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This is so true! I remember the first few times I wore heels in public. I was so focused on what people might say, or what types of looks I might get, that by the end of it, I was like “wow, no one really even looked, or seemed to care at all, one way or the other”. Psychologically, I think I prepared myself too much, for negative reactions, ridicule, or even dirty looks, and when none of that happened, I realized that the whole event really wasn’t as big of a deal to everyone else, as it may have been to me. It honestly felt like all of the mental preparation and courage I summoned leading up to my finally walking in public wearing heels, was a gigantic nothing burger! In a strange way, It was sort of a let-down, almost making me feel like all of the excitement I had been building up in my own head, along with the thought that others would be ready to laugh, ridicule, point, or whatever, gave the whole thing much more importance than it actually deserved. What I got from my first experiences wearing heels in public, is that most people either, don’t care, or are not paying attention (mainly because they are probably too wrapped up in their own routines and their own distractions). I truly believe more guys would venture out in heels, if they realized that 99.8 of the “barriers” and negative reactions they expect and prepare for, or that they imagine that actually prevents them from experiencing and exploring wearing heels in public, basically come mainly from their own thoughts, and not the public/society itself. As far as reactions go, over decades of wearing heels in public, I’ve gotten maybe three or four dirty looks, maybe double that amount of looks of confusion or “double takes” (like when someone sees something, looks away, then quickly looks back, as if to say, “did I really just see what I thought I saw?), and I should add that many of those were woman, who followed it up with a kind smile! As far as comments, I’ve gotten literally dozens, from males and females alike, mostly all positive! Definitely nothing that would have ever kept me from going back out in heels again, that’s for sure. Bottom line is that most people could care less, and the ones that may notice, are mostly kindhearted people, and not as judgmental as one may think.

Between 85 and 100% of what I wear comes from the woman's side, but other than my heels, I don't look feminine. Even with gel fingernails. More colors and fabrics to play with, better fit.

I hear ya for sure. But, I have found/noticed that a mix of subtle "feminine gear" along with decent "masculine gear" can be a great look indeed. Just a guy, happy to be a guy, wearing a touch of "feminine gear". I find this to be a very confident/powerful look indeed. Needless to say, many guys have nice long/lean/toned builds and look great in even more feminine gear, not a look I can pull off for sure... I recently bought a few pairs of women's nike leggings/work out gear pants from a thrift store, just to get a better idea of what size would work for me, and just how I would look. I enjoy wearing them, but afraid to see an actual picture of me...Afraid I might be "overstepping", writing checks my old dad bod just cant cash!

I also wear my knee boots and OTK boots outside my jeans. As you say, it’s noticeable. Even so, a lot of people don’t notice. And those that do seldom give it much more than a passing glance.

I did actually wear stilettos in public just yesterday, to my kid's jazz band concert. And even then, I seem to have attracted very little notice, despite there being hundreds of people there. And yet, at the same time, I was a unicorn. I was not the only one I saw who was wearing heels, but I was the only one in high stilettos. It hasn't always been this way. I've certainly been challenged and even heckled in the past.

Today I wore my Nine West suede knee highs boots with pointy toes to work. One of the administrators ask me about how to buy boots. She has seen some 'but they were expensive". Yeah good suede boots cost money. This is the third time she has ask about shopping, I think she wants to go shoe (boot) shopping with me....LOL

Someone ripped me a new one on reddit for my reply to a guy's question about wearing his leggings in public for the first time. I responded that he might consider wearing a pair of gym/cycling shorts over the leggings in an effort to help get over feeling self concious about it. I also mentioned that leggings on a guy can be quite revealing, perhaps not appropriate for all occasions or audiences. Someone wrote back saying my advice was the worst ever, and that the world should "get over" the fear of seeing the human form because it is completely natural.... Well, I didn't really respond back but disagree for sure. Like I say, leggings can be pretty darn revealing on guys, no secrets for sure. The rest of the world might not be interested in knowing quite that much about this man's physique and endowment. Just the same way I would prefer not to watch a woman breast feed, especially when she refuses to cover up. I'm not really interested in accidentally walking into a stall while someone is relieving themselves. All of these are natural acts indeed, but not ones most of us are interested in witnessing. I guess sometimes we/guys need to consider the audience. Leggings at the gym, great. Leggings while jogging or biking, great again. But perhaps leggings might not be the best choice for going to the food store, or other places with alot of kids, family type restaurants, etc. Needless to say, I think guys can look great in leggings, but not all of us can "pull off the look successfully".

