5/18/2009:
Home Grown: German-Russian Farm Kids Remember
"Typical Day"
Clarence Meidinger
Interviewed: Edgeley, ND, 14 July 2007
Born: Lehr, ND, 15 May 1929
The first time when he got up you know, they had milking to do they always, well, we milked about I would say a dozen and a half cows at least maybe 15 - 18, and that was the first year and then of course in those days they used to separate by hand and so that took time and they fed the calves - pail fed and fed the pigs, and I would say they probably got up at six o'clock and didn't get into the fields until at least eight or after. And then they would take off for dinner, and a lot of times, many times, I think all the times, and I don't think they just had an hour noon. I think they had longer, a longer noon hour than an hour, and then they'd go back, they'd go back to the field and I suppose they'd be back in around 6 or 6:30 to do the chores and that, so I don't think they had much of a seven or eight-hour day with the horses. With the tractor it was a little different. With the tractors they went a lot, well, not a lot on my life they went after, but some went ‘til midnight.