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View of the day-Courtesy of the Harvest For Kids...to awesome not to share. Not sure how the swathing was done, or what the back story is, but we're sure to find out and share it when we do.
Another early morning as we were up to get ready for a road trip to visit with Marilyn's family in Moose Jaw for Thanksgiving dinner. Marilyn had originally been told it would be served at 2pm, so there wasn't any rush...then around 9am she re-read the email and discovered it was 12-1pm. Time to drop the hammer.
We drove the 180 miles and were there in plenty of time to line up to the feed bunk...it was the first time Marilyn can remember not being the first in line for one of these functions. No worries, there was plenty of food to go around the 28 people that were there...and it's been a long time since we have seen a "kids table"...a new generation is coming up.
After we had dinner and a great visit with everyone, we stopped at Marilyn's mom and dad's for a visit and a "care package"...best cabbage rolls in the country...and there is always a pan full to take home.
We stopped in Regina to grab a coffee, the drove straight through to Yorkton and on to the farm. Al got right into his recliner and started watching the NFL game. Marilyn figured 7pm was too early to go to sleep, so she vowed to get at least one tub of camper stuff emptied before relaxing at the computer.
She found one with a big bowl and the pizza cooker in it...it was "technically" one tub emptied...
View of the day-Al's collection...or a small part of it...now has a new home.
Al was up early for a road trip to Regina, about two hours SW of Yorkton, for an auction sale that had a CaseIH 7120 Magnum tractor he was interested in.
Marilyn was up early to get started with the rest of the unpacking and to make room in the office for some rearranging of furniture. Brenda was coming out to help with some of the heavy lifting of the big clumsy stuff...like the display case full of Versatile tractors. by the time Brenda showed up, Marilyn had the the room pretty much stripped...what a shame it couldn't have stayed that way.
After taking all the toys out of the show case and getting it moved over, we moved the fancy JD gas pump showcase in. Al hadn't decided what he wanted to put in the cabinet...it really wasn't big enough to put the 4WD tractors in...so Marilyn decided to take his "every tractor he had ever owned and driven on the family farm" collection off the top of the china cabinet and put them in it. They were just the right size.
Al had pretty much wasted his time going to the auction. He found out before he had gone out, that the tractor he was looking at had been on the auction a month or so ago and when he asked the auctioneer, he was told it was tied up with some legal issues, but he "assured" Al it was going to be sold today...so he stuck around. It was in pretty rough shape...one of the PTO shafts was broken off, one of the front wheel seals was leaking...but he thought if he got it cheap enough, he could get those things fixed. But it would have to be real cheap.
When the auction was over and the tractor hadn't come up, he asked what the deal was and they told him they had gotten a call from a lawyer telling them it couldn't be sold. Al got to blow off a "little" steam...he was somewhat upset, to say the least. He came home empty-handed.
Marilyn continued tackling the tubs of stuff left to put away, until it was time to watch her Saturday Night Live. That lasted until Al came home from the Terrier hockey game and decided he needed to watch the NFL game. That's what DVR's are for, so she passed the remote and vacated the recliner.
Today was the day the world record harvest was broken. Two quarter sections (320 acres) of oats combined by 249 combines in seven minutes! Check out Harvest For Kids tomorrow for pictures...must have been quite a sight.
Road trip to have Thanksgiving dinner with Marilyn's kin in Moose Jaw tomorrow...
View of the day-The 2390 is up for sale and Al is now searching for his dream ride...at least in the cart department. A CaseIH 7220 Magnum. Let the auction sale circuit begin.
It was a day of driving back and forth into town. We started by going in to get the camper, once we got it hooked up, we went back out to the farm to get it parked. They were able to fix the furnace...a blower circuit board...for only $380. After finding out they were an authorized Suburban repair, they filled out a warranty form and sent it in, so if it is accepted, we will be reimbursed. Which would be nice.
After we got it parked, Al went back into town with the big Dodge to get the oil changed and do a few errands. Marilyn tried to get some more cleaning done, the went into town with the little Dodge and deck trailer to pick up the new sofa and love seat...and free 51" plasma TV that was thrown in the deal. We got everything strapped down, then went back out to the farm to get it moved in.
