Evolution of a stick

Philoboy and I purchased walking sticks.  My first thought when we were shelling out the cash was-there's acres of sticks out there, why am I buying one?  Of course, these were aluminum, one set blue, one set red. They were pretty.

After purchasing our pretty aluminum matching sets, we have promptly A) left them at home,  B) over-torqued and ruined the locking mechanism, or C) thrown them off a mountain when our (my) hands were too full.

Due to any or some combination of the factors above, we end up picking up sticks. (Ouch, flashback to childhood. Remember that game? Brain whiplash). Long, wooden, not carved, not decorated, made by nature to serve multiple purposes sticks. Most of the sticks we pick up along the way aren't pretty. But I'm going to rectify that.

I'm going to bring the humble tree branch into a higher existence.  Find their inner beauty.  Make them more than they appear. Make them HIKING STICKS.

You'll recognize some of the beautification process. I'll start by sanding. (You exfoliate, don't you?)  I'll gently remove any perceived imperfections while not removing character.  Tell that to your Botox doc.

Then moisturze, moisturize, moisturize.  Oil is good for all things old and outdoor, remember that. Rubbing these down with linseed oil brings out the fullness of the grain, preserves the wood.  Makes them smell good, if  you like the smell of linseed oil.  I'll let it soak in, then repeat a couple more times. (Note to self- do not permit people to hurry me through the moisturizing part. Inform them this preserves my good looks, not to mention my good nature.)

Now the prettification part.  The first walking stick received a simple treatment, dressed in natural leather without adornment to protect the user's hand and preserve the graceful lines and rustic character. (Good grief, I've been exposed to Vogue).

This one is all show and no go.  It meets my need for color, nothing more.

But this one- this one I have plans for. Underneath the bark lies a heart, solid and smooth, begging to be carved or decorated, or smoothed and oiled to a gloss. This could be prime perambulation material. The opus of oak. The triumph of tree art. Or it could just be good kindling.  We'll see.