November 23, 2011

View of the day-Technically not crop harvest, but Marilyn and her Paper Bag Players group did manage to harvest a couple of trophies for their performance of Queen of Bingo, (Winning Entry, Best Actress-Pam Milani) and an honorable mention for directing (Marilyn and Brenda McMillan) at the provincial short play festival, TheatreOne, in Kamsack. L to R, Teresa Weber-Babe, Pam Milani-Sis, Marilyn-Director, Leslie Moldowan-Exec-Sec, Theatre Saskatchewan, Brenda MacMillan-Co-Director(while Marilyn was planted in the combine), missing was Mike Hall-Father Mac, who's employer, Cargill, had him racing around the province.

So much for getting in at least a monthly update. It seems one week runs into the other and before you know it...Christmas is not that far away. Marilyn was back at work full time, working 8-4:30 M-F and between that and the rehearsal schedule for the Queens, there wasn't time for anything else. Our first big snow of the season hit while we were north at Kamsack for the festival so the trip home was a 'white-knuckeler' and took a couple of hours longer than normal.

While Marilyn was slaving over a hot script, Al got to make his pilgrimage to Dyersville, Iowa for the National Farm Toy Show. This year, he went with his toy buying buddy, Roger, from Lipton, SK...he said it was almost like having Marilyn along, since she never offers to drive, either. They were fortunate they didn't run into any nasty weather until they got north of the border, then they had issues with the cargo trailer loaded with farm toys slip-sliding around...but they kept it upright.

Once Marilyn's mad rush for festival was over, it was time to get some set construction done for the group's annual dinner theatre, which was two weeks later...nothing like leaving things to the last minute. Two weekends at the Painted Hand Casino in Yorkton, and right now we are mid way between performances, so after Saturday, we will pack up the bus and wait for our next performance, Dec. 9 in Spy Hill, about an hour away.

Al was busy getting things put away after his big toy trip...he managed to get a toy show in at Regina to disperse of some of his stuff before the tour south. He hasn't gone back to work at H&R, so he had a lot of free time on his hands, which he managed to fill up with some winter prep around the house...getting the snowblower operational, winterizing the camper and pressure washer, cleaning out the garage to make room for more toys...you know...that sort of thing.

Al also had some field prep to get done on the land we had bought in the spring. It never got seeded, just sprayed, so he helped work it over, then hauled some gravel in to make a base for the hopper bin he had purchased...and he is still waiting to get it delivered. It seems there is a call every other day that it is coming, then it isn't, then it is...hopefully it gets here before the next big dump of snow. We have had a couple of days with beautiful weather, just above freezing, which was a nice change from the -30º that we had been experiencing the last couple of weeks, so the outside work that was left was almost bearable.

We have always had a 'beater' for our second vehicle over the winter at home...an '87 Grand Marquis, an'89 Dodge Caravan, and most recently a '91 Grand Marquis. Because we have different schedules...and interests, there was no way one rig was going to cut it, but we had always been looking for another 4x4 pickup because our road can be treacherous in the winter. Al made the rounds of quite a few auctions, but always came back with a 'thumbs down'...until a couple of weeks ago...he finally lucked out, and now we are the proud owners of a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500. Exactly what we had hoped to find, and today someone came and bought the Marquis...bonus!

Today was the day that the combine came out of it's hiding place to get cleaned out for the last time. It seemed wrong to get into the cab and not be heading out to the field, although the snow on the ground might have made things a bit tough. Tomorrow Al drives it into the Case IH dealer in town to go on the lot...that's right, we are retiring it. Well, trading it in, actually. We will be making a fast trip down to Grand Island, NE once again to see our final (according to Al) new combine being built and to drive it off the line...on Dec. 21.

And if we aren't busy enough, next Tuesday we are driving to Calgary for a fun-filled four days of catching up with other harvesters at our Association of Canadian Custom Harvesters annual convention...there a lots of changes on the horizon, so it won't be all fun and games.

Watch for pictures and news of the event...

October 9, 2011

View of the day-Al looking quite at home in his latest ride...even pulling green.

Can't quit cold turkey, but can't seem to get to blog daily. We have been busy trying to get everything back where it belongs and have almost succeeded...at least the boxes are in the right rooms.

We got the camper all cleaned and were ready to park it, but we still needed to get the trees trimmed...an understatement, really...lumberjack Al was pretty much cutting them down, one chunk at at time. The hard work was getting the branches with the leaves still on to behave long enough to get them stuffed into the back of the General for the trip out to our new land for disposal. He got most of the branches in, but couldn't push them far enough to the front of the box, so Marilyn had to climb in and have Al pass them to her...quite a task, but we got it done.