With all that done, Al got all the cardboard boxes broken down so he could take them into town to put in the recycle bins...and have coffee with one of his toy buddies. He made sure to get everything put away from our cleaning spree so he could finally get the trucks into the garage.
Tonight is looking to be -10ºC...the water will be really hard...
View of the day-A regular occurrence here on the flat land...those sunsets are beautiful.
It was another early morning for us, this time it was for a road trip to Saskatoon for a meeting...and a side trip to Princess Auto. We went through town to grab a coffee and snack for the road and then we were on the road.
Uneventful trip to Saskatoon, then we hit the city. We though we would take the "bypass"...which is now basically right in the city. We hate driving in the city and especially in this one, which seems to have rush hour traffic all the time...going in both directions.
We finally got out to the north end of the city, then made a pit stop at Princess Auto to pick up a few things. We didn't have a lot of time to spare, so it wasn't what Marilyn likes to refer to as a "thorough" shopping trip. That requires a trip down all the aisles to see what treasures they hold. We got what we came for, then we were off to the John Deere dealer to visit with Murray, the parts man, and another of Al's farm toy buddies. Al had to pick up a gold JD 4440 that Murray had put away for him...and that was the only toy for this trip.
When we were finished with that visit, we had to drive down town for our next meeting...just as the technical school was getting out. More traffic to contend with. This meeting was with Jody Lamp and Melody Dobson, who are working with The Great American Wheat Harvest documentary.
We had a good visit with them, finding out about the documentary and all the work that is going into it. We also discussed the various funding possibilities and their tie in with this year's Harvest for Kids, which will be taking place north of Saskatoon, October 6.
After our meeting, we started back for Yorkton through the rush hour traffic, which was not as bad as we anticipated...at least leaving town. Highway 16 really needs to be twinned, there is a lot of traffic pretty much all the way, which makes night driving a real treat.
We got the call that the camper is fixed and they need us to pick it up as soon as possible...it's taking up way too much room in their small compound. But at least they got it done right away and now we can get it parked out of the way until we take our road trip at the end of the month.
But it might need to be winterized first...it's cold out there...
View of the day-Finally got everything lined up...all scales present and accounted for...1/1, 1/4(the M88), 1/8(pedal combine), 1/16, 1/32, 1/64.
Another day of washing and rearranging. Brenda was out again and this time she was put to work washing the General...engine, frame and all. Marilyn was busy scrubbing out the camper, so Al had to run the soapy brush for Brenda...he wasn't so particular on any streaks that were left. His comment was "it's a lot cleaner than it has been all year"...and because it was his rig, Marilyn didn't push it.
In between brush detail and moving equipment around, Al found time to change the oil and filter on the combine, and the coolant filter. The reminder had been going off for the last few days of combining, so it was time...and we start fresh next year.
Marilyn got the inside of the camper shined up, then it was time to work on the outside. This time she ran the soapy brush while Brenda worked the pressure washer. Since Brenda had some time off before the camper was ready to wash, she gave all the pickups a splash...the Freightliner was the only thing that didn't get a swish.
During this latest break, Al was trying to get the M88 mini combine running, since it had been sitting all summer. He had mentioned at one time that it would look kind of neat to have all the scales lined up, so Marilyn "suggested" that we do it now, since we had the time and everything was handy. So we did...and took a few pictures before putting everything back where it belonged. Al figures we have to take the little combine in for the CaseIH uptime checkup to get the throttle and the steering looked at...not sure if they can pencil it in, though.
With the camper now ready to take into town, we got it hooked up and moved out of the way so Al could bring the neighbours flat deck trailer over to haul out our old sofa, loveseat and glider chair. They are going out to the auction to make room for the new ones that will be making the scene on Friday.
Marilyn took the trailer to the RV shop while Al was at the auction yard, then we met Brenda for supper. After that, it was back home to do some more unpacking and cleaning...yay.
Road trip to Saskatoon tomorrow...
View of the day-Al gets to work, lining things up and getting the pressure washer ready for it's day of cleaning. Notice the state of the combine.
For some unknown reason we were up at 6:30am...didn't have to be, just couldn't sleep. Must be the "old age" thing...next thing you know, we will be standing in line at MacDonald's for coffee before they open in the morning.
Marilyn got busy emptying the tubs that she had brought in from the camper...all 12 of them...only to recycle them back out to the camper to fill up again. Al got all the equipment organized so we could get it all washed and ready for "storage". Marilyn went back to the camper to continue on with her work.