When I think of feminising the male wardrobe I think more of borrowing from the women’s aisle than achieving a feminine look myself - in much the same way women will happily borrow whatever they please from the men’s aisle and then work with it to achieve the (still feminine)look they are after rather than trying to dress like a man. i like adding what are perceived to be feminine boots to my style, but I’ve no interest in looking feminine overall.

Today I stopped by a DSW store to see if my order was in. It was, but the Journey booties didn't fit. The bad news is that this DSW only has about 20% of floor space for heels, 10% men's dress and the rest sneakers (runners for you Brits). Very, very sad. So far this year I've only not worn knee highs boots to work once. I get lots of compliments on the my boots from both men and women. Random scooter shoot outs - "love those boots" or "great outfit". LOL Today when I picked up my food at a multi-restaurant eatery, the order taker told me nice boots.

That's taking hi-viz to a new level!

I realize that folks "notice" when I wear stiletto boots/booties, can almost feel the gaze/stare behind me. But that's OK, hoping they are intrigued. Getting on/off an elevator is another place where I realize my boots will be noticed... Often wish I had a way to hear what was said after I got off the elevator, or perhaps better off not knowing. Oh well.. I can truly count the actual negative responses on one hand... Like "shyheels" says, you just have to "own it", be confident, never let em see you sweat....

Very well said indeed. Our self consciousness at stepping outside the norms magnifies everything in our minds. the truth is that unless you are wearing something absolutely riveting - say, Barbie- pink thigh-high stilettos - a good percentage of passers by won't even notice, and those that =give a double take probably will have forgotten you ten minutes later, as they re-focus on their own lives. I don't wear my stilettos in public - mainlybeause I am not skilled enough to feel totally confident in them - but I wear feminine styled block-heeled knee and OTK boots regularly over skinny jeans and while I occasionally sense that I've attracted notice, it's never been a big deal. I think owning the look, being confident, makes all the difference. If you accept who you are, others will follow that lead.

Yes Zelenskyy was set up. That was deliberate. Nobody said a word about Elon Musk showing up to a cabinet meeting in a T-shirt and wearing a baseball cap! Zelenskyy dresses as he does for a very specific and symbolic purpose as anyone knows who’s read a newspaper in the past three years. Musk wore what he wore because he is a boor - note the spelling, I am not referring to his being South African I should add that I’m not trying to be political here, just making observations on fashion rules and hypocrisy. All other things being equal, the fact that someone - anyone - does not conform by wearing a suit should not be an issue. wearing a baseball cap (indoors!) and T-shirt to a cabinet meeting is disrespectful. That does not even make the grade as “smart casual”

I think a lot of women who wear them, wear them as we do, for the aesthetic. There were always those who wore them because they liked them, enjoyed wearing them, for the emotional and physical lift - and not merely because heels were expected in certain environments. They will continue to wear them, long after dress codes became more relaxed. The same with neckties. There are those who will always wear a tie. The writer Tom Wolfe was one. I remember reading some quote by him that it would be unthinkable not to be wearing a tie. Stephen Fry is another. He wrote quite an entertaining book about his love of ties starting from when he was a very young boy. We are more conscious of wearing heels because we are not supposed to be wearing them in the first place according to the dictates of society, but take that away, and our view of heels is probably not that dissimilar to those of female high heel aficionados.

more commonly called "moose knuckle" Leggings all the time outside of work, longer shirts, dress shirts, jacket or coat and sweatshirts. always look appropriate and aware

This pretty much describes me too. I wear leggings a lot and while I have tried to buy better ones, the ones I like the most, and fit best for me are the $5 kind found at thrift stores. I have worn them for so many years that I don't even pay attention to them anymore. I don't wear them in public except for maybe mowing the lawn or working in my woodworking shop. In all the years I have been doing this I have only had issues twice. Once was when I was sitting on the couch and the wife took a picture of a woodworking coffee table I had made. I was out of the picture... I thought... but the reflection in a mirror showed me which my mother-in-law just said, "Mr. Crushed Vamp looks very relaxed"... The other issue has been... well... women in leggings SOMETIMES get Camel Toe, but being tight pants and male, let's just say sometimes I show "Missile Toe"! 🙂

I think the femininity of my boots in an otherwise masculine look - jeans and fuller- creates a nice frisson. It’s edgy. And satisfying. I think a natural sensitivity and awareness of stepping out of bounds makes us more critical of how we appear in heels etc. we hold ourselves to some heightened standard. A woman would not do that. Women come in all shapes and sizes, like we do, and they buy and wear feminine clothes matter of course.

