The High Heeled Ruminations Of Melrose Plant

[HappyinHeels]

mlroseplant,

I remember not seeing any boots so I'm wondering have you not considered buying some? While I like open-toed sandals I would say wearing boots in the snow is far better both for warmth and stability. I didn't have any boots before 2011 but have about ten now with half being knee boots and half being ankle boots. I think you would enjoy the difference. Maybe think about it?? HinH

[mlroseplant]

23 hours ago, pebblesf said:

Believe it or not, I am interested in this electrical discussion....Just wish I knew a little more about it...I have done some wiring in my house, but also appreciate the importance of have a professional sometimes to keep me out of trouble.  I have rid the house of most of the darn "knob/tube" stuff, just one run of it left on the second floor...Was easy to get rid of trouble on the first floor, just come up from the basement....Easy to get rid of stuff on the third floor, just come down from the attic.  The rats nest is in the second floor ceiling...Somewhere there is a horrible junction that connects knob/tube to newer wiring.

Do not feel even a little bit bad. Half of my house still runs on knob and tube wiring, and it will probably stay that way until something forces me to replace it. There is nothing wrong with knob and tube per se, it just depends on what kind of shape it's in, and who's cobbled on to it and how over the years. 

It's easy for me to say now that I'm glad I became an electrician, because there is no shortage of work due to the good economy and the coincidence of several companies wanting to continue to build large data centers here. Back up about 8-10 years and it was a different story. Construction is a weird business. It's the only job I know of where your job is to work yourself out of a job!

[mlroseplant]

22 hours ago, HappyinHeels said:

mlroseplant,

I remember not seeing any boots so I'm wondering have you not considered buying some? While I like open-toed sandals I would say wearing boots in the snow is far better both for warmth and stability. I didn't have any boots before 2011 but have about ten now with half being knee boots and half being ankle boots. I think you would enjoy the difference. Maybe think about it?? HinH

I have several pairs of boots, including about three pairs that are actually suitable for walking in the snow. I haven't had to use them yet, however!

[HappyinHeels]

Proof enough. Guess my eyes weren't the best in the basement. Maybe I didn't notice the knee boots as they're on the floor. Looks like you're set then. I do like the style of both pair. It'll be cold enough in a few days to want to wear them. We just ended our coldest and snowiest November in the 30 years I've lived in Wisconsin. HinH

[Puffer]

11 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

Do not feel even a little bit bad. Half of my house still runs on knob and tube wiring, and it will probably stay that way until something forces me to replace it. There is nothing wrong with knob and tube per se, it just depends on what kind of shape it's in, and who's cobbled on to it and how over the years. 

...

I hadn't intended to add to the 'sparks' discussion, but the references to 'knob and tube' intrigued me.   I had no idea that such a system was used (and is still extant) in US domestic dwellings and, having read-up on it, am surprised (if not exactly 'shocked') that it seems to have had such a long and honourable life.   Whilst I suspect that something comparable may have been used in the UK when mains electricity was still an innovation (and probably DC), I'm sure that nothing like it has been approved (or had even survived) here for at least 80 years.   Before PVC-sheathed cable became the norm in the early 1950s, UK domestic installations used a cable consisting of rubber-insulated conductors contained within a lead sheath, although lighting pendants and appliance flexes were generally cotton-covered.   There is undoubtedly some lead cable still in use - with a risk that the rubber insulation has perished - but most will have been replaced within the last 50 years or so.   (Its scrap value can make the exercise worthwhile, as is also the case when lead water pipes are replaced, although very few of them will still be extant.)   I have seen too 'meter tails' (the heavy-current single cables used to connect between the incoming main fuse, meter and consumer unit) still in use that have rubber-insulated wire inside resin-impregnated cotton, or similar.

I think you have hit the nail on the head in saying that K&T is OK if (and only if) it is still in good shape and has not been wrongly altered or extended.

[blueparrot]

During the early 70's a lot of homes in the USA had aluminum branch circuit wiring.  This caused a lot of trouble because they were not terminated properly and this caused a lot of fires.  Larger feeder and service conductors are fine (and still used) because proper terminations are used (compression connectors or mechanical connectors properly torqued).  My house in Albuquerque, which I still own and have daughters living in, had such and I replaced it with metal clad (MC) copper conductor cable.  I used metal clad instead of non-metallic cable because we also had mice chewing on the old cables and causing much grief.  The silly mice couldn't chew through the metal clad cable so they all moved out (I'm serious).   My last job was for an electrical manufacturer and I had to get their products listed by either UL or ETL (Intertek).  The UL standard for wire connectors (especially for aluminum) require testing that costs around $60,000.00  and takes months to perform the temperature/current cycling. 

