Manual Training and Dry Wallers

J B asks about Manual Training at the Mission, and I do think I understand what that means.  Many of the Indians that lived here were not native to this area.  The Shawnee and many others were transplanted here from back East.    They were deemed to be in the way of European settlers and shipped to Kansas.  They called this area the great American Desert, and deemed the ground to be worthless.  So it was given to the Indians.

The people were hunter gatherer folks in the woods back East, but we didn't have nearly as many wooded areas here.  So the Chiefs asked for Missionaries to train the younger folks in farming and its associated skills like blacksmith and Implement skills.   These things were called Manual Training.  They actually farmed a good deal of the land around the mission in those days.  Today it is all city.......

When you go into the buildings there are a lot of pictures depicting the life these folks lived and the training they received.  The study of the Indians and how they were treated and mistreated here in Johnson county could fill several blogs and is beyond the scope of my writings.  But needless to say they were cheated out of their rights and belongings by the white men.

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Today, we started back on the basement project again.  Our general contractor had lined up dry wall subs and brought them over to look at the job.   By mid afternoon, we had agreed upon a price and work was well in hand.

It is amazing how skilled craftsmen can make a job that seems so insurmountable, pass in relatively short periods of time.  They used four boxes of drywall mud and as many rolls of tape before they went home for the day.  I hung around for the afternoon more to learn their skills than for any other purpose.

They will need to return for the next several days as the work dries for the next steps involved.  They are happy that we have a weekend coming to allow for additional drying time before they start sanding on Monday.

Like I first read about in Jo Ann and Fred Wishnie's blog, Fred always said his most important tool was his ink pen and checkbook.  So that is kind of how this will go also.

I did go out on the scooter tonight after dark on a quick shopping excursion, but did not purchase much.  I was looking for a good holistic drug shop, but only found a GNC and they didn't have what I was looking for.  But at least it was cooler in the mid 80s after the sun set.

Tomorrow the dry wall folks are to be here first thing in the morning, and I don't do first thing very well any more so I will hang up this keyboard for now....

Retired Rod