Marilyn discovered, during her cleaning, that the dryer had quit heating so we took it apart to see what the issue was and after googling some issues and talking to the appliance repair man in town, we took the element out to see if that was the problem. Nope. Tried a new thermostat. Nope. We finally had to take it into town to let the professional figure it out.

Now, part of the problem with this, is that this is a stacking Maytag washer and dryer, which we had purchased some 20 years ago when we were first married. Considering it only gets used for half of the year, it has really stood up well. Even though it is 20 yrs old, it has electronic touch pads for the controls that are at eye level on the dryer. Marilyn thought she would still be able to get the laundry done by washing in the house and using the dryer in the camper...of course, she forgot the controls were on the dryer, which was now at the Dr.'s getting fixed. Now she had to use the washer and dryer in the camper...so it's almost like going to the laundromat...minus the quarters.

On Thursday, Marilyn had a rehearsal for the upcoming play that she is directing at the beginning of November. The group put a little blurb up on Theatre Saskatchewan's website...check it out by clicking the "Spotlight On..." link in the top right corner to see what Marilyn gets up to in the off season.

We tried to have an early night Thursday, because we had to get up early...really early, by our standards...to get Al to Rose Valley for a road trip. It was about 100 miles and Al had to be AIS at 7am so that meant we had to leave home around 5am...talk about a shock to the system. It was sprinkling a bit when we left Yorkton, but by the time we got to Rose Valley, it was raining pretty good. Al checked his rig over...he thought he was just pulling the super B's, so he had to get in the wide load zone when he discovered he was pulling the tractor and cart. Gerry keeps his trucks immaculate, so Al was not too bothered by the change...it was a far cry from the Freight-shaker.

They had to stop in Yorkton on their way to Sterling, ND so Marilyn met them at Humpties for breakfast, then they were on their way. They made it as far as Wilton with the big stuff, then Al got to bring Gerry's pickup home, while they took the camper and grain trailers on to Sterling. They were going back for the wide loads on Saturday and hopefully they would be starting to combine soybeans and eventually corn. Al will make the trip back down to help them move home when they are finished for the year...hopefully they have the weather we had for September to make it another short harvest.

While Al was gallivanting around, Marilyn went back and got started washing the combine...a much needed job, that took a few hours to accomplish. After that it was back to putting things away in the house...a job that seems to be taking longer than anticipated due to the short attention span and detours that every other box of stuff takes her. Ah well, it will get done sooner or later...more likely later.

Al made it back home at 2am Saturday and was able to sleep in for a while, before firing up the chainsaw and commencing to get rid of some dead wood...and some live wood that was in the way of our parking garage...AKA, the lawn. The camper just so fit under the branches and we wanted to make sure there would be a lot of room over the A/C unit and we have been wanting to get things cleaned up for a few years now. It seemed like in past years, the snow would hit before we could accomplish anything...but that changed this year. Marilyn has gone back to work at Staples already, so that will cut into the cleanup time.

And we still spent time daily, in the car, trying to get it running...to no avail. It will be going to the Dr.'s on Tuesday, since Monday is Thanksgiving here in Canada and everyone will be recovering from the big turkey feed on the weekend.

More lumber jacking tomorrow...

October 5, 2011

View of the day-Al gets to take the new pressure washer for a test on the tractor. It worked wonders on the oily dirt on the back of it.

Missed a day, but it was only a day of cleaning...and discovering the things that had not faired so well over the summer. Marilyn worked on the camper and Al tried to get the old Marquis running so we could have two vehicles. That didn't go very well.

Between getting the camper unpacked and everything back in the house, Al would call Marilyn over to run the ignition while he sprayed various liquids into the engine to try and get it running. It would start, but no amount of coaxing would keep it going for more than 30 seconds...well, actually with the spray bottle of gas going into the choke area it worked not to bad.

We thought it was the fuel that had been left in it while we were gone, so we got some high test gas and some See Foam fuel treatment and filled the tank...still no luck. We thought it m ight be the fuel filter...that didn't make any difference and the fuel pump was working fine, as Al found out when the key was turned before he got the hose back on the filter. At least it wasn't diesel fuel.

Al took a break to get the pressure washer fired up...what a sweet machine. He got the Dodge polished up, then moved the tractor to the wash bay and gave that a swish, leaving the rest of the rigs for Marilyn to clean up.

Al got to go see the Terriers play hockey and has started to split on a 50/50 ticket with the neighbor Darlene, who works in the canteen at the rink. They were lucky and got to split $560...Al's half is going into his "Dyersville Fund" for the trip in early November.