After all the ice and snow problems of the past few weeks, I finally got out yesterday wearing some heels and feminine clothing. I wore my orange sweatshirt dress with orange fishnet hose and my orange patent colored knee boots, with an orange colored puffer jacket. I got a couple of compliments especially from a lady about 50, while entering a Walmart store. She said that " Wow, I looked. very spectacular to her." Of course I thanked her for her compliment. It just goes to show you that guys can go out and about in a feminine mode! Happy Heeling, bluejay

I discovered a couple of days ago that even I have my limits, especially when I slack off on the conditioning exercises. I spent most of the day Sunday in 4 1/2" heels, which was not altogether unpleasant, but come Monday the bottom of my left foot was wanting to cramp up something fierce. It wasn't completely debilitating, but it also proves that I am not Superman. This picture is not new, but it contains the shoes I wore for the better part of the day, Steve Madden Daisie model.

Big travel day today - Manchester to London to Leeds (and back to my boat) saw many a block heeled boot - from 2.5” to 3.5” but what surprised me was in Manchester I saw several quite high - 4” to 4.5” stilettos, both boots and pumps. And worn by people who knew how to walk gracefully in them. Their ages varied from about 30 to mid fifties. it’s been quite a while since I’d seen people wearing high stilettos.

I have had these wedge heeled rain boots for a very long time. They are supposed to be shiny, but they were in a corner covered with dust, and I wasn't going to take the time to clean them up just for this comment. I have worn them occasionally in the past, and they don't do a horrible job of pretending to be actually utilitarian. About 2 1/4" heels. Those Hunters with the 3 1/2" block heel look pretty sharp (for a rain boot), so of course they quit making them!

I realize I'm a little off topic, but will add these photos anyway. I really love how my new "Hunter refined boots" look and feel, especially love how they fit my chicken legs nicely. Enjoy wearing them while clearing the snow also, even though they are not lined/insulated, but that is OK. Wish I could find a pair of Hunter will block heels, but don't think they make that style anymore...

My wife has larger calves and had many a pair of Duo boots, the first coming in 2012. I can attest to the fact that any pair of boots from them are very well made with high quality materials and worth the price to get them. Duo used to have great models every season from flats/low heels to 4"/10cm heels in many wonderful styles. Some time ago, however, Duo, for completely inexplicable reasons, changed their name to "Ted and Muffy" after the owners of the company (as I understand it). This, seemingly, soured with customers and led to them just about going out of business. A buyer for the company was found and changed so much, and in my opinion, not for the better, upon taking receivership of the company. The name was changed back to Duo, and styles became more basic to the point of being almost "frumpy." Likewise, taller heels were gone, and varying calf sizes for each model were reduced. Boots became the sole focus as pumps and other styles were no longer offered. Yes, all stores across the UK were closed (and I think the one in Bath was one of the larger stores) and now, they are only an online retailer. Although the product lineup for the current season has some nice styles, they are nowhere near the jaw-dropping models they once offered. I have a pair of 4"/10cm ankle boots from them, and my wife may still have a pair or two of their boots and pumps. If Duo were to return to making the boot styles they did before the whole Ted and Muffy flop, I would be more than willing to sign over every other paycheck to them for new pairs every month. Yes, wasteful but worth it regardless of the price. FWIW, a retailer that I have come to love is Noe (there should be an umlaut, my favorite diacritical mark, over that "e" but my computer does not have a number pad...) in Antwerp. I just ordered a pair of custom knee high boots from them and should have them around the start of March. I currently have four pairs of ankle boots from them, and have two pair of pumps on order. Although they are not at all a fancy design, the color selection is amazing. The price of the boots I ordered was actually slightly less than those offered at Duo. If Duo ever started making this model again, I would be the first in line to get a pair!

