Dashing DogWood!

Two on my all time favorite states - One is my MotherState, AndhraPradesh(now Telangana) from India where I was born and raised, second is Noth Carolina(USA) my GodState - State I have spend most of my adulthood and plan to spend rest of life if my dream of retiring in India never fulfills.

"DogWood" - For those who never heard of this before.. this is a flower and what makes it even more special for me is that The Flowering Dogwood is the state flower of North Carolina.

The Dogwood tree species is one of the most attractive flowering trees in North America. If you inquire about Dogwood in a roomful of spring landscapers, the Dogwood will make every ones top ten lists, for various unique choices of flower color for the spring landscape and for unique form and stem and leaf color for summer and fall landscapes.

The Dogwood trees display two wonderful qualities. They are best known for their spring blooms, and they also provide fine fall foliage.

So this goes without saying that Dogwood is one of the flower I have invested my time and interest learning a lot about. Besides being my state flower, Dogwoods are one of my favorite ornamental trees, for their modest size and four-season appeal and its beautiful and showy flowers. Once you know some facts about dogwood trees, growing and nurturing these handsome trees is a breeze.

Flowering dogwoods range in color from white to pink or red and generally bloom for about two to four weeks in early spring. They also add summer and fall color, with rich green foliage color in summer and reddish purple leaves during fall. This is oftentimes followed by brilliant red berries in winter. Proper dogwood care will bring these lovely trees to their height of beauty.

Dogwoods are adaptable to several types of soils; however, they naturally grow in moist, fertile soils high in organic matter and that is one reason you see them survive very well in their natural habitat surrounded by dense woods.

I have planted some of Dogwoods ( pink and white) in my new place during last fall and they surprised me with the beautiful blooms this spring.... which I am so eager to share...

I love Pink Dogwood, for its Pretty Pink showy flowers..

As White/Green is my all time favorite combo, so white dogwood with green foliage is what my heart beats for ...... Though my white dogwood did not flower this spring, I did go around to capture this beauty in the landscape surrounding me...

"Chasing Charpoys..." ~ As my treasure hunt continues...

With my previous house I was so saturated that I had stopped buying new stuff(mostly) as there was no place to accommodate them without overcrowding. After living 9 years there, every corner was done and was calling out.. "No more" . Now, after moving, I am back on my treasure hunts again.. This time I wanted to setup my new place a little different compared to previous. I can go on and on with my sagas of hunt for treasures, all of which not necessary transforms into a buy. But all these hunts are pretty extensive and some do bring back some sweet memories attached with them. Very rarely I buy something very first time I see it. I have to virtually bring it into my home and live with it in my dreams and make sure that it not only fit my style and decor but also my eyes, mind and heart!

Some of these hunts become elaborated as I fall in so much in love with them that makes me want to learn more about them..
Today I would like to bring to you one such story of my treasure hunts, which has not yet transformed into a buy.
Started as hunt for daybeds and finally transformed into... what I like to call .. "Chasing Charpoys"...

With winters almost gone we have slowly started to come out of our hibernation as nature around us is coming back to life.. now its time for us to enjoy little sun, little rain and a little smell of garden.... In order to enjoy mother nature's beautiful coming seasons.. we were planning to furnish front porch (Verandah) and that's where I started my hunt for outdoor daybeds, or benches .. which landed me to think about "Charpoys"..

Charpai or Charpoy , is a traditional woven bed used in India and subcontinents around. This is considered one of the oldest forms of beds used by mankind. It consists of a wooden frame with 4 (Char - in Hindi) legs bordering a set of knotted ropes. Traditionally the user would lay directly on top of the ropes without an intervening mattress . Charpoys are woven beds, with cotton or jute ropes around a wooden bed frame. Comes in different shapes and sizes and naturally takes the shape of the person sleeping/sitting on it creating a cushion effect like a hammock or that of a Temper Pedic mattress... No need of mattress nor a blanket!

Some Traditional Chapoys found in India and Subcontinents around.

Thinking of Charpoys brings in memories of my grandparents village where Charpoys are seen in every house in abundance, stacked up at the corner of verandahs of their houses. They are light to carry so its easier to move them around and place it wherever needed...
We’d carry them to front yard or onto teracce at dusk – and sleep on them under the comfort of the sky, counting starts... or move it around bonfire on chilled out nights..
or move it outside my Grandmom's kitchen(In Indian villages,Kitchens are detached units from main house) where she is cooking dinners for whole family and my Cousins, Uncles & Aunts.. we all will be waiting, sitting on those Charpoys for dinner to get served
or move it under Neem trees on a hot summer afternoon to get some fresh breeze of air!

These gush of sweet memories were more than enough for me to get convinced that I need one or more of these Charpoys. Started shopping around only to realize how the world of Charpoys have changed since the last time I used one. Now they come in all styles, shapes, sizes and colors and sell very expensive! WoW! .... So I am thinking is there a way I can make one?? D-I-Y... May be?? or get one shipped from India. So my search continues until this treasure hunt ends up in a purchase or D-I-Y!

Sharing some of the pictures I found during my venture of "Chasing Charpoys"......

Its amazing to see different improvising ideas using Charpoys..

Charpoy is definitely one piece of furniture that most of Indians can relate to. Charpoys once used traditionally in villages, is amazing to see how this modest piece of furniture has evolved over the years . While keeping the original concept of this furniture intact, many versions of charpoys are now available which have blended in so perfectly to suit any decor and are not only adding comfortable element but also elegance and grace to any space they sit in.

This was my story of what is pulling me towards this modest piece of furniture!

Images Source: All Images were found on google from various sources and were collected by me over the period of time.

~Prasanna