HappyinHeels

w6ish,

Believe you made the right call based on how you were dressed. Unless you have some EMS/CPR skills or have been around accident/emergency scenes you may well have just been in the way. During a career in law enforcement I came upon or responded directly to some accident scenes several of them fatal indeed. Assessing the needs at the scene quickly and calmly are key before others arrive on scene and they WILL look to you for that initial burst of information. Anyone who found themselves in a combat zone is usually best prepared for this type of situation. Of course just because you have been in that situation before doesn't mean you will not shed some tears over it later. It happened to me several times.

Had a driving experience in 2008 (26th December) my son and I will never forget. We took my wife from our home in southeastern Wisconsin to Midway Airport on Chicago's south side to get an early morning flight to San Diego so she could visit family in Mexico. Some light drizzle quickly became a light shower which froze ON CONTACT with the colder road and ground. We saw a few spinouts which increased as we got closer to Chicago. Dropped off my wife and we continued southbound on Interstate 55 toward St. Louis. Between Midway Airport and Interstate 80 we saw no less than 300 (my son kept count) vehicles in ditches, otherwise hopelessly stuck, on their sides, or upside down on both sides of the interstate highway. It was the types of vehicles which most surprised me. There were City of Lemont school busses and Illinois Dept. of Transportation snow plows on their sides in the ditch. Even a tow truck. Here we were proceeding along in a column of traffic going no more than 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) navigating an apocalyptic landscape. I was never more focused on who was in front, behind, or at my side and their relative distance to me than at that moment. Slowly the temperature creeped up above freezing and the road condition greatly improved but not until we had driven another 100 miles (160km) to Bloomington. Never saw conditions like that before or since. The traffic guy on WBBM radio said he'd never seen conditions deteriorate that quickly in 20 years of traffic reporting. I believe had we seen anyone lying on the pavement we would have gotten off the road but it didn't occur that day. If you drive enough places you'll eventually get tested like never before or see a fatal accident before any EMS arrives or both. Sharpens the skills and makes one appreciate life a little bit more. HappyinHeels

mlroseplant,

Ah yes I remember those sandals! You really do run the sandals until the tires (heels) come off. Still, you have 75 other pairs waiting for a walk!! Besides that sandal weather in Iowa will soon be coming to an end. We're headed for a freeze tonight so I went out and harvested all my grapes (Niagara cultivar) and came in with around 15 pounds of grapes. Not bad for a first harvest of 3-year-old vines. I plan to add more vines next year. HinH

A comment on the airlines. We watched the changes after the events of 11th Sept 2001, some the fault of the airlines hiring the cheapest security services possible and mostly the fault of foreces beyond their control. They got financial bailouts from the federal government of the USA and there may have been others in other nations as well. This time is different. The airlines' wallets grew fat from shrinking legroom by cramming more seats on planes and maximizing revenue by charging people for everything. My criticism is levelled primarily at American carriers. I believe foreign carriers surpassed most American carriers a while ago in overall flight quality. The reason airline traffic is way down now is because, we the market place, has decided an airline flight has less value than before. Whether it's concern over cleanliness and sanitary procedures on the plane, overall comfort, too much emphasis on 4 ounces of shampoo instead of 3 ounces instead of weapons getting through or whether shorter-than-average men like me (5'8.5"/174cm) suddenly having their knees running into the seat ahead of me, we the travelling public have rendered a verdict: we would rather not fly at least right now. To hell with them and their wishes for a bailout. Quit screwing with people and their bags and their itineraries when they need to change their ticket for good reasons. Maybe quit paying your CEO a salary 2000 times the wage of the average worker and instead put that money into improving the overall flying experience. I'm aware many airlines' bread and butter are the business travellers but that is the status quo way of business. If it worked flawlessly then the airlines wouldn't now be asking for a bailout. There isn't enough money in the world to pay bailouts for every business that thinks they need it. My last plane ride was when I took a guy back to Romania when I was still working. Flew Lot Polish and Lufthansa both of which were great particularly Lufthansa. I know I'll fly again but it will not be an American carrier except maybe Southwest which is very consistent and can get me to a big airport to continue onto a foreign destination. My message to the public is simple: drive when you can or maybe take a train or bus and let these whining airlines sweat for their arrogance. A properly capitalised business with a moral compass does not need bailouts. That's my take. HappyinHeels

I see it a little differently. Women, via the new reality, have become the shapeshifters of our time. They are celebrated for their beauty and stature, mined by commercial interests for their ability to hawk products, venerated and utilised by media interests to continue to sow the gender rift. On one hand, applauded for their femininity in a masculine world, and on the other hand, also applauded because they can dress as manly as they want and act as manly as they want yet can reap the benefits of being a "minority" even though numerically they are almost never a minority in any country. I don't have a dislike for women at all rather I can't ignore what I see nowadays. Hey, I just watched a bunch of foul-mouthed, anarchistic, out-of-town jerks come into Kenosha and trash the place because they disagree how the police handled something. Media paints it as purely a racial issue again playing one group against the other. It's what they do. Recent tapes of CNN chief Jeff Zucker talking to a former lawyer of Trump showed saying " nobody can win the Presidency without CNN". Media bias. Everyone knew it but now it's on tape for everyone to see and hear. It really would be nice for everyone to get along WITHOUT the controlling, and corrupting influence of media. My point is don't look to women for your acceptance or any recognition rather express yourself as you see fit which can only come from inner strength: confidence. HappyinHeels