None of those things would be hard to repair, although collectively that may not be worth it unless the bicycle was special to you in some way. If we lived closer by I could probably fix a lot if that - some of those things do require specialist bicycle shop tools which I have but you may not. But Yorkshire is a ways off Iowa …

Like these? I think you are correct; the Hunter 'wellies' with high heels are seemingly discontinued. But be aware that Hunter boots now all seem to be made in China and quality may be variable, whilst the price tends to be very high. (Alas, Hunter also discontinued making rubber thigh waders several years ago - much missed and no readily-available (and affordable) substitutes.) This range from Sweden may interest you, but again expensive: https://acquoofsweden.com/shop/

Nice boots! I’ve not seen any with block heels. I’ve a pair of their classic green ones. Very handy

Feet need to breath and shed sweat. Sandals are perfect for that. Sandals let you display your painted and decorated toenails and also your toe rings. Boots just hide that and make your feet sweat.

There are actually quite a few people who ride bikes for transport, at least in London, noticeably more than there were twenty years ago. And yes electronic shifting is very much for public consumption - although not many commuter bikes have it. It’s expensive and tend to be used for sport bikes, both road and mountain. It is technology that is being foisted upon us. And is working its way down the line to the less expensive bikes and group sets.

It is definitely the wrong season for these, even for me, but I'm good and ready to wear sandals again. I picked these up on ebay, and they turned out to be pretty great, or at least so I think having yet to wear them out in the real world. Below zero temperatures are a little extreme even to snap a quick picture, so you get the picture on top of the clothes dryer for now. They are Nine West, but newer Nine West, so you get a weird model name and questionable quality. The model is called Wilia3. Why 3? I have no idea. They seem pretty solid, but only time will tell. The heels are 5 1/4" coupled with 1" platforms, so they are reasonably steep. They are a little bit unusual in the sense that the heels are asymmetrical in their dimensions, being 3/4" fore-and-aft, but only 1/2" side-to-side.

It just goes to show you that everything is so specialized these days. I'm assuming that the electric shift bicycles are not for general public consumption--or maybe they are, because nobody rides a bicycle anymore for actual transportation. Not even kids. It's kind of sad, actually. Over in Vietnam, it's a different story. There are a tiny, tiny segment of the population who have "modern" bicycles, and those are the rich folks. Everybody else rides super heavy old school single speed bicycles. You don't go very fast on these things, but you could throw them off a cliff, leave them in the ocean for a year, and they'd still get you from Point A to Point B when you dug them out.

I buy new cars for myself and used cars for my kids. My daughter just bought a new car herself. I commute to work over a mountain, we call it a hill because it's only a little over 3000 ft) and I ski (8000+ ft). I need a good 4x4 that gets good mileage. Mine in now 7 years old with 92k. I have it maintained because I need that reliable SUV. I have old school bikes, a double butted Reynolds road bike and a 1970ish Schwinn 10 speed for riding on beach paths. And my "long boats" at 9 foot kayaks.😃

Oh yes, and the prices of these setups are eye-watering. And integrated shifters that nobody can repair, 12-speed rear sprockets and delicate chains, and disc brakes - it’s all very complicated, expensive and designed with short service lifes. I am very old school. My bicycles are all lugged steel frames, with classic components - but I am in the minority and a lot of these elegant old components are no longer available or being phased out

I took the cargo van up to Des Moines yesterday (which we bought for my wife's business), and was noticing that it's getting pretty rusty. Luckily, my son's best friend's dad owns and runs a local body shop. The guy also happens to be a phenomenal trumpeter! Many of us blue collar guys have hidden talents. The reason that this relates to the larger topic is because this family is of a rather conservative Christian nature, but in the end have accepted me as I am because I guess they figure I'm an all right guy after all. Actions and character evidently speak louder than shoes.

Bicycles really come with electric shifting these days? So, a battery is required? Oh brother....

Actually I can tie up just anywhere - or nearly so. Life on the canals is one of the last vestiges of genuine freedom left to us these days. As a continuous cruiser - one with no home mooring - I can tie up along the towpath pretty much anywhere I like along our 2000-mile canal network, free of charge, as long as I move on every fourteen days. That can be the heart of London, Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds or some remote stretch of countryside in the Pennines or rural Wales.

