and headed back for the farm. The first thing Marilyn did was to go directly to the back of the closet to get the ‘fall’ clothes…the toasty sweat shirts and fleece pants. She was pleasantly surprised when she put on her hoodie and the long lost set of camper keys fell out of the pouch…another bonus. After supper in the house, we came back to the camper and ran a test on the furnace…it worked…so far so good.

Of course, we wonder if it will work during the night when we need it…

September 3, 2011

2011-09-04T00:27:00.002-05:00

View of the day-The Freightliner and it's load are parked back at Yorkton Auction Centre...right where it started over three months ago.

We woke up to a much cooler day and a very strong NW wind...perfect for driving in to, especially with the Freightliner. We tossed around whether we should move the load to Yorkton today, or wait until tomorrow morning and hope the wind had gone down, but in the end we decided today was the day to get the move done and over with.

We got the door put back together after our window-fixing event, then got the shop trailer somewhat cleaned out and the necessary tools moved over to the pickup. We figured if we broke down, Kim has a shop full of whatever we might need for fixing and there was no sense in the Dodge not pulling anything up to Yorkton, so it had to go.

Once we got the Freight hooked back up to the trailer and fueled it up, we started off for Yorkton. We ran into a couple or three freak rain showers as we went through the Moose Mountain Park, but other than that it was 'buck the wind' all the way up. We got to Yorkton, parked the rig out behind the Yorkton Auction Centre, then took the back road out to our farm to drop off the shop trailer by the house.

Once we got back into town, we went for Chinese buffet then stopped at the Gallagher Centre so Al could pick up his season tickets for the junior hockey team...his Terriers. Unfortunately, the office wasn't open so he couldn't get his tickets, but Marilyn has promised she will call and get them at the early bird price before Sept. 9.

We left Yorkton, then stopped in Grayson on the way home to pick up our mail...a much smaller bag than last time we picked it up. After a quick visit with Raymond, we headed back for Carlyle...another uneventful drive except for the terrible 8 miles of road from Grayson to the main highway. There are so many of those red diamond 'bump' signs that the road looks like it is lit up...nasty.

We got back to Carlyle around 10pm and after having a visit with Kim, Marg and Gordie, we called it a night and headed for the camper.

And there are frost warnings for tonight...brrr...

September 2, 2011

2011-09-02T21:56:00.005-05:00

View of the day-A tire off a chisel plow or duckfoot or digger or deep tillage...choose your local lingo. Kim was working in the field and the tire had popped a bead...which he was unaware of. He kept working and as it turned through the field, it filled with dirt, packing it in even tighter. When he finally looked at it, he thought it looked low, so he tried to fill it with air...but of course, it wouldn't take it...and he realized what had happened. The guys at the tire shop had quite the time getting it off the rim.

Al had a 'to do' list of things for the day and Marilyn was going to help him, but she got side-tracked trying to get tech support at Sasktel to find out why she wasn't getting any emails for the past two days. After waiting for someone to answer the phone...after all "your call is important to us", she finally got to talk to someone who tried to help her with the dilemma. Looks like someone had hacked into the email and created a bit of chaos, but with the help of Sasktel and some password changes, she was back getting email...minus the spam.

After Al had taken care of all the 'little things' on the list, we started in on the Freightliner window debacle from a few weeks ago. We got the door dismantled, this time taking it several screws further than we had the last time and discovered what we figured the problem was. After a couple of calls to some wreckers to see if we could find a complete door for it...rather than trying to mickey-mouse the mechanism...when we discovered there weren't any out there, we decided to go the mickey route.

We gutted the parts for the chain pulley that cranks the window up and down, then eliminated some of those parts and with Kim's welding skills to build up the broken parts, had it working in almost no time at all. It cranks up and down smoothly...something it never did before...but it doesn't stay up or go all the way up. Al says it works just fine for him, he will use a bungee cord to hold the handle so it doesn't drop down and Marilyn and Marg have some plans for fixing the gap at the top.

We got run off a couple of times while we were working on the Freight, there were some rain showers that passed through...actually the first one was waaay more than a shower...it really came down, although it didn't amount to much in the gauge. We all went out for supper after such a productive day, then booked off for the rest of the evening.

Marilyn is quite happy with the fireplace in the camper...it just takes the chill out of the cool, damp evening...

September 1, 2011

2011-09-01T21:49:00.003-05:00

View of the day-Something is missing from the General's load.

It was an early morning...we had a lot of miles to cover, getting things moved around. First in the list was to get the General unhooked from the trailer so we could get it into town for a tire fix. One tire had popped the bead and was free wheeling on the rim...the inside dual on the same axle, and side had gone flat, so they both had to be fixed.

We got to the tire shop and they got us in right away but had to wait until they took them off, so we went over to the Skyline for eggs. When we got back they had discovered that the sidewalls were shot on both tires so we had to get new ones. Fortunately they had two there, so they would be able to get them on right away.

While the tires were getting put on we had time to go back and get the combine unloaded and moved out to the farm. Oh, yes...one thing is for certain in the harvesting business...nothing is cast in stone. Yesterday, we had no work in the area and had plans to move everything to Balcarres, the next thing you know, we have some canola to do in Carlyle...time to retool, so hence the unloading of the combine.

While Marilyn was roading the combine, Kim gave Al a ride over to the tire shop, then he took it back to the combine trailer where Marilyn met him...just in time to finish hooking up the trailer. We moved it out to the farm, then hooked up the straight header on the trailer so we could get it moved next.

We stopped at the house to check in, then started north to stop in Whitewook at the Agco dealer, then forged on to Balcarres, where we got the header parked and checked out the campground situation. After a chat with Bob, the farmer, we headed back for Carlyle...via Yorkton.

Once we got to Yorkton we stopped to drop some cargo off for someone who had some stuff shipped to our USA connection, then we went out to our house where Al had to test out the bed and check his eyelids for cracks. After that job was done, we hooked up the pickup header and trailer, then started the trip back to Carlyle...with no more via points.

Tomorrow, we might take the Freight and its load to Yorkton...nothing like driving...

August 31, 2011

2011-08-31T23:03:00.003-05:00

View of the day-The last morning at our campground…the Pingree Café on the left and the 281 Stop bar on the right…what could be better?

We didn’t get up at the crack of dawn because we were only going to Carlyle…275 miles, no biggie. Once we did get everything battened down and ready for the road, we went to the Café for lunch, then settled up with them and the bar.

We left the campground, then went over and got the General started…and discovered one of the combine trailer tires was low, so we had to un-batten the shop trailer to get to the compressor. We have an oversize sign that is threaded strategically through the back doors and we didn’t want to redo it, so we just cracked the door enough to get the air hose out and around to the tire. Once it was full, we got everything put away and forged on.

The trip went without event until Al thought he heard a pop from the back and thought it was one of the tires out back somewhere, so he pulled over to check it out…false alarm. We got to the border around 5pm and sailed through the USA port after they checked out the serial numbers on everything. We had to wait to get to the Canadian port because there was a few vehicles lined up, but once we were there, we answered a few questions and we were on our way to Carlyle.

About 6 miles south of town, we passed a tandem truck with a double header trailer pulled over on our side of the road. It looked like he needed some help, so we figured we would get the General parked a few miles north at Precision Ag, then we would go back and see if we could help out somehow. When we got to Precision, we could see several combines and trucks parked across the road and realized it was Holland Harvesting and it was their truck that was on the limp.

Al got the General parked, then we stopped across the road to talk to Rob who explained there was some kind of fuel issue with the truck and they didn’t have a pickup with them. We took the camper out to Kim and Marg’s, then Al and Kim went out with his pickup to give Rob a hand. Marg and Marilyn had supper with Gordie, then got the camper parked in a new spot by the shed. Al and Kim got back with the news that it was a wire that had come off the fuel pump and once it was reconnected, they were on the road again.

Back at the camper, we were watching the lightning and listening to the thunder…lots of weather warnings both at home in Yorkton and here in Carlyle.

It feels like we could walk out the door and be in an Oklahoma storm…if they get them anymore…

August 30, 2011

2011-08-30T23:27:00.002-05:00

View of the day-No harvesting in the field, but Marilyn managed to harvest a deal at Walmart…a triple crock pot with individual controls, lid racks and spoons…only $34!

Al was up early to take the straight header up to Carlyle. He started out in the fog but after about 100 miles, he was driving in sunlight and made good time getting to the border at 11:30am.

After parking the header at Carlyle, he stopped for a visit with a couple of farmers, then headed back to Pingree, getting back to the border at 3pm, then dropped the hammer back to the camper.

Thanks to Danny supplying a pickup for Marilyn to drive, there was a trip to Jamestown to get a last shopping trip in before moving back to Canada. After her shopping trip she stopped for supper and a good visit with Donna Tompkins. We used to camp out at Donna’s house on the farm when we would come back for the fall harvest in years past, but now she lives in a senior’s complex in Jamestown, so we don’t get to see her as much.

Al made it back to the camper about an hour before Marilyn did and after she got everything put away from the shopping trip, it was time to relax with a Third Rock from the Sun marathon on TV.

Looks like we move on tomorrow…

August 29, 2011

2011-08-29T20:05:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Cleaned and loaded to go...we even managed to get rid of all the mud from the...'events'.

Marilyn woke up at 2am and discovered the mother mouse had hit the sticky trap...that was a relief, if it was, indeed the mother. When we got up at 8:00am, there were three of the little pups stuck beside her...a wonderful sight.

We went over to the Cafe for breakfast, then Al started washing off the header that was parked by the camper. Marilyn dug into the depths of the camper to see if she could find the nest...hopefully they had just moved in while we were here and hadn't been born here. We estimated the young to be around 3 weeks old...we are far from experts on all things mousey...so we hoped they didn't arrive when we were on our Canadian vacation.

After getting the header and camper clean, we went out to the combine to start cleaning by blowing off all the chaff from the various hidey-holes. Once we got it clean, we took it over to one of the farmers that offered us to use his hot water pressure washer to get all that caked on clay off. It didn't take as long as we had thought...the hot water makes short work of the dirt...and we were on our way back to town with the combine around 4:30pm.

We got back to the elevator, where the trailer and General...which hadn't turned a wheel since we parked it there...were ready for loading. With the combine loaded and tied down, we got the General hooked up to the trailer, then got the shop trailer hooked on behind the combine trailer...and all lights worked!

Back at the camper, we discovered the demise of the 13 stripe ground squirrel that had been digging holes around the camper...he had gotten stuck on the trap that Marilyn had left out with the first two mice on it...well, what was left of them after the cat got through gnawing on them last night.

We went back to the bar for supper, then went back to the camper so Al could get his paperwork in order for his trip to Carlyle with the header. We couldn't find anyone to make the run with us on Wednesday, so it's backhaul time and we will both go on Wednesday with the combine and camper.

Marilyn will spend tomorrow visiting and shopping...with no time limit...

August 28, 2011

2011-08-28T20:58:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Justin opens up the last of the field so Marilyn doesn’t get stuck.

Last night just before we went to bed, Al was reading the Green Sheet and looked up to see a mouse running across the floor and disappearing into a hole in one of the drawers on the steps to the bedroom. This drawer has several pairs of shoes, so Marilyn went in and shook them all out looking for the mouse...no luck...but Al went over to the General and got his mousetrap to lay a trap line

Not long after Al had gone to bed, Marilyn was watching TV and noticed something out of the corner of her eye...a mouse scampered from under the kitchen table across the floor and under the counter...she went looking for it but couldn't find it anywhere. About a half hour later, she could hear some scratching under the counter. She went to investigate and discovered the mouse had somehow gotten stuck between the garbage bag and the plastic garbage can...there was only a used coffee filter in the new garbage bag, so she could see the mouse through the plastic trying to lay low. She took the can out to the dumpster and emptied it...with great force...if it happened to live; at least it would find better things to eat and would leave us alone.

We went to sleep thinking the coast was clear, but had the trap set...just in case. About 4am we woke up to the sound of rain falling on the camper, it was heavier than yesterday’s early morning shower, but it didn’t last too long…it did settle the dust and that meant we would be able to sleep in. Too bad the mouse didn’t get the memo…he was back scratching at 7am. Marilyn got up to see where he was this time, but once again, he was in hiding and we just went back to sleep.

When we finally got up, Marilyn took a look at the trap line and it was empty. She checked through the drawers and discovered that the noise she had been hearing was the little bugger chewing into a bag of licorice twizzlers…he preferred the black to the red.

We went over to the Café for lunch and Charlotte, from the bar, joined us for coffee and told us about some sticky trays that they used when they had mouse problems. She gave us a couple, with a slice of cheese to bait them, then we set them up and went out to do some combining.

Justin was already making dust when we got out there, so Marilyn got right to work and even though there were some pretty soft spots, she managed to finish her share of the field without getting stuck. And that concludes the USA summer harvest for 2011…kind of sad.

Danny led us out of the field the back way so we wouldn’t have to drive through the spongy field…Al was having a hard time finding a solid spot to drive through with the tractor/cart and was having to take smaller loads just to make sure he didn’t sink the cart. By the way, the picture from yesterday with the cart that was sunk…we talked to the farmer in the restaurant and he said between the three combines and two grain carts, on 250 acres they were stuck 25 times!

We got the combine parked in the field across from Charlottes and blew off the header, then got it loaded on the high transport trailer, ready for the wash job and the move north. We pulled the header back to the camper, where Al will get the job of washing it tomorrow while Marilyn blows off the combine, then washes it out at Charlottes.

When we got back to the camper, we were eager to see what our trap line had brought us…success…sort of. There were two small mice stuck to one of the trays…unfortunately, they were quite a bit smaller than the one Marilyn had seen running across the floor last night. Great…a family. Since neither of us could bring ourselves to kill the two mice on the tray, Marilyn just set it outside, hoping they would squirm themselves to death…or something. Out of sight, out of mind.

Marilyn was lucky enough to have the first shower to get rid of all the chaff and dust from the header. Al went on a road trip to have a visit with our friend, Mike, and once he came back, Mike followed him in to drop off a wall clock that Al had purchased…and he wanted to check out the new camper.

After Mike left, there was a knock at the door and Danny was out there wanting to know if we wanted a pizza at the bar. They are closed on Sunday, but since they are part of the family owners, they have some pull, so we went in and had supper with him and Leanne. After that, we went back to the camper…no more mice, so far…and took the rest of the night off.

Not that there was much of it left…

August 27, 2011

2011-08-27T21:15:00.003-05:00

View of the day-Both combines running and the cart keeping the grain away.

WE DIDN'T GET STUCK TODAY...and we DID combine this time.

We were out at the field just after lunch and after doing the windows and topping up the oil, we were ready to roll. No one else was out yet and we didn't want to start the last quarter without some guidance, so the first thing we did was drive the pickup over to get Big Red from the other side of the field and put it in a handy spot...just in case.

Justin showed up and did his servicing, then he led us over to the entrance of the field. Marilyn waited while he cut a few patches out for her to remain out of mud's way, then she started making dust right behind him.

Things went well until Justin started having power issues, so he had to quit until he could get some fuel filters. Without Justin to blaze a trail, Marilyn wasn't going to take ANY chances, so we quit around 6:30pm...more banker's hours. We took the scenic route into town to see a catastrophe we had heard about from Justin.

No matter how bad you think you have it...it could always be worse. This farmer's grain cart had a wheel drop and even with the Cat tractor with tracks, it wasn't going to move. Not to far away, they had also gotten one of the combines stuck and had a CaseIH Quadtrac hooked up to pull it out...and the trackhoe was making an appearance to help dig it out. When we left, the combine had gotten out, but the cart was still in deep...the auger was set up next to it and the grain cart auger wasn't going to miss the pit because it was only about four feet off the ground.

