A Tale of Two (Pairs of) Shoes

If you are over 40, think back to the days of shoe stores on every corner.  4 or more in every mall.  Remember those stores?  Think back....shopping for shoes was a big deal with so many stores to choose from.

I worked at a shoe store my senior year of high school - Chandler Shoes.  It was sort of 'uppity' as shoe stores went - lots of high heels with expensive accessories.  I worked the front desk most of the time - ringing up sales for the sales staff who were all paid on commission.  One day, I was left alone in the store and two ladies came in.  They purchased $300 of hosiery (really!) and I did a good job getting them to buy.  The sale was recorded by me and I was excited to be soon getting my first commission - and hosiery commission was far higher than shoes.  I told my boss when he returned from his break and he congratulated me profusely.

When I got my next paycheck, though, I didn't get the commission on the hosiery sale.  While my boss never admitted it, I believed he gave the commission to another sales person.  When I asked about it, he made a big deal of correcting it - but he gave me my commission.  I quit shortly after - realizing that even when you did a great job at selling, it wasn't likely you would get credit for the work.  And my boss was a dufus - as most managers of shoe stores in the 70's were.

Anyway - I am rambling...but remember the good old days when they gave you a shoe horn with practically every sale?  Needed one?  Just ask and the plastic miracle tool would be in your bag - no charge.

I need new shoes in the worst way - and I have a style I like - sturdy leather in brown and black.  Used to be I'd go to Ecco and find the perfect shoes that would last years.  Ecco hasn't been the best for me lately though - so I've been branching out.  I found perfect shoes at Lands End and ordered them....in a 1/2 size up.  One brown pair and one black pair.

Even with the 1/2 size up, I couldn't get them on my feet - and realized I needed a shoehorn to do the job.  We've searched high and low in the house - it's the kind of thing you are sure you must have someone but we can't find them.  And then I searched high and low at every store in town...nothing.  Walmart has then online - for $7!

Yesterday, I finally found an 18 inch shoe horn at Walgreen's - $4.99.  I hated to think that I would be using a tool that was designed to require no bending - but it was the only shoe horn in town.

It works!  The shoes are on my feet and being worn around the house to break them in.  The only thing troubling me is the blister that is healing on the back of my right heel - which I got the first time I tried to wear them with socks that were too thick.  When that blister heals, I think they are going to be fine - and eventually, I think I will be able to slide them on my feet without the assistance of the shoehorn.  Leather will stretch to match my feet - and then they'll fit perfectly.

J. is at church this morning - last week, we ran into a friend who works at our church and he said 'so are you not attending because you're pissed about something or because you're lazy'?  I said lazy - though the truth is somewhere in the middle of those two things.  Truthfully, I just like time alone - and the time when J. is at church is when I get some alone time.  I enjoy it.  I like piddling around the house by myself and get up and going much more when J. isn't here than when he is.  And I don't think God cares if I go to his house - or praise and worship him in mine.  I really don't.

The dishwasher is churning away.  We worked on the garden yesterday and sadly, are having to give up the plan to use the raised beds.  J. pulled out dozens more grubs from the beds - so we are pretty sure that the grub eggs are still in there and the grubs continue to grow - and they will be there for quite awhile.  I think I'm going to just use some flower seed and if they come up, great - if they don't, that's OK too.  We'll leave them empty if they don't grow....

So we planted some herbs and tomatoes in our patio pots and put two pole bean plants in a planter under the dining room window (full sun a good part of the day).  We are going to put the squash plants in the front yard in an empty area that has plenty of room for them to spread.  May not work but it's worth a try.