Reflections

Okay, I get it.  I finally get it.  Took me a while, but I finally understand why everything in the Yucatan made of wood is so highly varnished.  And I’m finally on the bandwagon, desperately trying to keep things from rotting.

When we moved to Merida I would see many brightly varnished wood pieces and wonder why they wanted to ruin the look of the beautiful wood with those tacky, glossy finishes.  I hated that look.  When looking for furniture I would pass by the varnished pieces in favor of those with more natural finishes that brought out the natural beauty of the wood.  I thought it was just about the way the local denizens liked their wood.  But after four years of refinishing, revarnishing, replacing, and repurchasing furniture, doors, and windows, I have finally seen the gleaming light reflecting off the high-gloss furniture.  It’s not about beauty or any aesthetic, it’s about protection.

We have replaced wood wall hangings, furniture pieces, and every door in the house – in only four years!  So now I’ve come to realize how much I really, really like highly varnished wood in my house.  I have gallons of Spar urethane at the ready, and I slap that goo on every piece of wood I see on the property.  Now our wood pieces glow with the reflected light of the sun by day and security lights by night.  Our furniture can be used as mirrors.  I stood in front of one of our room doors for 20 minutes before I realized I was talking to my own reflection!

And it doesn’t end with the wood.  Our concrete floors in the garden glisten with acrylic sealer.  The painted window sills are now sealed to guard against dirt, water, and mojo.  Even our little diablo had to get a couple of coats of varnish to protect him from the elements.  All that’s left to varnish is Steve; don’t know if it will stop the deterioration, but I’m willing to give it a shot.

Now I LOVE the look of highly varnished furniture.  It looks so rich, so upscale, so protected! 

Living in a different country really does broaden your horizons.