Monday, October 12, 2015

October 12, 2015

View of the day-Technically, yesterday. Before and after. We officially called it "done" and washed the combine.

Al spent a few days driving around the area, checking to see if there was any work to be found. On the one hand, it seemed we should be doing something with the fabulous harvest weather, that just refuses to leave...and we're not complaining at all! On the other hand, it would take some doing to get back into the "zone" and we aren't feeling it anymore for this year. 


We started washing the combine and watched across the road as the baler man finally got going again and just a mile south of that, there was canola being combined. We had nicely gotten everything hooked up to start washing, when the rain came and put the kibosh on that. Marilyn wanted to run the brush over the combine quickly so the rain would end up doing all the work of rinsing it off, but it started to pour, so we had to quit. As did the baler man and the combines. The sun came out about an hour later and we got the job done.

The last couple of weeks have been spent getting everything ready for storage. With the camper winterized and parked along side the General in the "shop", half the fleet is where it belongs. Al took the straight header down to its winter lodging...Kim's shed at Carlyle, so that is out of the elements for the winter. 

The combine isn't so lucky, although it does get nestled between the house and the pines...after serving as a tree trimming platform.

And speaking of trees...it would appear there is a good crop growing in the eaves of the house.

While Marilyn is back at work and getting ready for a couple of theatre events, Al is getting in the zone for a toy show in Regina at the end of October, followed by a road trip with Roger and another friend, to Dyersville, Iowa for the National Farm Toy Show. Marilyn misses out again.

She does get to go to the Regina Show...




Thursday, October 1, 2015

October 1, 2015

View of the day-Cleaning time and for a change, it is Al doing the cleaning instead of Marilyn.

We get home and the wheels fall off the blog, couldn't seem to find time to get yesterday's in until today.

Today was pretty much spent emptying the camper and cleaning the combine. It got blown off and greased up, but it hasn't had a wash yet.

Just in case we find more work...

September 30, 2015

View of the day-Al driving the combine on the trailer for the trip home.

We had an early morning lined up as we got into Yorkton to fuel up and meet with the trucker that was going to haul the combine home. After exchanging information, we hit the road.

We hadn't gotten far from town when we ran into some rain...and then through some really heavy rain that gave the wipers a workout. The oddest thing was that there was lightning...in October...something you don't often see in these parts. However, by the time we got to Kipling, dust was flying on the gravel roads.

We got to the farm, got the truck lined up and got the combine loaded and chained down. All we had to do was drive the combine on...the trucker did the rest while we watched. Al is really liking this part of the harvest. Once we had the sign up on the pilot vehicle, we were on our way. Marilyn in the pilot vehicle, the combine load, followed by Al in the General.

We made it to Yorkton...the rain had all but stopped, then got the combine unloaded and went for lunch before taking the combine back to the farm. Marilyn had play rehearsal, so Al caught a ride back into town to bring the General home.

And it's almost done for the season...almost...

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

September 29, 2015

View of the day-The turtle has its shell on and it on the way home.

We went back to the field to get the combine fueled up and hook up the straight header...which we didn't need after all. Al got settled up with the farmer and then we headed back to the camper.

We got the camper closed and hooked up, then Al hooked up the shop trailer and we headed for Yorkton. We took a lunch break at Whitewood, before dropping the hammer...and we had the wind at our backs, to boot.

We got the camper back on its unloading spot on the lawn, then Al parked the shop trailer and that was it for the day. Except for the unloading of the trailer...which didn't start until the dish was aimed, first thing, for the Blue Jays baseball game, which was postponed due to rain. At least we have TV.

Unloading the camper is a lot less stressful when it isn't loaded for five months of living. We still haven't got to the place where we can leave a set of everything in it permanently. Maybe when Marilyn gets her big heated shop and storage shed to keep it in, we won't even have to winterize it...ahh...dreams.

We keep buying lottery tickets and it might happen...

