I'm in the deep end

I've been working on this Waugh window for two days now, and I keep finding more hairline fractures and missing glass chips. I don't know why this particular window is in worse shape than the others. It's from a centre window, and maybe it was opened and closed more than the others. Anyway, I'll do what I can to stabilize it, but I may have to replace several pieces.

I have been putting labels on all the windows as they're removed so that I remember where they go back in. But as I see more and more panels being laid out, I am starting to panic. I'm getting in deeper and deeper, more and more committed to this project. The first window was an exploration, but now we're into the thick of it and there's no turning back. Removing the frames, removing cement, flattening out, general clean-up, soldering, re-cementing, re-framing. Theoretically, it's simple enough to do. But I think the enormity of the project is beginning to dawn on me. Especially as I start to run out of places to lay the panels out. 

Ah well, it's too late to say "nevermind!" Like with childbirth, there's no way through it but through. And it's a meditative sort of activity. I turn on Tibetan music on the loudspeaker and give myself over to my tiny tools. Except while the hands are busy, the brain is free to twirl...I need to buy more latex gloves. I need more filters for the shop vac. I need to source better cement. I need to find glass to match this 80-year-old piece. I need to buy eleven folding tables to hold all the panels. 

I need to remain calm and breathe...

Though, because I'm wearing a protective mask, it fogs my safety glasses.

Starting the second stained glass window

I'm starting with the window dedicated to the Henry and Christina Waugh family. Henry was born in about 1833 here in Ontario and was a farmer. The 1871 census says he was Baptist, but the 1881 census indicates he had converted to Methodism, and so he ended up in the United Church. Christina's maiden name was McLeay. She was born about 1840 and was from Scotland. I know she died before 1911, and by the time of the 1891 census she had had at least seven children.

This window is in rougher shape than the first one, with seven breaks in one panel alone, which someone has patched with silicone. May need to replace some of the glass; I hope I can find something to match. I may even break down and get a professional to look at this one, since so much of it is unsalvageable. 

Starting the rezoning process

Today my husband and I met with the township Development Advisory Committee to discuss our plans for the church and what we need to do. They were very helpful and gave us the info we need to get the process underway. It sounds like we don't need dual-purpose zoning after all, so we're applying for change of use to be just residential. We'll need to put in a driveway and there are some other boxes to tick, but it sounds doable.

You don't see this in the city

Tonight I was walking the dog up the street, and a young boy, maybe 7 years old, went by on a bicycle. He was completely naked except for a pair of briefs (and my first thought was Don't you know not to ride a bike without shoes?). He greeted me cheerfully, stopped to pet the dog, and asked me if I knew where he lived. I guessed a local house, and he said nope, the one next to it. 

I asked him, "Can I ask why you're outside in your underwear?" 

He replied, "I dunno. Just am." 

"Just enjoying the summer?"

"Yeah."

Well, why not. He chatted a while longer and rode home, and as I passed his house I saw his older brother (maybe 10 years old?) also outside in nothing but his underwear, playing near the bonfire built in their yard. Junior came back over to me and asked me to hold his bike while he played with the dog again for a bit, and then I carried on home.

Just another day in paradise... 😁

Contractors

Meeting with two contractors next week to talk about renovating the church basement. It's always a balance between how much time I want to spend doing things myself vs how much money I want to spend to get someone else to do it...