September 7, 2008

View of the day-Al gets the combine trailer moved out of the mud and on to the road so we can load on solid ground.

Well, the decision was made to call it done here in Kenmare. With yesterday's rain and all that had fallen the past week and all that is forecast for the week, we decided it was time to move on.

It's always a tough decision when you have to leave unfinished work, but with the phone constantly ringing to find out when we will move north, we just couldn't stay any longer. This would be one of the downfalls of having only one combine...we don't have a crew to split to divide our resources. Good thing the farmer has his own combines...in both places.

We went out to the farm and got the header trailer, then went out to the field to take the straight header off and move the combine back to the farm. The cart tire was completely flat and the shop trailer with the compressor was just out of reach to air the tire up. The combine was the only thing around to move the shop trailer so Marilyn hooked the safety chain from the trailer up to the feeder house and moved it closer to the grain cart. After airing up the tire and blowing all the chaff and straw off the combine, Marilyn drove the combine back to the farm.

Al got the grain unloaded off the General, then took the header into town to park it. When he got back to the farm, Marilyn was there with the combine then we both went back to the field with the General to empty the cart and bring it back to the farm. Marilyn got to drive the slow moving vehicle while Al got the General and the Freightliner unloaded and Marilyn went back to the field to get the shop trailer.

We were able to get the tractor and cart loaded on the trailer where we had parked it when we got there almost two weeks ago then we moved it into town and parked it by the header trailer. The combine trailer was a different story...it had to be moved onto solid ground, so Al hooked a chain around the feeder house and moved it out on to the road where we were able to get it loaded and then moved into town.

Back at the camper we got the paperwork in order to cross the border, then Al got his NFL fix in...well, at least until tomorrow night when he gets to see the Monday Night double header in Carlyle.

If they let us in...

September 6, 2008

View of the day-Clouds gather over the Pioneer Village by the camper.

Another sleep in day...no rain to start, but it didn't take long. Al went out to the farm to put the brake pot on the combine trailer and see if it was dry enough to try and unload the trucks...no luck there...and no one around to talk to, to find out how much rain had fallen. If there was that much at the farm, Al didn't want to take any chances going out to the combine to check the gauge.

Back at the camper, Marilyn watched as those popcorn clouds came up, poured then disappeared one after the other pretty much all day long. The sun would come out with such promise, then the thunder would start...yes, thunder...and the rain would pour...the cloud would move on and the cycle continued.

We had a visit from our Kansas harvester friend who had just gotten back from his week long jaunt back home for a rain break. After getting caught up on all that had happened the past week...rain...rain...rain...and more rain, he filled us in on the crop reports to the south, then went back to his camper to take it easy.

We decided to try out the local bar downtown that had an ad in the paper for Saturday prime rib special...which they were out of. It must be a popular place because it was packed and we had quite a wait until we got our meal...but it was great...and when we finally left...you guessed it...it was raining again.

And the beat goes on...

September 5, 2008

View of the day-Old time wheels at the old time town near our campground.

We got up early enough to get to the restaurant for eggs then went back to the camper to finish off the bookwork. It was nice to see the end of that task.

No word on how much rain fell during the day and we didn't go out to the combine to check the gauge, we figured the roads would still be pretty soft. We didn't want to mess up the farmer's yard unloading the trucks either, so we just booked off for the day...again.

After supper in, Marilyn took a walk around the area to check out the scenery...and wear off some of the cheesecake. There is a small pioneer village right next to the campground...closed for the season, but not fenced so she got to walk around and check a few things out and then carry on around town. Strange how it could be uphill both ways. It's kind of depressing to see the flowers dying off and the leaves starting to change...but nice the mosquitoes have laid off.

There were clouds building all around...but just the popcorn shower kind, and by the time Marilyn got back to the camper one of them opened up for a few minutes, but it didn't amount to much.

We've got our fingers crossed for tomorrow...

September 4, 2008

View of the day-Pretty much the view for the whole day out the window of the camper.

Yep...pretty much it...bookwork and TV...

September 3, 2008

View of the day-The combine and cart wait by the church for the grain to dry down.

No rain during the night but with all we had it was going to take some time to dry. We went out to the farmers yard to see if the auger had been moved from the bin down south...it had, but it wasn't set up to a bin yet, so we went out to do some fixing on the pickup and combine.

The road to the field was fairly dry, but we had to check out the road that went out past the other field we have to do, and we needed 4X4...it was a bit soft. The field was solid enough for us to move the shop trailer over to the combine so we could change the oil in the wobble box and put some air in the grain cart tire that seems to be going flat all the time. The rain gauge on the combine showed 1.3" of rain...that was including the chaff floating around in it...good news since there had been reports of up to 2" in the area.

First thing on the list was the alternator on the pickup...other than the cramped quarters and awkward positions we had to be in to get the bolts removed, it went fairly well and did solve the charging problem. One job down. Next we changed the oil in the wobble box on the header...another job with awkward bolts, but only one was a trouble maker. After that was done, we did a bit of revamping on the new brake pot to make sure it would fit back on the combine trailer...it will get attached tomorrow...we don't want to get carried away.

We had aired up the tires on the cart when we had gotten out to the field and by the time we were finished with all our 'fixin' it had gone flat again...another job once it gets emptied...it still has a load of grain on it which isn't helping much.

We went back to town to change up some bolts and return the old alternator for the core charge, then went back to the camper. After three days of running the little electric heater...which we unplug when we leave...it was a shock to the system to open the door and have it so warm inside. Nothing that cracking open all the window and turning on the fans didn't fix in a hurry.

Seems strange getting the blog done in the daylight...

September 2, 2008

View of the day-Another day of duck...or rather fowl...weather in Kenmare.

It started raining again during the night and again, it continued on most of the day.

Al was up early and went out to pay the truck man for the brake pot. He told Al if he wanted to change the alternator in the pickup, we could pull into his shop so we wouldn't have to work in the rain.

We went out for lunch then went back to the camper to do some bookwork while the rain continued. Later, Al checked his eyelids for cracks and Marilyn got caught up on some Changing Rooms episodes...a truly lazy day.

The rain is over...and so is the heat, apparently...

September 1, 2008

View of the day-It was a day for the ducks near the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge.

It started raining in the early hours of the morning and continued to rain and mist off and on all day. We knew there wouldn't be much combining going on and the road out to the field would probably be a bit moist, so we decided to hit the bright lights to get some laundry done.

It really wasn't a good day to hit Minot since all the Labor Day vacationers were getting their last day of shopping in. Al got his Pizza Hut fix in for lunch, then we went to do the laundry...at the nicest laundromat on the run. All state of the art machines...washers that hold 6 loads and dryers so big you could almost stand up in them...and that actually dry the clothes.

After the laundry, Al dropped Marilyn off at Walmart while he went to the Case and John Deere dealers for grease and toys...in that order. Marilyn found that Walmart was as busy as Christmas...quite crazy...and a forever wait at the cash registers. Good thing they supply those magazine racks at the tills for customer convenience.

After the shopping was done we headed back to Kenmare...boy, the traffic on the highway...was anyone left in Saskatchewan? After unloading the truck and getting everything put where it belonged it was time to call it a day, get caught up on the latest hurricane Gustave news and check things out online.

Tomorrow is fix-it day...