John Claerbout (1909-1994) Democrat A city slicker here, but he had done his share of hard working years on the farm --- before there were milking machines.

Cousin Phyllis says, "Spud and John were best of friends particularly since one was a Republican while the other a Democrat. They especially enjoyed each other's company because they always had something lively to talk about." Jack asks, "When did electricity for that milking machine arrive on the farm? And before that, did you ever milk any cows yourself?" Phyl says, "Electricity arrived at the farm sometime in 1937. Quite soon after electricity arriving, the milking machines were put into use; however, I didn't care much for what went on in the barn so I'm not quite sure when dad actually started using milking machines. The only one of us daughters who seemed to have any interest in the farm chores was Judy. Dad didn't seem to mind this lack of interest by the others, as it allowed him to keep control of his little domain." Back to John and Spud. Both did many years of milking cows before the advent of milking machines (shown above). John being a small town retailer didn't dare talk politics to anyone in town. Spud for company had only his radio in the barn. No wonder they liked meeting up to chat!