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View of the day-Actually, the same view everyday so far. Combines coming and combines going.
An early start with no stopping in between. Al pulled the first shift, Marilyn took over mid-afternoon...a bit of retraining needed, since she hasn't driven combine very much this season.
Looks like the Straw Boss came out to teach grandpa how to do it.
On the other hand, the drone has been getting a workout. Here's a link to a new short video from yesterday.
Al got to see the season opener of his Yorkton Terriers hockey team...they lost in overtime. He got back to the field around midnight, just in time to fuel the combine...and catch Marilyn digging out some dirt from a bit of landscaping she did. Everyone else had quit, so we did too.
We are now in the tunnel and there is light at the end of it...
View of the day-Lots of servicing going on this morning. The fine canola dust needs to be blown out of the filters and rads...not a pleasant job when there is no wind to take it away.
What a difference a few days make. Earlier in the week it was a three jacket kind of day and today it was short sleeves. We're not complaining...this is perfect harvest weather.
After the servicing was done, combining started and although it was slow going to start, it didn't take long before the sun did its magic and it was smooth sailing. Except for the piles, of course.
Al combined all day...just like every day while Marilyn took a trip into Kipling for groceries, then came back and cleaned the camper. No more mice so far...no jinx.
Tomorrow Marilyn will get to combine in the afternoon while Al gets to road trip to Yorkton for the first Terriers hockey game of the season. A nice break for him.
We can see the tunnel and almost see the light at the end of it...
View of the day-Al in the canola, not going as fast as the swather apparently did...lots of beaver huts to break down.
Monday was a cold and windy day. It gave us a taste of what is to come...no snow, at least. We went out to do a bit of work on the combine and header, but as soon as that was done, we were back in the camper. It was not a drying day, so we spent the day in the camper.
Around 5pm, Al got a call that the guys were going to go give it a try, so off he went. Marilyn heard him come in at midnight.
Tuesday we got out to the field early, got the combine serviced and they finished the field they were on and moved north near the yard. Marilyn helped shuttle some of the vehicles to the new field, then took off for Yorkton for a theatre meeting. There were lots of combines in the fields on the way up, which was good to see.
First thing she did when she got there was to go out to the farm for extra blankets and a space heater for the camper. The furnace has been working...no jinx...but we want to save the propane and this heater does the trick. After a stop at staples for a visit, it was time for the meeting, followed by the first read through for the upcoming production in November. After grabbing a coffee for the road, she headed back to the camper.
Today we serviced early again and while the guys were combining, Marilyn ran into Windthorst to buy some disappearing fingers for the auger on the pickup head. Since we had been having fuel sensor issues, she picked up a new sending unit to be put on at a later date. Where once the tank was always full, it is now always empty...according to the gauge, at least. Marilyn discovered one of the blades on the sensor had broken right off, so it was beyond repair. The combine still runs and Al counts on the neighbours gauge to have an idea of how much he has left in the tank.
After getting back from the parts run and making some lunch to take out to Al, she helped move to the next field just down the road. The dust was flying and the pickup heads were growling. As Marilyn stood outside, she could hear the combines taking turns getting plugged up...it was kind of like they were talking to each other across the field.
Marilyn figured it was time to take the drone for a spin. It's the time of year that she will have to watch out for Canada geese flocks flying past. No incidents today.
After killing two batteries, she got in and rode around with Al for a while.
There was a gorgeous sunset tonight, but since she was in the combine when the best of it was happening, the only thing she could do was get the farmer in his combine coming toward us.
Nothing but great harvest weather ahead...
View of the day-Another busy day for the cart drivers when they have to plan their pickups around the canola swaths.
Out at the combines before 10am to service and get ready to move to the next field. After getting the servicing done, three machines moved across the road to finish a small patch left in yesterdays field...it was slow process. The other machines moved south near Kennedy to start in the canola.
Marilyn went back to the camper to make lunch, then delivered the goods to Al and rode around for a while. There was no forecast for rain, but it was cloudy, so anything could happen...and the windows were clean, so it had to happen.
It sprinkled off and on but was never "running off the header", so everyone forged on. Marilyn went back to the camper to do some paperwork and check the traplines. So much for the Irish Spring shreds working...unless the mouse was running away from them. This makes #10. Facebook has been full of suggestions...most of which Marilyn has tried and some new ones that she might try.
It sprinkled again at the camper around 5:30 and it wasn't long before the guys came back to the yard...they had been rained out.
Must have been running off the header...
View of the day-The cart driver was in demand all evening.
The day started with lots of promise...sun shining, wind blowing...but then the clouds came in. Fortunately, no rain out of the deal, but it was slow going.