Monday, September 28, 2015

September 28, 2015

View of the day-The farmers combine trying to get the last swath of canola into his hopper before the sun goes down. Fortunately, Marilyn had enough room left to help out.

We were making dust before 10am and it was going through the combine "like butter". We made pretty good time and had another combine come into the field mid-afternoon to help finish off the last quarter on this section.

There was another encounter with a skunk today, but this time it made itself seen by running along the canola swath ahead of the combine. Even the hawks wouldn't take advantage of this delectable snack. It ran into the swath and Marilyn had thought of just moving over to the next swath to avoid it, but, the lord hates a coward, so she continued to the end. Didn't take the "stink cat" in and never saw...or smelled...it again.

We finished the field just at sunset and Al had a half a truck load to dump in the bin. Unfortunately, the bin would only hold a quarter of a load, so they had to change the auger to a new bin.

We are going to need the furnace tonight...

Sunday, September 27, 2015

September 27, 2015

View of the day-Not one of our pictures, but one taken with a drone way back August 21 near Kennedy. We are the lower left combine.

Another early morning and a productive day. Still in the canola, but we are over on the hilly side of the field. Even with half a hopper it's quite a chug to get up over the ridge. Here is a shot of Al from the top of the hill...the picture doesn't do it justice.

We had one issue with parts today. When Marilyn got to the end of one of the swaths, she turned around and discovered a large part laying in the swath where she had just come from. This part came from the inside of the combine, just behind the auger bed under the rotor...it is the full width of the combine and the wire fingers on it are at least 18 inches. Since Marilyn didn't have time to take a picture, this parts one will help to illustrate.

The odd thing about this part, is that it actually came out the back of the combine with only one bent wire. How it managed to fit between the spreaders and shaker pan at the back is a complete mystery...and the spreaders show no sign of injury. At least it wasn't important enough to hold up combining production. The part went in the back of the pickup and Marilyn continued on.

At one point, there was the raw aroma from a skunk...a strong, rank smell. Out in the canola stubble you think it would be easy to spot...they don't really move that fast and in the wide open spaces it would really stand out. Not so. There was no sign of it, other than the tell tale smell...and it didn't go through the combine.

There must have been one visiting back at the camper, too...

Saturday, September 26, 2015

September 26, 2015

View of the day-The old way-an old wooden bin in the bush, and the new way-massive bins in the background.

We got rockin' early today with a strong wind helping us out. There were a few rogue drops on the window, but the wind was so brisk, the clouds didn't stick around long and it was back to business as usual.

Al had an easier day as the other two combines left to do some standing oats, so Marilyn was the only combine in the field. This made for a more relaxing day and the bins were just across the road...as you could see in the picture...so he just took a couple hoppers at a time and was back in the field lickety-split.

We just carried on the whole day, the only breakdown was before we started and technically it happened last night...the feeder chain jumped a cog...but it only took 15 minutes to set right and we were making dust.

Al sat on the top of the hill waiting at sunset and Marilyn finally got back into a 100+ acre day...a sweet change, but we lost the wind early, so it was an 8pm shut down.

We'll sleep well tonight...

September 25, 2015

View of the day-Everything is all shiny and back in order in the engine compartment...much better than before.

Al had to sit on his hands to keep from dialing the repair shop to find out when the combine would be ready. He finally got the call around 11am to let us know the combine would be finished around 1pm. 

We went into Kipling to have an early lunch, then filled a couple of water jugs before heading over to Windthorst to get the combine. We checked it over, got settled up and started out for the field of canola that we were to combine. Once out there, we got everything running and set, then Al started to combine the outside round...just to make sure it was working fine...when an alarm went off.

We couldn't see any lights on the post to indicate what the problem was, so Al went out to watch as Marilyn started it up again. He could see one of the spreaders wasn't turning...the gears were all worn and weren't meshing. Back to Windthorst for parts.

We had taken the old gears off the shafts and just had to replace them with the new ones, but Al kept saying he didn't like it...it was too easy. Nothing was rusted on, the clips and shafts came out with no problem. Way too easy. We got back, put it together in about 20 minutes and were back in business. It really was that easy.