Edited December 4, 2018 by blueparrot

[at9]

Ali was used for domestic wiring in the UK for a while when copper prices were sky high. 1970s? Horrible stuff that caused all sorts of problems. Fortuantely I've never encountered it. There are also some ali phone line cables. Again they cause trouble.

[HappyinHeels]

I figured out a solution to rodents wanting to chew on lines buried in pvc pipe. I extended power from outside house outlets some 100 and 150 feet into my yard. I had understood rodents detest the smell of cedar which I have plenty of on our land in far northern Wisconsin. I took many small cedar twigs and saw dust and ground them up in a blender with a 2 cups of water to make a sprayable rodent detractor. Once I completed the wiring and connection of the pvc conduit I sprayed the concoction on the pipe before burying it. I had tried this spray concoction in my camper Up North at known places of rodent entry and it worked well. Nice an environmentally friendly way to combat one of the world's most insidious pests.

Mothballs also work but you have to pay attention to where you put them. Inside walls works well. I like cedar better as it smells good to us. HinH

[Puffer]

2 hours ago, HappyinHeels said:

I figured out a solution to rodents wanting to chew on lines buried in pvc pipe. I extended power from outside house outlets some 100 and 150 feet into my yard. I had understood rodents detest the smell of cedar which I have plenty of on our land in far northern Wisconsin. I took many small cedar twigs and saw dust and ground them up in a blender with a 2 cups of water to make a sprayable rodent detractor. Once I completed the wiring and connection of the pvc conduit I sprayed the concoction on the pipe before burying it. I had tried this spray concoction in my camper Up North at known places of rodent entry and it worked well. Nice an environmentally friendly way to combat one of the world's most insidious pests.

Mothballs also work but you have to pay attention to where you put them. Inside walls works well. I like cedar better as it smells good to us. HinH

Good idea - but wouldn't it be better all round to run a buried outside cable in armoured stuff?   And don't your Regs require (or at least recommend) this, with proper allowance for voltage drop on a long run?  In the UK, we would generally use 'SWA' (steel wire armoured), either two core (with the armoured sheath used as earth) or three core.   Although I suppose the little buggers could gnaw the outer plastic sheath, they could hardly digest the steel inside!   SWA is scarcely more expensive than the equivalent PVC twin-and-earth and of course no conduit is needed.    I recently ran 4mm 2-core SWA for 32m (30A max loading) to an outbuilding for my son; the first 8m or so being under the house floor - but easier/cheaper to run the whole lot in SWA to avoid a joint where it emerges outside, and is then clipped to a wall at ground level.

[LEATHERPANTS]

7 hours ago, HappyinHeels said:

I figured out a solution to rodents wanting to chew on lines buried in pvc pipe. I extended power from outside house outlets some 100 and 150 feet into my yard. I had understood rodents detest the smell of cedar which I have plenty of on our land in far northern Wisconsin. I took many small cedar twigs and saw dust and ground them up in a blender with a 2 cups of water to make a sprayable rodent detractor. Once I completed the wiring and connection of the pvc conduit I sprayed the concoction on the pipe before burying it. I had tried this spray concoction in my camper Up North at known places of rodent entry and it worked well. Nice an environmentally friendly way to combat one of the world's most insidious pests.

Mothballs also work but you have to pay attention to where you put them. Inside walls works well. I like cedar better as it smells good to us. HinH

I love the smell of cedar.  What is Northern Wisconsin like?   How far up is your cabin?

[HappyinHeels]

Leatherpants,

White cedar or arbor vitae is abundant in northern Wisconsin. Some cut the fleshier trees for wreaths, the deer use them for cover and a food source in winter, and many of us will cut fence posts from some of the trunks.

Northern Wisconsin , or the Northwoods as it is commonly called is typically a plateau region with sandy to rocky but fertile soil and heavily wooded with both conifers and deciduous trees interspersed with some farm fields. It is rich is mineral wealth though this is not well-known. The most successful copper mine in the world as measured by ratio of good ore to total material extracted was in northern Wisconsin near Ladysmith. They found copper, silver, and gold in the same area. a real rarity. The Northwoods is famous for its 14000 lakes, fishing, hunting, and the tens of thousands of vacationers and people who own land there like myself. That part of the state has pleasant summers, crisp and enjoyable autumns, and very long severe winters. Snowfall averages around 50" a season but there is an area which averages 80-150" per winter and our land is within that area. Our land, which has a travel trailer on it, is 112 miles/180 km northwest of Wausau or 52 miles/83 km southeast of Ashland. The elevation of 1610 feet/490.8 metres above sea level is quite high by Upper Midwest standards. Now you have  a snapshot of what it is like.  Where do you live?  HinH 

[Shyheels]

2 minutes ago, HappyinHeels said:

Leatherpants,

White cedar or arbor vitae is abundant in northern Wisconsin. Some cut the fleshier trees for wreaths, the deer use them for cover and a food source in winter, and many of us will cut fence posts from some of the trunks.