We went out to the field around 1pm to try and shorten the grain elevator chain while we were waiting to see if the canola was dry enough to start. We could see the test combine was making pretty good dust and by the time the sample went in for testing, we got the word to crank up. The chain would have to wait.
We had all five machines running, backed up by two carts, so we thought we could make good time. It was still pretty tough going through the combine, which did slow us down. Still, we did manage to get 400 acres done between us...not bad for starting at 2:30pm.
Marilyn was on a mouse mission. We are up to 9 trapped so far, so she went into Kipling to add shaved Irish Spring soap to the list of preventatives.
If nothing else it smells nice in the camper...
View of the day-It seems the skies have looked the same for the past week...this was today at Carlyle.
We have done the sum total of nothing the last few days. So little have we done that Marilyn did not get out of her pyjamas on Wednesday.
Before we left the farm Tuesday, Marilyn took the drone out to get some shots of the yard. We are nestled in the trees between two other yard, so we have our own little village. After the flight we took the scenic route back from Yorkton by driving over to Jeff and Michele's place at Gerald. Jeff has a sweet corn patch, so we had to fill a couple of bags to take back to the camper.
After leaving Gerald, we took another scenic trip south to Wapella. We went through the Qu'Appelle Valley on a road that Al hadn't been on for over 30 years...and Marilyn had never been on. We stopped in to visit at the farm in Wapella where we had been combining, what seemed like, forever ago. They were having issues combining peas...the rain didn't help either.
We came back to the camper, welcomed by two traps full of mice, one that needed the coax crimper treatment to be put to rest. Tomorrow some reinforcing will have to be done. To finish the day off we had a corn feast and called it a day.
Wednesday was a rainy day and we did nothing, as noted earlier. While watching TV, Marilyn heard the "snap" of the trapline again. If it hadn't been for emptying the trap, noses would never have been stuck outside the door.
Thursday, we got the new gas lift jacks put on one of the side panels, then tightened up one of the chains that needed it. Marilyn had a theatre meeting in Yorkton in the evening, so Al tagged along so she wouldn't have to drive back alone.
We took the scenic route again, going south to Wawota for lunch, then stopped in at a garage that had quite the collection of farm toys. Al did some dickering, but came out with nothing...but he's not finished yet.
We got out to the farm and hooked the cart up to the tractor...there are a couple of chances that someone will be needing it, so we want it to be ready. Unfortunately, the PTO shaft was seized up so bad that we couldn't get it stretched out enough to hook it to the tractor...not even by hooking it up to the truck and pulling. Well, we didn't want to pull too hard and wreck something, so we lubed it up with a can of WD40 and left it to soak. The "borrowers" will have to deal with it.
Al stayed at the farm while Marilyn went to her meeting. He got the grass cut and enjoyed the actual high speed internet that we still have hooked up at home. Marilyn came back from her meeting, then we loaded up to drive back to the camper. Through the rain.
Today had a lot of promise, the sun was shining and the wind was blowing. Before we tackled any jobs, we went into Kipling for lunch, then went out to the combine to check on the grain elevator chain...it needed to have a couple links taken out.
Marilyn got the moisture sensor auger cleaned out...it needed it. We have been combining canola and it was full of wheat, so it probably wasn't too accurate.
While we were there, the farmer came out to do a test. The power pole in the picture is where that poor combine was stuck so bad a couple of years back. We continued with our work while we waited for the results, but noticed the clouds were starting to bunch up and there were random showers popping up. We got the word it was too wet to go just as it started to sprinkle. Done for the day and we hadn't even started.
We took a road trip to Carlyle, Marilyn had been hunting for popsicle sticks for a theatre project and couldn't find any in Kipling...or Carlyle for that matter. We had a visit with Kim and Marg, watched the storm move through, then came back to the camper...where it rained just as we got back.
Sleep in day tomorrow...
View of the day-Regular 1/64 tractor on the right..."chaser" on the left.
Another day that held no promise of combining. Cloudy and cool...and once again the furnace was on vacation.
The word came down that a test would be done around 11 am, just to see where the canola was at. It wasn't anywhere close to starting, so the machines got parked.
Rain was in the forecast and we could see that this one was going to be right. We moved the combine over to the next field with the rest of the machines and then headed for Yorkton.
We had a pit stop south of Stockholm to visit with Jack and see how his harvest was going. When Al and him get together...well...you can kiss an hour goodbye.
It started raining just as we stopped at the Case dealer to pick up some toys that Al had ordered, then did a bit of running around in town before meeting Roger and Linda for supper. They were in town doing the same thing...errands.
We came home to the farm to spend the night and pick up, yet another batch of "needed" items for the camper. Al went through his boxes of toys looking for the "chase" units...special chromed tractors, randomly inserted into the cases. He did find a couple of 1/64 scale chasers...the one on the left...so he was happy about that.
Back to the camper tomorrow...