It was still really warm and the wind was blowing hard, so we kept going until 10pm, when Al shut down the trucking end of things. He was hauling from three combines and we were getting further and further away from the bins, making it tough to get back in time...and he was the only trucker on the scene. Even though we didn't get rolling hard until after 3pm, we still managed to get in 60 acres.

If the wind keeps up, we will get an early start tomorrow...

Thursday, September 24, 2015

September 24, 2015

View of the day-Al back in the harvest hauling seat for a few miles.

We were checking the UPS sight all night and into the morning to see when the part might show up at Northgate. The last time Marilyn looked, it had been scanned out at Sioux Falls, SD at 6am...things were looking good. When Al got online to check after 8am, he saw that the package had been delayed for a day due to weather. What!? Unacceptable.

He got on the phone to find out what weather, since it wasn't showing anything other than light rain. He had to talk to an agent somewhere in the Asian Pacific and he got nowhere, but mad, trying to find out what weather and where it was in transit. She eventually hung up on him, so he called back in again and made a point of asking for someone in North America...of course, they tell him they can't do that, so he keeps telling them to hang up so he can take the "service quality" survey that was mentioned at the beginning of the call...he had a few things to tell them.

He eventually got to talk to someone in Tampa and he was able to tell Al that the weather that held it up was fog at Minot. By this time, it was showing the part had been scanned in at Minot, but now the delivery trucks had already left the depot before it arrived, so it wouldn't go out until tomorrow. Unacceptable. He called his toy buddy, Pete the partsman, at Gooseneck Implements in Kenmare to see if he had a direct number for the depot and hallelujah, he did!

Al called to see if we could just go to Minot and pick it up at the depot and the lady that answered was so helpful and said anytime would work, because they were there 24 hours. We were on the road, finally.

We needed to get the parts to Windthorst after we picked them up and had the two bearings that we had gotten in Yorkton yesterday that also needed to get dropped off. However, we didn't want to take them across the border with us, so we dropped them at Kim and Marg's at Carlyle, then hit the road.

We had just left their farm when we got a call from one of our American harvester friends that had been combining in Canada...they had been pulled over by the DOT and were having a few issues getting their rigs to the border. They were only 20 miles from it when they got stopped.

The following is a watered down version of what happened, otherwise it might get a little long winded and raw...the DOT has that effect on harvesters. 

With the oil business slowed down to a crawl, they had to get funds somewhere and must have popped the champagne when they saw the four semis loaded with combines, tractor and grain cart. By the time we got there, they had already unloaded the tractor and grain cart and the driver was well on his way roading it to the border...issue with the trailer it was on.  Without going into too much detail, Al offered to drive their semi-loads, one at a time with the driver in the cab with him, while Marilyn followed in the pickup. About 4 miles from the border, he let the driver take over and we went back for another rig. They were able to get the rest of the rigs across on their own.

After that setback, we carried on to Minot, stopping near Bowbells to check in with the guys parked there waiting for the rest of the crew to show up before they continued on.

We got to the UPS store, picked up our parts...and some that Pete needed...stopped for a Sonic shake, then started back home. After dropping Pete's parts off at Kemare, we swung by Kim's to get the bearings we had left there...and stopped to watch a quarter of NFL football...then headed for Windthorst to drop off our parts in the will-call box, before going back to the camper.

What a joy ride...

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

September 23,2015

View of the day-One of the fields getting combined on our road trip today. This was a couple of New Holland combines in the Qu'Appelle Valley.

We started the day full of hope as the part we needed was supposed to be delivered to the dealer at Windthorst shortly after lunch. We waited patiently, then decided to take a quick trip to Grayson to do some banking and visit the meat market to stock up.

Al called to find out how they were making out and they told him they had run into an issue with the parts. They had gotten everything but the two bearings that they needed, which were supposed to be coming from Regina. It turns out Regina had to back order them and so the brakes were on and we wouldn't see the combine today.