SERENITY

GRACEFUL

PRESERVES (I wipe my eyes here)

I'm not sure I'd call it bold. The store exists to sell merchandise and the staff is there to move that merchandise.Trying on whatever you see just ensures a good fit and avoids unnecessary returns. I've tried on dresses, skirts, tops, and scores of heels in states from California to Maryland and Canada and Mexico so trying on skinny jeans would be just a new thing. Clothes and shoe shopping should not be boring! I know how pocket sizes can vary. I do carry a handbag at times if the jean pockets are very small but it is a minority of the time. I think the height and style of your shoes must give sales staff some idea of what you may be seeking. Nobody wearing such tall heels would go for boring jeans. 😊 HinH

A toast to the man from where I call "Middle Carolina". My youngest brother lives in Charlotte and I call it the same thing. HinH

Cali,

The skinny jeans are my wife's but it was the first post of something closer to a skinny jean than any I have posted before so it's a start. "Mom jeans" or not they were very comfortable. What about the colour coordination? Others seemed to like it. HinH

I've had only occasional dreams about wearing heels but I was always around people either at restaurants, an outdoor party or wedding, or just out shopping. Sometimes I was dressed completely en femme but mostly just jeans, a polo shirt, and heels. A fair reflection on reality really. I suppose the goal is really think of heels as a normal part of one's identity and background. HinH

ROCK

mlroseplant,

I think your observations, though anecdotal you deem them to be, are logical given the amazing trend toward casual dress nationwide and over most of the world. Yes, the pandemic has certainly taken the fun out of 2020. Two places where I have worn heels, eating at restaurants and the movies, have been largely eliminated this year at least since March. That leaves shopping trips or just wearing while travelling like when I've visited you. I'm sure we'll all be glad when things return to normal. Seeing movies or news footage of times when people were together at fairs, carnivals, and sporting events now seems like "days of yesteryear". HinH

I think I'm like Cali in that I have larger feet so I never pointed toe shoes. My pumps all have a rounded toe. HinH

Hey all,

A Payless reentry to the retail, albeit online, market may be an attempt to recoup debts still owed. I wrote previously how NineWest merchandise is still being sold via other retailers to recoup debt still banks and creditors. I would caution anyone against hoping for a return to brick and mortar stores especially after the wrath brought about by covid19. I stopped on on occasion and did buy from time to time. My memorable purchase was the "Cosmic" wedge pumps sold under the 'Brash" name which was actually Steve Madden for Payless budget selection. Liked so much I bought two as I figured I would wear out a pair which eventually happened. I think AZShoeGuy wrote extensively about this same pair. HinH

JUDGMENT

w6ish,

You're one of the few other members who does a lot of heel wearing in a very rural setting involving forested land and acreage, isn't that right? I'm headed to our 40 acres in far northern Wisconsin by late morning for a week. Trails and trees and wedges, oh my!!  Enjoy your friends and your time in the woods, it's been a trying year. 😔 HinH

CRUZ

jeremy1986,

Nice to see you have returned to the forum. Thanks for comments on my postings as well. Did some camping last year and this year (though not in a national park in 2020) and never that "camping style" sandal. Irrespective of that it looks nice on you which is the only important thing. As to lockdowns and the like it is strange watching sports on TV with no crowds. It will be even stranger when my son and I are NOT attending football games in Green Bay as we are season ticket holders. It actually was an easy decision to sit this one out and our monies paid will be applied to 2021 instead. This time is also an opportunity for people the world over to reinvest in their families and perhaps invest in their own creativity like maybe they have never done before. The chance is there to thrive by ingenuity or wilt by dependence. The choice is up to the individual. HinH

STAGE

SPARKLE

somehow I know Cali will figure out this wardrobe mystery. As far as wearing fleece I know of a place where it is actually chilly by even northern standards in the middle of summer: Eureka, CA. That is the spot where the cold ocean current makes its closest pass to the North American coast giving Eureka the coldest summers for its latitude in the lower 48 states. This is even more remarkable given that California is home to Death Valley which has the highest summertime average on Earth. It is the only known spot in the world where nighttime temperatures sometimes do not fall below 100F/38C. And people may be running their heating in Eureka on the same night!! Mind-blowing as in Jet commercial mind-blowing. HappyinHeels 🙃

LEANING

It is quite the unprecedented year so I think any form of humour will do wonders for the soul. THis pandemic has caused many peoples' arc of mobility to shrink quite a bit and look inward toward family and our own imagination. There's no question heels are part of my identity and make me a better person. Native American beliefs help guide my understanding of the interaction of the human, animal, and plant kingdoms and being acutely aware of the X and Y of my my own body gives me focus on the world in general. Heels are part of the transformation and expression of my being so it gives me great joy. Apparently it also gives encouragement to others as well. I am very content with that. ☺️  HinH

TOWER