Things are starting to roll along

Met with two insulation companies, the contractor, a duct person, and Trillium Glass last week. Today it's a concrete specialist. Next week it's a plumber, electrician, and another duct person. It's starting to feel like speed dating.

Landscaping

Trillium Glass has begun work on preserving the stained glass windows at the front of the church (four in the vestibule) and the one above the altar on the south. As part of this, Aaron Lavallee from Trillium had to erect scaffolding, which required that we remove the giant yew under one of the windows. This got me to thinking that it's probably better without the yew anyway, since a) it's highly poisonous, and b) it blocks light from the basement. Which led to the thought that the giant holly next to it is also poisonous and there are a lot of little kids around here...

In the end, I've removed not just the yew and holly but also the boxelder next to them. I cleared out that whole bed, and I plan to replace them with a small Japanese maple and maybe a bench or statue. I think it will look cleaner and more airy without the bulkiness of those bushes, and it may also help keep that area drier and less buggy.

Peter Ferguson

Today I started working on the stained glass window dedicated to Peter Ferguson. He was married to Jeanette (Janetta) McRorie, sister to Wilbur McRorie and Allie McRorie Tribbeck, who also have windows in the church. Peter married Janetta on March 31, 1896 at her parents' home. He worked on the transcontinental railway in Northern Ontario. He bought a 100-acre farm the East half of Lot 3 concession 1 in Warwick and later bought the 100 acres next door to it (west half Lot 4).

Peter imported a pure Clydesdale mare from Scotland, which makes me love him immediately (they and the Belgian draft horses are my favourite part of the Royal Agricultural Fair). Apparently Peter nearly died from blood poisoning that left him with a deformed hand. Thanks to Mary Janes for the biographical information!

Peter's window is in very rough shape, the central lead cames giving way the instant I removed the wood frame. There are about seven breaks in the glass, caused by extreme pressure as the window bowed and sagged. It is in worse shape the most of the other windows I've worked on, perhaps because it was on the west side of the sanctuary and had to deal with more heat. I will do my best but may have to replace the original lead if I can't solder it to be strong enough. I find myself soothing Peter as I work. Hang in there. This will take a little while. You'll feel so much better when this is done.

New side doors, and a look at the finished upper windows

Northeast:

 

Southeast:

The new windows really go well with the basement windows. We can tell a difference in temperature and in sound level already. I've enjoyed the unhindered views of sunlight and snow.

West:

East:

Watford/Warwick Horticultural Society Project for Ukraine

 

The local Horticultural Society is selling crocheted sunflowers and knitted stuffed hearts to raise money for humanitarian efforts for Ukrainians. The flowers can be worn as pins and the hearts could hang from your rearview mirror to show where your heart is. I've made 13 flowers so far to help the effort and plan to make many more. 

You can purchase from the Society's building on Nauvoo Road in Watford (next to the Circle K). Thanks!

New gothic windows and side doors

I ended up coming up to the church this week with my husband to help remove the stained glass. This morning Stephenson showed up and began installation. It's all very noisy and exciting and will make a dramatic difference, not just cosmetically but hopefully to the heat-retention of the building. I'm already loving the sunlight coming in.