We got back to the bar and went in for supper, getting a good visit in with some friends from way back, then headed back to the camper for a cleanup and an early night.

We hope to finish that field tomorrow...

August 26, 2011

2011-08-26T21:56:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Changing of the guards...and sections on the header.

WE DIDN'T GET STUCK TODAY!!!

But, of course, we didn't cut today either.

Al was up early and into Jamestown to pick up some oil and a filter for the combine. The alarm had been going off for an oil change so he figured we could get it done after we were done cutting today. He had also arranged to meet with Chris, the territory rep for MacDon that was in the area, so he could take a look at our header.

Once Al got back, Chris showed up and he hopped in with us in the pickup and we went over to the combine to check it over. He did a few tests, then said new guards and sections would make a big difference, so we decided to bite the bullet and get that job done...hopefully it would make using the useless reverser unnecessary. After we took him back to his car, which was at the camper, we went over to the Cafe for lunch, then headed back into Jamestown to get the guards and sections.

We stopped at West Country to get the guards, and the gentleman who was helping us out just happened to have some toy tractors on his desk...well, there was another 20 minutes comparing notes. He has several 1/16 Versatile tractors that he wants to get rid of since he is now into the 1/32 scale...Al was pretty excited about a couple of them and they will likely end up in his collections at some time.

After we got the parts, we picked up the shop trailer at the farmyard, then trundled it down the rough road out to the field...no wrenches left on the wall from the ride. We started the assembly line at the knife head, so we would do the hard part first. That went well, so we continued on taking off 5 guards and the knife sections underneath, then putting on the new ones...it worked like a dream. We had visitors while we were out there, but didn't stop our assembly and we were finished in 3 hours and after getting the hold downs set to perfection, it looked fabulous.

While we were working on the knife, we had time to drain the oil and change the filter, so Marilyn could reset the alarm and get rid of the chimes for another 300 hours. Marilyn greased the combine, then we tested out the new guards and sections...it ran like a top...smooth and chatter-free.

Justin was able to keep combining and worked at cleaning up all the patches that we couldn't get to earlier. He did manage to get stuck after we left last night with a full hopper, but we didn't get to see it, so it could be just a rumor.

We cleaned up all the tools, leaving the wrenches on the counter because that is where they would end up with the trip back down the trail, then took the shop trailer back to the farm and called it a day.

Tomorrow, we get to test the new knife...

August 25, 2011

2011-08-25T21:11:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Al winds his way through the maze of soft spots and water holes to get back to the truck.

We got out to the field a little later than normal and spent some time looking over what the big pull could have damaged on the combine. After scraping the lumps of mud and clay off the tire and underneath the chassis, we could see the screen that protects...as best a screen can...the transmission area. We took it off and straightened it out with what we had on hand, then put it back together...quite a task since we couldn't get it completely straight.

We also hooked on a new tow strap to the chain so that it would stay on all the time. We had been folding the last tow strap over the chain and hooking both loups up to the main tow rope and after all the pulling, the tow strap got cut in half from the chain. We learned from that mistake. We also had to make sure the straps were long enough so the auger wouldn't accidently go through the back tractor window.

We finally got rolling around 1pm and Marilyn was trying to stay on the high spots to avoid having another of "those" incidents and did pretty well for the first couple of hours...then...on the top of a hill...both big wheels dropped down.

Marilyn rode over with Al in the tractor and cart to get Big Red from the other side of the field, then drove the cart back while Al brought the big gun over. We got the strap hooked up and ready for when Danny showed up and when he got in and gave a tug...it came right out. Woo hoo!

Marilyn was even more careful than before and managed to total 40 acres for the day...a far cry from the 140 acre days, but considering the extra curricular activities that have been going on, pretty darn good.

Justin forged on...his combine is 4000 lbs lighter and he has a smaller header, so that helps, too. Al keeps suggesting we go get our old 2588 back because then we wouldn't have to worry about being so heavy.

We worked banker's hours today, starting after lunch and quiting around 7pm. We are getting ready to move over to the last quarter of the three we started out with.

And we hear it is the wettest of the three...

August 24, 2011

2011-08-25T00:03:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Al checks out the waterway to see if it is safe to cross.

We got an early start, Al wanted AIS at 10:30am and we were only 5 minutes late getting started. Justin was taking last nights load into the elevator so Marilyn was on her own for the first while…which made for some interesting cutting.

This field has also been called the “Land of 1000 Lakes”...there are a lot of potholes and this wet season has filled ALL of them. Marilyn was slowly working her way around all that she could, getting further and further south, away from the trucks and not getting to cut any big patches. Justin got back with the semi and started combining a patch on the east side of the first ravine, it was a lot drier there so he got some pieces patched out for Marilyn to cut before he took off with the next loaded semi.

It was working so much better on this side and Marilyn was getting lots of ground covered with hardly any soft spots…until she started cutting around one of the potholes. She made a point of cutting around 15 feet away from the pothole, when all of a sudden the right front wheel just dropped…about 4 feet down.

It didn’t look good. Al went over and got Big Red and tried to give the combine a tug…after all, there was only one wheel down and the other three were on solid ground…no luck, it just spun down even further. The combine tire had almost disappeared and we could see the reason was the oozing clay that was sucking it even deeper as the tire spun…time for another plan.

Danny made a call to bring in a trackhoe and after an hour’s wait, Nick showed up with rig. He was a master at the levers and was able to get a lot of the mud dug out from beside and behind the big wheel. We tried again with Big Red…the combine tire just spun deeper and by now the back rear left wheel was completely off the ground and able to spin freely. Time for another plan.

Nick took the trackhoe over to the rock pile and brought over a couple of bucket fulls to put in the hole behind the tire to give it some traction and just to be sure we would have a solid pull, Danny called in the big gun…a 4 wheel drive JD with triples.

We watched Justin continue combining and after a short wait for the JD, we got the tow strap hooked up and gave it a slow steady pull…and this time it had enough traction to get the combine out and pulled back onto solid ground.

By now the sun had gone down and there was no way Marilyn was going to attempt combining in the dark, so we drove back over to the other side of the field to park for the night. We stopped in the bar for supper and the first thing we heard from the crowd was “we already saw the pictures”…Al was ready to accuse Marilyn of uploading to Facebook, like she did the last time, but she was innocent this time…it was the guys in the JD rescue rig.

Marilyn was saving the pictures for the blog…

August 23, 2011

2011-08-23T21:25:00.001-05:00

View of the day-The rain didn't hold us up, it was business as usual.

We didn't have to get out to the field early today, since the rain that fell last night put the brakes on cutting. The good news was, the rain gauge only had wet chaff in it, so there was hope we would get started later in the day.

Al went out to the field and took the flat tire off the header...it was the same tire that we had gotten 'fixed' the other day. The guy told us the tube might not last and he didn't lie. We took it into Jamestown and while Al took it to the tire shop, Marilyn went to Walmart to pick up some much needed groceries to make lunches.

After getting both jobs done, we stopped for lunch, then went back to the camper to wait. We decided to go out around 4pm and when we got out to the field, we could see that Wayne had started combining, while Justin took the load of wheat from yesterday in to the elevator.

We got the tire back on the header, then Marilyn started combining...there wasn't much left there and we were finished within the hour and were ready to make the move north.

The trip over was quite scenic…which translates into hair raising…rolling hills, patched roads where the water had been washing across, fiber optic idiots with their trucks parked on the road while they sat inside drinking coffee, and the two track trail that eventually led to the field. And then we had to delicately cross a spot where a new culvert had been put in…and it was just barely wide enough for the combines to cross.

Once we got across and into the field, we cut a patch to park everything, then Justin struck out across the field and Marilyn followed right behind him. This was a precarious situation…just because Justin could get through the low spots with the 2388, Marilyn wouldn’t make it through as easy.

Marilyn tried to find a high spot to keep out of trouble, but a high spot does not necessarily guarantee dry ground and just as she was getting close to the top…she was stopped in her tracks…literally. Big Red, the 4 wheel drive, was just showing up in the field, so Wayne found a path over to the combine and tugged it out without issue.

And once the sun was down we quit for the day, because “Hell’s Kitchen” as the field is called, is not someplace you want to be in the dark…

August 22, 2011

2011-08-22T22:22:00.003-05:00

View of the day-Marilyn finishing up a corner…and don’t bother scrolling down to see any disaster pictures…today was ‘stuck-free’!

We went over to the Café for breakfast, then headed out to the field to do some servicing and get ready for action…and there was a lot of it today. Both combines ran without incident and the big 4 wheel drive never even got started.

Al was kept busy with the grain cart, making sure the semis were tarped and ready to go when the truck drivers showed up and he had his work cut out for him making sure Marilyn didn’t have too much in the hopper. She was hoping today would be the day not to get stuck.

We finished on one side of the water run, then moved down the road to get to the other side…it was much better combining on this side because the land was a bit higher and the high temperatures helped. Of course, ‘high’ here is more like 88º. The humidity was unreal…around 65% for most of the day…Marilyn’s cab windows had little fog circles where the a/c was blowing on it. It was really sticky.

Justin took his spreaders off and dropped straw for a few acres, so that meant Marilyn had to venture out on her own…carefully on her own. We had a good day…didn’t finish the field…but have whittled it down to just the wet spots and with the heat that is supposed to be coming this week, they will likely get lapped up before long. We stopped to fuel up...we have only been putting in 100 gallons at a time to keep the combine weight down.

We quit before dark because it was getting super tough and Marilyn had to pull straw out of her knife too many times during the day due to the tough straw. There was a big cloud that was moving in from the west and we were hoping it would miss us…and maybe it did…out at the field at least.

We had supper in the bar before calling it a night. We did end up getting a big wind, rain and lots of lightning and thunder…we don’t know about the accumulation, but the camper is still upright, so that is something, at least.

We might get to do some fixing tomorrow, depending what is in the rain gauge…

August 21, 2011

2011-08-21T22:12:00.002-05:00

View of the day-The army is lined up with the most important part of the operation standing guard.

We had a somewhat productive day. We started off with our morning stroll over to the Cafe for breakfast, then packed the lunch bags and headed out to the field.

When we got there, we saw one of the semis getting two new boots on the trailer so we asked the tire man if he could fix another one of the tires on the header that had gone flat.He did't have a tube with him, but he said he would come back later and get the job done.Marilyn was gun shy and stayed away from anyplace that even looked like she might get stuck and fortunately, Al got his exercise by walking the patches that were left so there would be smooth sailing for the combine.

Justin had a good day in his combine, being lighter weight he could go places that Marilyn couldn't...but he still wasn't light enough to cross the waterway to get to the last patch in the field. First stuck of the day, but he came out with hardly a tug from the 4 wheel drive and he left that patch for another day.

Marilyn moved over to a small piece across the road and cleaned it up in no time and it was plenty dry, so there was no worried...why can't it all be like this...shut up and drive. We had to move a few miles over to the next field and this one was relatively flat compared to the last field. Justin started out on the north piece and Marilyn struck out on the larger south piece and she was able to cut right across the centre of the field without issue.

We never did get all the wheat cut, but with it opened up the heat and wind could get to the ground and dry it out so it could get finished later on in the week...hopefully.

Al had talked to Justin and he decided it would work better if we were both on the same piece, so Marilyn moved over and started cutting on the piece he had patched out. She had just turned around at the end of the standing grain and was about to start back in cutting, when her knife stopped. She tried to reverse the knife, but Lord knows that is a waste of time, so she decided to back up so she could go out and pull the straw out...the combine didn't want to move. Well, actually it did move...straight down...stuck two of the day.

Wayne was manning the grain cart while Al was running a truckload to town and since he had just left the field with the truck, he was able to leave the truck in Pingree and get a ride back to the field to help pull the combine out. Wayne took over in the 4 wheel drive and because we have a chain wired up, ready for action, it didn't take long to get the straps hooked to the tractor and Marilyn to get pulled out.

She went back to work on the high ground and was going along fairly good, but it wasn't long after that she was making a turn to go back into the standing grain to meet the grain cart when one wheel of the combine dropped and there she was...stuck again. Al came over with the grain cart and was able to get the combine unloaded and we were pretty sure that without the 100 bushels of wheat in the hopper, we might have been able to get out...but why take any chances when the cavalry is right there.

Still not ready to give up, she helped Justin finish off the last of the piece patched out, then we called it a night...it was getting tough...Marilyn actually had her feeder plug up. Surprisingly the reverser works to get that unplugged.

What adventures will tomorrow bring...

August 20, 2011

2011-08-20T22:35:00.003-05:00

View of the day-We are back in the zone, cutting spring wheat in Pingree, ND.

We walked over to the Pingree Cafe...50 yards from the camper, through some mighty wet grass...and got our egg fix in. After breakfast, we loaded up the lunch bags and headed out to the field to get the combine ready for action.

Marilyn did the windows and got her camera mounted in the hopper so she could keep track of the wheat as it piled up...actually, she would likely not see a full hopper for a while...more later. Marilyn was having issues with the steering column...the same issue that Casey had with his JD combine...it tilted fine, but it would not lock into place. We discovered what the issue was and got it fixed as best we could, then got the header hooked up and ready for action, then we moved across the road to cut a patch for the trucks.

This field we are working on is one of those fields, that when you drive by, you think how scenic it is...rolling hills and thick wheat...beautiful. BUT when you actually have to go in and cut it...well,that is a whole other story. The hills help to keep the water drained...and they had a lot of it this year...but there were places where the water eventually had to end up and Marilyn started out avoiding these spots at all costs. It was easy enough to cut through the high part of the field, but it didn't take long before the "window kissing" hills gave way to the valleys and their hidden traps.

Al was running the grain cart and made a point of dumping the combine on every other pass, just to keep the weight off the combine...hence the mention about not getting to use the hopper camera. While he was up dumping the cart into the semi...Marilyn planted it. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as the Esterhazy catastrophe from last fall and Danny was able to pull her out with the 4 wheel drive tractor and a healthy tow strap.

Then the steering column gave way again, but this time Marilyn decided to keep on combining and just deal with the excitement of a wayward steering column with a mind of its own...we could deal with it when we quit for the day.

At least the combine could still do the important job, even though the tracks looked like Marilyn might have had a few beverages, or the wrong glasses on.

Justin was having issues with his 2388 CaseIH combine...or rather his draper head, the combine was working fine. Since his combine was lighter that Marilyn's, he was going to try and open up the field, or at the very least, patch out some pieces that Marilyn could clean up, but he would just get going and the feed draper would stop and he would have to get out and do some fixing. Eventually he had to go for parts, so Marilyn was on her own.

The weather was unpredictable...clouds built up, then dumped rain and moved on, but we were fortunate to only get a sprinkle to slow us down for a bit. Three miles south a half an inch fell...nice that most of the showers split and went around us.

When we finally quit combining, just as the sun was going down, we gave Ray from ProHarvest a call to find out what the issue with the steering column could be and he walked us through what he thought it might be. We had looked online at the parts catalogue and described to him which part we thought was wrecked, but when we had it off, we could see that the threads weren't stripped as we originally suspected. It turned out to be a lock nut that was hidden behind a rubber boot that wasn't doing it's job...we clued that bugger in and got everything almost back together. We had to stop because the mosquitoes were almost carrying us off. And that is pretty serious when you consider the size of us.

Still a pretty good day of combining...

August 19, 2011

2011-08-19T22:18:00.006-05:00

View of the day-The Freightliner unhooked from it's load after almost a month...back in Canada at Carlyle. It will get the next couple of weeks off, too.

Up early and on the road after grabbing a coffee at the Pingree Cafe...we really need to get the coffee machine running in the camper...old and weak is not the way to get going in the morning...and we are talking about the coffee...not us!

