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Show At twelve o'clock noon the mid-day meal was ready at the cabin. It was timed to coincide with the Helen Trent program that provided lunch hour entertainment. The little radio was battery operated and was kept in good condition since the men depended on it for evening entertainment too. Tom Hutchison was usually the first man to come from the sheds and was the first to take his turn at the wash basin. When washed and combed, he settled down with folded arms to enjoy the life of Helen Trent while the other men were washing up. "Our Gal Sunday", "Lum and Abner", "Amos and Andy" were some of the other programs enjoyed by the crew at the lambing sheds. SHEARING After lambing season was over it was time to prepare for shearing. The transition from blade shears to machine shearing was gradual in the early nineteen thirties. John K and Bill made plans ahead of time with itinerant shearing crews, and they would shear where the corrals and sheds were utilized to advantage. Eventually the Madsens installed a permanent shearing machine plant that made the entire shearing experience much more convenient, and the job was accomplished under cover. The regular men employed by John K assisted the shearers hy corraling, driving and legging the sheep, and of course, the feeding j o.b was ever important, The. lives of the Madsen employees were full of gladness, They enjoyed working together and joked often. _ A seasonal 201 |