Today was filled with scenes from Cars

So, yeah, just got home after a long day of work. But, the mandatory 5 cups of coffee are keeping me a bit awake yet, so thought I'd share my day with you. Actually, more like my night.

See, work started about 8:30 this morning, but it didn't look like I was going to be needed this afternoon. After shuttling vehicles, augers, tractors etc. to the next field, I went home, made Dale a lunch and prepared to go to Brandon. I wanted to go so I could try on some Carhartt for Women lined bib overalls

Yeah, they're glamourous, I know, but after last night freezing my tooshie off because there was no way that I could put on long underwear out in the field (and no way to pack it anyway) I decided that I wanted to treat myself. These have definite practical benefits for me - number one being that I don't screw up my skipants by wearing them at harvest. Also, because they're not a set of coveralls, there's actually a chance they could fit my short frame.

Anyway, making Dale's lunch. Phone rings. Dale says - hang on, don't go yet. Okay. Checked out the website so I could have contingency purchasing plan (as by this point the girls are ready to hop in the car and go). Granny is on standby to go either way, Grandpa will go if I can't (cause Granny is still suffering from the sinus thing and really doesn't feel up to driving in). The overalls aren't the only thing we need - we're running low on coffee. And that has to be on hand all the time right now. And we need more coffee cups (disposable, for the combiners) and coffee filters. A theme, perhaps?

As I took Dale his lunch, he told me to go back and change into farm clothes...I'm trucking again. So, made myself a lunch, sent the family into Brandon and started in on the oats. There seems to be a lot of these, and while we haven't had an official test yet, they look pretty good.

Things were pretty quiet until it got dark. Then they're still quiet, but I've been on the truck for nine or so hours and my sense of humour starts to get more warped. Perhaps it was because I was starting to drift off between loads. Anyway, I'm parked at the end of a swath, waiting to pick up the load, and just the way the combine was angled he looked just like Frank. I couldn't back up, as my father-in-law had parked his Chevy Silverado behind me. I can't go forward, as I'll run into the swath (and that is undesirable, it makes it harder to pick the grain up off the ground). Fortunately Frank turned...and my heart rate returned to normal.

So, I pick up the load. And take it to the auger, in a darkened field with tractors. It just seemed a little surreal. As I stand there in the oat dust unloading, my slightly tired mind is looking at these things and wondering how to tip them...oh well, can't figure that one without a hill.

Yesterday, I could have tipped the tractors. Felt like I was going to tip the truck. Side hills are a pain at the best of times, but I got to take a fill on the side of a hill - that had to be one of the most uncomfortable loads of grain I have ever tried to deal with. It is tough to drive a truck when you're holding onto the door for dear life, leaning at what seems to be a horrible angle...This, in a truck that resembles Mater in so many ways - the blue covered by rust, the broken door, it is a 1970's series International Harvester but hey, it still has a hood.

The kicker tonight though has been my father-in-law's truck. This little machine has every feature you could ever want...except a headlight dim switch. Whenever he comes at you from across the field, you feel like you see the Ghostlight.