Lace is an openwork fabric. Silk or cotton (usually) thread, is looped or woven into intricate designs making a delicate cloth..(again..usually). Wooden Lace is an openwork design cut into wood and used in making fine furniture. It is called fretwork. Sometimes my definitions are a bit skewed. I can find the oddest things here on the Bayou. This time, Mark and Son were cutting down a dead hickory tree to be used as firewood. The tree stood right next to the lane making me a bit antsy that it might fall atop some visitor's vehicle so it just had to go. After the initial felling of the tree, I was able to examine the old stump. Where I occasionally find critters, I found lace...wooden lace! This "lace" was the remains of the inner core of the tree that had been riddled by some sort of bugs. The insects, themselves, were long gone much like the heart of the tree.
A lot of our trees are still showing damage brought on by hurricanes of the past..specifically Hurricane Katrina. The winds twisted and turned the trees until enough damage was done to allow wood borers to enter. Now, years and years later, a tree will suddenly die from no apparent reason. If the tree is cut, like this one, the evidence of the borers and their larvae becomes obvious. The entire heart of the tree is gnawed into a lacy pulp as the larvae create galleries or tunnels. Sad to say, this kills the tree. We are losing more trees each year.
Equally sad to say, there is not a lot we can do about the damage occurring to our trees. The borers go unnoticed until the damage is done and then it is too late. Spraying with a chemical insecticide could possibly kill the adults that live on the outside of the tree but the larvae are working on the inside. Plus, spraying an the entire acreage of woods is not feasible and could possibly do more damage than good. Not only would the chemicals kill the borers but any animal or insect that happens to be in the way of the spray. An occasional tree is the debt we pay to allow our critter friends to live. As much as I hate seeing dying trees, wiping out all the critters in the woods is not the answer. I do not know what is.....
I have often said that I am more of a flannel shirt and jeans type of woman than a pearls and lace type. I am just more at ease in comfortable clothing that can take a beating. Not that I have anything against dressing nicely, it is just more my style. This "style" spills over into my home decor as well which might be a good thing in a sense. Being the only female in the Little Bayou House, I cannot imagine frills would go over too well. My husband and son might just call a halt to lace, rose-covered wallpaper and frou-frou knickknacks filling the space. So, instead of that, I have gone with a more rustic decor. No problem by me! I am used to having fishing gear, antique tools and sisal rugs.
This past week, I decided that the dining room needed a bit of brightening. I cleaned all of the shelves that flanked the fireplace which made things look better but a bunch of antique books still look a bit drab. I needed new curtains! I pulled out several fabrics to drape over the rods to "eye" the look. Nothing looked right. My son, Michael, put a nix to any bright fabric. Hmmm...what to do, what to do? I asked his opinion. "Burlap." Burlap? "Yep, burlap." Well? I looked around and found some at the building supply place and asked my husband to pick up some for me. Mark came home with four huge rolls of the stuff! I could make curtains for every room in the house! I was still a bit dubious about how this was going to look but both guys seemed to think it would be fantastic! So it was a go. Burlap curtains would adorn my dining room windows.
After I cut, hemmed and hung the burlap, something looked a bit off. My dining room looked a tad like what I remembered as the barn back on the farm. Feed for the cows, hogs and chickens came in burlap sacks. When Pop would empty a sack, he would drape it over the fence railing. These would be used for any number of jobs later with the main one of hauling fertilizer. Egad! I just created a barn in my dining room! Sorry, guys, but I need to soften this look a bit. Scrounging around in my cedar chest, I found some antique crocheted pieces from my Great Aunt Ruth. These were originally handmade to go on the back and arms of a sofa. These would be the perfect touch! I just draped them across the top of the rod. My curtains were finished and they looked really...well...different! They have the rustic look to please the guys but a bit softer look to satisfy me. Plus I was able to display Great Aunt Ruth's handiwork! It seems like the perfect decor! I love the look when the outside light filters through the curtains! (I think the lights will always stay turned off!) Ok...so it is not burlap and lace but close enough. Burlap and crochet is fine by me!
