October 4, 2009

View of the day-Nothing is moving in the yard as we have another day like the other day...cold and damp.

We got to sleep in again and it was another 'super-do-nothing' day. Marilyn spent it getting the old laptop cleaned up for Al...complete reformat and reload. He wanted something that didn't have all the extra crap slowing it down...and that's what he got.

Al, on the other hand pretty much spent the day in front of the TV watching NFL football mixed in with the occasional trip outside to check the weather. Eugene fired up the BBQ and we all had steaks for supper in the camper. After that, it was time to take it easy for the rest of the night.

It was a day of rest, all right...

October 3, 2009

View of the day-The Steelers were at it again in Regina. What a difference from two weeks ago...then 33ºC/91ºF, this time 33ºF/1ºC...and not dressed for the evening. The boys lost but managed three touchdowns...their best to date.

We got to sleep in after a frosty night...down to 30ºF, we thought the sun would warm things up, but the clouds weren't going to let that happen.

We left for Regina around 11am and did a bit of shopping...browsing, really...to kill some time before the football game. While Marilyn went in to look around one of the outlets stores, Al stayed in the truck and decided to give Kim a call to gab a bit...he got a surprise to find out he was sitting in his pickup in the same parking lot.

We followed Marg and Kim out to the University of Regina football field and waited for the game to start at 5:15pm. We weren't anticipating the weather, although Marilyn did bring two umbrellas, this time in case of rain...it didn't rain but they came in handy to block the biting wind. We really could have used those insulated jeans and flannel jackets hanging at home...you know it's cold when "I don't need a jacket" Al, has the heat jacked up all the way home to thaw out. It was a good game just the same.

We left the field after the game then went to pick Jeff up from his in-laws to give him a ride back home, then we met with Marg, Kim and Gordie for supper before grabbing a Tim Horton's coffee and hitting the road for the 2.5 hour trip back home.

Al dropped Marilyn off at the camper to crank up the heater while he drove Jeff back to his farm over at Gerald, then when he got back to the camper, when directly to sleep.

The fresh air really kicked the stuffing out of us...

October 2, 2009

View of the day-Al blows out the air filter as we find a bunch of things to do at the field.

Al was up early to drop the pickup off at the body shop. He got Eugene to follow him in to give him a ride back home, but he found out it would not be ready until Monday, so he ended up coming back home with the truck.

We had to be in Grayson to visit the friendly banker...and she was friendly...then Al when over to visit with his step dad and Marilyn went to have coffee over at the hardware store with one of her old friends. After a stop at the famous Ottenbreit meat market to pick up some of their fabulous beef jerky, we went back to Esterhazy.

We stopped at the camper to hook up the shop trailer before heading out to the field to do a bit of servicing and cleaning. We changed out the fuel filters, hoping that will cure the power issues...we won't know until we actually get back into the grain. The rain gauge on the combine showed 1.2"...enough to slow things down for a few days. Mind you, back at the camper there was 2.25" of rain, so we weren't that bad off at the field. Marilyn gave the windows a thorough washing inside and out and gave them the RainX treatment...that cuts down on the frequency of hard washed that they need...a quick shot with the dash duster at night and no washing needed in the morning. Al blew out the air and cab filters and that was the end of our work for the day.

We took the scenic route home, stopping at the farmers yard to see how things were going with them. They were putting bins on hoppers, so we didn't want to keep them from their work and after a half hour, we continued on back to the camper.

Al got the shop trailer parked back in its corner of the yard, then came in to start watching football...CFL football. Al's brother, Jeff and his hired guy came over to watch the Rider game...lots of yelling going on.

Tomorrow we hit the really bright lights...we are off to Regina to watch Gordie play football in the afternoon.

But first we might have to hit an auction sale...

October 1, 2009

View of the day-The Qu'Appelle Valley at Round Lake just before the rain started...again.

We woke up to rain on the roof around 4:30am and even though we knew we would be able to sleep in, we were up early...not 8am early...but early for a rainy day.

