About Maggie C

Stained glass artist, writer, respecter of life.

Discovery

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Maggie C

I wanted to get away from it all, even though
I didn’t know what “it all” was exactly.
I just knew it wasn’t where I was,

and it wasn’t
sitting within the same walls and
looking out the same windows and
thinking the same thoughts and
falling into the same rutted patterns
of my daily existence.

I searched for someplace remote
but near civilization,
rustic
but with amenities,
in the wilderness
but not too wild…

and I found it:
a cabin
in the woods
in a forest
that I had thought only existed
in my dreams,

and it was
sitting on a porch
with my closest family members
looking at wildlife and tall trees and mountains in the distance,
thinking more expansively in the vastness of the forest,
falling into new patterns of peaceful companionship,

and while getting away from it all
I discovered that “it all”
is actually a matter of perspective and
is always
exactly where I am.

The Daily Post Discover Challenge: Designed for You
The Daily Post daily prompt: Learning

Weekend Coffee Share 8/20/16

Posted on August 20, 2016 by Maggie C

If we were having coffee… well, we wouldn’t be. Not yet. It’s barely light outside. I’m dog-sitting for my daughter and her sweet Bella seems to think my wake up time should be 3:00 a.m. It’s not.

Nonetheless, I gave up at 5 a.m. and here I sit, eyes half-mast, cold brew coffee not sitting well in my empty stomach, and plotting a very early nap. Like maybe as soon as I get the dogs fed.

I could go out in search of those golden hour photo ops I wrote about yesterday, but the morning sky is hazy today, and the only thing golden I see out the window is my parched lawn. I guess it’s more of a dark straw color, but “golden” makes it sound much more appealing. And almost intentional.

The postal delivery guy accidentally stuck my neighbor’s water bill in my mail box the other day, and when I took the bill over to the neighbor I joked that I guess I could have paid it for him. His response was, “You wouldn’t want to, I’ve been watering my lawn so much this month.”

Hmmm. Did I detect an unspoken “…and so should you,” clause at the end of that remark? Nah. My dead lawn just helps make his look that much greener. I’m actually doing him a favor. Maybe he should be paying my water bill.

It’s getting light outside now. I’d better go feed the dogs. Then I can take my nap. Who cares that it’s only 6:30 in the morning? Not I.

#WeekendCoffeeShare is hosted by Diana at Parttimemonsterblog.com.

Rare Gold: Early Morning Light

Posted on August 19, 2016 by Maggie C

Shortly after obtaining my puppy Chules, we began training. Chules is an America Eskimo dog, which is a breed known for ease of training, so I was eager to get started. True to his breed, things moved along quickly.

The first thing Chules trained me in was the absolute necessity of rising early in the morning and heading out for a daily walk before we did anything else. Anything. Like coffee, breakfast, waking up…

The reward in learning this trick was that I was often out and about during the morning “golden hour,” when lighting is said to be ideal for outdoor photography. Not that I really knew how to capitalize on the opportunity, but I did get some photos during our walks that I was rather pleased with.

Now that Chules is older, training is less intense, and we sleep in a bit longer. I rarely catch the golden hour anymore, and a part of me misses it. But not the part of me that likes to drink coffee and have an unrushed breakfast in the morning.

That part of me continues to defy training. As does Chules. I don’t mind, though, because to me, Chules is more precious than gold.

The Daily Post weekly photo challenge: Rare

Wordless Wednesday (Week 33)

Image

Eight Things

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Maggie C

Eight things I wouldn’t want to be:

I. A big fish in a small pond.

II. Just another brick in the wall.

III. The lone fire hydrant in a dog park.

IV. A sitting duck.

V. On a train to nowhere.

VI. A thorn in someone’s side.

VII. Moss on a rolling stone.

VIII. Caught with my back — or butt — against the wall.

The Daily Post Discover Challenge: The Poetry of List-Making

Weekend Coffee Share 8/13/16

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Maggie C

If we were having coffee, I’d invite you to the back deck where we could enjoy the cool shade before the temperature soars later today. I’d tell you that things have been a bit slow around here lately.

After my fall from Grace (Grace being the name of my ladder, of course), I’ve been nursing a sore shoulder and haven’t been able to resume my outdoor landscaping/painting/general mayhem projects. So I’ve been taking on some more mundane tasks: sorting through stacks of paperwork that need to be filed away, organizing old photos, tearing my kitchen apart (with the notion of painting every single flat surface in the near future).

In the evenings I go out on the deck, and whittle away at my “wood sculpture,” a couple of tree branches that grew together in a permanent knot. At first I was just going to skin the bark off and maybe use it to hold and display a small stained glass piece or a framed photo, but now it’s kind of taken on a life of its own.

I’m working to see just how smooth I can make the surfaces using only my utility knife. The branches have multiple layers with differing densities, and the inner wood hardens as it “seasons” over time. I’m kind of doing this “being one with the wood” thing and letting the wood guide its own shaping. (In other words, if I slice more deeply into the wood than I intended to, I pretend the wood is telling me its true shape lies deeper within).

I think by the time I’m done with it, its “true shape” is going to be that of a toothpick. We’ll see what it tells me.

The air is starting to heat up now, so I would suggest we take our coffees inside. My dog has already retreated indoors to lay on the cool tiles by the front door. With no air conditioning except a heat pump/air cooling unit that isn’t worth a darn, I may be joining him soon.

Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you whittled some time out of your day to join me.

#WeekendCoffeeShare is hosted by Diana at parttimemonsterblog.com.