The Pandemic, Woodworking & Worms...oh my!

"Do you know of anyone that can help me, teach me actually , how to make these Bins a little better...and maybe a little faster?!?!"

Masks were already the thing here in Los Angeles and just meeting someone new, let alone bringing them into you home, workshop, circle of life was a lot of ask and bordering on taboo....

Building, improving and shipping Worm Bins, one a day, two a day, orders were coming in, craigslist folks were meeting me downstairs buying Bins and buying Composting Worms from the plastic storage monstrosity I had quietly been keeping for a couple years in my closet. Suddenly felt like a worm dealer and it was the inside joke. Very inside, haha. The pandemic was in full swing, unrest not quite running rampant but siren filled nights were drowned out by my sanding, sawing & drilling. The city was tense and the country was reeling from the repeated playing of the death of George Floyd.

The few woodworking tools I had, said drill, hand saw and sander were the virus fighting weapons of choice and they were wearing out. Needed to invest in all of the above asap if taking this to the next level was really a possibility what I really needed was someone to give me some hands on carpentry direction...

It was a Wednesday, May 2020 and Kenneth said he would be willing to meet me Downtown on Friday...

to work with me on my Worm Bins! Kenneth, a strong, grey haired, fifty-something (sixty, maybe?!?) Panamanian man and experienced all around Anawalt "jack of all trades" was up for the job and would be showing up Downtown with all the tools and knowledge needed to make a bunch of Worm Bins with me, the answer to my production wishes a wood genie - or so that was what was pictured in this just sure enough that you were not going to die by stepping out of the house and still optimistic head of mine. Retrospectively, it was the beginning of the Pandemonium, being at Anawalt felt a little like cheating the gentlemans' lock down agreement anyways, but the open roads were so very choice to this LA native and inviting so something that felt like could be done with the footprint of a fly.

George Floyd was killed a week before Downtown Los Angeles became the Southern California flash point ...

...for nightly protests, marches, riots, looting and regular antagonizing broken windows, graffiti, fireworks and cat and mouse chases with the LAPD. While things were definitely getting louder and more intense, who knew looting and mayhem were actually going to break out that Friday night, a couple night of 90's style riots, days I'll always remember, were on the horizon and to become, like mass shootings and fast food another one of those worth-forgetting-American-norms.

Had heard of but really had know idea what a jig was and wow do they help make right angles, haha!

Kenneth unloaded a table saw, couple of saw horses, tool belt and a paper lunch and to work we went. We built jigs all day. Had no idea that was going to be the bulk of our work. We talked about woodworking and Panama and the Rolling Stones filled the loft now wood shop in Broadway and Ninth. The day flew by and we worked with purpose, question after question answered with thoughtfulness and a, "here, give it a try" and 8 hours later we had created assembly friendly wooden "molds" aka "jigs" that were going to not only speed up production but actually turn out square Trays with right angles! Wow, what a time to be aaaaaaliiivie.

"Yes, it was a great day, I think I better get going before a riot breaks out around here"

Is what Kenneth said with a newly adopted more serious tone. As I thanked him for all that he did and shared with me while laughing off the suggestion of "riots" during a Pandemic, in downtown LA. Well, this is 2020 soooo.

We were parting ways on Broadway as I pointed towards Eighth street where he could make an easy left and a get straight on the 101 north for a quick out of dodge and Downtown LA escape.

Leaving sawdust, cubes of rough sawn wood, a new hand saw he had doubles of and most importantly; my fancy new jigs behind, not a wasted minute did i want to spend doing anything else lest I forget every single woodworking secrets kenneth had just imparted, started making Redwood Worm trays and square as square can be - revising my layman's definition of spot on and hit the nail on the head and now doing it like a woodworking boss. No sooner did this makers groove get really going, a text...ding. And then another and then beep beep beep again. Checking my phone putting down the driver drill with a shake of the head:

"I am stuck on the freeway and surrounded by protesters, told you there was going to be civil unrest!"

Oh shit. Was he right? Rushing to the computer, this is what he was talking about. Live on channel 4. Who knew that Kenneth had his carpenters' calloused finger so directly placed on the pulse of Los Angeles. This was not only the beginning of a social movement, the first quarter of THE pandemic, an election that never had a beginning a middle or an end and an all out fight for the very tenuous future of our Country but most certainly the beginning of the first half of the rest of the year that will most certainly be written all about and never ever forgotten.