We got over to Wilton and Al got the Freightliner started, courtesy of the booster cables and the Dodge, then did a circle check. When he looked at the hitch on the tractor, he noticed the pin that hooks the cart to the tractor had crept up out of the bottom hole and had bent the hair pin that was supposed to keep the pin in place. We managed to get the remains of the hairpin out and Marilyn took it into the Cenex to see if they had a replacement...they didn't...but they did have a bolt that would do the job.

We put a ramp board across the trailer so the jack on the cart would lift the hitch high enough to get the pin back in place. Once we accomplished that,we were back on the road to Carlyle, with all things operational...for a while at least.

Just as we got outside Minot, the sun...which had been behind the clouds all morning...came out and Al decided he wanted to open the driver's window in the Freight to get some air. It didn't want to crank down...not that it ever did crank down that well, but if you held your tongue right and used both hands to crank and ease it down, it would work. For some reason it had jammed up and when we turned the handle, it worked...at least it "turned". Around and around and around...without connecting to anything.

Of course, we didn't have the shop trailer, so we had to make do with what tools we had and every bolt that was holding the door panel on was a different size, making it even more challenging. We eventually got the window down, dodging traffic as we were parked on the side of the road...on a really wide shoulder, but you can never be too careful, can you? We nicely got the door panel bolted back on and closed the door...then the door latch wouldn't work to get the door open! How was Al supposed to get in?

First, a mental picture of what the cab of the Freight is like. The seats are very close to the dash...Marilyn's knees are right up against it when she rides in the passenger seat. Now add to this a steering wheel that is two feet across and you can see the problem trying to into the driver's seat...enough of a task when the door does open. Al...not the happiest about the situation to start with...managed to contort himself enough to get into the seat, decided we should keep going on to Kenmare where we could park in the lot at the Cenex and work on it without traffic bothering us. We just hoped we wouldn't get stopped by the coppers and have to get out of the cab.

So we made it to Kenmare, got the door opened...eventually...and not without some "language". We managed to get the window completely out of the door...in one piece, amazingly...got the latches all lubed up and working better than they ever did, then headed for the border...all doors operational.

The crossing went smoothly...through in ten minutes total for both sides...then we were on the last leg of the northern run. We got out to Kim and Marg's farm, got it parked out in the back field, then unhooked the trailer from the Freight so it wouldn't be hanging on the hitch for a long time. After a chat with nephew, Gordie and a stop at Precision Ag for some fresh brewed coffee...strong and no floating scum...and a gab, we were rolling back to Pingree.

We were listening to a radio station that had a sports talk show rehashing the Rider football game from last night and Al decided to call in with his opinion. He told the call screener his opinion and was waiting on hold when there was breaking news...they had just fired the head coach and the offensive coordinator! Al was the first caller after the big news and did an excellent job voicing his opinion on the big cuts...of course, he's no stranger to being "on the air".

Again, we got through the border without incident, actually getting the same woman at the US side who was surprised to see us so soon. On we drove, stopping at McDonald's in Minot where Marilyn took over driving so Al could grab a snooze. After a stop for fuel in Fessenden, Al took over the wheel so he could listen to his choice of radio show...aliens and such on Coast to Coast AM. That is the deal...the driver has control of the dial, while the co-pilot fetches the pop, files the receipts, sets up the gps...oh, wait...that is when Marilyn is co-pilot.

We made it home by 10pm...a 580 mile round trip with a lot accomplished and now we hope to get combining tomorrow...it looks promising.

A side note...the Freight never hauled one load in the USA this harvest season...first time ever...

August 18, 2011

2011-08-18T22:27:00.002-05:00

View of the day-First load of the day making the short move through Wing and on to Washburn.

We got a lot accomplished today and most of it was according to schedule. We were up early to get the camper closed up and ready to move, but that wasn’t the first thing on the moving list. We went down to Hazelton to get the General, combine and shop trailer moved up to Sterling.

Once we had it parked, we got the Freightliner started…it took some coaxing, but after a boost from the Dodge it roared to life. There could be some new cables in her future. We grabbed a quick coffee, then took off for Wilton where we would leave it until tomorrow.

We took the scenic route up through Wing, then over to Wilton…a much quieter stretch of road for wide loads. When we got to Wilton, they were tearing up the lot at the Cenex, so we continued on to Washburn. Marilyn figured at this rate, we would end up at the border…but we found some place to squeeze in at the Cenex there, then it was back to Sterling to get the camper and the General load.

We had just gotten the camper hooked up and moved out to the highway...thanks to the Eberles who gave us somewhere to park...when we met with Lynn and Gerry who had just returned from their trip home to Canada. They are desperately looking for a truck driver or two and had hoped that Al would be able to help them out for a couple of days, but with our trip back to Carlyle tomorrow and the probability that we will start combining on our own on Saturday, we couldn’t oblige them. But…if you always wanted to go on a harvest run, are in the Sterling area or want to make the move and want to drive grain truck for a week or so, email us and we can get you in touch with them.

We grabbed a quick snack at the Cenex, then started off for Pingree…a peaceful drive up to Wing again and down highway 36. We got into town, then parked the General at the old elevator, then went over to the 281 Stop to park the camper. We used to camp here in the past, but the last few times we have come to harvest, it has been in the fall and we never had a camper with us. We got backed into a spot, hooked up the water and power, then went over to get the General unhooked and the combine unloaded.

We hadn’t forgotten how to unload things, even though it seemed like it had been forever since we had been in the combine…or at least that’s how it seemed. We got it unloaded and parked the General, then Al drove it out to the farm, while Marilyn followed with the pickup and shop trailer. We passed some tracks that looked like they wouldn’t be getting used for a while, due to the abundance of water in the area…shocking how much erosion has moved these heavy pieces of steel and ties.

It was a short drive of about 10 miles and when we got out there, we unhooked the shop trailer, then unlocked it to see what kind of catastrophe had happened on the move up from Gettysburg. With it hooked up behind the combine trailer, it bounces around a lot and when we took a look in we were surprised to see that there were actually some wrenches left on the wall…although most of them were on the bench and floor. After getting it organized, we came back to the camper so Marilyn could get the dish set up for the Rider game.

Dish aiming took some doing, since the highway that runs past the Stop goes NW to SE, which makes it hard to figure out which way is south and which way the dish should be pointing. With the Dishnetwork system we used to have, we just had to put in the zip code and the elevation and azimuth would show up on the screen, but with this Canadian dish, it is more or less a crap shoot. We set the dish close to one of the back windows and Al had it open to let Marilyn know how the signal was showing up on the dish and how close she was getting. There had been a big cloud passing over and while Marilyn was working on the dish, there was a loud clap of thunder…the lightning must have hit close by…so Al figured he could wait a bit for the game and told Marilyn to come into the camper until things quieted down a bit. By the time she got in the camper, it started to rain and within three minutes, it started to pour so much we couldn’t see the trees a half mile away. Fortunately, it didn’t last too long and once the rainbow showed up, it was safe to get back to dish aiming. This time it was a 10 minute job and Al was watching his Riders stink the joint out…for the first 50 minutes of the game, at least.

Marilyn headed in for a shower and was shocked to learn…the hard way…that the propane tank was empty and there was no hot water. Good thing the other tank was full, but now she had to wait for the water to heat up, so we went into the bar to have supper…a bonus we get camping here. After supper, it was time to shower and catch up on some laundry before calling it an early night, so we can get rolling at the crack of dawn.

The Riders pulled off another loss and there is a strong north wind blowing…

August 17, 2011 - Happy Birthday Al!

2011-08-17T21:03:00.002-05:00

View of the day-The berm around the CaseIH dealer in Minot, ND is starting to come down, now that the water has receded.

We got up early, had coffee with Kim and Marg, then headed for the border at Northgate. Mr. Happy was at the gate, and lived up to his name by quizzing us, checking a bag or two, grilling us on the size of the slip tank, then telling us to have a great day.

We stopped in Minot at the Happy Panda for Chinese buffet and timed it just right…early enough to beat the rush and get in on the fresh food. After lunch we forged on, taking the round about way to Bismarck…via Pingree…so we could check out the crop over there. We got to see the aftermath of the flooding around Minot…it’s going to take a lot of recovery.

We drove down to Pingree, stopped in at the 281 Stop to check out the campground…we will be the only ones in there tomorrow, so we will get the choice spot…then started back to Sterling. We decided that we would go down to Hazelton and get the Freightliner load moved up to Sterling along with the header, then tomorrow morning the Freight would get moved to Wilton to wait for the Friday trip to Carlyle. We then decided we might as well get the header closer to Pingree and since Danny, the farmer, works out of Medina, right along the interstate, we took it to his workplace and left it there for him to move to Pingree tomorrow.

After dropping it off, we stopped for an ice cream at the Dairy Treat, then forged back to the camper at Sterling. Over 500 miles today.

Meanwhile, tomorrow we will move the Freight, then go back to Hazelton to get the General and combine, then Marilyn will hook up the camper on the way back through Sterling.

At least that is the plan…

August 13, 14, 15, 16, 2011

2011-08-17T14:18:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Al gets some cutting in on some green grass.

It’s a slippery slope when the blog gets missed for a day…then two…then three…but there really wasn’t much going on, so you didn’t miss a lot.

Saturday was spent getting prepared for the wedding, then attending the ceremony, supper and dance. We were honored to be the Master of Ceremonies for the evening and had a pretty good time…we even avoided the usual “discussions” we have regarding the way things should be flowing. It’s a good thing Jenna had a script written out for us that we just had to personalize with our own style. A lot of fun and a late night, as we got home around 4am.

Sunday we laid low, we went for brunch at the greenhouse, then went out to see how the land had faired with all the moisture…it couldn’t get seeded, so it looked pretty bad, but at least what was out there was dead, making it look even worse. But then, there are a lot of the fields around that look the same.

Marilyn had a meeting with her theatre ‘peeps’…a lovely afternoon in the back yard of one of the members and lots accomplished. The last couple of meetings that she has attended have been through Skype….which works, but is not quite the same. Al came and picked her up when he was done with his visiting with the neighbors out at the farm.

Monday, Al got some yard work done after borrowing the neighbor’s riding lawn mower…apparently for our ‘huge’ yard, the push mower will not suffice. We are still trying to figure out how to adapt the mini combine to cut grass. Marilyn had a rehearsal later on in the evening and this time everyone came out to our place…only four people, a small cast for the entry into the TheatreOne drama festival that is coming up in Kamsack the first week of November. Marilyn is directing this play so she will have to forgo the toy show in Dyersville, Iowa this year, because it falls on the same weekend.

During the night the storms started up around midnight, they came and went until starting full time around 3am…we ended up getting just over an inch of rain, but it was a lot better than the almost 5 inches they got to the east of us.

Tuesday it was time to pack up and head back to North Dakota, but first we had a pile of things to get done in town before we left. Al had purchased a new hopper bin to put up on the land we had bought last year and he wanted to make sure he added the dryer tube to it before they had it built…no rush, since there was no crop this year. Marilyn had to pull a marathon shift at the Sasktel store, purchasing a new Blackberry.

After talking to the people at one of the Sasktel offices on Monday, Marilyn changed her data plan so she could use her Blackberry for tethered data while at home in Saskatchewan. After getting back home, she tried it out, but the BB Curve that she had…almost three years old…kept rebooting and she couldn’t stay online. So no internet and a cranky Marilyn. Al called Sasktel to see about getting here a new phone and they said she was eligible, just sign a contract…something she wasn’t keen on doing.

She went into the Sasktel store in the mall…chaos, that place is always nuts and you have to take a number when you enter the store…she had 99 and they were on 86. She left the store, chucking her number tag in the garbage on her way to one of the other Sasktel stores…only neither one of them had the new Blackberry Torch that had just come out this week. She was not happy, but ended up having to go back to the mall to tough it out until her time came up. The good news was that they were on #99 when she got there…the bad news was that her tag was in the garbage can outside the mall, and the number cops would not allow her to step into the spot. So she took another number, this time 104. They zipped right through up to #103, then she stood there for 35 minutes waiting for it to change, all the while watching as clerk after clerk disappeared into a room and never came back out. They need to change something up there…or at least give a damn about the rest of the people waiting.

She finally got her phone and services set up…sort of…they had system issues and needed an extra 45 minutes to get everything loaded, so we took off to get fuel and then a visit in at Staples, before going back to get Marilyn’s new phone. And as Al puts it…”she’s as happy as a little girl”.

After that marathon, we carried on to Carlyle where we were going to spend the night at the Johnstone Joint…Marilyn’s sister’s place. We got there in time for supper and after a good visit and some repair work out in the shop on nephew, Gordie’s pickup, we were done for the day.

And we are back on the blog schedule…

August 12, 2011

2011-08-13T00:08:00.002-05:00

View of the day- Our Saskatchewan sunset as we settle in at home…for a few days, at least.

We were undecided as to what we would accomplish today but after a bit of discussion, we settled on taking a road trip to Porcupine Plain to talk to a farmer that had been calling us about doing some harvesting. This gentleman had been talking to us for the last three years, but our schedule was always so tight that we could never even consider it. Well…there was no hurt in looking.

We started north, with our destination about 125 miles…a lot of it on those infamous Saskatchewan roads. We had to cross through Greenwater Provincial Park, and it is mind boggling how they get any tourist to return after one trip…those highways are HORENDOUS. We arrived fairly shaken up, but none the worse for wear and after checking out the camping facilities in the town, went out to meet with Barry, the farmer’s son.

Barry took us around to look at some of the fields…all in blocks and a close haul…that would be nice, and all of it a month away from being ready…even nicer. We dropped Barry back off at the farm, then took another route back to Yorkton and even with a 15 mile stretch of gravel, it was a lot smoother and not near the traffic, so we know which way we will be moving up.

We had to take a side trip to just NE of Melville to take part in the rehearsal and family supper for Al’s nephew, Devin and his bride to be, Jenna’s wedding tomorrow…well, we took part in the supper, at least. The wedding will be outside in Jenna’s family’s farm yard…which looked absolutely fabulous for the event…it was a beautiful evening, no wind, bug free. The weather is supposed to be perfect for tomorrow and they got the rain out of the way…two inches fell there today! The dragonflies have taken care of most of the mosquitoes and it can’t be anything but perfect. We are Master of Ceremonies for the event, so that should be interesting. As long as Al doesn’t start telling Marilyn to “stop side seat driving” like he does when she tells him where to go when he is driving.

After the supper was over, we had a good visit with the families, then headed back for Yorkton. Al dropped Marilyn off at Staples so she could pick up a couple of things and get a quick visit in with her work cronies and he went next door to the Coop to fuel up. Then it was back to the farm to see if we could get the CFL Rider game on the TV that was left at home.

And of course…they lost again…

August 11, 2011

2011-08-13T00:02:00.003-05:00

View of the day-Al gets some of the pickup unloaded at home.

Well we didn’t get the second blog in as hoped yesterday…the Verizon MiFi doesn’t work in this area and a drive into town was out of the question.

We were up early so we could get the camper closed up for a few days and while Marilyn was getting things packed, Al went over to the farmer’s yard and got the trailer with the pickup head hooked up and came back to the camper. The original idea was to get the trailer from Menoken on our way through to Bismarck, but Marilyn had seen the construction signs north of the city, so we figured we would just go the tried and true way…north of Sterling to Wing and over to Wilton.

That plan was the best one because the highway was a dream and the traffic was quiet…of course we weren’t pulling a wide load, so it really didn’t matter. We went through some rain, missing most of the heavy stuff and stopped in Minot so Marilyn could get the rest of the stuff she needed from Walmart…and Al had to get the 40 oz, and 24 pack of “beverage” to take home.

