Author Archives: Maggie C

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About Maggie C

Stained glass artist, woodworking artisan, writer, respecter of life.

Mom’s the Word

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moms day

The two beauties who let me be their mom. Okay, so they didn’t really have a choice.

Ah, Mother’s Day. Candy, flowers, attentive husbands who suddenly feel compelled to tackle their “honey-do” lists. Overflowing brunch crowds at restaurants. Excited children who think every day is mother’s day, or who don’t understand the concept at all but are still thrilled at eating out for breakfast and getting servings from Mom’s chocolates.

In reality, relationships with one’s mother are much more complex and complicated than the Hallmark-fueled spin would have us believe. As with any role we take on in life, we have our strengths and our short-comings. There: that’s my disclaimer. But this is a day for celebrating the good.

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Yup! The one smoking the cigar…that’s my mom, pre-motherhood.

I absolutely loved parenting and watching my daughters grow into the wonderful women they are today. (The chocolates and flowers were a great perk, too.) While I’m no longer needed to shepherd them on a daily basis, I now have the privilege of sharing in their adult lives.

And now, I am a grandmother (or Oma, in a nod to our German connections). I get to watch my daughter as she grows into motherhood with her toddler and infant. Spit-up spattered tops, sleepless nights, the “I don’t want to” tantrums from her two-year old… Definitely a challenge, but she’ll look back on these days with the tender warmth that comes with time. And memory loss.

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My mother passed away last year. As I said before, complicated. On the plus side, she instilled in me morals: a sense of right and wrong; fairness, responsibility, support of one’s family, a strong work ethic… And love.

It seems strange – and incomplete – not to have that matriarchal link, that further generational layer in the succession of motherhood. And it’s a bit scary to think that now I’m the matriarch of this lineage. For better or worse.

I don’t have any pithy revelations to impart about motherhood. And I’ll spare us all the mushy sentiments. But I’ve got some hecka good chocolate to consume, thanks to my loving daughter. And we all know that’s the bottom line, right?

Happy Mother’s Day to all!

Weekend Coffee Share 5/7/16

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If we were having coffee, I’d warn you to rescue your cup before my photo-bombing Eskie got ahold of it. I shudder to imagine what Chules would be like if he were hyped up on caffeine.

I’d tell you that the weather has been great, and Chules and I have been taking longer walks, getting out to the parks and trails that are so pretty this time of year, with the trees filling out with vibrant green leaves, the wild roses and rhododendrons blooming, and – according to Chules – a plethora of utterly intriguing smells along the paths.

I’d share that my house painting project is moving along at a snail’s pace, but progressing nonetheless. And since there’s no rush, that pace is just fine with me. I seem to have difficulties with being very methodical about the whole thing, so it’s coming together rather piecemeal. But that’s okay, too.

I didn’t paint this morning and instead met with my daughters and grandkids for a nice brunch. While we were watching a very shaggy dog pass by, my youngest daughter commented that my dog Chules looks like a fluffy white ottoman with a cute face and pointy ears. What do you think? Be honest; Chules and I won’t be offended (even though I pretended to be when my daughter made the observation).

I might get out and putter in the yard later today, but I’ll wait for it to cool down some. So we can rest here a bit longer and enjoy the shade as we drink our coffee.

Sit back and put your feet up. Oh! — not there… that’s my dog, not a foot stool. It’s alright. Anyone could have made that mistake. Apparently.

Thank you to Diana at PartTimeMonster.com for hosting the #WeekendCoffeeShare.

Forgive Us, Mother

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Sooner or later, we will have to recognize that the Earth has rights, too, to live without pollution. What mankind must know is that human beings cannot live without Mother Earth, but the planet can live without humans.

~ Evo Morales

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… for we have sinned.

The Daily Post weekly photo challenge: Earth

B&W: Bird in the Bush

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You can fly, but you can’t hide…

Or can you?

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Eurasian Collared Dove on top of power pole.

 

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Northern Flicker in gravel.

 

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Mallard Duck in fountain.

 

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American Robin in pine tree.

 

Okay, sometimes you really can’t hide:

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Chicken, not hiding very well behind tree. Can’t fly very well, either.

Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge: Hiding or Camouflaged

Weekend Coffee Share 4/30/16

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If we were having coffee, I’d offer you some cold brew, a cold coffee concentrate that is intended to be diluted 4 to 1 with water. I drink mine straight. And then have the jitters all day. Good stuff!

I’d tell you that it’s the final day of the A to Z blogging challenge that I’ve been participating in on my other blog, Glass Manifestations. Frankly, I’m feeling a bit “blogged out” for the moment. Or maybe it’s more of an overall creativity tank. So maybe I’ll take a bit of a break from blogging and let the tank refill.

Or maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow with more creative ideas than you can shake a stick at. Maybe I’ll write a blog about the origins and meaning of the phrase “more than you can shake a stick at.” Hmmm.

If we were having coffee, I’d show off my yard as you came in the house. It’s very green and lush right now. With clover, that is, not grass. The beautiful yellow flowers (dandelions) have now turned to beautiful white puff balls (seed heads) that will soon be propagating a whole new batch of pretty yellow flowers.

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I can feel the glares emanating from my neighbors as they watch the uninhibited progression of a yard run amok. Maybe I’ll work on getting it under better control this week. Glaring neighbors can be such a nuisance.

That being said, I’d better go find the lawn mower now. Thanks for stopping by for coffee, and watch your step as you proceed through the jungle… er, I mean the yard. Feel free to pick some flowers on your way out.

When in Rome

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The letter X is a toughy for the A to Z Challenge. Even Sue Grafton, in her alphabet detective novel series, “A is for Alibi…” etcetera, had a challenge when it came to X. Instead of following the pattern of titles, and having an “X is for ___,” the book title for the X installment is “X.” Simple. Succinct.

Works for me. And I really didn’t want to read a detective novel titled “X is for Xylophone.”

So what does one do with a blog post based on the letter X?

Here are 10 ideas (or X ideas):

1. X is the Roman numeral ten.
2. X-Acto knives: They do have their uses in stained glass work. I could have pulled it off.
3. X marks the spot. Maybe too obvious?
4. Sign your X on the line. Yes, a line from the song, “Santa Baby.”
5. Ex… ex-spouse, ex-employee. That sort of thing.
6. Ex as the sound in the beginning of a word: eXactly, eXcellent…
7. X out something, as in draw a line through a word. I guess an X would actually be two lines.
8. X. Just X. If Sue Grafton can do it, so could I. Or so could X.
9. X as the 24th letter in the alphabet. I don’t know… there must be some fascinating details about the letter X.
10. Malcolm X. The activist or the movie. It’s kinda scary that when I did a Bing search on Malcolm X, the first six entries were about the movie, not the person.

So many blogging options, after all. Too many, in fact. I guess I just won’t write a post about the letter X.

Oh, wait! I just did!

Xquisite!

X  X is for X.