My wife and I still do this, but not always on Sundays. She will often say, "lets take the long way home", so we do, or go for an afternoon ride after church. It's fun, gets us out of the house and lets us explore new places we have not been before, or not been in a long time. With cars that get 35-40 miles per gallon, it really is not an expensive outing. But part of that is the different culture I think between the US and Europe. We just have limited public transport because of the size of the United States. I do not live in a state that is even considered big but yet my state and the entirety of Ireland is the exact same size. Sadly, I do live in a state that has annual car inspections, and without question that is a HUGE factor of the lifespan of a car. For now its reasonable though because we do not have smog requirements so its only mechanical in nature. The sad part is the inspections really only hurt the poor because if a car does not pass inspection, they just drive it anyway, or go to a facility where they can bribe the mechanic to get it to pass. There is actually talk about the state doing away with inspections because it is such a scam for the populace. And getting a good mechanic you can trust has been a huge reason I have pushed every car I have ever gotten past the 250,000 mile mark. I really rely on them, making sure they know I will invest money in my car as long as they think it will pass inspection for another year or more years. But even then, I have been told, "this will be the last year", but yet I have gotten two more years more after they said that. Part of that is keeping the car looking good. Taking care of any rust so it looks like a solid car. I feel your pain, but for us it is with airplane mechanics. We have a few small engine planes in the family and because of the rigorous requirements of aviation mechanics... and for obvious reasons... it is really hard to find a good airport with a reputable mechanic. We have one now but honestly have no idea how long he will stay there or even keep working before he retires. He is worth his high pay, but also making him worth his value is the airport. One of our planes has floats, one has wheels, and one has both floats and wheels both, and this airport has both a river to land on, or adjacent to it; an asphalt runway. The airport is 1-1/2 hours by car from the house but still worth it to us because some of the camps we own are 6 hours drive by car. Its actually faster to drive to the airport and take the float plane in to some of the camps then drive to them because the lakes are big enough to land and take off on. But I am sure it is the same way on the canals with your boat. You cannot just tie up anywhere so there are a lot of factors that go into your decision on where you tie up your vessel, who you have work on it, and where you take it. I fully understand how hard it can be to make everything work.

Much the same can be said about narrowboats - finding a competent marine engineer is a total crapshoot. And the relentless drive for more complexity and flashy new technology is making it harder than ever to maintain anything yourself, assuming you gave the tools, workspace and the aptitude for such things. i am a qualified bicycle mechanic but most of my skills are becoming obsolete with the new fanged technology like electronic shifting etc. None of it is necessary or wanted by all. It is just being foisted on us by profit driven companies offering expensive solutions to problems that don’t really exist, and selling us in the idea that we must have these things. And raking away alternatives. its nothing new though. Many years ago - decades - E.B. While writes charming essay called Farewell Model T, lamenting the fact that cars used to be repairable by anyone, and how you could just order whatever parts you needed through a mail order catalogue like Sears, roll up you sleeves and fix whatever needed fixing. That simplicity was vanishing even in his day. It’s gone forever now.