We carried on north and made our last stop in Kenmare to get yet another box of toys from our drop point, although this time it was for one of our friends back in Yorkton. The border crossing went fast, there were two new guys on the US side and when they looked at the paperwork, they said “we don’t have to worry about it being done wrong, we have been told you guys do a perfect job”…well…that was nice! New guys on the CDN side and they sent us on our way after checking the header out.

We stopped at Precision Ag to drop off some things and get a coffee refill, then forged on to meet Al’s stepdad at the junction of 9 and 22 highways. Ray gets our mail while we are gone and we had to get the two bags that he had collected…and get caught up on all things local. Ray doesn’t have a computer, so he has to find out about our summer the old fashioned way…word of mouth.

Once we had gotten caught up, we carried on to Yorkton and were extremely happy to see they had completely fixed the highway that had been so bad when we left…REALLY fixed it, not just patched it. Too bad it was only 1% of the roads we have to drive on.

When we got to the farm, we unloaded the boxed out of the truck, then went back into town, so Marilyn could get a haircut and a visit in with her friend Pam, and Al could have a visit and drop off the game he picked up in Kenmare. After that it was back home to the farm and our own bed…although the one in the camper is pretty nice, too.

Another road trip tomorrow and a wedding rehearsal…

August 10, 2011

2011-08-11T14:22:00.002-05:00

View of the day-The sunflowers are looking pretty good along the highway north of Gettysburg.

We were up early to get the camper flanged in, get the camping bill paid and get settled up with the farmer before leaving the Burg for the last time this season.

We got out to the farm where the Freight was waiting, got the tractor chained back down from the big tire change, then started rolling. This time we had more than construction to deal with. We were about 30 miles into our journey we came up behind a cyclist "in" one of those recumbent, pod-looking kind of things. He was clipping along at a reasonable pace...for a bike, at least...and he pulled over onto the wide shoulder. Too bad the rest of the cyclists didn't have the same common sense.

Further up the road they were doubling up and the first few pairs went into single file and pulled over to the shoulder, but that didn't last long as the rest of them stayed in our lane. We had no problem sharing the road with them, but for some reason they didn't have the common sense to pull over going up a hill, which created a nasty road hazard. Marilyn was only pulling the camper, but it was still unnerving and she could only warn Al of the trouble he was likely to encounter...at least she could tell him if there was any oncoming traffic to deal with. We got through that batch of trouble unscathed...although there might have been some bike shorts that required scraping out.

Just before we got to the ND construction, we came up behind another bike tour...this time regular pedal bikes, with more of the same attitudes...some, not all of them. Al was following the team porta-potty on a trailer up a hill when it decided not to pass the bikers...at the last minute. He is glad the Freight has good brakes...and that the three vehicles behind him did too.

We finally made Hazelton and got the Freight parked, then got directions to our parking spot for the camper from Gerry Prevost. Because we are so close to Bismarck, the camping spots are all full with displaced flood victims, making it tough to find a place to park. Gerry and Lynn park in their farmer's yard so they were able to find us a plug in for the camper and since we are going back home for a wedding, we don't need anything else.

We got parked, plugged in, then went out to the field where Prevost's were finishing their last field of winter wheat. They were short a man for the day, so Al finally got to driver a new semi and haul grain, while Marilyn kept Lynn company in the cart tractor...and it ain't no 2390 Case.

Once they had the field finished, we went back to their camper and enjoyed a home made meal. Then Lynn and Marilyn went into Bismarck to drop some cash at Walmart. They had an early night, getting back around midnight...earlier than the usual 3am jaunts Marilyn usually goes on...then it was blog time.

Unfortunately the bins we were parked beside cut the signal, so no blog last night...expect two today...

August 9, 2011

2011-08-10T00:06:00.004-05:00

View of the day-Al gets the General box up so we could fix the shock absorber that had blown a bolt.

We had about 30 acres left to do and we knew it wouldn't go until after lunch, so we went out and paid a few bills, then went to the Rock for lunch. We have been in town for three weeks and have gone to the Rock quite a bit...never early enough for the 10:30am egg cut off. Today we got there at 10:45 and the waitress asked us if we want breakfast or lunch...what?!? That's right, since they opened back up, the have offered breakfast ALL DAY...apparently we have never asked...just ass-umed. Lesson learned...AND we got eggs.

We had to do a quick fix on the General...there was a bolt that had come out of the bottom of the shock and it was dangling down. It didn't take long for the fix and once that was looked after, Al left with it for the field. Marilyn left at the same time with the pickup, but had to stop and hook up the high speed header transport at the other farm where the trailers were parked.

Al had one more load to take to the bins while Marilyn finished up the field with Casey, then it was time to load up. We got the header on the trailer and got the combine and header moved to the trailers, loaded the combine on the trailer, then went back to get the General and get it hooked up.

The A/C man was out at the tractor with the new hoses, but after getting the old hoses off and trying to get the new ones on, he discovered they had sent hoses with the wrong ends, so he had to put the old ones back on. So Al still has no A/C, but with the temperature alot cooler...56º as this blog goes up...he shouldn't need it.

Al called AIS for the move at 5pm and we were only 10 minutes late as we headed for Hazelton, where we would leave the rigs until tomorrow when we get there with the Freightliner, tractor and cart. Again, we had to go through all the detours and road construction, but we still made it before sunset, which was our goal and after parking at the Cenex, we headed back for Gettysburg, where we arrived around 10:45pm.

A long day of combining, loading and moving and tomorrow we do it again...minus the combining...

August 8, 2011

2011-08-08T22:42:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Al gets to pull the first shift of the day.

There was a sprinkle this morning, but not enough to settle the dust and that gave us high hopes for the afternoon. We stayed around the camper until Danny came over with a sample and told us we were good to go.

Al had the General to go out to the field in, so he went out first and got started combining while Marilyn packed a snack and followed him out a half hour later. Once out at the field, Marilyn took over combining and Al went back to running the cart and hauling grain.

We finished the field and moved over the the last 70 acres we have left to do, it was a short move...just across the two track trail bordering the first field. Al took his last load of the day into town to dump at the bins, then went to the camper and when Marilyn and Casey had the semi filled, we quit for the night.

Tomorrow we finish and try to get loaded...and maybe get something moved...

August 7, 2011

2011-08-08T00:20:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Ryan taking over for Al...soon we will be back at it.

We had a laid back day, with a bit of fixing...we worked on getting the ignition switch fixed up on the General and that went well, then we got the rear view mirrors adjusted. The mirror brackets had gotten all out of whack and needed some shimming to get the nuts to tighten so they would stay in place...and they will now. We figured we had gotten the clearance lights issue with the breaker looked after when we got the ignition fixed...that lasted until Al moved the General from the camper back to its parking spot...it kicked the breaker again. Later on he went out, reset the breaker, then started the truck again and this time it didn't kick the breaker, so it's on again-off again...we'll see how they work when we finally get to use it again.

It looked like we were going to get some rain all afternoon and evening, but it managed to fizzle out before it got to us in Gettysburg...others were not so lucky to the south. Even though we did not get rain, there wasn't a lot of combining by anyone around the campground. It was such a nice day that we actually got to have the windows open to let the wind air the place out and the air conditioning got a break...perfect day for working inside, which is what Marilyn did all day.

And we missed the Harvesters Appreciation Breakfast this morning...

August 6, 2011

2011-08-06T22:25:00.002-05:00

View of the day-The spring wheat is still a 'bit' green near Bismarck, ND.

We ended up getting about an inch of rain out of the weather that hit last night, which put the kibosh on any fieldwork today. We discussed what to do with the day and finally decided we might as well take a road trip up to Menoken, ND with the pickup head.

We figured we would take the regular detour up to Herried to see how things were progressing with the repairs...they are estimating November for the finish date, so we tried to map out a different route on the way back that wasn't quite as rough.

We got out to the farmers yard at Menoken, just east of Bismarck and it looked like it had seen some rain over the past week. We were able to find some high ground to back in the header trailer. After getting it parked and checking things out, we took a drive over to the campground to see if there was a spot for us to park...nope, full, because of all the flooding in the area. They told us to give them a call next week to see if there were any spots open...a lot of them were there on the monthly rate.

We headed back to Gettysburg but took the mapped out route that we had decided to try. It was one that went along the Missouri and although it had rolling hills that looked like they would be a workout for the big trucks, the road was a lot smoother and the traffic was low...it had possibilities. Then we hit the last six miles, and there was a sign saying there was a 6 ton axle limit...well, that just sucked...back to plan A and the old way.

We took as 7 mile side trip into Mobridge and had a drive around town, but didn't take the bridge tour because it had one way traffic and we didn't feel like waiting around for the lineups to cross, so we stopped for a quick snack and headed for home.

There was not one combine running all the way up to Menoken, lots sitting in the fields where they had been stopped by the rain. There is still LOTS of wheat standing on both of our routes and there are plenty of fields that are still mighty green...our schedule could have a wrench thrown into it.

At least the rain should stay away...and the temps will be a lot cooler...

August 5, 2011

2011-08-05T22:56:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Casey dumps into the semi before the bad weather can catch us.

The weather reports for today said 10% chance of rain...but of course, this is the weekend and the second stringers are doing the predicting.

We got out to the field, serviced, fueled and were ready to go as soon as Danny and Casey got out after lunch. There was a heavy dew and the humidity was higher than it had been yesterday, so we figured it would be a bit tough to start...and it was. But we still managed to get the field finished...not without some issues.

Marilyn had been having trouble with the knife stopping and every time it did, the reverser was not strong enough to get the knife cleared. This meant getting out and pulling the straw out by hand...at least 10 times during the day and it didn't matter if she was going slow or through wheat with no weeds...no rhyme or reason. Now, we had talked to the MacDon guys at the support trailer about it when we were in Pierre almost two weeks ago and they said they would call us before they came out to change some settings on the reverser.

While Al was dumping at the bins, he gave them a call...since we were still waiting to hear from them...to see when they could come out. They had moved to Billings, Montana! They certainly don't come close to 'support'...not like the ProHarvest team, that's for damn sure. Al was somewhat miffed and conveyed his feelings to them...and he's not done with them yet.

Al decided to give another harvester a call to see what we could do and he came up with a couple of suggestions that we could try...tighten the drive belt or switch to fine tooth sections. We started with tightening the belt and it didn't stop again, mind you, we didn't cut a lot more after that either.

We moved up to another field and did a test...it was still over 14% moisture, so we continued another 6 miles to the next field and it was plenty dry, so we got started on it. There were now thunderstorm watches popping up and we could see how dark the skies were getting...and they were getting closer all the time, so Casey decided we should pull the pin so we could get the semi tarped before the wind and rain hit.

While Casey was looking after the semi, Marilyn fueled up the combine, then gave Casey a ride home...all the while watching out the rear view mirror as the black clouds were swallowing up what little bit of daylight that was left. By the time she got back to the camper, Al was just getting back from fueling up the General...then the rain hit...and hit hard, thankfully we were settled in for the night.

We won't know how much we got, since the campground mower chewed up our rain gauge...

August 4, 2011

2011-08-04T23:32:00.003-05:00

View of the day-New boots installed, look out stubble.

We had to wait for the tires this morning, they got in late and the tire man was busy so we had to wait until 11:30 before we could get them. Al went out to the combine and did the servicing, then came back to town and we grabbed an early lunch.

Marilyn had homework to do, she had to sign some cheques for Lynn Prevost, the exec-secretary of the Association of Canadian Custom Harvesters. Lynn had dropped them off with Al yesterday and was coming to pick them up this morning, so she met us at the bins where Al was picking up the General to take it to the field. After getting caught up with the latest news from the Prevost crew, Lynn went back to get their rigs ready to move from Hoven up to Sterling, ND and Marilyn went to pick Al up at the field, so we could get the new tires on the tractor.

It took about 30 minutes and we had the tires on...it sure went a lot easier with the tires are at eye level...the tires were easy to lift the 6 inches from the box of the pickup on to the trailer. With that job done, it was back to the field to start combining.

The John Deere was waiting for parts for the steering column...it wouldn't stay put, which made for an interesting drive...but they know the rules...shut up and drive, so Casey worked on the last 20 acres before Danny was able to get the part. Once the new part was on, we moved over to the next field, right at the junction of highways 212 and 83...LOTS of action at that corner.

Al was kept busy running the cart and taking in every second load to dump at the bins, while Danny did the same with the semi. Marilyn had a rider with her for a while, a gentleman from Indiana who is living his dream by working with a harvest crew for a couple of weeks. He and his son have travelled out from Indiana to work with the Sugden crew. His timing wasn't that good because they had just finished the winter wheat when he arrived and he has had to wait for the spring wheat, which should be ready tomorrow.

We combined until 9pm when it started to get tough, but we still had a good day with Marilyn getting just over 100 acres.

About time we got back to normal...

August 3, 2011

2011-08-03T22:43:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Someone is getting new boots.

We knew we wouldn't be combining in the morning, so we decided to get another job on the list looked after and we went to see if the tire man had found any tires for the front of the tractor...at a price that wouldn't break the bank. He actually had found some that were $100 cheaper than the last place we looked and he told us he could have them in tomorrow morning.

We were debating whether to take one at a time off so the tractor would remain stable on the trailer...unloading didn't seem to be necessary, since we wouldn't be needing it here in Gettysburg. It was 16 miles out to the farm where we were parked, so we came up with a plan to get them both off and into the shop...after all, it was chained and strapped down securely...where could it go?

We got the tires to town and had a visit with Shawn Gallagher who had one of his trucks in getting a tire repaired, then went back to the camper to wait for the call. Danny decided to wait until around 3pm to do a test and when he did, it was dry enough to start. We had to go out and move the combine about 10 miles to the field, and we figured for all the time it takes, we would take the header off to avoid any traffic on the gravel roads...lots of semis hauling and these young drivers don't seem to think there is a speed limit.

We stopped at the field first to pick up Danny and Casey so they could bring their tractor, cart and semi to the field. We got moved, hooked up the header and started in on our first field of spring wheat for the year. Al drove the tractor for a while, then Ryan showed up and took over, so he got a ride back to the farm to get the General to help with the hauling.

The clouds were looking like they could be brewing something, but we lucked out and everything stayed west of the river, then split to the north and south leaving us with the sun shining just as it started to set. We are combining right along the highway and are seeing a lot of crews moving through...and a lot of them are out making dust since it has finally quit raining for a few days.

We quit at sundown...it was starting to get a bit tough and it is getting binned, so Danny didn't want to take any chances. Marilyn picked Al up at the bins where he left the General after unloading it. Too bad we didn't check the clearance lights with the truck running...as soon as the key is turned with the lights on, the breaker trips for the lights...never even thought that would be an issue, so now we got some more fixing to do.

We went to Lucy's for supper then called it a day...a pretty good day for starting so late...

August 2, 2011

2011-08-02T20:36:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Marilyn gets the new clearance lights installed on the General.

We had high hopes for today, Al was up extra early to get fuel for the combine and get into the 'zone'. Marilyn got to sleep in after cooking yesterday.

The A/C doctor was out at the combine bright and early, too. He discovered the A/C belt needed to get tightened...it was so loose that he thought it could have slipped right over the pulley. When Marilyn went to check things over yesterday, she had the combine shut off when she went into the engine compartment and the belt looked okay, but she didn't check to see if it was loose...she knows for next time.

So with the call that the combine was ready for action, we got our lunch together, then went out to the farm. If it didn't go, we had our to-do list to keep us busy...and it didn't go, one field was 16.9% and the other was 16.1% and since it is getting binned, we have to wait.