Brenda came out and had "volunteered" to help us get things cleaned up, so Marilyn gave her instructions on what to clean on the header, then left her with a full tank of fuel and the burner turned on for hot water.
After she finished the header, Marilyn moved it over to the neighbour's yard, then got Brenda working on the tractor and cart. Once she had got all the heavy crud off with the hot water, Marilyn came over with the soapy brush and did some polishing on the tractor and cart. The tractor is going on the selling block, so it has to get spiffed up.
While we were doing the cleaning, Al was moving the combine and tractor/cart trailer out to Danny's farm. They have spent the last few winters out there and we were lucky enough to book them in for another year.
The last thing we had to clean today was the biggest...the combine. Al said at the rate we were going, we would never get it cleaned before sundown. He doesn't know us very well, then. Brenda was Marilyn's manager at Staples for the five years she has worked there and there were many a cleaning blitz that went on in the store into the wee hours of the morning as we got everything into tip-top shape. Yes sir, when it comes to cleaning, there is no such thing as "too much".
While Brenda did all the washing, Marilyn was back filling tubs in the camper...and carrying them out...four steps down the camper, four steps up to the house, then down the hall...34 more trips. Finally the camper was empty and now it just needs to be cleaned, then hooked up to the Dodge to go into town tomorrow for the furnace repair.
After Brenda got the hopper and engine compartment clean, Marilyn came over with her trusted soapy brush and we got the outside sparkling clean...and we still had 20 minutes to spare before sundown.
Brenda was done for the day...wet and tired...there were likely a few new muscles making their presence known, but at least we had the big stuff looked after.
Marilyn and Al went into town to pick up a parcel that had been brought up from Minot...more about that JCPenny story another day. We stopped for some fuel...that pressure washer went through three tanks of it...then we grabbed a snack, before taking Al out to the auction yard to get the General and bring it home. It's work is not quite done yet...it will be taking our old sofa and love seat out to Yorkton Auction tomorrow...then it should be done.
Now to get these tubs unloaded...
View of the day-The Canadian geese are everywhere these days. These ones were just down the road from our place...and not too worried about passing traffic.
We were up really early this morning. We told Brenda AIS was 8am...at her place in town. We picked her up, then went for eggs before heading out for Balcarres.
We got out to the field, got the header hooked up to the big Dodge, the shop trailer hooked up to the little Dodge, then waited while the General aired up before forging out.
After passing through the yard on the way to pick up the shop trailer, Marilyn just had to take a picture of this grain truck that had been moved out of the shed. The whole idea behind having something shedded is to protect it from the elements...apparently the pigeons need the protection, too. Marilyn is pretty sure it would take a couple of pails of hot, soapy water to get these windows even passable.
We made another stop on the highway to check the chains and make sure everything was secure before taking off for Yorkton. Brenda was driving the little Dodge behind Marilyn and Al was behind her, so the stop helped to go through all the "code" words used on the radio, just in case someone was listening in.
We all took the scenic route through Melville this time, but Al took another short cut just before we got to Yorkton. Marilyn and Brenda carried on to the farm and got the straight header unhooked, then went out to the auction barn to help Al get the combine unloaded. Once that was accomplished, we got the empty cart trailer hooked up behind the General so Al could move it out to its winter spot out near Saltcoats.
We went into town for lunch, then went back out to the rigs so Marilyn could drive the combine, Al in the tractor/cart and Brenda followed with the Dodge. We got that stuff out to the farm, then gave Brenda a ride back home...her day was done for us. We did a bit of shopping...Marilyn found her new couch and love seat...Al is happy he doesn't have to do any more shopping for that. Marilyn stopped in at Staples and it looks like she will be back at work there next Monday...no rest.
We went back out to the farm and Al finished blowing out the engine compartment on the combine, while Marilyn buckled down to get the camper unloaded. She was really happy that she got all those $5 rubbermaid tubs this spring...they are making the move slightly less painful.
The yard is in chaos, but the camper will be cleaned and ready for a road trip at the end of October, but first it has an appointment at the RV place in town to get the furnace looked at on Thursday...we were lucky to get it in so quick.
Brenda offered to help wash things up tomorrow...she doesn't know what she is in for...