We were in Grayson at the time and Al found out we could get the bearings in Yorkon, so we made a mad dash up there to get them. While we were there, we got another phone call telling us that there was another issue with a warped shaft and the new sheave that we had sent up from Missouri would not fit on the old one due to the heat from the break.

They informed us that this part would not show up until Monday, which didn't make Al very happy, so he asked the guys at Yorkton to see where in North America he could find one. Lo and behold they had one at Straub International in Great Bend, KS, which just happened to be the dealer that we would get our new combines delivered to back in the old days when we were going south.

Al talked to the parts manager and found out they did indeed have the part and could he overnight it for us up to the little bar at the Northgate port of entry. He got the package put together and got it over to the UPS and on the road before closing time. What excellent service...which only goes to prove Al's favorite saying "it's not what you know, but, who you know".

Road trip to the border tomorrow...

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

September 22, 2015

View of the day-The buggy tractor has it's new load on as it is ready to start seeding winter wheat.

The combine is still out of commission, so the only thing we had to do today was move the straight header and grain truck down to the next farm we will be working on. An ice cream in town and back to the camper for the rest of the day.

Hopefully the combine parts come in and it gets reassembled tomorrow...

Monday, September 21, 2015

September 21, 2015

View of the day-Not one of our views, but it is a shot of our canola getting combined. Photo courtesy of Mike Kardynal.

We were up early and on the road to check on parts at Windthorst before 8am. After giving our list of needed parts to the man at the counter, we found out that one of them was only available from someplace in Missouri and we wouldn't see it until Wednesday. Just great.

Al called down to see if the ProHarvest truck was still at Stanley, ND and found out it had left on Friday...and the part we needed would have been on it. What rotten timing.

Al had decided to just get the mechanics to come out and do the repairs...it seemed like a lot of heavy work in small spaces to get stuff shifted enough to get the big part out of the engine compartment. After talking to the service manager, he said we could save a lot more if we just brought the combine to them...at least they have the equipment to do the overhead lifting. We agreed and went back to the farm to get the combine.

We had to stop and look at a tractor that was for sale for Al's pal Danny...Marilyn was eyeing up the front end loader that was part of the deal and wondering if it would fit on the Magnum. Al said the brackets would be the issue, so that was that. 

We got the combine fueled up and Al started roading the combine 20 miles over to Windthorst. He had another chat with the service manager, then we headed back to the farm, stopping for lunch at the big burger joint in Kipling.

Al had baseball and football to watch in the evening and Marilyn had a meeting for the theatre group in Yorkton, so she was on the road to the meeting and back at the camper by 10pm.

The temperatures are dipping below freezing tonight, so the furnace better be working...

Sunday, September 20, 2015

September 20, 2015

View of the day-More beaver huts...actually they were more like beaver "lodges".

Al was back from Yorkton this morning in time to service the combine and start picking up canola just after 9am. Marilyn took over once the lunches were made, then it was business as usual.

We moved over to another full section of canola...lots of sloughs making it quite a bit less than the 640 acres it should have been...about 170 acres short. There were lots of twists and turns, but at least the other combines were in view, since all the bushes that had been in the sloughs had been pushed in and burnt.

Marilyn thought she could smell something burning, but figured it was probably the old trees smouldering...she had been duped on a few previous occasions by the smell. She got out and checked around the combine...no smoke that she could see. Even with the help of the buggy man, we couldn't find the source.

Al came out to the field with the pickup and after shutting the combine down, we were able to narrow it down to a couple of bearing on the rotor speed drive controller...or what was left of it. We drove the combine back to the yard and commenced to dismantle as much as we could before dark, then went back to the camper to start looking for part numbers.

Early morning parts run...let's hope they have them in stock...

Saturday, September 19, 2015

September 19, 2015

View of the day-Morning window ritual...and we realize the bracket on the front of the ladder that held the fire extinguisher broke and now it is planted somewhere in the field.