First on the list was getting the new LED signal light on the right fender...that was the easy fix, then we figured now was the time to get the new clearance lights put on the General. This entailed taking off the old ones...not an easy task with the screws holding them to the roof all rusty and seized so bad we almost couldn't tell what kind of screwdriver to use. We got the drill out to make short work of those screws, then discovered the new lights had the screw holes going side to side instead of front to back, so the drill got used to make new holes...but what would we use to hold them in?

We went into the Ace Hardware and found some clips that would slide over the edge of the 1" hole on either side to act as a nut that would lock the screws down...this meant cutting the hole bigger so the clips would be further apart to match up with the holes on the lights. It was ugly, but with a lot of silicone and the foam bases, they sealed quite nicely and now Al has some mighty snazzy LED clearance lights to go with the new signal lights. Another job done.

Next on the list was the headlights on the tractor which was still on the trailer in the other farm yard, so we moved over with the shop trailer to get them working. That was an easy fix...the cables had come unplugged when the hood had been up the last time. Once they were plugged in, they were blindingly bright...well, as bright as they could be in the daylight.

Once we were done with that, we left the shop trailer at the farm, then went in to the Rock for supper. A good day even if we didn't do any combining, and the best part was that the temperature was only around 87º and there was a nice NW wind, which kept the mosquitoes away. Perfect.

A lot of combines were running all over the countryside...all winter wheat and we are done with that now and are waiting on the spring wheat. With everything serviced and ready for action, we can start anytime.

And, we still have a few things left on the list...

August 1, 2011

2011-08-01T22:56:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Al picks up Casey on the go in his latest ride...air conditioned comfort and smooth shifting.

We had a knock at the door this morning as Lloyd Everett stopped by to let us know about some potential oats for picking up if we were interested. Al decided to wait and see how the wheat went before committing...and it is a 30 mile move.

Marilyn was still wrestling with her sewing machine and was just about to get the pliers out, when there was another knock at the door, Danny came by to let us know he did a test and it was 13.5% moisture...holy crap...we were going to get to combine today! We got organized, grabbed some lunch, then headed north to the field.

Casey was already making dust by the time we got out there, so Marilyn got in the combine and moved it from the yard to the field. It was cutting alot better than the last time we were out and things were going quite smoothly until Marilyn noticed the humidity going up in the cab...great...the air conditioning had quit and the feels like temperature was only 106º.

Al called Ray at ProHarvest and he suggested a couple of things to look at...which Marilyn gladly did...nothing worked, so Al called the AC man he had talked to yesterday. He told him he wouldn't be able to make it out today and since there were dark clouds and weather warnings across the river to the west, Marilyn did what she had to do and continued combining...with the fans at maximum.

Every once in a while, just to change out the air, she would park strategically so the wind would blow across from the two open doors, then it would be back to combining. As the clouds started to work their way over she was hoping that would help matters...it didn't...shut up and drive...and she did until the winter wheat was finally finished. An 80 acre day with 60 of those acres without A/C.

We got back to the yard with the combine, then took a drive over to see how close the spring wheat was...it could go tomorrow...so we were done for the day. Marilyn figured she shouldn't have to cook and that we should go out for supper, so we decided to go to the VFW when we got to town...only to find out they aren't open on Mondays...Hot Pockets and cereal for supper.

After supper there was another knock at the door and Danny's wife Bev showed up with some freshly dug new potatoes and onions...can't wait for the roast beef and onion sandwiches for lunch. Well have to make sure the A/C is working in the cab, though, it could get pretty high in there.

Marilyn tackled the sewing machine again...she figured she knew what the problem was...the stitches in the combine were too small on the design, so she used a different one that she had created and took that one for a test run. Success. It worked like a dream. Now there is some fixing to do on the other one to get it too work.

But not until the combining is done...

July 31, 2011

2011-08-01T01:37:00.003-05:00

View of the day-Here's one piece of equipment that gets to make the trip next year. According to Al's rules, "if it doesn't get used, it doesn't come back".

We had a knock at the door this morning and it was a visit from Shawn Gallagher who was camping in the area on his way through to Sterling, ND. We had a good visit with him and were gearing up to maybe try a bit of combining later on in the day, when we got the call that it was still to wet to go...so we had yet another day off.

Marilyn decided to make use of her embroidery machine and work on a gift she had been thinking about...and get some logos for shirts created. She got both done, then set about getting the machine out of it's hidey-hole and set up to run...so far so good. She was able to get everything loaded and the test cloth was set up to go...the first color worked perfectly...then needle two thread refused to work, it kept breaking and upon inspection, she found there was quite a bit of chaos in the bobbin compartment. It took a pair of needle nose pliers to get the wad out and after several attempts to get the bobbin set in right and more rethreading of the thread that kept breaking, she decided it was time to get the manual out to see if there was anything she missed...unfortunately, she missed nothing.

We got to take a break and go out for supper to Bob's Resort with Shawn and Bonnie Gallagher and their girls...another great steak and a relaxing visit with all of them. After supper, we went back to town and stopped by Danny, our farmer's, place just as he was finishing up some mowing...he confirmed that it wouldn't have gotten any drier during the day, even though the 'feels like' temperature was 106º...humidity, again.

We stopped at his brother's place after we left him to see if he would be able to get a couple of new A/C hoses for the tractor...the ones that were on it had rubbed through and all the freon...or whatever is is called now...had leaked out. The hoses will be in, in a couple of days and he will put them on while the tractor is still on the trailer, since we don't need it for this job.

We were a tornado watch and it looked like we would be getting yet another storm and likely some rain out of it...as of 2:11am, we are still dry.

Let's hope we stay that way...

July 30, 2011

2011-07-30T22:38:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Well, that burst we saw over the field last night left a deposit.

Another day of working on the computer and waiting around...two inches of rain will do that.

We had a visit from Sue Holland from Holland Harvesting, they had just moved into town and were waiting on green wheat. Sue was the one who put Marilyn on the trail of the new camper last year, so she came over to compare notes and just catch up on the summer's doin's.

In the evening, we took a drive out to the combine, just so we could remember what it looked like...it's seems like forever since we combined. Surprisingly, there was a combine cutting right across the road from the field we will be on next...that's 'cutting'...not making dust. He could have just been cutting one of those 'samples'.

Back at the camper, it was CFL football time again, this time it was the home team Riders that were playing. And thanks to that game, Marilyn didn't get to go to the combine demo derby.

She's still looking...

July 29, 2011

2011-07-30T01:25:00.002-05:00

View of the day- The action at the elevator these days is trucks hauling out, thanks to the rain that shows up every night.

We had high hopes for the day...as we do every day...the sun was shining and the wind was blowing, so we waited for the call. It never came.

Marilyn got started on the books and Al got mentally prepared for the two CFL football games he had to watch later on in the day, so it was another super-do-nothing day inside the camper.

And of course, the rain came again in the evening...not so much here in town, but it looked like the field got another healthy shot.

Maybe tomorrow...

July 28, 2011

2011-07-28T22:08:00.002-05:00

View of the day-It looked so promising this morning...until...

Al was up to say farewell to Jeff as he rode off into the sunrise just before 6am...then it was back to sleep until the usual time. The farmer called to let us know he was going to try a test after lunch and he would let us know whether to come out or not. We went out for lunch, then waited for the call.
Marilyn was watching the radar online and there was a rogue little storm that had popped up just north of Gettysburg...right over the field we were to be starting on. The farmer called to let us know he had been working on his tractor when he got caught in a deluge, so we had another day off.

It wasn't long after that the storm swung south and we got hit in town. It didn't last long, but it dumped a good shot of rain, then moved on east.

Marilyn spent most of the day looking for some elusive backup files that were somewhere...can't start the books without them. Al waited patiently for the CFL football game to start, then spent the evening flipping channels...not much else to do.

Tomorrow we fix...for sure...

July 27, 2011

2011-07-27T22:39:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Al and his brother, Jeff on his last day visiting with us.

Today we stayed around Gettysburg...there was no combining to do but we figured we might do some fixing later on in the day.

We went to the Rock for lunch, then back at the camper, Jeff washed the bugs off his bike and Marilyn swapped out the water pump in the camper with the new one that Heartland RV had sent out. And Al grabbed a Diet Mountain Dew and a lawn chair to watch both of us working.

We both had success in our endeavors...the new pump worked like a charm and looking at the bike required sunglasses, it was so shiny. After taking a short break, the guys went out to the combine to put the new solenoid on the starter and Marilyn worked on getting software installed in the laptop that she had gotten fixed. Al has been dying to get started on the books, so it was time to get everything reloaded so we could catch up.

We went down to the old VFW...now called Lucy's...for supper then went back to the camper to relax for the rest of the evening. Jeff wanted an early night in since he will be leaving at 6am so he can be home by 3pm...good thing that bike flies.

And the rain is falling again...

July 26, 2011

2011-07-26T22:12:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Trouble brewing to the east of us.

It seemed like a short night with all the weather that had passed through. We didn't blow away, but there was probably just under an inch of rain that fell and we even had another sprinkle this morning. It did help to cool things off nicely...at least in Gettysburg.

We were up early to a knock at the door...Jeff had shown up early, the Lloyd Everett, a fellow harvester came over for a visit. We got lots of catching up done with both of them, then we took a short tour around town before going over to the Medicine Rock for lunch.

We had a road trip to Pierre on the day's agenda, so after lunch we were on our way...with one eye to the sky...there were bad things in the forecast. Clouds were building and the weather warnings were all over the radio...somebody was going to get it and by the look of the radar, it was going to be close to where we were.

We took a tour through the campground in Onida...it was full of harvest crews and all of them seemed to have "make work" projects on the go. Several semis, service trucks and even campers were getting the rainy day wash and polish.

On the way into Pierre, we stopped in at the CaseIH dealership and both the ProHarvest and the MacDon trailers were there. Jeff got his ProHarvest hat, Al got several questions answered by both companies and ended up buying a solenoid for the starter on the combine...it was getting temperamental and wouldn't always work as it should. This was a common problem...or so the story goes. The MacDon guys have promised to come out to the combine again to set the pressure on the knife drive...they agree that it should be reversing better.

We got to Pierre, then decided to take a tour over to the dam, to see the flow over there...it was unbelievable! We were able to get right down to the railing along the torrents...and to think it has been flowing like this for well over a month.

After the dam tour, we went into town and stopped at the Harley-Davidson dealership so Jeff could pick up some oil for his bike...and Al could browse for his "after harvesting career" ride. They had some nice bikes that were reasonably priced...Marilyn might have even gotten on the back of one for a ride...just a ride. Her idea of biking is driving the Dodge with the camper behind Al on the bike, or maybe taking a day trip on it...no tents or hotels with the Grand Canyon in the fleet. Once we got the oil, we were on our way to...WalMart, where else?

While Marilyn was getting her exercise, Al sat in Subway reading his Tractorhouse magazine and Jeff did some shopping. After the big shopping trip was over, we started back for Gettysburg...well, actually, Bob's Resort along the Missouri west of Gettysburg.

We had decided that we would take the scenic route along the Lewis and Clark trail that followed the Missouri up to Bob's Resort and it was a good thing that we did, because all the way up there, we could see to the east that someone was getting some nasty weather. Or was it just because the sun was shining against the high, dark clouds? Either way, there were tornado watches and thunder storm warnings. We passed over some highways that were wet from the rain that had passed over, but we never even had to put the wipers on.

We got to Bob's and ordered steaks...their specialty...they are massive and we had a good size doggie bag to bring home...but they were deeelicious! No dessert needed.

Back at the camper, we could see that there had been some rain in town, but the rain gauge didn't have a lot in it...perhaps the spot it is in near the camper is not conducive to collection. No matter, there will be no combining tomorrow.

But there will be fixing now that Jeff is here...

July 25, 2011

2011-07-25T21:22:00.003-05:00

View of the day-A view from the top of the hill overlooking Chamberlain, SD...the water is high.

We had a road trip on the agenda for today, so we were up early and on the road right on schedule. Our first stop was at the CaseIH dealer in Chamberlain to root through the stash of farm toys they had tucked away in the corner where we found them last year. Once the backseat of the pickup was loaded with large boxes of toys, 1/8 Farmall Super M, 1/8 International 1206, 1/8 CaseIH Cottonpicker, 1/16 6195 White tractor, 1/32 8010 CaseIH combine, several 1/64 Case 1470's. We stopped at the antique store to see if they had any new treasures...we left empty handed from there. Marilyn did see a poster for Red Neck Days in Mt. Vernon, SD on July 30...and they will be having a combine demo derby! It's about 180 miles from Gettysburg, but since we missed the one at Hays, maybe we can make this one.

We carried on to Hamill and got the pickup head hooked up, then went over to settle up with Cal. We were treated to a piece of Mulberry pie cooked by Callie, and she also sent us home with a jar of Mulberry jam and one of Mulberry syrup...can't wait for waffles.

There were a lot of combines in the field pretty much all the way down to Hamill. The weather had been cooperating and while it was only 80º when we left Gettysburg, it was in the mid 90's at Hamill...and the humidity made it even worse. What's new?

We headed back to Gettysburg, got the header parked, then Al took a look at the treasures he had brought back. Marilyn has to make room for them under the camper...somewhere, but that will be tomorrow's job.

We listened to the weather warnings most of the night and as the blog is getting finalized, we are right in the middle of it...lightning, thunder and torrential rains. Al's brother Jeff is on his way down for a visit on his Harley...hopefully he doesn't hit any of this moisture.

No combining tomorrow...

July 24, 2011

2011-07-24T22:42:00.003-05:00

View of the day-It's still pretty green...of course, that is spring wheat...at sunset.

Got to really sleep in and do pretty much nothing all day. Al went out to get a Truck Paper and Tractorhouse magazine to while away the afternoon and Marilyn spent some time on the laptop.

There were a couple more trailers that moved into the campground, but it didn't look like there was much combining going on around town, so everyone must be waiting.

Road trip back to Hamill for the pickup head tomorrow...

July 23, 2011

2011-07-23T21:28:00.002-05:00

View of the day-The MacDon guys getting the header tweaked.

We were up early to get out to the farmyard so we could get the header unloaded and ready for the MacDon techs to work on. Once they showed up, it only took about an hour and we were ready to start combining...but we have to move a few miles first.

We got the header into transport and headed north to the field, then got it hooked up and ready to go. Marilyn had forgotten to take the lunch bags out...we left in such a hurry...so she had to go back to town to get them.

Al got to start combining and although the wheat was plenty dry, there were the occasional low spots that had cheat grass with green stalks, which meant the knife would jam up...every time. For some reason, the extra bucks we spent putting a knife reverser on the header seemed to be a waste of time, because every time it jammed up, we had to go out and pull straw the full length of the header. Made Marilyn wonder about the extra 5 feet of length on this header.

The farmer had his combine out and there wasn't too much left and he decided to work it on his own, so we were off for the day...actually a couple of days, because the next field is still a bit green.

Maybe we will get a bit more done on the 'to-do' list...

July 22, 2011

2011-07-22T22:23:00.002-05:00

View of the day-All present and accounted for at Gettysburg, SD.

We had to go in to Winner to pay a few bills and get settled up with Roger. We had a quick snack at McDonald's, then it was back to Hamill to load in the heat...again.

We had to do a bit of rearranging with the cart trailer...we didn't want a repeat of the moving in debacle, no sir. We hooked up to the Freightliner with a chain and moved it to flatter ground and once we had the ramps lined up, Al had the tractor and cart loaded, chained down and ready to go. Actually, he did the chaining while Marilyn went back to the camper to get it ready for the road.

We were leaving Hamill right on schedule...3pm...Al's schedule, at least. We stopped in Highmore to get the part that had been ordered, then forged on to Gettysburg...another uneventful trip...thank goodness.