It came down pretty much all day off and on...sometimes heavy and the last report was over an inch had fallen. That was earlier in the day and we never did go out to the combine to check the rain gauge...could be more.

Al went into town for a garbage run and to see if we could get the pickup in to the body shop to get the fender fixed...from the parking lot incident last winter where someone backed into it and fled the scene. We can take it in tomorrow and leave it for the day and it will finally be good as new by quitting time.

The rest of the day was pretty much spent inside the camper until we left to go down to Chillys bar down at Round Lake for their steak night. We, along with Eugene, were passengers of a couple from England that had moved to the area a couple of years ago. We had an excellent steak supper, then left to come home...in the rain again. Another soaker had started and we drove in it the 25 miles back to the farm.

Back in the camper it was more internet and TV...after all hockey season has started...

September 30, 2009

View of the day-It's another windy one as the flag flaps forward as we combine.

Al was up early and went out to unload the truck and grain cart, then service the combine before starting to cut. Marilyn got lunch ready then stopped in town to pick up some produce at the newly opened grocery store before heading out to take over in the combine.

We finished the rest of the field we were on, then moved a couple miles east to start on the next one. Al was kept busy hauling to the pile and once we made the move, he kept adding to the one he had started in the other field. He had decided to go to the hockey game in Yorkton, so he made sure everything was empty before he left around 6:30pm. Marilyn worked at filling both rigs and finished around 9pm and after tarping both units, headed for the camper.

It was surprising how much it had warmed up by the end of the night...relatively speaking...it was probably 10 degrees warmer than when we started in the afternoon...and the wind hadn't let up. Al did say there was lots of lightning in Yorkton when he got there which seemed bizarre for this time of year...here, anyway.

And where did September go...

September 29, 2009

View of the day-Eliminating a few steps by just dumping from the combine onto the ground in the field. There is a shortage of bin space so the next two fields will be dumped here...doesn't look big now, but wait a couple days.

We started out the day by moving the combine over to the new field, just to cut a patch, thinking it wouldn't be dry enough to start...lots of dew on the grass. But as a former customer told us in the past..."you're not cutting the effin grass"...so we were pleasantly surprised when it was dry enough to start. Well, dry enough to put in the pile we were starting, at least.

Once we had gotten everything else but the van moved over to the field, Al started combining and Marilyn went back to throw lunch together before combine back to take over. It was cold, sunny and really windy...REALLY windy, which made things interesting after the sun went down. There was so much chaff blowing around that whenever the combine turned to go west, Marilyn had to stop and wait for the dust to get blown away before moving...too many power poles, augers and sloughs to be driving blind.

After we finished the south third of the field, Al moved the cart and General out to the other side of the field, then we both went back to the first field to get the van so Marilyn could go back to the camper and Al could finish filling the cart and truck before calling it a day.

And it was a damn fine day...combining wise, anyway...

September 28, 2009

View of the day-More like yesterday...without the rain. Cold, cloudy and windy.

We were up early, even though we were pretty sure we could sleep in. We decided to go to Yorkton to get the van licensed so we would have two vehicles...it is hockey season after all and Al will likely book off so he can go spectate...this way Marilyn doesn't have to walk home from the field.

We woke up to the furnace fan blowing...but blowing cold air...we were out of propane, so Al took the empty tank off and went into town to get it filled. Twice the price we paid in the US for the same tank...but we can't argue...unless we want to freeze. Al went over to Gerald to visit with his brother, Jeff, then came back in time to have lunch before we left for Yorkton.

We went to get the registration renewed for the van then went out to the farm to get it started after it had been sitting all summer. Marilyn left to visit the Staples crew and Al grabbed his hockey season tickets before going to visit his co-workers at H&R Block. After fueling up both vehicles, we met with Marilyn's friend for supper before coming back to Esterhazy.

We did see a few combines going on the way back to the camper, but they were all going in canola...different conditions than the wheat we will be going into. Eugene was combining his canola when we got home so Marilyn decided to get a couple loads of laundry done before the lineup to the shower started.

Tomorrow we get back at it...