Al has been cleaning up the yard and getting rid of a bunch of stuff at the farm equipment consignment auction coming up on Oct. 15. After taking a load out yesterday, he went down to Grayson, where we used to farm and brought back a deep tillage...at 20mph, a long trip home. He still has a few more things he wants to get out there, but that will have to wait until after his big trip on Friday.

Al is going to help Gerry Prevost move back down to Sterling, ND for the fall harvest by driving one of his semi and grain trailer rigs. The bad thing about that is Gerry wants to leave his yard by 7am and it is a 95 mile trip...and remember, we only have one vehicle...unless we get it running tomorrow.

Marilyn finally got the camper all cleaned out, except for the few things in the basement, so tomorrow she will get to give it a swish and winterize it. Unfortunately the water pump doesn't work, so she got a portable one to get the job done until a new pump is put in. Speaking of new pumps, Al talked to the guys at Heartland RV about our warranty work and they were very helpful, letting us know that we would just have to fax in our issues so they could note it, then we could get the work done after the warranty period...we can't be driving back to Elkhart, IN to get the work done before, Nov. 3.

Marilyn had gotten a couple of names of authorized dealers in Saskatchewan and after calling the one in Carlyle...not a good experience and very rude...we discovered we would have to find an alternative repair shop. Al talked to one of the RV places in Yorkton and he said he would do the work, but we would have to pay and get reimbursed by Heartland ourselves...which was an option that we had been given. At least we don't have to drive it very far.

And by the way, Al is not afraid of mice as he has been hearing about from local blog readers...he is just not keen on emptying traps...

October 3, 2011

View of the day-Marilyn got a new rig to help with the cleanup.

Al was up early...only because he couldn't sleep. It might have had something to do with the mouse that had moved in while we were away. Marilyn spotted him running across the counter and laid out a trap line of sticky traps, which got the job done around 3am. These traps are not the 6x10 inch ones that she used in Pingree...they are 2x4 inches and hold one mouse quite nicely. Unfortunately, they are small enough that the mouse can move them around as they squirm...which this one did and it woke Al up. After checking it out, Marilyn just left it where it was, hoping that it would finally stick itself and...pass on. Al couldn't sleep knowing it was there and he "doesn't do mice", so Marilyn had to get up again and throw it out the door, where she hoped the cats that had been visiting would take care of it...and not get stuck themselves. At any rate, it was gone this morning.

Marilyn had a trip into town on the agenda in the morning...stop in at Staples to see her peeps, then get a few groceries. Al had taken the General and combine trailer out to Danny's to park it for the season, then he brought the General back to Yorkton.

Marilyn got a wake up call when she went in to Staples for her visit...she was put back on the schedule to start working this Sunday! That means nose to the grindstone getting the camper cleaned up and the house back in order. Al called while she was shopping and got her to meet him out at Yorkton Auction Centre, so out she went to see about getting our new purchase...the hot water pressure washer. Something that Marilyn has been wanting to get for quite a long time.

Al spent part of the afternoon trying to get the old Marquis running...with no luck, so we will be a one vehicle family until he figures out what is wrong with it...unless Marilyn decides to joy ride in the General. Marilyn continued on with camper unloading...a lot less stuff in this camper, but still a task. After Al gave up on the Marquis, he went back out to the Auction Centre to bring the grain cart home.

Marilyn can't wait to break in the new rig and start cleaning...

October 2, 2011

View of the day-Stopped to check the loads at the highway where we unloaded just over three weeks ago.

What a day! We slept in a bit, then started to get things organized for the second trip to Yorkton. The plan was to take the General's load and the camper back to Yorkton, then Al would come back at a later date to settle up and bring the pickup header home.

First on the list, we had to batten down the hatches in the camper, hook up to the Dodge, then take it to the...ahem...dump station. As we parked on a nice sloped hill, there was a gush of water from underneath the camper...and we weren't hooked up to any water. We figured it must have come in when the membrane on the water pump allowed the water to backfill into the fresh water tank and since the belly is enclosed, it wasn't until we were on tilt that it could get out. Something else to check on when we get home.

After we had gotten the combine loaded yesterday, Al discovered that the outside back dual on the combine trailer was flat, he aired it up so it would be ready for the road today...this morning it was flat again and there was no way it was going to hold air with the blowout on the side. Being as it was Sunday, we tried to get hold of the tire guy...no luck...so we came up with a plan. We would take the tire off, go home with just the camper load, take one of the tires off the Freightliner, which was at home, then go back to Balcarres, mount it and be on our way by 2pm. It looked good on paper.

