That One Last Field Refuses to be Harvested

It is harvest time.  Actually, by now I should be done harvest.  We should be done harvest, have the cows home, the calves weaned and vaccinated, and be getting the fields ready for spring.  None of that has happened yet this year.  We are still trying to get harvest done.

What's left?  One field.  One little 75-acre canola field.  That's all we need.

We started working on that field a few days ago.  Dad got a few meters into the field with the combine and when I came to pick him up so we could transport the grain truck to the field, he announced that the combine had broken down - again.  And this time, it looked bad.

I told you it was broken!  For those who don't know, that angled part should not be angled.

It was bad.  We haven't even tried to fix it yet.  We just took it home and the next day we borrowed my uncle's John Deere combine.  He had just finished his own harvest and was willing to let us borrow it.  Now, my friends may have heard me tease about how awful John Deere is, but this late in the year, I'll use any combine I can.  It's actually pretty nice.

Saved by the John Deere!  ...For a while.

Yesterday our harvesting started out really well.  Everything was going smoothly.  Then I plugged the combine.  Being unfamiliar with the combine, it took us a while to find the problem and get it fixed.  While we worked on that, the skies opened for a few minutes, letting down some rain.  By the time the combine was ready to go, it was nearly 10 pm and everything was wet.  Dad went home and I went to bed.

Today also started out well.  We got a bunch of odd jobs done in the morning and by the time we had eaten lunch, the wind had dried the crop off enough that we could get back out to the field.  I went first and drove the pick-up truck to the spot in the field where I had plugged up yesterday.  I took a pitchfork out of the back of the truck and began trying to smooth out the lumps in the swath.  The early snow we had this fall had flattened the crop so that it was difficult to cut and plugged up the swather a lot, leaving lumps that can easily plug up a combine.

I'm not entirely sure how, but while I was working on this task, I hurt my hip.  Bad.  It hurt so badly that I just stood there for a few moments, trying to breathe.  When I could finally move, I used the pitchfork as a staff and slowly shuffle-limped my way back to the truck.  By the time I had made it halfway there, Dad had arrived with the combine.  He sent me to my parents' house, where Mom got me into the house and ran over to my place to bring my cane to me (yeah, I have my own cane - my hip has given me grief before, though never this bad).  I've been stuck here, barely able to move, for over an hour now.

A little while ago, Dad brought the combine home.  He had plugged the combine again immediately upon starting and had discovered that the reason I had plugged up yesterday was that the belts that drive the beater had ripped.  He just now got back from picking up new belts in town.

Through all of the difficulties, the field has been about half harvested.  We just want to finish before the snow comes again (and it will come soon - this is Alberta, after all).  Once Dad gets the belts on, I will try to go back out to the field.  If I can just climb onto the combine somehow, I think I could drive it.

My cane just fell on the floor.  I'm not sure how I'll get it back.

Updates

2 Hours Later:

Dad is still working to unplug the combine, but has managed to get new belts for it.  My uncle, who owns the combine, has come to help.  I doubt we will get that field finished tonight.

I am still chair-bound in the house and extremely bored.  I have written this blog post and another one (to be posted in a few weeks) and am searching for anything to do.  I have forgotten how to relax.  And yes, I did get my cane picked up.

2 Days Later:

Dad pulled all-nighter that night and finally finished harvesting at 4:30 the next morning.  I was in back, barely able to move and feeling guilty for not being out there myself.

We are very relieved to have harvest done, and glad to hear that our neighbours are also either finished or getting close.  We have also had time to bring our cows home and to wean about half of the calves.  That To-Do list is finally getting shorter.

I would like to thank my readers for the encouragement you have given me and the prayers for healing.  I am feeling much better and was even able to run after a few errant cows this afternoon, although I'm sure I'll regret that in a few hours.