mlroseplant

Even though I have 8 1/2 - 9 USW feet, I've never found anything at a thrift store in my size that I've wanted to buy. Then again, I hardly ever go to thrift stores. My wife, on the other hand, makes it a hobby and goes several times a week, which must be the way you have to do it, because she comes home with cool shoes and clothes all the time. Too often, in fact.

I hope everything turns out satisfactorily. That leg looks gnarly, even from Iowa! As usual, the major thing lies hidden beneath the surface. Good luck with that.

Jesus, Cali! What happened?

Being as it's Wedge Wednesday, I guess my choice of footwear is decided, then! I was waffling back and forth between two choices, but now there's one less thing to decide on this incredibly hot and humid summer day.

Back when my ex-wife worked for AA, 20+ years ago, female flight attendants were required to wear heels in the airport. Nowadays, I doubt they're required to wear them, though some still do. Somewhere in my own thread, I noted that not only did one of my flight attendants on my flight to Korea wear substantial heels in the airport, she actually worked a Trans-Pacific flight in heels (lower than her airport heels, of course). The Asian airlines still require heels in the airport, but none of their "dress" heels is anything to write home about--I've never seen one exceed 2 1/2", and I think they are provided by the airline, as you don't see any variation at all like you do among American flight attendants.

Although I love my shorts, I never wear them while mowing. Of course, all of our equipment is walk-behind, as we've made a business of mowing small lawns with small lawn mowers that the big lawn care companies won't touch. Perhaps you may be on a tractor or ZTR, that would be different. I was reminded of the reason for my rule the other night when I had finally figured out why one of our string trimmers was not running very well. I went to test it out, that's right TEST it, not actually use it, and I wound up flinging some debris into my leg, and it left little marks that lasted a week! Not attractive. And that is why I don't wear shorts when mowing. Part safety, part vanity.

My thinnest heels are some Aldo booties I picked up on ebay some time ago, model name unknown. The heels on these booties are 1/4" or 6 mm wide at the tip, and are 5" in height, with no platform. The shape of these heels are a bit different, being a square cross section. Oddly enough, they are one of two pairs of shoes that I own that I haven't worn outside yet. In both cases, it's because I don't feel comfortable walking in them--they are just too steep for my skill level. Also, I think the extreme setback style of the Aldo's heels doesn't really help much. My second thinnest heels are Steve Madden Barbb mules, 5/16" in diameter, and 4 1/2" high, no platform. I have 3 pairs in 3 different colors. I wear those regularly and love them. The thinness of the heels doesn't appear to make them hard to walk in at all, you just have to be super careful about cracks and gaps in walking surfaces.

"Above average rainfall" is a mild way of putting it! However, I think I'm going to have to actually water my garden, like, today! We're not supposed to get any rain for a whole week. Actually, it's my wife's garden. Do you remember that big tree in out back yard with the swing and all those weeds under it? It's now a rose garden. Doesn't look too bad, really. As far as sun on one's legs, since I have to wear long pants for work, I often have severely uneven colors top to bottom, and actually have to resort to covering up my top half at home to let my legs catch up somewhat.

Hey Joe, how durable are they? You say they are good cheap brands. I've had some cheap-ass shoes that have lasted a good long while, and then some rather expensive ones that are simply not up to the task of real life. I know you actually wear your shoes.

I just couldn't help myself, and I wore the Alaïa sandals again last night, this time to a church function that was outdoors, and mostly on grass. I got by with it because it hasn't rained in several days, and the ground is firm enough to wear thick heels on without even bothering to take weight off of the heels when walking. After about three hours of wearing them, my little toes were feeling slightly squished, but no flesh wounds, so I think we're getting there! I'd better lay off for the next few days.

Had I known it was Wedge Wednesday, I might have actually worn wedges today. I strongly considered it, as I went to the all-church picnic this evening. However, I was really wanting to wear my Alaïa sandals with shorts, and since it hasn't rained in several days, I figured I could get by with a separate heeled shoe, even on the grass, so I did.

An update on the Alaïa sandals: They are still a little snug, but I can wear them now without breaking the skin. I had to lay off for about a week because they wore some holes in the tops of my right foot toes. I got a little too rambunctious with the break-in. I'm still a little leery and don't want to wear them every day just yet, but they haven't left any wounds on my feet since I gave them the week's rest. Their appearance is smaller than the rest of my shoes, but it may just be my perception. The length is absolutely spot on for me, and the upward curve of the shoe matches my foot well. This is with no fitting aids at all. They are marked 38 1/2, which was taking a pretty big gamble, but I think it worked out. If I'd have had a choice, I might have gone for a 39, but certainly no bigger than that. I wore them to my son's school open house, which I thought about twice for the sake of not wanting other kids to tease him. However, at this late date, that ship sailed long ago, so whatever. He needs to learn how to deal with that sort of thing anyway. I got a few stares from kids (obviously not my son's classmates--they don't seem to be all that interested these days), but none from adults. Or maybe the adults are just better at hiding it.

I used to catch people taking or attempting to take pictures of me all the time. I haven't noticed it lately. Which means that either I don't care enough to really notice, or people care less than they used to. I too, am probably out there somewhere on the Internet, probably in one of those "People of Walmart" videos.

I've never actually done any major engine work outside, but pretty much everything else gets done outside because my garage is filled up with old 2 stroke Lawn-Boys. I have a similar problem with them that I do with shoes. BTW, I hate to disappoint, but I do all my auto work in ratty old tennis shoes! I am glad to see you wearing hand protection, though. Let us know how the project progresses! We've actually got quite a few gearheads on here.

I own the exact model of high heel shoe stretcher shown in Cali's second link (the FootFitter). It works pretty well, it seems like a quality item. In fact, I bought my shoe buddy one in a smaller size for her size 5.5 shoes, and she loves it too. The only problem I can see is that is it only goes up to size 11, and that's U.S. women's 11. Your (Jura's) feet are EU 45, which are what, like a 14 or 15 equivalent? Being as the thing only stretches stuff width-wise, it might work ok, but I couldn't guarantee it. They do expand out quite a way, far enough to ruin your shoes if you keep on cranking. I don't think that would be an issue, even on size 45. I just don't know if it would be the right shape to stretch exactly what you need it to stretch. If you have a few extra quid to throw at it, it might be worth a shot. Oh, and one more thought, they do sell them singly. I noticed a number of complaints in the comments section about it not being a set of two. I never bothered to get a second one, because I guess I'm not in that big of a hurry. I can stretch them one at a time. There's no left and right.