Four more shapes left to cut out of the cement board. After searching around town I finally got out to Home Depo to buy the jigsaw blades that no other hardware store seemed to carry. I had all day Tuesday to cut out the shapes, but got stuck in the house with other work. So it had to be done today in order to have enough pieces to work on at this evening's workshop. Ahhh. I was beside myself with "unwanting" to do this task.

I spend the better part of the day writing the past week's journals, and now I was in no mood to load on the garb: goggles, masks, earmuffs and overalls, to cut out the messy, dust producing boards. But what choice did I have? None! There is no on but me to do it, so I did.

About half way through cutting out the dude and his guitar, I heard the banging of drums coming from the back yard neighbours. Ah-ha- someone with energy!!!! So I went and invited Scott and Collin to join in the cutting fun. It just so happened they were having a little jamming session and it was very fitting that I wanted their help on the musical piece. They were more then happy to help.

Scott & Collin Cutting

Together we finished the Guitar Dude, and I got one of the squares cut out for the two Fernwood Street pieces. Great to have their help, as my arm was going kinda weird from the jigsaw jiggle.

Collin & Scott Cutting

Enough for today.

Journal 10 Continued
Building workshop - August 4th 2004

I'm not sure why things have been so slow with the attendance at the workshops? Very strange since we have information about the project in almost every media form out there. Strange, very strange. That night was a very slow workshop and we had almost no traffic- save a lovely elderly woman by the name of Kay.

Kay graced Kari and myself with almost an hour of monologue. She is a woman born in 1911 in Eastern Europe. She moved to Northern Winnipeg where upon her mother's strong advice she went after an education and in those days this was no easy feat. When she was merely 12 her mother died, "spitting blood" at the ripe old age of 31, saying as she left this hard world, her children must get an education.

So Kay did just that. Now 93 years young she is an educated, high spirited, energetic, women with a walker. She talks fast, but doesn't hear so well. So, instead of the conversations that usually happen at MtC workshops this was really a monologue directed towards two women, who needed to listen.

Kay learned to swim when she was 60 years old. She has spent her whole life learning, what ever comes her way, as she would heed what her mother told her. She has been a swimming instructor and a community activist. She has strove to use her life to the fullest.

Now in her final years, hard of hearing and not seeing so well she lives in the basement of her home, and rents the top floor to a young couple. She is not bothered by such things as cobwebs and dust bunnies, but spends her time traveling about her community talking with who ever will give her the time.

A great grandmother, Kay has many accomplishments under her belt. She is an activist and strong believer in "Question(ing) Authority" as the three buttons on her self explain. She believes that everyone should use their time wisely and learn from others. She believes that money is the route of all evil and even today 60 plus years since her youth, she knows there are better ideas then money out there. Better ways of providing for the billons of people on the earth.

She kept telling us about a group called "Technocracy" how back in the 1930;s they were actively working towards a better system for our society to embrace. Unfortunately "Hitler had other plans," she says, but she has spent the better portion of her days encouraging this understanding for a better world.

As a Czechoslovakian- Pollack, she understands diversity, and being on the wrong side of the tracks. She totally supports groups like PATH. Who are working hard to provide a better life for those who are less fortunate? Really this woman talked our ears off. She had so much to say. I wish I had had a recorder, so that I could better write about all she said.

She actually remembers when the Belfry theatre was a Church and when the FCA was a pharmacy. She also remembers a time before the Crystal pool, when there was only a shallow pool in the area that was shared by people and dogs too. She often laughed when she was recalling the past of the area.

So after about 45mins of talking to us, she headed off to run some late day errands, asking before she left we would be interested in providing her a ride home later that evening. I offered her a ride if she returned by the end of the workshop.

For the remainder the time Kari and I got to know each other better, as we were the only people there J But we got some good mosaic work done on the guitar dude too. It is nice when the project provide the opportunity to really get to know someone. SO I guess that is the main reason for the lack of people at the projects.

About 8:25 she returned to the FCA, and joined us in our mosaic efforts. To give her more insight to the idea behind MtC I invited her to read the project journal from the Central project. This kept her occupied while we finished up the mosaic work and cleaned up after the workshop.

When I drove her home later that night, as she has been advised by her doctor she can only walk down the hill from her home and not up, she again told me things about her life. She said that "your generation has better opportunities them my generation and its important that you make the best of these advantages"

As I went to help her out of the passenger side of the car, she refused my hand and stated," I like to struggle." Perhaps it is from her life of struggle, combined with wisdom, she knows somethings I do not.

So I unpacked her new walker, given to her by a friend, and walked her slowly to her side doorway. She reached up and pulled the cord to turn on the overhead light we briefly talked, and she thanked me for my kindness and generosity. Well, what else can you do when a 93 old women who lives on a hill asks you for a ride home after dark.

Oblige is all I could do.