There was a lot of dew this morning, so we didn't get an early start. This gave us time to get some fixing done.

While Marilyn did the servicing, Al did the parts run...for a change...to Windthorst. He got back in plenty of time and we had the new sensor for the auger installed and tested. It seemed to be working.


We got going around 11am and it was a great day for combining sun and wind. Al got to put the second last load into the last of the big bins. 


We went hard all day, finishing the section we were on, then moving across the road to finish off some canola that was left on one of the fields. It had been seeded a lot later, so we had to wait for it to cure before picking it up. It got tough around 8pm, so we shut it down for the night.

This gave Al a chance to attend the season opener of his Yorkton Terrier hockey team...

Friday, September 18, 2015

September 18, 2015

View of the day-We had to stop for this load that was being moved from the west part of the province to the south. It was going to the Boundary Damn at Estevan...a whopper. 

It wasn't breaking any speed records, since it had to slow down for the power company to lift the wires across the highway. Today it traveled from Melville to Whitewood, where we saw it parked in the truck stop for the night. 

Today was road trip to Yorkton Day. We had a few things to do and pick up, so we were on the road at 9:30am. We got a few errands done, then met Curtis from H&R Block for lunch.

We went out to the farm to get the little Dodge in to service, then hooked the grain cart to the tractor, for Al's buddy, Danny to use. It almost had the year off. We went back into town with both trucks, then dropped the one ton off at Minute Muffler to get the oil changed.

We were just at the end of our 'to do' list when Al got a call that they were going to go out and try the canola. It had been sunny and windy all day, so it did look promising. Al left in his pickup, while Marilyn stayed back to do a few more errands before heading back to the camper.

Al did get 10 acres done before they quit for the night...

Thursday, September 17, 2015

September 17, 2015

View of the day-The combine sat by the bins for one night and just look what the birds left us. They had even put a layer inside the engine compartment and it was closed.

We got to sleep in for a bit, then, after not being able to get the parts we needed in Yorkton, it was road trip to the Case parts warehouse in Regina.

It was an uneventful trip...a new road for us to travel on...it looked like there had been rain everywhere along the way. We got to Regina just a random cloud was letting loose with a dump of rain. There seemed to be a few of them along the way, but none of them amounted to much.

The parts weren't ready when we got there, so we went to Fastenal to buy a metric bolt that we needed for the sieve adjuster. They wouldn't sell us just one...we had to buy a bag of them, which we would never use, so we went without.

We went back for the combine part, had a quick lunch at Arby's, stopped at Princess Auto...and came out empty handed...then came back to the farm. We stopped at Windthorst to pick up some oil and a filter for the combine, which we had drained yesterday. 

Back at the farm, we got the oil changed, then put the parts on the combine reverser that we had picked up. Looks good as new.

Marilyn can't wait to plug it up to see if it works...


Wednesday, September 16, 2015

September 16, 2015

View of the day-We got a late start and had to quit early...a short day.

We weren't sure we would get going today after yesterday's moisture, but around 1:30pm we were given the word to head out to the field to give it a try.

It was slow going and got a little drier as the afternoon went on. The feeder kept plugging and the reverser was not working to clean it out, but just as it plugged for the last time, it started raining, so it was a sign to quit.

Marilyn brought the combine back to the yard so we could change engine oil on it. That, and see what the reverser problem was...two very important pieces of metal were gone. 

The rain has been falling for several hours now...

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

September 15, 2015

View of the day-The fleet sits waiting in the mist...nothing going on today.

It started out looking like the weather might just go around us, but it didn't take long before that hope was dashed. At least we didn't get an actual rain out of the deal.

We took a road trip to look at some standing oats that will need cutting after we are finished with the canola, then went into Kipling for lunch. We discovered the #2 best burger...the #1 being from the Triple C Cafe in Glade, Kansas...it was big and tasty.

The rest of the day was spent looking out the windows of the camper at the mist...