This "keep the old car and fix it" is a controversial topic indeed. For many, it makes good sense. The posts made here are from somewhat mechanical folks who know how to care for a car, and "listen to it", knowing when something isn't quite right, and get it in for service before a major breakdown/expense. They keep up on maintenance also, without having to be reminded by their repair shop, let's say "proactive". The other part of the equation is finding a good shop that is trustworthy and has had experience with your particular vehicle. Shops like this can be tough to find, many car owners make the mistake of shopping for the lowest repair quotes and bouncing around from one facility to another. It is important to have a bit of a "relationship" with your shop, they know you and your car, you can trust them. Long time repeat customers are bound to get better service. Unfortunately, this is just not the reality for most folks. Busy life styles with kids (especially kids who drive), tight schedules, lack of basic mechanical knowledge and skills are more the norm. Many folks (especially with kids) don't have a lot of cash to spare, proactive car maintenance ends up taking a back seat. Owners often end up going to second rate shops only to end up with ridiculous estimates, only to be followed up by more breakdowns even after forking over big bucks. Sure, some cars are better than others. But, even the most reliable cars can be taken down quickly by poor maintenance, driving habits, and inexperienced/uncaring repair facilities. On the other hand, cars not known for great reliability can sometimes give good service to more proactive drivers and service shops that are familiar/experienced with their particular vehicle. Needless to say, pouring money into a rusted car is a waste. Sometimes you just need to know when to give up on a car. I can appreciate drivers who prefer to get new(er) cars, drive them for a few years doing only basic maintenance, then trading them in while they still have decent value. More expensive, sure, but it is super easy these days to pour money down the drain continuously on their current car. Needless to say, one needs to be in a good enough financial position to buy new and trade in after a few years. This was "the norm" back in "days gone by" when I was a kid. The problem is that folks who can least afford such a luxury are often forced to make poor financial decisions when the old car they have been driving and driving finally just "gives up". Many would wonder why I "gave up" on my 09 Camry. Well, I did manage to get 220K miles out of the original 2.4L engine, the ones that are known for burning oil. Toyota did have a campaign to rebuild them, but mine did not use enough oil to qualify, only because I am super proactive about oil and all fluid changes. The only way to properly repair the engine at this point would be to install a factory fresh "short block" with all the improved bits/pieces that resolve the oil burning issues. I would not trust most shops to "rebuild" my engine, and these modern engines can not be bored oversize. I was amazed to learn that you should not even attempt to machine the block deck, because that will affect the timing chain's relationship to all those crazy cam shafts and gears causing computer issues. Because I change my own oil, I could see what the northeast winters have done to the underside of this car (replaced the rusted oil pan this fall). If I was to go ahead with the new short block, I would certainly want a new clutch, water pump, alternator while the engine was out on a stand. (Radiator and starter are new). Needless to say, I would want the head gone through while it was off as well. This repair would have to cost upwards of $7K, and I probably would have spent that money on it if was a car from the west coast/southern region. So, I made the decision to get a newer car, forked over the $20K. Everyone said, and they are right, you should buy a new car. I would have, but can't really justify spending $45-50K. Wanted no part of a car that shuts at stop lights, has "direct fuel injection", and an 8 speed transmission. The jury is still out on whether or not I found a good used car. Slowly discovering little things that upset me about how it was cared for, along with the fact that someone installed some idiotic "remote start" and alarm system, along with aftermarket tail lights. Needless to say, I will have that system removed and eventually replace the tail lights with stock pieces. I will probably invest another $2-3K to get this vehicle in the mechanical shape it would have been in had I owned it since new. Oh well, don't have to drive back and forth to Boston anymore, so won't be racking up the miles, hoping this might be the last car I have to purchase.

In principle, I would prefer to do without a car. I live in an urban area with good public transport and within walking distance of the town centre and principal amenitites. But the preferred supermarkets are a little out of walking range and even a modest grocery shop is too heavy to carry in one go, so the car is needed for that and anything else bought on the (just) out-of-town trading estates. Also, although retired, I am often doing 'advanced DIY' at various family properties, for which my estate car is essential for carrying tools and materials. My nearest family (two sons) both live an easy 55 minute drive away - but almost two hours on the bus, excluding onward transit from their town centre - and no direct train service either. My wife has a car too, and I do foresee the time when we will share a single car - but I doubt she will want the same type as me! Meanwhile, we carry on, using the cars as sparingly as possible and endeavouring to avoid the ever-increasing parking charges and the draconian penalties for straying into a bus lane or low-traffic area, or for exceeding 20mph urban speed limits - all of which have removed any pleasure one might have had from driving in the past.

Grating just plain sucks! I am around it all the time and whether walking in high heels, kneeling on it, dropping things through it, or getting vertigo for looking down through it; the type of flooring is just a pain. I am forever replacing broken clips that bolt the crap down too, which can sometimes be dangerous when the bolts break causing the grating to be lose at height or uneven from one to the other. I guess they now make high heel proof grating but I still hate the stuff.

I hear that a lot and it just is not true, at least over here. Mechanically speaking, it always makes sense to fix a car up because the cost of repair is so cheap compared to making monthly payments. I always pay cash for my cars anyway, but in doing the math on my current car it is easy to see why I am doing so well with it. I paid $7000 for it and repairs have cost me $4800 over the 4 years I have owned it. That means the car has cost me $11,800. If I was making payments on a new car, just the payments alone would have been $24,000. In 4 years I have saved $12,200 and my car is still in excellent mechanical shape meaning I have more years left of lief on it. I could put in a new engine or transmission, extend the life of the car by several more years, and still be WAY AHEAD of what a new car would cost. But that is mechanically speaking. What kills cars where I live is rust. But here is where paying cash for older cars really pays off. My car costs me $58 dollars per week in repairs which I also put in $35 a week in gas. So for roughly putting in $100 per week, I net a paycheck of $1800 per week. That is a return on investment of 1700%!! Where the heck could I ever get that kind of return on any other investment. My stock investments average 11% most year and I am lucky to get that, and my real estate nets me 12% per year on average, so as much as people bemoan and wish they could retire, the truth is having a car and going to work will net a person the most possible money for the least outlay in cash. Without question, with those kinds of returns on investment a new car pencils out too, but like most things in life, it is not what you make that matters but how much you spend. Keep the costs down on a 1700% ROI investment and you will reap incredible savings. The price to pay for that is driving around with an old car instead of one that is all shiny and new and has all kinds of new electronic gizmos.