Al parked his rig at the fuel station in Gettysburg, then we went to get the camper parked and the A/C's cooling things off, while we moved the Freight out to the farmers yard with the rest of our equipment. Once we got out there, we unloaded the combine and Marilyn worked on getting the cab camera mounted in a new place in the hopper...something a little more permanent, so she doesn't have to move it every night when she closed the hopper. Al uses the camera in the General when we move, so he can see behind the wide load from high up in the combine cab, so it means changing up the cables every time.

We got back to town and stopped at the elevator so Al could get the number of the fuel truck driver. This way he can have the truck go directly to the combine to fill it and save us a couple of trips with our 99 gallon slip tank. Then it was back to the camper to clean up and get the dish aimed.

A record for Gettysburg...dish aimed in 5 minutes...

July 21, 2011

2011-07-21T23:19:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Tight squeeze under the interstate at Reliance...no paint removed.

Up early to get the last 30 acres done, Al got a ride from Callie over to the General so he could get it unloaded. He got that done while Marilyn was getting the combine serviced and ready to roll.

There were only two small strips left to cut and it didn't take that long to get them done, then it was time to organize for the load out. Marilyn was able to find one of the guys from the crew that was blocking our trailers and they said they would clear a path to our trailers, so that was a relief.

Once the last of the wheat was in the bin, we took a lunch break...with fresh home made bread...made by Marilyn. Seriously. Well, the bread machine did most of the work...but Marilyn had to put it together...tasty no matter how it was made. After the dishes were done, we went over to get the header trailer hooked up and moved out to the field to load.

We got the header loaded and Al moved it over to the lot while Marilyn roaded the combine over to the trailer. The temperature was a little cooler,but the humidity and lack of wind made loading rather uncomfortable...what's new? After the combine was loaded and the trailer hooked up to the General, we got the shop trailer caboose hooked on, then decided we might as well move the load up to Gettysburg.

The trip up was fairly uneventful...a few crews on the move and a lot more combines in the field making dust. We got to Gettysburg then drove a few miles north to park out at the farmers yard...normally we just park in town, but with the changes around the "Burg", the parking spots for machinery are getting fewer and far between.

After parking the rigs, we got a quick chat in with the farmer who was dumping a truckload of wheat at his bins...he was cutting winter wheat already! We went back into Gettysburg to check out the camping situation...our "best spot in the campground" would not work for this new camper...the trees are way low to clear the roof, so decided on a new spot...hopefully it will still be available tomorrow when we get there.

After fueling up and grabbing a snack, we forged back to Hamill. The skies were filling with clouds and there were weather warnings for our neck of the woods...there was a lot of lightning flashing in the SW.

We took a short stop in Highmore to visit with Taff, our harvester friend from Great Bend, KS. They had just arrived in town and were ready to start combining in the area. He took us over to have a look at his MacDon header to show us what we should be looking for when we got back to our header...there are a lot of wear spots showing up on the feeder pan and it could be serious.

Once again we drove right into the eye of the storm...sort of...it was just a thin band of severe weather, but by the time we hit the interstate, it was just passing over. As we went through Reliance, the road was covered with little frogs...or toads...not really sure...didn't get out and don't know the difference, and by the time we got home to Hamill, the dust was flying...but somebody was getting it.

Tomorrow...load #2...

July 20, 2011

2011-07-20T23:36:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Trying to stay ahead of the weeds that are hiding under the thick crop.

We went into town early to get fuel and the parts that we had ordered, then had a snack at McDonalds before heading back to Hamill. We got the combine serviced and Al noticed the straight header had a couple of large wear spots on the floor under the auger...when did that happen?

He figured the auger was too close, so he did a bit of adjusting so it would sit a bit higher and told Marilyn to see how that would work. We got moved out to the first patch, right near the base of the Hamill Buttes, just a couple miles from town. Once Marilyn got started, Al got everything else spotted with the help of Cal, Callie and Tanner.

Al was dumping in a bin right next to the field, so the haul was pretty sweet for the first couple of patches. He took a couple of loads into town just to make sure the rest of the fields would fit in the bin. Marilyn continued combining and had Callie ride with her during the evening which worked out great because she was able to help move between the fields while Al was gone to Winner.

When Al got back from the last load to town, he emptied the cart, then went into town leaving Marilyn to finish the last of the patch she was on. He was surprised to see another crew had moved into town and was parked in the same lot...blocking most of our trailers, which will make loading up interesting. Once Marilyn finished for the night, Callie gave her a ride back to the camper and that was it for the day.

It was a lot cooler and the wind was blowing hard out of the NW which was helping to make the temperature stay below the 100º mark...a real nice change.

Hopefully tomorrow has more of the same...or cooler yet...

July 19, 2011

2011-07-19T21:53:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Unloading at the Winner elevator...in the overflow section, because of the line up..no line up back here, though.

Al was up early and out to the field to get the General loaded with the cart full from last night, then take it in to the elevator. Marilyn went in with the pickup to get fuel and harvest permits from the county treasurers office, and was pleasantly surprised not to have to stand in line this year.

Back at the field, the combine got serviced and started cutting to finish off Al's second load of the day, which also finished that field. We only had to move across the field to start in on the last 50 acres for Roger. Once Al and Roger got everything moved closer to the field, he was off again with another load...and Marilyn continued cutting.

Marilyn took the last pass around 4:30pm, by then Al was back at the field and the plan was to get the header into transport, take it to the lot, then go back to the field and blow out the radiators and air filters while Al took half the last load to town. There was way too much for one load, so he had to split it into two 'short' loads.

Once the rads were cleaned, Marilyn roaded the combine back to town where Al was waiting at the camper...trying to get a little cool air after his run to Winner. She jumped in the General with him and went back out to the field to bring the pickup and shop trailer in, while he dumped the cart then brought it back to the lot. We went back out with the Dodge to get the General, then Marilyn left it at the camper, jumped in with Al and made the trip into the elevator with him.

After dumping and getting his free pop from the elevator, we stopped at McDonald's for a quick snack, then headed back to Hamill to call it a day. It was another stifling day...106º with the humidex...again...but at least there was a strong wind to keep the sweat off. Unfortunately it was out of the SW, which Al had to drive against with a loaded truck.

One more day of this nasty heat, then we hit the cool down...90º...

July 18, 2011

2011-07-18T23:13:00.003-05:00

View of the day-The local gang prowling the streets of Hamill.

We went out early to the combine to finish taking apart the pickup drum, so we could see exactly what we needed for repairs. We were able to get the combine lined up to give us some shade, because it was already close to 90º and we didn't want to fry to soon into the repair job...taking it apart is the easy stage.

After deciding what we needed, we got on the phone with a couple of parts lists for guidance, unfortunately we were coming up short with our search. MacDon didn't have any of the parts, CaseIH had a few of the parts and the one we really needed was in Minnisota...time for 'Plan B'.

We took a road trip up to Highmore, about 75 miles north, to the CaseIH dealer who had the most parts available of all the dealers we talked to. On the way we had to cross the Big Bend Dam over the Missouri River at Fort Thompson. The campground was a little submerged and the overflow was boiling...not sure if it was on the way up or starting to subside, but it was definitely churning up a foam.

At the CaseIH store, they had four of the six dissappearing fingers that we needed and a couple of the finger guides that needed replacing, but they didn't have the 13 inch square tube for the reverser, so we took the old one and got the local welder to fabricate us a new one. While we were there, we got him to straighten a few of the slightly bent fingers that we had salvaged from the wreck.

By the time we got back to Hamill, Al got the General started to take out to the field and Marilyn loaded up the water jugs with ice, then we went out to commence, commencin'. We were able to get just enough shade by parking the combine stratigically and it didn't take too much time before we had everything put back into place...with no leftovers, except the loss of an allen wrench.

We both took the inaugural run to see that everything was going to stay together...it was running a lot quieter than it had been before the big wreck...and the reverser was working as it was supposed to, as well. Al continued combining while Marilyn went back to the camper to have a Skype meeting with her theatre group.

The semi hadn't been dropped off at the new field, so Al got a load on the General and had the cart filled before he had to quit. He called the elevator and they told him they would wait for him if he left right away, so off he went to Winner with another load. When he got back to the camper Marilyn was still on her conference call.

At least we got going today...

July 17, 2011

2011-07-17T22:36:00.002-05:00

View of the day-A lovely sunset at Hamill.

We woke up to an overcast day and the threat of rain...threat was all it was, as everything stayed to the west of us and eventually cleared off. It was also another oppressively hot day with temperatures reaching 104º...and that miserable humidity was at it again.

We went out to the field and the semi had shown up, so Al dumped the cart and Marilyn started combining. There was only 35 acres left to do and once we had the semi full and waiting for the driver to come back, Al loaded the General. He decided to try calling the elevator and was pleasantly surprised to hear they would be open until 6pm, so he took the load on the General to town.

Marilyn got the field finished, then roaded the combine around the scenic route to the next field...1/2 mile as the crow flies, 10 miles so the header would fit down the road. After stopping at the lot where the trailers were, she got the header unhooked and put into transport, then waited for Al to come back with the General so she could hitch a ride back out to the field to bring the pickup truck back. Al dumped the cart into the General, then roaded the tractor back to town, then hooked the header up to the pickup and got moved to the field.

Once we got out to the field, Marilyn cut a test and this wheat was even drier than the last field...10.2% moisture! She opened up the field while Al got a ride back to the General with Roger, then Al got her to call the elevator to see if they would wait for him to bring in the last load of the day. Once the combine was full, Marilyn drove into town and brought the tractor and cart out to the field so she could start making a load for the semi to take in, in the morning.

After dumping the combine and starting a second round, she got into some thick wheat with some green weeds and wiry stalks which jammed the cutting knife. She went out and pulled all the straw, then went back into the cab and tried reversing it...success! Then as soon as she cranked it up to start cutting again, there was some serious banging and jumping of the PTO shaft, so she shut everything down and went out to inspect.

Once she got a good look at the feeder auger, she could see the disappearing fingers that pull the grain into the feederhouse had popped back into their guide holes and jammed into the inside of the auger tube. She got the tool box out and removed all the inspection covers to see if she could do anything with what she had...that one bugger was jammed so bad, it had raised quite a blemish on the outside of the auger...she would not get that loose anytime soon.

Al got back to town, then came out with the pickup to lend a hand and decided it would work best if we could take the header off so we could work on the auger from both sides. We managed to get most of the bent fingers out, but the one that was jammed was going to be more of a challenge. The temperature was still at 104º at 7:30pm and we were just wringing wet from the humidity, so we did as much as we could, then called it a day to get out of the heat.

Back at the camper, we checked online for the parts we might need...and where we might find them in this neck of the woods, and found that Winner has a MacDon dealer, so hopefully we will find them there.

We will have to get at it early to keep cool...105º forecast for tomorrow, and you know the humidity will still be around...

July 16, 2011

2011-07-16T20:27:00.002-05:00

View of the day-These cattle have the right idea for keeping cool...if that was even possible with the humidity and heat totaling up to 108º.

We didn't do the smart thing and go out to work early...nooo, we waited until 11am, then went out into the sweltering heat. We would gladly trade up the 108º dry Kansas heat for the 95º plus humidity that makes the temperature the same 108º in South Dakota...just awful. We are pretty sure the good old -45º of the Saskatchewan winter would be a great trade...you can always add another jacket or toque.

Al and Roger, the farmer, took a run out to the field to see how close the wheat was...it was real close, so we figured we would give it a whirl around 3pm. We got the Freightliner up and running, then worked on the tractor, getting it put back together and running as well, then we got the header off the high speed transport and ready to pull up to the field with the pickup.

We got up to the field and made a few passes to get a good sample, then went back to town to give it to Roger so he could take it to the elevator in Winner, 25 miles away. We went back to the camper to wait for his call...it tested 11.7 moisture...hot damn, we were good to go.

Al took the tractor and cart while Marilyn took the pickup so she could get started combining. The only fly in the ointment was that Roger was going to get a semi to haul the grain and it was out of commission for the day. If we were to haul the grain, we have to make sure the loads are small enough to please the SD DOT...you know, so we can help their economy by buying gallons of fuel to make several trips.

So we were only able to fill the cart, just in case they could get the semi out in the morning. Of course, it they don't, then we have to make a couple of loads in the General and Freightliner to take to the elevator Monday morning. It seemed such a shame to stop combining when it was so dry and the going was good...

Back at the camper we were only too happy to suck up some air conditioning and watch a little CFL football...not a good game for the Riders...Al was looking forward to call in to the radio station's phone-in show to raise a few questions, along with a few hundred other fans. He never got through...the phones for the show quit working.

We will combine again tomorrow, there is no rain in our future...

July 15, 2011

2011-07-15T22:57:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Some wheat west of Hamill...still a bit green.

We had a trip to town on the agenda today...mostly for parts to get everything up and running, so after toast and coffee, we were on our way to Winner.

We stopped out at Runnings and were able to get the bulk of what we needed, but we had to go over to the JD dealer to order a new air filter for the General. Al dropped Marilyn off to get a few groceries while he got one of the propane tanks filled for the camper...first time this year...and only $38 for a 40 pound tank.

Back in Hamill, Al worked on the Freightliner, getting the new valve put on once he did a bit of fabricating. The heat was oppressive again...high humidity, makes the flies hungry and that keeps Marilyn inside, although she did have making supper as an excuse. We grabbed our first corn on the cob feed from a street side pickup selling vegetables, so we were really looking forward to it. The corn was not all it was cracked up to be...oh, it looked sweet, but looks can be deceiving. We tried our best and at least the watermelon we got from the truck was good.

After supper we took a drive out into the countryside to see how the crops looked and Al was pretty depressed to see a combine making dust...the only one in the area. He was, however, patching out on the top of the hill...and perhaps he had drying capabilities.

This gives us hope for next week...

July 14, 2011

2011-07-14T17:28:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Al gets the cart trailer parked where it belongs...for now, at least.

No trains today, but an early phone call from the phone company looking for a container of 'scotch-locks' they had left by the pillar by the camper. Since we had decided to find an electrician in Winner, Marilyn called them back to say she would drop them off when we got to town.

Al called Kucera Electric in Winner and the owner told us he had what we needed to make the 50amp adapter for the power pole by the camper...if we got in within a half hour...so off we went. Marilyn had purchased an outdoor receptacle at Home Depot in Hayes, so we did have part of the adapter and it was this electrician that had made the first adapter cord for us 15 years ago, so we were pretty sure he knew what we needed.

When we got to his store, he was super helpful...even building the adapter at the front counter while he talked to us about harvesting and electrical issues that we had. He had it done in no time and was so pleasant...as was his secretary, who was laughing and joking with everyone...on a Thursday, no less. Simply an amazing experience...THAT was customer service.

We grabbed a quick snack and some groceries, then dropped off the scotch-locks and hit the card lock to get fuel for the combine, then it was back to Hamill. Al had a list of 'things to do' and even though it was only 95º, with the humidity at 50% it felt like 104º...but we had to get some work done.

The first thing we did was unload the combine from the trailer, then used it to move the cart trailer back into the line-up. Next on the list was taking the cracked fitting off the Freightliner so we could take it in for a replacement. Al had heard some strange sounds from the tractor when he unloaded it during the catastrophe the other day and upon further inspection, discovered the two small bolts that were holding the radiator had snapped off so it was tilting back...probably from the way it rides on the trailer when we move...so now the fan was hitting the shroud. We will have to come up with a way of shoring it up since the bolts that broke were part of the rad.

While Al was working on the tractor, Marilyn went to get the air filter out of the General so it could get replaced...and it needed replacement. By now, it was time to get out of the heat and humidity, get back to the camper for a much needed shower, then have supper before the CFL game came on at 7.

Tomorrow we go back to Winner for parts...

July 13, 2011

2011-07-13T22:10:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Parked in misty and cool Hamill...with no casualties, this time.

