Wood

The source of today's philosophical pondering is a china cabinet.  China hutch, whatever.  We're going to need one in the new house.  Storage space in our new kitchen seems like it's going to be at a premium.  Having a china cabinet will free up space in the kitchen for the everyday essentials.  Oh, did I mention I have three sets of china...various serving pieces and a few other small collections of dinnerware?  I like dishes...so there.  There are all sorts of china cabinets on the market, but not just any will do.  I'm slightly particular about my wooden furniture.  I like it to actually BE wood.  I will lay this peculiarity at the feet of my maternal grandfather....Papa.  Papa Wood, to be exact. 

No, not kidding....that is the family surname and most fitting, too.  Papa was a shade tree carpenter.  I don't know that he was ever formally trained in the area of carpentry/wood working.  Like most men of that generation, he learned how to fix things because, well...because he was a man and that's what men did.  They brought home the bacon, bounced the babies on their knees and they fixed things.  I mean, really fixed them.  Not with duct tape or super glue.  Actual tools that required actual skill.  Granny and Papa's house was a monument to his handy-man skills.  What-not shelves, quilt racks, fabric cupboards for Granny's sewing notions...oh, and the finishing of the attic.  (I loved that attic bedroom...thought it was the coolest thing...of course, some of the taller members of my family might disagree with me!)  If he saw something that he found interesting, he could usually figure out a way to reproduce it.  If he ever went missing...and he usually did... during a family gathering, he could be found in "the shed."  I guess if we had a family motto, it might be "loud and proud."    I'm pleased to say that the great-grands are carrying on the family's tradition of excessive volume!  "The shed" was his refuge and while the whine of a circular saw might be painful to some, for him, it was near about the sweetest music.

When I look at wooden pieces that have been "reclaimed," "repurposed," or "refinished," I always wonder what he would say about them.  Would it crawl him that the original finish has been "replaced" by trendy paint colors?  Would he appreciate all of the distressing and antiquing techniques?  Sometimes, I feel like the original character gets destroyed with the fancy new finishing applications.  I wonder if he would feel the same way.  Or would he even give a hoot?  He was fond of the saying "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."  No matter how much lovely paint you use or how complicated the refurbishing process may be, if it's junk, it's still going to be junk.  Start out with quality and that's usually what you'll get as a result of your efforts.  Here's another thought...if it's made of maple, oak or pine...no finishing technique in the world can change that.  A maple cabinet painted Sea Foam green, is still a maple cabinet.  Kind of like people...what's underneath it all is what really matters.  AND...if you look at what Christ does in the life of His children, you'd have to agree that we've all been reclaimed, repurposed and refinished.  Is any of this making sense because I think I'm beginning to confuse myself with all of this, which is exactly what I get for trying to be deep!

It's just a china cabinet, right? 

Comments

  1. I absolutely cannot abide seeing a piece of "good" wood furniture painted. It's in my blood, I think.

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