Cynematik

It was midday on the second day of shooting when she walked in. She was there to be the voice for one of the colonists. She was “getting on in years,” so we were worried she might not be able to read or have the stamina for the shoot. This pioneer woman, Rita Skousen Johnson, let us know what she was made of and it was some pretty hardy stock. Not only did she read fluently, flawlessly and with great emotion, she went on to let us know that she knew the people she was reading about. She grew up in their presence and remembered times spent with them. She told us stories about several of the early settlers. Turned out her father was a polygamist and she was a child of his second wife. When asked about how it was growing up as a child of polygamy, she said, “It was wonderful. There were so many of us and we had such a good time together.” She told us about her father’s experience with the grist mill. More importantly, she explained what a grist mill was (and a burr mill) and how it was used to grind wheat into flour. She told us how her mother would bake a loaf of bread to make sure the wheat was properly ground (the pioneer version of “quality control”). She talked about her years teaching at Academia Juarez. Our time together flew and I found myself wishing I had several days to just talk with her. In many ways, she reminded me of my Grandma Greening, who was also a school teacher, rural wife and mother. Like my grandmother, Mrs. Johnson was an amazing woman and I’m so glad I got to spend some time hearing her story.

RITA SKOUSEN JOHNSON, COLONIA JUAREZ, MEXICO
©2008, Jared Moschcau. All rights reserved.