Aaaah, another day closer to Christmas, I guess! Hard killing frost last night! I think my green feed patches are done. They have had an amazing run, but I think last night was the end of them. We have had non-combining weather for most of the week. Those who have lots left to go, just a little stress in your life. Take heart my friends, the weather will clear and the rest of this crop will get combined. Those old fossils like myself, we have been here before.
On the home front, we are down to a couple of hundred acres left. Sven is on the heavy harrow and he is right on the combine's tail. We have had to send him home early a couple of times because he has caught up to the combine, but he says he doesn't mind. Sven usually gets to service and drive the combine in the morning while Jaco unloads the Super-bee. It is a good arrangement.
To park the combine will be nice for me. The harrowing will also be done. The only field project left will be to disc up a half a dozen sloughs. If you keep the weeds down so there is no snow trap you might get to seed them in the spring. We will see! I want to get equipment parked for the winter.
When I was in Lloydminster yesterday, Princess Auto had Trapper hats on sale. You know the kind, fur lined, ear flaps that come down and cover your ears. I bought one for Jaco and one for Sven. We took their picture. Sven, who is from Montreal says to Jaco, who is from South Africa, he thought it was time to wear long johns. I had to laugh when Jaco informed Sven he had bought some Hailie Hansens and had been already wearing them for a week. It would appear the weather in Canada is a lot cooler than in South Africa, eh!
In local politics, the race is on to replace Tim MacMillan. Those of you who throw your hat in the ring and let your name stand, I wish you the best of luck. Win, lose or draw, your efforts are what makes democracy happen. You are a service to your country. Thank you and good luck. My hat is off to you but the people will decide. That is how the system works.
In world news, the countries are all gearing up to bomb ISIS. The road to hell is paved with good intentions! I am not impressed. The Arab countries better be giving Canada fuel for those jets. What is it going to cost per head for each ISIS fighter killed? This is going to be as effective as lobbing a spitball across a crowded classroom. The Americans seem to like planning 28-day wars. I think maybe they'll have used up their stockpile of ammunition by then, I don't know. Go ahead, doing something is better than nothing, but the end will only come with boots on the ground. Enough said. Sounds brutal, doesn't it, but that is just what I think.
One night when I couldn't sleep (you know the nights when you are tired but your brain wouldn't shut off), anyway I am going to be 70 next July. I have begrudged being a year older every birthday. Another year gone in my hourglass of life and what have I accomplished? There are still trees that need killing. Sloughs to drain! Stuff to do. Anyway, for 69 years someone has always planned a birthday party for me. I went and ate cake and all that stuff. When my guests were leaving I smiled, shook their hand and thanked them for coming even though I would rather have been on my cat killing trees or burring rock. It was always very nice that they came but now I have decided since I can't stop getting older I am going to be planning my own birthday party. I have booked the Waseca Hall for July 25, 2015. I will look into a dee-jay and someone to run a cash bar or whatever it takes to have a party. I told my son Ron and my son Todd my plans. Right away Todd suggested he could find a stripper. His mother instantly put the kibosh on that idea. It was good for a laugh around the kitchen table anyway. I don't think you could trust either one of them. The stripper they would find would be fat and fifty-plus with old stringy gray hair and no teeth. I can plan my own party and I will. I would hope anyone who can come will and those that can't, there is always next year. I plan for everyone to have fun.
I would like to send a bouquet to Kurtus at R&D plumbing. After Thursday night, the furnace would not come on. Winter is coming so at nine o'clock on Friday morning I phoned R&D Plumbing. At two o'clock, Kurtus rang my doorbell. He had the thermal coupler with him and fixed the furnace in short order. The hot water heater was leaking a little. My wife had told me about it but I was busy with other things. Kurtus says, "Do you want it fixed? I have a new one in my truck." I said, "Yes." By 4:30 he was done. He gave me the bill, I paid him and he was gone. That is just incredible service. Thank you, Kurtus!
Joke of the Week: Little Johnny came home from school with a very poor mark on a test. His mother was not happy and asked Johnny why he had done so poorly. Little Johnny said "Absent." His mother said, "Were you absent from the test?" Little Johnny said, "No, the kid I sit beside and copy was absent that day." As my uncle Harold would say, Oooooh Boy!
