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About Maggie C

Stained glass artist, writer, respecter of life.

U Came, U Sawed, U Conquered!

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You know about Tiffany and his lamps, and how the lamps are put together with copper foil? Well, before Tiffany came along and foiled everything, there was came. Here’s a little description of came. Came 101, if you will.

Came
(noun)
1. a slender, grooved bar of lead for holding together the pieces of glass in windows of latticework or stained glass.

Close, Dictionary.com, but not quite. Came now comes not only in lead, but also in zinc, brass and copper. Maybe other metals, too. I’m not sure. But yes, came has grooves – or channels – that hold pieces of glass together. Or, as in the case of U-came, it can be used as a border to frame stained glass panels.

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Came comes in an assortment of styles. There is H came that has two channels and thus looks like an H when viewed from the end. The exterior (face) surfaces can be either be flat or rounded.

U came has one groove and thus looks like a U when viewed from the end. Both H and U came come in varying sizes to allow for different thicknesses of glass, and for different face widths, depending on how you want your seams to appear, and on how much support your glass needs in the case of larger, heavier panels or windows.

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Lead came can be cut with nippers, but more rigid material, like zinc, needs something stronger to cut it. I use a hack saw. The panel is soldered together at the joints where one length of came meets another.

Okay, that’s all I came here to explain. I hope U got what U came for.


U  U is for U came.

Weekend Coffee Share 4/23/16

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If we were having coffee, I would tell you it’s been a bit of a hectic week. And a furry one. I was dog-sitting my eldest daughter’s mini dachshund Finni at the start of the week, and then my youngest daughter’s cat showed up after a two month absence looking like she’d been through hell.

After a vet visit to treat a large gash in the kitty’s throat and the removal of massive hair mats, I am keeping her with me so I can watch out for her while she heals.

And now I’m dog sitting for my youngest daughter, with her dog Bella. These canine visits are really good for my dog Chules. Gives him some buddies to play with for a while. I often consider getting a second dog, but I think that would maybe be too much ongoing excitement around here. Especially for my cat Sebastian. And too much fur.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that my house painting project is progressing well, albeit slowly. I went for the red front door after all, and I really like it. It still needs another coat of paint, but that will have to wait for another stint of dry weather.

Bella is snoring on the couch. Chules is pretending to sleep in his rocker chair, but his eyes peek open now and again, so I know he is still alert. Or maybe just being kept awake by Bella’s snoring. Sebastian is holed up somewhere down the hall, and my injured kitty patient Thursday is gated off in my spare bedroom, hiding in the closet behind a box of books.

All is well in my furry little abode. If you’d like a second cup of coffee, I’ll pour. There’s no rush today, and I’m enjoying the non-hairball-producing company.

A Smashing Success

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I’m going to make a hole in a window

You’re going to break a window?

Not break a window. Just put a hole in one.

So smash it, you mean.

Yes, it might look smashed.

What will you smash it with?

Does it matter what smashed it?

If you want to smash a hole in a window, you have to hit it with something.

What would you use, if you were to smash a window?

Me? I’d use a baseball. Maybe smack it hard with a bat. You could hit it from clear across a field and no one would know it was you.

People will know I smashed this window.

See, that’s why you use a baseball or something. Make it look like an accident.

So, an unfortunate baseball incident?

Exactly.

 

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“The Unfortunate Baseball Incident”


S  S is for Smashing.

Circle Dance

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Round moon makes its
rounds around the
round earth that moves
‘round the bright,
round life-giving sun.

Cyclical seasons grow the
round bulbs of spring into
round flowers in summer that
round out colorful bouquets.

‘Round about autumn we
round up fallen leaves into
rounded piles to jump in and play.

Round snowballs fly as
round-faced children run
‘round in the wintry cold.

Cyclical seasons
round out our years as we
cycle through ages and stages in the
circle dance of life.


R  R is for Round.