I think I need a rainy day ...

Maybe a couple of them.  It's been a great fall for harvest.  Almost no rain, good running, pretty good yields.  But this many days running starts to wear on you, even if we do generally take Sunday off.  I did something tonight I have never done before.  I parked a plugged up combine in the shed and left it.  I reached the point tonight the best thing to do was go home.

The last few days have had some frustrations.  I had some kind of email glitch last week and it seems some email didn't go out even though on my end it said it was sent.  Like to my insurance agent, the lawyer who is trustee of some ground I farm, a few "unimportant" things like that.

Then the elevator got full of beans ... about the same time the landlady's bean bin got full.

But we are getting by.  I took some to Snyder, and it looks like we'll squeak by. This afternoon I am trying to finish up first crop beans.  Creek bottom fields are dry in the middle, but the field edges are still green.  Do I leave 20-30 ft around 2 fields or cut them?  I cut them ... but the moisture dock I got may have made it an unwise choice.  Have one field left, actually just a portion of a field.  This is one we left the green along the edge and in a low spot a couple weeks ago.  It's dry now.

So I start in.  Turns out to be more area than I thought.  And VERY tough going.  Down and twisted beans,some green weeds and grass, damp ground underneath, just tough cutting.  It's going to be hard to finish by sundown, and if I'm not done by sundown it will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to cut.  So just before sunset ... yep, I plug the rotor.  I get out thr big black ugly awkward wrench and try turning it backwards.  Seems to turn fairly freely.   I get in the cab, start the engine, hit the switch to turn it on and somehow hit the switch to reverser the feeder house.

For those unfamiliar with the idiosyncrasies of a Case combine, if you reverse the feeder without first raising the reel if can cause the header auger to damage the floor panels on the header.

Did you notice I never mentioned raising the reel?

And the rotor won't turn on.

So back on top with the big ugly wrench..  Then back on the ground and pull the side covers off

Nothing.

It's now dark.  I clean of the combine, put everything back on, and take it in.  We get the truck in, I send Aman home, and then get to thinking about it. I get my handy little pocket flashlight out, open the door on the feeder house and look inside.

And drop my flashlight.  Just out of reach.

I get a little crows foot bar from my truck toolbox, reach in to try and fish it out, and hit the off switch.   Which worked. THAT is when I decided it was time to go home.

Oh, and as I pulled in the driveway I remembered the tractor and grain cart we forgot to bring in setting along the road.  So when Sue got home from church we went after it.  It's in my backyard.

I think I need a couple rainy days to catch up and take a break.