It was a long night with all the trains that were going by the campground and it didn't help matters that they were going at high speed, and we were directly between two closely placed crossings...so the horns would blow twice. We didn't have the juice to use the A/C, but we didn't need it and it was a nice change to have the windows open and have the cool breeze blowing through...except the train horns were even louder.

There was no rush to get up early, since we only had 180 miles to cover today. It was overcast and misty, but when we listened to the weather band and checked the radar, we could see there was rain not far off. We were just getting organized inside the camper when it hit...and it hit hard. No wind, so it was falling straight down...like it was coming out of a bucket and it wasn't just a passing shower. We had to get off the grass we had parked on before it became impossible, so out into the rain we went. Fortunately we had left the camper hooked onto the pickup, so we only had to get the hoses, cords and slides put away, but at the rate the rain was falling, we got thoroughly soaked...no need for a shower.

We managed to get out of the campground and back to Ansley to get the General started up while we went in for a quick snack before heading out. The trip north was uneventful and it was great that it was overcast, the temperature was only 64º and we even had the wind helping us out.

We made Hamill and Al was able to get the combine trailer backed across the road that had given the cart trailer such fits. We just parked it for the day since we had to evaluate the camper spot...new camper, meant finding a new way to park so the cord and hoses would reach.

We had just gotten the camper backed in and leveled when the phone man showed up and got us hooked up with DSL and phone service...these guys are so good. There were some issues with wires not connected properly in the camper, but with his help, we got everything up and running so we are now connected...a good thing since there is poor cell service in this area.

Marilyn got the dish aimed and tried, unsuccessfully, to get the water pump working, using a lot of the ideas she had found online...none worked, so it is back to square one and with everything in place, we finally called it a day.

Tomorrow, we get down to some fixing...

July 12, 2011

2011-07-12T21:53:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Parked at Mason City, NE...no air conditioning needed here!

We had a laid back day since we weren't planning on leaving until later on in the afternoon. We didn't have much left to do...pay the fuel bill and the rent, then get the camper ready to roll.

We went for lunch at Tracy's Bar & Grill...what a difference from the restaurant next to the campground. A full house, one waitress running her a$$ off, but still smiling and friendly to everyone...and the burgers were HUGE, all in all a great experience.

We got the camper hooked up and went out to the cardlock to get Al's rig aired up and ready to go. We left there around 4pm...the hottest part of the day, although not quite 100º, at least it was cloudy. We stopped on the road a couple of times to check the loads and have a 'pit' stop...Marilyn got to try out the new water pump in the camper...it worked great for one flush and a hand wash, then it quit. Fuses all fine, water in the tank, and no leaking this time, which is a plus, but still no water. Steve at Heartland better be prepared because Al will be dealing with him this time...and he is cranky.

We got to Ansley, NE with the load, parked it at the truck stop, then drove 6 miles to Mason City to get power...and now water...at the campground. We had stayed there before, so we knew what to expect...the trains on the main line 50 feet from the camper...it will definitely be a noisy night.

We didn't have enough power to run the A/C's, but we really didn't need them...the temperature was...65º...a drop of 38º from when we left LaCrosse! Marilyn got the windows opened up for the first time on the run and with the help of the fans, got it cooled off enough to sleep.

Hopefully we don't get too much nasty weather through the night...

July 11, 2011

2011-07-11T19:54:00.002-05:00

View of the day-A shot before the storm hit last night in Nebraska...all colors present and accounted for.

We definitely slept in considering it was almost 3am by the time we finally settled down after the marathon drive. By the time we got back it looked like we hadn't had any rain here in LaCrosse...but it could have dried up long before.

We went out to the combine trailer to meet with the welder man just after lunch...he had to weld on the safety chain that we had bought to replace the one that had disappeared...broken or some such. Once he was finished, we continued on to Hayes to do a bit of looking around and to see if we could find a 50amp adapter for some of the various places we end up camping...the A/C is necessary in this heat.

We checked out a few of the ag dealers for toys, but came up empty handed. Marilyn went back to purchase a dress...that's right...a dress...that she had seen on her last trip into Hayes. We have a nephew that is tying the knot in August and she "didn't have a thing to wear". We stopped at an electrical wholesaler who sent us down to Herrman the German, the RV repair joint to find an adapter...success! He had just the thing we were looking for...although Al doesn't quite agree, he's not sure that it will work as promised...we'll see.

Back at the camper, Marilyn dismantled the keyless door lock that had quit working after the driving rain...and got it fixed, so we don't have to lock it the 'hard' way with the key. And that was it for the day...a 104º day, with no end to the heat in site.

By the way, we did get the wobble box completely covered under warranty! Thank you Paul and Erken(sp?) at MacDon.

Now we try to decide what time we will leave for good, tomorrow...

July 10, 2011

2011-07-10T23:41:00.001-05:00

View of the day-Big thanks to the Schemper “Harvesting for helping us out on a Sunday with a tire on the header trailer.

We had a big storm blow through around midnight…the worst one we have been through this summer. The wind came out of the east and we thought it was going to remove some awnings…and rain…we didn’t have a gauge out, but there must have been at least an inch. Fortunately the camper stayed upright and we were able to get some sleep.

We made AIS by 6:25am…just ahead of schedule, which was a good start to the day. We drove the 8 miles to Liebenthal to get the Freightliner fired up and when Marilyn checked the rain gauge on the combine…the chaff in it had soaked up what little rain had fallen there. After hooking up the header, we were ready to roll.

It was an uneventful trip…at least as far as Phillipsburg, where we had to get the pickup header hooked on behind the cart trailer. Marilyn stopped at the CaseIH dealer to unhook the straight header trailer, so she could get the pickup head and take it north of Phillipsburg to where Al was waiting at the old weigh scale. We got the header hooked on in no time at all, then we went back to get the straight header.

Marilyn had noticed the back tire on the trailer was worn pretty bad and there were some slits where it was starting to separate. We had a spare tire with us…another stroke of luck…so we took it with us and changed it over…aaaand…it didn’t have enough air in it. Al figured there was enough to limp it the 24 miles up to Alma where we could air it up the rest of the way…so that is exactly what we did.

When we got to Alma, Marilyn tried to get to the air hose at the truck stop…it was in a bizarre place where you couldn’t reach because of the parked vehicles. A pickup pulled up and it was one of Al’s trucking cohorts from the Schemper crew out of Nebraska. After catching up with her on how their season had gone so far, we decided to try across the road at the Cenex for air…there was a hose…a long hose. Of course, it would have been nice if they had left the compressor on for the weekend…well, it was Sunday, after all. Fortunately for us, Ms. Schemper saved the day…their semis were parked at the Cenex along with their fuel trailer, which had a compressor on it, so we got the tire filled and were on our way.

We had one more pit stop at Springview, NE to grab a quick snack and have a stretch, then it was forward on to Hamill. It had heated up a lot during the drive and the humidity here was a killer, so by the time we got to Hamill, it was the worst part of the day and wouldn’t you know it…the wheels fell off and our luck changed…sort of.

Al had unhooked the pickup head on the road just at the turnoff to Hamill while Marilyn took the straight header up to the old school grounds where we always park. She was just going to go get the pickup head when Al called for assistance backing his rig back into it’s parking space. He managed to get the trailer directly across the road…then it high-centered and would not move…not good. While we were investigating the situation, we noticed a huge puddle under the engine of the Freightliner…a hose had blown and the antifreeze was gushing out.

So now, we can’t even use the Freight to try and move anything without coolant…and we have to get the trailer unhooked and get the truck moved out of the way before we could unload the tractor and cart to move the trailer. The plot thickens.

We got the trailer lifted off the hitch with the tractor hydraulics, then we hooked the Freight up to the Dodge and Marilyn pulled it around the block, trying to get it moved over to the lot before the air ran out and the brakes locked on. Stage one completed.
We lowered the tongue of the trailer with the tractor hydraulics,..problem number two showed up. We always have to use ramps to unload because the tractor hitch just clears the trailer…something we learned after a catastrophe early on in our loading career. Because the trailer was high-centered on the road, the tongue was about two feet too high to unload. We decided we had to try and pull it backwards off the road.

We went over to see if Cal, our Hamill landlord, had a tractor that was big enough to pull us back. The only thing he had at the yard was a JD 4020, but he thought we could give it a try…no go, so we had to come up with another plan.

Cal had some 8ft railroad ties that weighed about 150lbs each…did we mention the heat and humidity?? We got four of the ties, and did some stacking and arranging to make ramps so we could at least get the rig unloaded…that turned out a bit ugly. Cal and Marilyn were moving the ties around as the cart came off the trailer and freed them up, once the tractor started to move back, the weight of the tractor settled the tongue down onto the road and lifted the back end up, just like a teeter-totter…now we were getting somewhere.

As soon as the back tires were off the ramp, the trailer wanted to lift again, so we tried blocking up the back tires and Cal got the back wheel of the 4020 on one of the cradles for the cart to hold the trailer down so the tractor could get free of the trailer…then it fell off the ramp…but it was off the trailer. The cart had started to jack knife a bit so Cal came over with his tractor, we put a chain on the back of the cart and pulled it over so Al could go straight back and clear the trailer with the front axle of the tractor.
With the tractor free, we hooked a chain up to the back of the cart and FINALLY pulled the trailer backwards off the road and into the infirmary next to the Freight. All of us were soaking wet from the heat and humidity but we still had the ties and ramps to move…which we had help from a couple of young fellows recruited by Cal.

All that remained was to get the pickup head off the road and get it parked with everything else…that was the easiest job so far…once that was done we were on the road back to LaCrosse.

We had been watching the skies…there were some dark clouds to the SW that concerned us and as we got further into Nebraska, there were weather warning for the area we were going to be driving through to get back ‘home’. We figured we could beat the first one by getting past it and south before it hit…winds up to 70mph and hail…we did.

There was a stronger line of storms to the south of the one we squeaked by earlier, but we still figured if we could at least make it to the big truck stop at Elm Creek, NE and we would sit it out there…we didn’t make it. About 10 miles north of Elm Creek the big winds hit…very scary as we were driving through the hills with gullys that are great channels for the wind. Al had bothe hands on the wheel and was able to make it through that part of the obstacle course…then the rain hit…or rather, the wall of water. It just POURED…the RainEx on the windows earned its keep, so we could at least see to get to the truck stop…and it was packed with people that had the same idea.

We grabbed a coffee and snack, then went back out to the pickup to relax and check the radar out online. It had let up so we figured we might as well carry on, after all…how much worse could it be? It wasn’t worse. There was still a terrific amount of lightning and it was raining, just not as hard but we forged…it was getting to be a long day already.

12:30am and we still have 25 miles to go...

July 9, 2011

2011-07-09T21:04:00.002-05:00

View of the day-St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Leibenthal..made out of post rocks.

A day of laying low...Al decided to pass on the auction sale, but Marilyn didn't change her mind about shopping in Hayes. Al passed on the shopping trip as well because he had a 3pm date with the satellite and the Saskatchewan Roughriders...unfortunately they let him down...another loss.

Marilyn covered the mall and WalMart before stopping at Pizza Hut and grabbing some take out for Al. Air conditioning was the only way to go today...100º+.

Now it's early to bed so we can be on the road to Hamill, SD with the first load. AIS is 6:30am...

July 8, 2011

2011-07-08T20:29:00.002-05:00

View of the day-A trip to the Barton County Fair and a viewing of the wash bay as the steers get a shampoo.

A road trip to Great Bend was the main thing on the agenda today...get a few parts, maybe do some shopping, check out the fair...that sort of thing. We got everything but the shopping done...Marilyn was just not in the mood...shocking, for sure.

We went out to settle up with Ken and Kevin, then Marilyn insisted on getting a picture of Kevin's son, Maitland's, entry into the barbed wire sculpture for their county fair...a tornado. Nobody better steal his idea just because she posted a picture...it was just to awesome not to share.

There is an auction sale in Leibenthal tomorrow that Al wants to check out, so we thought we would see if they would let us have a quick peek...no chance...everything was closed up tight. We took our purchases out to the shop trailer, then Al decided he should take the shop trailer tire, that had the leaky valve, off and get it fixed so we wouldn't have to deal with it on the road.

We got back to the camper and had supper, then Al buckled in for a couple of CFL football games and Marilyn took a walk out to the bunker to see how the covering had progressed. It was a perfect evening for a walk...light breezed, mild temperatures and most importantly...no bugs!

Al has the auction and a CFL Riders game...Marilyn will force herself to go to Hayes for some 'retail therapy'...

July 7, 2011

2011-07-07T23:37:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Cleaned off from the rain and all loaded...ready to head north. If you look really hard to the left of the header, you could see the purple Massey.

Marilyn had hopes of getting to the restaurant next door before the egg cut off time of 10:30am, but Al decided to let her sleep in. With only 15 minutes until the menu change, Marilyn got Al to run over and order breakfast...something he wasn't to keen to do since the waitresses weren't the friendliest yesterday when we went in for lunch. Apparently 10:30am is really 10:15 in Kansas time...but Al managed to persuade them with only 4 minutes to go and we got our damn eggs.

After we had breakfast, we went to the card lock to finish loading the rigs. It had rained during the night...anywhere from .30" in LaCrosse, to almost an inch where we had the equipment parked...which washed everything down quite nicely. It was cooler and cloudy, perfect for loading but the sun was working hard at melting the clouds, so we got right down to business.

We got the tractor and cart loaded and hooked up to the Freightliner, then loaded the combine and got it hooked up to the General. We had a bit of dressing up to do as we put new warning flags and oversize load signs on the General's load, then got the camera hooked up in the combine so Al could do some maneuvering to get the shop trailer hooked up behind the combine trailer. Once that was done we were finished for the day...and not any too soon since the clouds had pretty much dissipated and the heat was rising.

We stopped in Leibenthal to check out Pat's Beef Jerky...sorry Pat, it's good, but it doesn't hold a candle to Ottenbreit's in Grayson. When we got back to LaCrosse, Marilyn had decided she couldn't handle her hair anymore...way too many hat days...she got Al to drop her off a local hairdresser who was able to take her right away. After the haircut, we drove past the bunker of wheat to see the guys getting the pipes set to go under the tarp. Probably hoping to get that job done before the mercury rises past the 100º mark the rest of the week.

After getting cleaned up, we went to Rush Center to have supper with Ken, Kevin and their families, then went back to the camper. We were just getting ready to turn into the campground when Marilyn spotted the Schwan's truck over at the gas station, so we drove over so she could get a catalogue and fill up the freezer. We have been down here for almost two months and we have yet to find a truck that was not going in the opposite direction that we could catch...not anymore.

Tomorrow we take a road trip to Great Bend...

July 6, 2011

2011-07-06T22:03:00.005-05:00

View of the day-A unique custom combine, almost ready for the Demo DerbyWe woke up to clouds and a lot cooler temperatures...a perfect day to do some machinery cleaning. We had lunch, then went to Rush Center to get the General from the Coop.

Earlier, we had tried to get fuel at the card lock where we had the rigs parked, but it wouldn't take credit cards and since we had an old account there from several years ago, they suggested we get some cards made up. We went to the main office and had our new cards within 15 minutes...what a difference from at home. There they want everything but your first born, a new application every year and a limit based on a percentage of your fuel usage. Two fills of the grain trucks and the combine and you are way over what they figure you need...and that's a Coop as well. At least somebody wants our business.

By the time we got out to the card lock, the sun had chased away the clouds and the east wind was blowing hard...which was going to help with the cleaning. Marilyn started blowing off the combine and header, which took the better part of the afternoon, while Al got the oil changed on the pickup, then we loaded the header onto the trailer and strapped it down. Marilyn wanted to get everything else loaded and hooked up so we would be done with it and be able to relax, but the clouds had disappeared so the heat was taking it's toll and it didn't take much to change her mind.

