If a tree falls in the forest.....

Ouch! For the near thousandth time I stubbed my toe! Over the years, this has happened again and again and always on the same piece of wood..or the same piece of "used-to-be" wood. I say used-to-be simply because now it is more stonelike than woodlike. This toe-stubber is a large, firewood size hunk of petrified wood. I sort of "inherited" this monstrosity from my folks' home where it sat for years on end. Before it was there, it was in my grandparents' home. No..it was not a prized piece of firewood that was passed down through the ages until it petrified .. it was that way when they got the massive thing. Now, anyone who thinks that something this size doesn't hurt when kicked should think again. Trust me..it HURTS! This piece of petrified wood weighs almost thirty pounds and being rocklike it is solid..very solid..much more solid than my toe!

I had not thought much about this hunk of trouble until I was talking with my uncle the other day. He was telling me how petrified wood is formed and how that some pretty awesome things are now made from it. This conversation started me pondering about this chunk. I pulled it out from its dark and dusty home. For the past umpteen years, it has laid low..hiding beneath the china cabinet. There it was..or my toe was..relatively safe. I rolled the log out onto the dining room floor. Ugh..was that thing ever dusty!!! Ok, time for a cleaning! I wiped and wiped..thinking all the while about the tree it once was. I am supposing this piece came from the Petrified Forest in Flora, Mississippi. I remember many tales of how my grandparents would take my mother and her sisters on trips to visit the Forest. This was back before it was considered wrong to pick up pieces of the petrified wood as souvenirs. (I am just really glad that my grandparents decided not to bring home the log in the picture!)

The whole process of petrification occurs when a tree falls and is immediately buried in perhaps a swamp. Here it is initially preserved due to the lack of oxygen reaching the log. Minerals in the water deposit in the plant cells and as the tree begins to decay, a stone mould forms in its place. Then it is petrified or calcified as it may be since the mineral in the water is usually calcite. hmmmm? So..in actuality, what I am seeing is not actually the piece of wood but rather something that formed where it once was.

My uncle told me how the petrified wood is sliced and polished to be made into trinkets and jewelry. I stared at this chunk of bygone wood..it appeared a bit drab to me. I could not imagine a piece of jewelry made from something so bland. He had told me where to look on the internet and a little research proved that he was exactly right! The polished pieces were gorgeous! I, again, stared at my wannabe fire log..nope...I still can't see a necklace made from this dud! I do have a slice of petrified wood and the colors are amazing but in its entirety, this log simply looks like a dried out log..nothing more. I rolled it back under the china cabinet but not before nearly tripping over it as I reached for my camera..Ouch! My grandmother did not know what to do with the thing..my mother had no idea of a use for it..and, well..to be honest, neither do I! Ouch!..except as a toe-stubber!