Northern Wisconsin , or the Northwoods as it is commonly called is typically a plateau region with sandy to rocky but fertile soil and heavily wooded with both conifers and deciduous trees interspersed with some farm fields. It is rich is mineral wealth though this is not well-known. The most successful copper mine in the world as measured by ratio of good ore to total material extracted was in northern Wisconsin near Ladysmith. They found copper, silver, and gold in the same area. a real rarity. The Northwoods is famous for its 14000 lakes, fishing, hunting, and the tens of thousands of vacationers and people who own land there like myself. That part of the state has pleasant summers, crisp and enjoyable autumns, and very long severe winters. Snowfall averages around 50" a season but there is an area which averages 80-150" per winter and our land is within that area. Our land, which has a travel trailer on it, is 112 miles/180 km northwest of Wausau or 52 miles/83 km southeast of Ashland. The elevation of 1610 feet/490.8 metres above sea level is quite high by Upper Midwest standards. Now you have  a snapshot of what it is like.  Where do you live?  HinH 

It sounds lovely.

[mlroseplant]

I went Christmas caroling a couple of days ago with members of my church choir. In heels, of course. Big ones. We hit several nursing homes, and made it to approximately 15 shut-ins' private homes. I was tired from working a 10 hour day, but I'm glad I made myself go--I think we spread some actual cheer to people who may not have a lot of it these days.

We had the church's short bus, but we had one more person than we had seats on the bus, as the back third of it is devoted to space and equipment to carry two wheelchairs. I volunteered to be the standee the entire time, which was just fine now that I'm 6+ years into my heeling journey. 6 years ago, I would have been barely able to walk by the time we got back to the church, but today it's just a normal thing, especially in the Sam Edelman clogs, which are really comfortable despite their height (5 1/2") and their steepness (4 1/4"). Being as I had to hang on to a railing to keep myself upright, one of the ladies yelled back at me to do some pole dancing. I yelled back, "You know how [choir director's name] is always telling us to avoid unintentional singing [meaning to sing with purpose and without apology]? Well if he doesn't slow it down going around these corners, I may be doing some unintentional dancing!" That got a hearty laugh from all.

[HappyinHeels]

Bless your heart for doing that! Remembering those who are hidden from our view means the world to them during the holidays. My mother was a professional pianist in the 1970's and 80's and over the past few years has played for free at a number of elderly homes and care centres. I found long ago how humour can work its magic throughout life. It really is the tonic for the soul at least for me. Stay warm, stay safe, and stay elevated this Christmas my friend. HinH

[Logjam]

Mlroseplant - heels or not, bless you for spreading some cheer and light as you did.

Logjam

[p1ng74]

Sounds like you had a fun time and that the shut ins enjoyed your gifts of music to them.  Kudos to you for manning up to standing on the bus the whole time, in heels.  It is the right practice to be a gentlemen and give up our seat for a lady, and I have made it a point not to change that when wearing heels.  And at the same time, my new experience of wearing heels and skirts might have given me fuller appreciation of why we exercise these courtesies, to give women a break.  

[mlroseplant]

I have now discovered why one of my favorite pairs of sandals (for actual walking, anyway) has bitten the dust. One day, without warning, no tripping, no stumbling, nothing like that, the heel on one of the sandals became quite loose, to the point where they were completely unwearable. But they were loose in a very weird way--the actual heel appeared to be firmly attached to the sole, but for whatever reason, the heel was flexing wildly, as if the screws holding it on had come loose or broken. They sat on my shelf for a few months, then during a rash bit of cleaning up, I decided that I wasn't going to dump any money into them, that I would find out what was wrong with them, even if this meant destroying the shoes and having to get rid of them.

First, I peeled up the inner footbed liner where it covered the screws that actually attaches the heel to the sole of the shoe, and, as expected, everything was tight and solid. So what was causing all of this sloppiness in the heel? I remembered taking a pair of well-worn pumps which had a similar problem, and asking him to tighten up the heel, but he said there was nothing to be done because I had bent the shank of the shoe, likely by tripping over something and catching the heel hard. I didn't remember doing that, but it could have happened. I reluctantly threw those shoes in the trash. Could it be that somehow these sandals had suffered the same fate? I know for a fact that I hadn't tripped or stumbled on anything. Do shanks just bend on their own after extensive use? After pondering this for a minute or two, I impulsively took the heel in one hand and the front of the sandal in the other and bent. Unbelievably, the whole sandal snapped in half without all that much effort, revealing its secret.