While we had been doing the cleaning, Marilyn noticed a farm yard just across the way from where we had parked and notices what looked like a purple combine...kind of a Massey-looking purple combine. A sprayer pulled out of the yard and came over to the card lock to fuel up so Marilyn went over to talk to him about what it could possibly be. He told her it was a Massey combine painted with the Kansas State colors and remade into a demo derby combine...so we just had to take a look at it before we went back to town.

When we got over there, we were able to talk to the driver of the combine, Kyle Zimmerman, and he proceeded to tell us all about the changes he had made to it. He also told us he has other combines that he runs in the demo derby's...one which is coming up in Hayes on July 22. Now we are trying to figure out how far along the South Dakota crops are and how we can work out coming back to check the derby out. It sounds like it would be a blast.

Back at the camper we got cleaned up and went out for supper to a local sub joint, then came back to the camper to wait out the storm...if it ever gets this far.

But we know better than to underestimate the power of mother nature...

July 5, 2011

2011-07-05T22:45:00.002-05:00

View of the day-A stack of post rocks sit next to all that's left of the fence line.

Al was up early to get the semi and grain cart unloaded so the farmer could settle up and get on his way back home to Dallas, TX. Once that was looked after, we stopped for lunch, then went out to rescue the General from the other field and get it unloaded.

While Al was unloading the truck, Marilyn went out to the bin site and got the Freightliner started and backed into position to hook up to the empty trailer. She also had to load all the ramps, boomers, chains and straps into the box of the truck...all this in 103º heat, with no real wind to help move the sweat around. Al showed up just as she was getting the last of the second pile moved into the truck, then he backed in with the General so we could use the hydraulics to lift the trailer high enough to hook up the Freight to it. We usually have the tractor loaded on the trailer and use its hydraulics, but it was still out at the field 30 miles away.

We got the trailer hooked up and ready to go, then hooked up the combine trailer to the General...then discovered the inside back dual tire was flat, due to a nail sticking in it...that would need to get fixed. We hooked up the high speed transport header trailer to the pickup and headed for Rush Center, where we would stop at the Coop to see about getting the tire fixed.

Al talked to the tire man and he couldn't get it done right away, so Al figured since there wasn't really any weight on the tire, we would just run it up to the field north of Leibenthal where we were going to do all our loading, drop off the trailer and bring the General back to the tire shop...which we did.

After dropping the General off, we went out to the field to get the combine and header moved to the loading field, then went back for the tractor, cart and shop trailer, moving them to the same place so they could get cleaned up and loaded. Once we got back to the camper, Al took the semi back down to Ken's farm, then got a ride up to the bin site to get the Freightliner and trailer to take them to the loading spot.

With all the moving done in the unbearable heat, it was great to get back to the air conditioned comfort of the camper and get cleaned up and get the satellite dish aimed. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler...highs of 89º, cloudy with a chance of rain.

Let's hope there is a strong wind to help with the cleaning...

July 4, 2011 - Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T21:15:00.002-05:00

View of the day-The church at Leibenthal, KS in the heart of Post Rock Country.

What is the point of shooting fireworks off at 7am…it’s daylight, so you don’t get the full effect and you waste your evening fun, plus you pi$$ off the neighbourhood. Oh well, Al did want AIS at 9am with the camper hooked up and ready to go…and it was.

We didn’t stop anywhere on the way out of Great Bend with the camper and made it to the campground in LaCrosse in no time at all. The landlord was just mowing what little grass had grown so we had to wait a bit to get parked, but once we got backed in and had everything hooked back up, we were set for a few days.

We grabbed a snack, then headed for the field, did a bit of servicing and then Marilyn cranked it up. Al got Kevin to bring his semi out and it didn’t take long to get it filled since we had a heaping cart load from last night. Al got hold of the elevator guy and they were good enough to dump us twice during the day which left us with enough room to finish the field well before the sun went down.

Al brought the semi into the campground and Marilyn scouted out the new loading spot that we had found just north of Leibenthal. It is always interesting to think about the number of times we have passed through some of these little towns along our tour, wondering about life carrying on in them as if we don’t exist…and we really don’t as far as they are concerned…then all of a sudden you are working in the area becoming one of the locals for a short time. What town will be next?

Back at the camper, we watched the Independence Day celebrations from Washington, DC…wishing we would have waited just one more day in Great Bend to see their fireworks show.

Not to worry, it sounds like we might get a local flavoured show here…

July 3, 2011

2011-07-03T23:30:00.002-05:00

View of the day-A ring of wheat outside Lacrosse, KS.

Today was the day to move to the last field we have to do in this area. We went out for lunch, then headed out to the field to get the combine ready to start roading over to the next field…about 20 miles away.

Al went ahead with the header and Marilyn followed in the combine, it took a while to finally get there but it was nice to see some different countryside at slow speed. We got to the field and after cutting a patch to see how the moisture was, we went back to get the tractor, cart and shop trailer.

Marilyn went ahead with the shop trailer, but had to stop on the side of the road to air a tire up on it that had gone low…good thing the compr

essor was in the trailer. By the time she got back to the field and fired up the combine, the farmer had stopped by for a ride, so away they went to open up the field. They rustled up a herd of mule deer that were hiding in some deep grass…they even stood long enough to get a picture.

Al showed up with the cart just as Marilyn had a full h

opper, so after dumping the grain and her co-pilot, she carried on combining until the cart was full. The General had a load on from the last field and we wouldn’t get to dump it until Tuesday, so it was out of commission and the cart was all we had for the day.

Because we are at least 53 miles from Great Bend, we decided to pack up the camper and move to the campground at LaCrosse tomorrow, so the drive out to the field will be cut down. We will also be loading the rigs on the trailers at Leibenthal, which will help even more because it is even further north.

Now if only the elevator would be open tomorrow…

July 2, 2011

2011-07-03T00:28:00.003-05:00

View of the day-Working to beat the weather.

Al was away early to his auction sale…lots of little crap and an auctioneer that was dragging everything out wayyy to long. He was sure we could have combined all day and still made the end of the sale. He did manage to come home with 5 new toys…well, new to him.

Marilyn got to drive the General out to the field, and since she had done the servicing last night, was able to jump in the combine and get right back to work. After getting Kevin’s semi filled, she started working on filling the General and after a couple of dumps, could see the last 8 acres of the field coming together…until the cutter bar stopped.

Al was just getting back to the field, so he drove down to where the combine had stopped and it wasn’t good news. The spline on the knife drive had sheared off. We had never had this happen on any of the CaseIH wobble boxes, so we were shocked to see how it had snapped off and split down the middle…and of course, the warranty had run out in May. We called the MacDon support trailer and they did have a new wobble box…200 miles away in Goodland, fortunately they were able to get one of the guys to meet us half way with it. We were happy to see that it was the same gentleman that had helped us set the header up at Davidson, OK last year.

The clouds had been building all day and although it was only in the 90’s, without the wind, it felt worse than the 106º days. We raced back to the field to try and get everything put back together before the weather got nasty…hoping we could get it assembled so that the timing was correct and we wouldn’t have to re-do it.

We got everything back together just as it got dark and Marilyn took off to get the last of the field lapped up…and it worked like a charm. We got the General almost full with what was left on the field and now it will have to sit until Tuesday because everything is closed up for the long weekend.

We have one more field to do, but the move is probably 20 miles, so that will take some time to get things moved. The good news is it will be that much closer to our move north when we are done. The bad news is there won’t be any place to dump the grain with everything closed, so it will not be a big acre day…we will have to bring the Freightliner out of the mothballs for extra room.

Once we got finished and back to the camper, we watched the weather channel as the storms started popping up. Nothing here at the camper, but it looked like we might have gotten some out at the combine, which is okay now that the field is done.

And they really could use the rain…

July 1, 2011 - Happy Canada Day!

2011-07-02T00:23:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Al had his work cut out for him first thing in the morning…the tractor had a sore foot, and it was 90º at 10am.

We got out to the field, did some servicing, then Marilyn started combining. Al had to take a load into the elevator, then he went for the shop trailer so he could take the flat front tire off the tractor to get it fixed in Rush Center.

Marilyn finished the field, got the header ready for transport just as Kevin showed up to take it to the next field. Al showed up with the repaired tire just as they were leaving the field and once he got the tire back on, started to move the tractor and cart to the new field.

Kevin helped Al get the pickup and General moved over, then hauled another load into the elevator. Once again, the elevator manager opened up for Al’s last load of the day…apparently we are one of a couple of people still harvesting in the area. After Al dumped the last load, he went back to Great Bend with the General and parked at the campground…he was done for the day.

Kevin brought his semi up to the field and rode around with Marilyn in the combine until she got it filled with seed wheat, then he took it home to dump. Marilyn combined another hopper full, then shut it down for the night. She decided to grease while the combine was fueling up, but didn’t even get down the ladder before the slip tank was empty, so she finished greasing, then headed for Great Bend.

There is an estate auction sale tomorrow at 9am and there are over 50 farm toys, most of them in their original boxes. Al will be attending, hence the reason the General came back to the camper…he will take the pickup and Marilyn will take Big Gen to the field to start combining. Because of this, the pickup with the slip tank will be at the auction and no telling when those toys will sell and Marilyn does not want to run out of fuel. As she passed Otis on the way home, she saw the 24hr fuel pumps and decided to grab some fuel and go back to the field to top off the combine.

A late night, 125 acres combined and Kevin will bring his semi out in the morning so she has lots to fill before Al makes it out.

And with the servicing all done, she can sleep in a bit…

June 30, 2011

2011-06-30T22:59:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Al gets a shot while trying to stay out of the dust and the 108º heat.

It was supposed to be another day off as we waited for the moisture to go down, but Kevin called us up in the morning and figured we should give it a try. We got organized then headed out to give it a try…the moisture had gone from 17.2% on Tuesday to 8.3% today! Yeah, that’s good to go.

We finished a couple of patches then moved over to finish off about 50 acres that the other crew had left that was right next to where we had just finished. They had moved a few miles north and were going strong, so there was no sense in them moving back for that little bit.

While Marilyn was finishing off that patch, Al and Kevin moved the tractor and pick-up over to the next field so she would be able to start right in while Al took the truck into the elevator. They had already closed for the day, but the manager was good enough to go over and dump him so we could keep going. Kevin got to drive the combine for a while, cutting the first ‘flat’ part of the field, then Marilyn took over on the terraced side of the waterway.

Al was having alternator issues with the tractor, so just before calling it quits, he took it off so we could get it checked out tomorrow in Great Bend. Once Marilyn got the truck full, we called it a day…and it was a good one, over 130 acres.

Not bad for a day off…

June 29, 2011

2011-06-29T22:38:00.002-05:00

View of the day-Gerry lures Al into the green one for a test drive.

We had intentions of being on the road bright and early, but we didn’t have anywhere to be, so we ended up leaving around 11am. We went to the bin site and hooked up the pick-up head, then started out for Phillipsburg.

We stopped in Hayes for lunch then carried on in the blistering heat…103ºF on the pickup read out. There were combines running all over the place, most of the fields had been combined but as we got closer to Phillipsburg, it looked like they were just starting out. We stopped at the CaseIH dealer in Phillipsburg for a visit and to pick up some oil…they were good enough to let us leave the header there until we can move it further north.

After we got it backed into a spot that would make it easy to hook up behind the cart trailer, we headed west to do some visiting and to get Marilyn’s laptop. Gerry & Lynn owners of Prevost Harvesting had picked it up from Staples on their way through Yorkton.

We took one of the secondary roads where there was little or no traffic…in 70 miles we might have seen 10 vehicles. Along this road, there were fewer combines running and the ones that were making dust were just the local farmers. As we got closer to Colby, we could see the crops were not as far along and even though there were cutters out in the fields, they were just sampling to see how the moisture was.

We pulled into Brewster just as a semi was pulling out of the elevator and was waiting to weigh out empty. Looking at the licence, we could see it was from Saskatchewan and was the very harvester we had been looking for. We had a quick chat with him, then followed him out to the field where they were combining. We got there just as they had finished combining the irrigation pivot corners, which were plenty dry…but the crop under the pivot was a whole other story…still pretty green. They were done for the day.

We followed them back to Colby so Marilyn could get her laptop and got invited to stay for supper...honest, we don’t do this on purpose. We had another great home cooked meal and lots of visiting before starting back to Great Bend…160 miles, but thankfully interstate highway except for the last 30 miles.

There are custom cutters parked EVERYWHERE…

June 28, 2011

2011-06-29T00:12:00.003-05:00

View of the day-Al gets probed at the elevator and we have fingers crossed that the moisture isn’t too high.

We went out to the field at the usual time and after servicing and fuelling the combine, Marilyn prepared to finish the last 5 acres on the field…the last five ‘green’ acres. We hoped there was enough dry wheat on the truck to get it low enough to unload at the elevator.

Marilyn notice the front end was making a lot of noise when she turned on the feeder house and after giving it a quick inspection, discovered that the reverser chain that Al had just finished tightening was pretty much stretched. Al gave Kevin a call and got him to pick up some new chain on his way back from checking the moisture at the next field.

After lapping up the last of the field, Marilyn took a ride into the elevator with Al and we were releaved to find that the moisture was 15.1%...not good, but a far cry from some of the other stuff that was showing on the monitor. We got the truck dumped then went back to the field to do some more servicing.

Al blew the rads and filters out, while Marilyn gave the windows on the combine and General a good cleaning and a coat of RainEx…a miracle product that makes dusting them off a dream. Once Kevin got back with the chain, Al went over to the yard to measure and break the chain to the right length and to cut some new threads in the blower wand that he broke when he threw it off the combine.

Once everything was in tip-top shape and we were given the next couple of days off, due to the fact that the moisture on the next field was 17%, we headed back to town. Marilyn went shopping at the truck parts store for some new clearance lights for the General…Al is loving the brightness of the LED lights and they are sorely in need of replacement. The gentleman there was quite helpful and she left with a few new warning flags and a couple of new oversize signs…great prices. The lights got ordered and they should be in Wednesday.

We had been invited out for supper by Taff & Wendy Hughes, the other harvester that is cutting for the same farmer. We had a great visit with their family and crew and got a tour of the ‘estate’. What a gorgeous evening for a BBQ, the bugs stayed away, the temperature was perfect and the steaks…well, just the best! The yard had been landscaped by a professional photographer and with the waterfall, pathways and cozy spots nestled in the little valleys of the tree canopied hideaway…it was just so relaxing and beautiful. No pictures...they would not have done it justice.

Marilyn said if she had something like this at home, she would quit harvesting…

June 27, 2011

2011-06-27T23:10:00.003-05:00

View of the day-A couple of friendly dogs suck up some shade under the General.

We got out to the field early…relatively speaking…and took the header off to move to the next field. After getting it hooked back up at the next field, Marilyn cut a patch out to park everything, then Kevin picked us up and took us back for the General and cart. Marilyn took the pickup back, then started combining, while Kevin had the honor of driving the tractor and cart.

The moisture was still up on this field…a lot of the wheat had come up in the spring and was still green. It was a far cry from the 9% moisture of the last few fields, coming up as high as 14.1%...but Marilyn was able to blend it off.

We covered 140 acres again today and got to combine next to the JD crew…apparently Marilyn didn’t get the text that supper was coming out to the field, or else red and green don’t go together…except at Christmas.

Al had some time to wait at the end of the day and while Marilyn was cleaning up one of the terraces, took the MiFi out on the top of the hill and did a bit of surfing out in the field. Two thumbs up for the high speed connection in the middle of nowhere.

It’s going to make for some scenic Skype calls…