Monday, September 14, 2015

September 14, 2015

View of the day-Everyone out in the field...and lots of hawks.

It was a foggy start to the day, which meant we would not be rolling as early as we had in the past. Al went out and serviced the combine, then came back to the camper to lay out the plan for the day...he would start combining around 11am or so, and Marilyn would make the parts run.

We needed air filters and a new lat for the feeder chain, so it was off to Windthorst for Marilyn. When she got back to the field, the new filters were installed and she took over at the helm, while Al went back to trucking.

We finished the big field, then moved back to a mile east of the farm yard. It was tough going all day...hitting the 3mph mark wasn't easy for any of the combines out in the field.

But you know the drill...shut up and drive...

Sunday, September 13, 2015

September 13, 2015

View of the day-Another early start, with only one green one missing.

Al got to start combining, since the trucking was under control and Marilyn had to get lunches ready. All machines were running right off the bat, but the green ones had issues during the day as they always seemed to have one down with belt issues.

We finished the field we had started, then moved about 10 miles or so, SE to a five quarter chunk of canola.  This field was a far cry from the slough-filled one we had just left...mile long straight swaths. At least some of them were that long...there was a creek that split it up in a few places.

Marilyn had a jogging buddy as this little bunny would not leave the side of the swath. there was a hawk that was eye-balling it up and Marilyn had the camera ready in case it decided to try and lift the little bugger, who was actually about the same size as the hawk. It never happened.

As darkness fell, the beaver houses seemed to get bigger...and tougher. We went until about 9:30, then everyone quit for the night.

More of the same tomorrow and maybe we finish this big chunk...

Saturday, September 12, 2015

September 12, 2015

View of the day-Most of the crowd is in the field as the buggy man unloads a green one.

We had a bit of fixing to do this morning as the fat swaths from yesterday made on of the chains on the feeder chain jumped a link and was running crooked. It took some time to remember how we used to get it aligned, but once it was even again, we tightened it up and were out in the field by 9:30am.

Perfect weather again, hot and windy. There were problems for everyone, with one green one down at a time, then the big red one had bearing problems. The good news was that the third green one showed up and was out in the field, mid afternoon. Al had to come out with the service truck to blow out the rads and filters...all that fine dust was plugging things up. Once they were cleaned up, it was full speed ahead with no alarms.

We had three quarters lapped up and had moved over to another quarter, but this time we were full force...five machines. It sure doesn't take long to finish a quarter with that many machines...and a cracker jack cart driver.

Some days having radio contact with all machines would make things a lot easier...

Friday, September 11, 2015

September 11, 2015

View of the day-The buggy-man had another busy day, even though the green ones were having issues.

Al got to start combining today so Marilyn could go on a fuel run for the General. It was a fast trip to Whitewood to get some clear diesel and some subs for lunch, then it was back in the saddle.

We had a good day, finishing off the section that we had started on yesterday. The green ones were out at the beginning, but another belt went on one, and there were fuel issues on the other, so they missed quite a few acres. They very well could have been out in the field and not been seen, since it was not a flat piece of land and Marilyn spent a lot of time out back in the low spots.

The weather was perfect...we even had some wind to keep the dust away. It did disappear at sunset, but we were pretty close to done anyway. After getting the combines unloaded, we moved three miles back to the farm yard where we will start again tomorrow.

Jeff, his wife Michele and son, Carson came down for a visit...actually, it was a corn run. They brought down 100 cobs of corn for the farmer to do some canning with. This was the last round of the sweet corn that had been planted and it sounds like they had to fight the racoons to get them. The plans are in the works to racoon-proof for next season.

Finally got to break the 120 acres again...pretty easy to do with 38 foot swaths...

Thursday, September 10, 2015

September 10, 2015

View of the day-The fleet is all lined up and waiting. Al is cleaning out the rads and air filter to kill time.