We got home with the camper, Marilyn got it parked it in the unloading zone, just outside the front door while Al took the tire off the Freight. We loaded the tire on the Dodge and headed back for Balcarres.

Back at the farm, we were having a time of it trying to get the tire mounted back where it belonged. We had driven the inside dual up on a couple of the ramps that we use for loading the tractor and cart, which allowed us some room to get the tire off...but it wasn't working for putting the tire back on. The fender was just low enough that the tire had to be tucked under it before it would go into place and it wouldn't do that because the bolt studs were sticking out just far enough that it wouldn't clear. Then it started to pour.

We waited for a bit as the shower passed, then got another jack out to see if that would lift it high enough, because now the inside dual had shifted. After a lot of 'discussion', we finally managed to get it where it belonged and we were able to get on the road by 3:45pm...later than we had hoped, but with only an hour to drive, we were sure we could make it. Of course, that would be on a day when we had left our luck in another pair of pants.

After leaving the yard and stopping to check the load by the highway, we felt pretty good about the rest of the trip...we were even getting to take the pickup head home. We had just turned onto the highway, when Al called to say he was having power issues with the General...so it wouldn't be an hours drive, after all. He was pretty sure it was a fuel filter issue, so he kept limping along and eventually something must have shook loose, because he was able to get in the tall one, even though we had to fight a strong wind.

We got home, parked the header, unloaded the combine and parked it and the shop trailer in the yard, then Al got the trailer hooked back up so he could take it out to his friend, Danny's, farm where the cart trailer was. Marilyn started unloading the camper...oh, joy...and Al had a shower, then headed directly for his massaging LazyBoy recliner and some NFL football.

We still have to clean the equipment, so we're not done yet...

October 1, 2011

View of the day-Something is cooking...or will be, later on today. This rotor was made into a grill by the Young's the CaseIH dealer out of Regina.

Well, it was loading day today. Al hooked the combine up to the combine trailer with a chain over the feederhouse, so he could get the shop trailer hooked up...it was a lot easier than trying to do it after the combine was on the trailer and hooked up to the General. Once he had that done, Marilyn made the scene and the combine loading could commence.

After getting the combine loaded and the General hooked up and ready to go, we hooked up the straight header and took it home to Yorkton, where we parked it over at the neighbors until we could get it cleaned up and parked for good. We stopped in town to pick up a few things, get fuel, then headed back to Balcarres.

We saw a few combines going along the way, but most of the crop has been combined along the #10 highway...with the weather being beyond perfect, it was no surprise. We got back to the camper and got cleaned up for the harvest windup supper which was across the yard in the shop. Almost everyone was there...except for Trapper, who was in Regina to pick up his wife at the airport. Unfortunately her plane was going to be 4 hours late, so no festivities for him. After a fabulous meal, some great conversation and story telling, we called it a night.

Tomorrow another load heads for Yorkton...

September 30, 2011

View of the day-Getting the General back in operation out in the field where Al left it after the ujoint gave out.

Fixing Big Gen was the first thing on the agenda today. We took the shop trailer out to the field to make sure we had the right tools for the job and after getting the drive shaft shifted enough to get the remains of the wrecked ujoint, we headed to town with it to see if we could find a new one.

The first stop was the Bearing Shop in Balcarres and it was our lucky day, because he had one that was just what we needed. With that out of the way, we went to the Esso restaurant for lunch, then went right back out to the field to see if we could get things back together...without too much 'disCUSSing'. verything went back together way better than we thought it would and after a test drive around the field, we called that job a wrap.

Next we had to make a run into Lemberg to pick up a pump that Marilyn's sister needed at Precision Ag in Carlyle and after wrestling that into the back of the pickup, we headed for the combine. We had left the combine with some canola on it when we finished the first round of the field last night, so we needed to get it unloaded first and Blaine came to the rescue with the cart to take care of us. Al had brought the trailer for the pickup head, so we got that unhooked, loaded and strapped down, then we went back to the yard where the camper was parked so Marilyn could fire up the compressor and start cleaning off the chaff that had collected in those hard to reach places. We had a strong wind blowing from out of the SE which made cleaning off the rigs a treat...as much of a treat as cleaning can be.

While Marilyn was working on the combine and pickup head, Al went to get the straight header from the wheat field where we had left it earlier in the week. After getting that back to the yard, we hooked it up to the combine so we could get that one blown off as well. With that dirty job done, we got it loaded on the high speed transport trailer and parked it off to the side until we move it back home...or somewhere.

The trip back to the camper was just across the yard, so we had plenty of time to clean up, cook supper and watch some football.

Well, one of us, at least...