A number of years in my past, I used to chase wind turbines. It's not quite the challenge of climbing high voltage towers, but I did always prefer a boot with a distinct heel on it for climbing those ladders. On the flip side, I found out the hard way that logging boots are not really the best thing for working at any facility that has grated flooring. I can remember my first day out at the Cargill corn plant in the fermentation building. I wore logging boots, and I have no idea how I did not faceplant at some point in the day coming down the grated stairs, as the giant lugged soles would tend to catch on the grating.

High heels originated with Persian cavalrymen who used their heels to stabilise themselves in the stirrups when they stood to fire their bows at the gallop.

Debt free here too - and no car or any plans for one!

Yes, I’d love a pair of those boots too if they came in my size. Such a pity that the original company folded - and for such a silly self-inflicted reason - only to be replaced by something that from what you say is but a shadow of its former self. Seems to be the way with these things. I’ve liked the look of some of the boots now being offered but they are just too small. Whatever their sizing numbers my feet are simply longer than the 27.0cm they list as the length suitable for their largest size.

I intend to keep my '04 Crown Vic as long as they'll let me, and as long as they keep making parts for it.

I guess that's what I was thinking when I said I had Chelsea stilettos. Not so much the heel, but the elastic bit on the side. The only reason I got rid of them is because they were size 9 1/2, which is in most cases simply too big for me, even with inserts, and these were even with socks. I never could make them quite work. Now--off the subject a bit, but I reckon we all like a good story--I tried to do right by my "Chelsea" boots and give them to one of my son's female friends, who was probably 13 or 14 at the time, tall and willowy, and wore size 9 1/2. I do not believe she'd ever even thought about trying heels in her life. Just about the time I thought I had her convinced that maybe she ought to try them under my tutelage, it happened to coincide with the time she decided she wasn't so interested in my son, and she quit hanging around our house. Which in the end was a good thing for everybody.

I have been very lazy about taking any photographs lately. However, a friend captured this still image from the church livestream and sent it to me. I think the only reason this worked out is because the camera operator forgot to zoom back out for a few seconds during the "greet your neighbor" portion of the service. And yes, those are ankle boots I'm wearing. I see I still need a little bit of work on my pageant walk.

I did something that I rarely do yesterday. I went walking in stilettos. I am not 100% sure what possessed me to do it, but I did it, and walked just shy of 2.5 miles, or 4 km. Part of the reason is because I had not shown my Aldo ankle boots any love for a long time. In fact, according to my records, I haven't worn them in two years. That might not be quite right, but it seems accurate. Back in the day, I somehow wore these a lot, as I've evidently had them reheeled three times. They are fairly steep boots, sporting a 5" heel with a 5/8" platform. Here's what I noticed. They're fine. Perfectly stable. Other than having to pay very good attention to where I stepped due to the stiletto heels, they were just like wearing any other high heeled shoes. How I managed in them 10 years ago is another question. I must not have looked so great. I can tell you one thing for sure--ever since I got on this fascination with the SE Asian beauty pageant coaches, my heel tips have started lasting a lot longer. According to my records, I got about 7 miles out of each set of tips in the past. The current tips that are on there have got 5 miles, and I guarantee they will last a lot longer than 2 more miles.

I have cowboy boots with a massive 11 cm high heel. But they are almost completely hidden by jeans. I've been wearing these boots for over six months now, but not more than once a week. I walk in them in the park with my wife. This happens most often in the evening, but several times it also happened during the day. There are not many people in this park. The few people we meet on a walk often don't notice my shoes. Those who notice are surprised, you can tell by the look on their faces, and for the most part, women notice. I haven't received any comments in these six months, maybe because I don't wear my boots in public that often. If I used to be constantly nervous every time I went out, now I just go and enjoy wearing what I really want to wear. I think a lot depends on ourselves, the more harmonious we feel in such shoes, the more confidently we walk, the less we are noticed.