We didn't get going until after 11am, but once we started we didn't stop until after dark...well, a couple of us didn't, at least. One of the green ones was down with a broken serpentine belt and the big red one(as opposed to our medium red one) had concave motor issues.

We got the field we were on done by 5pm, then moved a few miles south to the next full section we had to work on. All machines were working for the first field, with the green one giving it up just as we were finishing. We had three machines to start on the section, but lost the red one after dark.

We had perfect harvest weather, although we could have used a bit more wind to help dry the big swaths down. We have moved over to 38 foot swaths, up from the 35 foot swaths that we had just finished...the 3 foot difference is noticeable in our machine. The speed has dropped, not due to the power, but the feederhouse just does not want to swallow that big swath.

Maybe it will be better when the sun shines tomorrow...

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

September 9, 2015

View of the day-We have reinforcements in the field.

Al went out with the General to service and put the new spring on the header, while Marilyn got lunches ready at the camper.

When we got out to the field, we were joined by a couple of John Deere machines from Alberta. They had previously done some custom swathing of the canola here and were now coming in to help combine. There will be one more machine making the scene...they left with the truck and trailer to back haul for it this morning.

We finished the field we were on, then moved over to another couple of quarters, which we lapped up well before the sun went down, then moved 10 or so miles to the next field.

We worked until just after 9pm when the going got slow for everyone...92% humidity will do that.

More of the same tomorrow...

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

September 8, 2015

View of the day-Al gets to start in the canola.

Yesterday was a "do nothing" day, so there wasn't anything much to report. We pretty much took it easy in the camper.

Today, we got the straight header cleaned up and loaded on the high speed transport trailer. At this point in our harvest, it looks like we are done straight cutting...we only have canola left. We also did a bit of work on the switch for the General's electric roll tarp.

We took the switch off...it seemed to be the issue. Al was having trouble with it when he would try to close the tarp...moving the switch cables would sometimes activate it and sometimes not. The cables all looked good, so we had it narrowed down to the switch. We drove into Kipling to see if we could find a new one.

We went to a couple places, with no luck, then drove 10 miles down the road to the Case dealer at Windthorst to see if they had such a thing. No luck there either, so we went back to the yard, got the electrical contact cleaner out and put it back on the cables in the truck. Al would have to continue doing the same thing to close it...the cleaning didn't help.

We got the word that the canola was going to be good enough to start on, so we got the pickup header on the combine. Al noticed that one of the big springs on the pickup head had broken, so we needed to get a new one, although it could be used without it for the time being. Marilyn called Windthorst and this time they had the part we needed, so while Al drove the combine to the field south of Kipling, Marilyn drove back to Windthorst to get the part.

Al had started combining by the time Marilyn got out to the field. After making a couple rounds with Al, the rest of the trucks and combine had shown up, so he went back to his trucking job, while Marilyn continued picking up swaths. It was slow going, but we managed to get almost 40 acres done before the dew started settling on the pickup belts on the header.

Tomorrow, we go full tilt...

Sunday, September 6, 2015

September 6, 2015

View of the day-There's the total...you could take a little bit out for the floating chaff.

Another down burst this morning, then the sun kicked a few of the clouds out of the way and the wind was blowing hard. We did pretty much nothing but watch the BlueJays and the Roughriders...both won their games. The Riders finally won one, they are now 1-9 for the season.

After the games were over we went for a drive into Kipling for an ice cream cone and to see what the results were from the rain. We stopped at the combine and opened up the trap doors to let the water out that had been pounded in. There was water laying in the low spots of the fields, but since we are done with the straight cutting, we should be able to spot any traps before falling in.

After a tough day like that, it feels like nap time...

Saturday, September 5, 2015

September 5, 2015

View of the day-This should show how much harvesting got done today.

We got to sleep in and woke up to the sound of rain and thunder. 

After a feed of fresh corn on the cob, we decided to take a road trip to Yorkton to get our mail and pick up a few things. It was after 11pm by the time we got home through the thick fog.

More rain forecast, so Blue Jays and Roughriders on TV for the day...