As you can see in the accompanying photos, the metal strip which runs the entire length of the sole had completely broken in half. Total and utter failure. That accounts for a Good Deal. It Explains Everything. It is also very disappointing, given the fact that when new, the retail on these Vera Wang Celeste sandals was about 300 USD. A bit overpriced for what you get, but still not cheap-ass shoes. I didn't pay anywhere near that, by the way. I want to say about 50 bucks. Anyhow, after many, many miles of use (they are great walking shoes), metal fatigue evidently got the better of this reinforcing strip, and that was the end of the line for these.

It all comes, I guess, of actually walking in shoes that were not really engineered to be walked in. I was surprised to discover that the entire stiffness and strength of the substantial-looking sole was essentially provided by that thin strip of metal. I have an identical pair in black. We'll just have to wait and see if they end up suffering the same fate. Hopefully, it will be some time before this happens, if it ever does. The black pair has a lot fewer miles on it.

I have included a shot of what they used to look like in their intended environment.

[Cali]

It looks like the metal broke where the metal meets the heel. A straight break.

Edited December 31, 2018 by Cali

[Pierre1961]

It seems these shoes deserve now the proper,decent funeral. 

That's  sad ,so close to the new year 

[Cali]

NEW YEAR  why not NEW SHOES

[Steve63130]

Yep, time to replace them for the new year!

Steve

[Puffer]

From what I can see, the damage is not limited to the metal shank.   But if it is little or nothing more than a snapped shank, can't you replace it?   A strip of tempered steel of similar thickness should not be that hard to find?    (But it may be that introducing the necessary curve into the steel, without losing its strength/rigidity) will prove to be (literally) the stumbling block.)

[mlroseplant]

2 hours ago, Puffer said:

From what I can see, the damage is not limited to the metal shank.   But if it is little or nothing more than a snapped shank, can't you replace it?   A strip of tempered steel of similar thickness should not be that hard to find?    (But it may be that introducing the necessary curve into the steel, without losing its strength/rigidity) will prove to be (literally) the stumbling block.)

You're right. The damage is not limited to the metal shank. However, it WAS limited to the shank before I ripped the shoe in half with my bare hands! I am not nearly gung-ho enough to fashion a replacement shank, even if I hadn't destroyed the shoe. 

[Puffer]

7 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

You're right. The damage is not limited to the metal shank. However, it WAS limited to the shank before I ripped the shoe in half with my bare hands! I am not nearly gung-ho enough to fashion a replacement shank, even if I hadn't destroyed the shoe. 

That's unfortunate.   Maybe worth keeping the remains of the shoes for yielding possible 'spares' (e.g. the heels) as you have others similar.

[Bubba136]

Perhaps you might be be able to send them back to the manufacturer’s quality control people to take a look at the malfunction with the idea of correcting the cause in future models? 

Edited January 1, 2019 by Bubba136

[SF]

Mlroseplant....   How are your welding skills??  

Metal fatigue can be very insidious.  Sadly, it was the cause of the demise of the de Havilland DH106 Comet, the world's first commercial jet airliner in the 1950's....  And seemingly your favorite heels as well...  I hate it when my fav sandals finally quit...  Now go find another pair !!

Happy New Year....    sf

[Jkrenzer]

Wow, the comet reference. In truth the rectangular windows were the demise of the plane. They didn't understand stress risers then like we know today. Dehaviland would be Boeing except for that oversight.

[Shyheels]

Actually it was localised high stresses around bolt holes and a lack of knowledge of metal fatigue rather than the shape of passenger windows - the windows on the DC-7 and the Boeing 377, both of which were pressurised aircraft, were also square and of similar size to that of the Comet. No problems. The windows on the 377 were actually somewhat larger than those on the Comet. 

[Heelster]

40 minutes ago, Shyheels said:

Actually it was localised high stresses around bolt holes and a lack of knowledge of metal fatigue rather than the shape of passenger windows

The aircraft industry came a long ways after that. Structural fatigue in aircraft is on a level all it's own.

[SF]

Metal fatigue is real folks, in the air and on the ground.....  Metal shanks in your sandals / shoes??  Be aware, don't suffer a catastrophic failure, be safe out there.  

Mlrose, sorry that yours failed.        Have fun....     Happy New Year    sf