Boots, Shoes & Other Footwear

I've been thinking lately about what goes on my feet.  Actually I've been thinking about this for a long while.  Three things have come together that have me pondering shoes. I spend almost all day on my feet, and have for years.  Recently we have been letting the dogs walk us up the local hill to the tune of about 3 miles a day, and I visited an orthopedic surgeon about my knee(s).

I have spent lots of money over time buying shoes and boots.  I was also blessed for years with a friend that would pass along his nearly new shoes to me.  We shared the same foot size and his flat feet caused him to discard boots and shoes after a month of light use.  He since has found a shoe company, Keen, that makes shoes that fit him and my footwear pipeline has dried up.  I'm happy for him and his generosity has given me a chance to wear many different kinds of shoes.

My informal thoughts have evolved and I've narrowed my boot and shoe collection.  I have a pair of running shoes, some Red Wing Chukkas, a fisherman type sandal with a back and recently a pair of oxford style hiking shoes.  This doesn't include the flip flops and coaching shoes (heavy duty running shoes) I use for specific needs.

I have come to like the running shoes for their lightness and cushioning.  I have worn a version for coaching over the years that has more leather and less nylon and the lighter weight has helped with leg issues.  But recently the lack of stiffness in the sloe allows rocks and such to be felt and this causes foot pain.  Still the lightweight has been good.

The chukkas are my work boots, though I have polished them up and gone to fancy dinners in them.  At this time I don't feel the need for a high laceup boot and these are sturdy and can be resoled.  I had to get insoles and I tried the Superfeet brand with good results. At the time I had a son selling shoes at a sporting goods store and he highly recommended the Superfeet insole for all shoes.  They remind me of a insole I bought years ago from Birkenstock. I wear the chukkas to work wear stand all day and my feet don't hurt. I've worked many places wet and dry and these boots have shined.  They are not cheap, but I'm figuring to resole them more than once.  I do wish the sole had more of a lugged/traction grabbing profile, but maybe I'll try that in the first resole.

I have worn a version of the oxford shoe for work around the house before.  One of the first was a hand-me-down pair of Vasques from my friend.  They were great.  Lugged sole and all leather uppers made them versatile, and unfortunately they haven't been made for years--too good and plain looking.  My latest version is by Teva and are pretty subdued color-wise by today's standards.Just what I wanted.  I wear them to school all day and walk the hill and these I could wear every day for years.  If I had to have only one shoe, this might be the shoe.

The last shoe is the fisherman sandal and I mention them because mine can get wet and they are cool on a hot day.  The key is the support they give and still are just a sandal. I suppose you could walkquite a ways in these.

Probably the most overlooked, or maybe it was just me, is socks. I have become a huge fan of wool socks.  I have the faddish short version for the summer as well as the crew length.  My favorite brand have been Smartwool.  They are not cheap, but nothing good is thee days.  I've tried their lightweight "dress" version, their padded hiking version and some in between.  All have been good. I have also had good luck with the Bass Pro store brand and recently tried the Keen brand.  I have been wanting to try the Darn Tough brand as I have heard many good reviews.  The bottom line is I now believe that socks can make a difference in shoe and foot comfort.

Most importantly, if your feet are happy, you are happy and can travel farther.

Stack Some More On Top

The baseball playing is done for this year.  We finished in the top 4, which is good, but beat ourselves with 5 errors in our last game with Firebaugh.  Firebaugh beat Caruthers to win the Section title. This is the third year in a row we lost to the eventual champion. That's getting old. It was a good season in many ways, just not the ending we had planned.

The new set of chickens are growing.  We're trying some meat birds this time and they sure do sit and eat quite a bit.

With baseball done my attention now turns to the list of unfinished and put off jobs around the 'Zoo.  We're talking about moving a deck to make more animal and garden room in the back. The pecan tree needs trimming to let in more light, but that will have to be hired out. Too tall for me to climb and cut. I have already started taking down a curly willow in the front for more sun and garden space.  It's a bit easier to lop off a limb at a time.  Hauling off the brush and limbs will be the issue here.  No one has burn piles anymore because of the poor air quality, and we don't have the room for a long term compost pile. One of the things I remember reading in the Nearing's book, Living the Good Life, is their composting methods and all brush and such were left in the forest to break down.But they had the land.  Someday.

We also have a list of jobs involving cleaning up around for the visit from Sam.  He is getting out of the Army and coming for a visit with with a friend.  She has never seen the West Coast and certainly the Central Valley.  It will be a hoot, but we have many things to attend to before they arrive.

I'm currently reading Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking and I am amazed by the thoughts I am having.  The book is describing me more than I ever expected.  I can see times the thoughts I was having were coming from a deep place inside.  The author is making the case that Introverts are more genetically guided than from a learned response.  Interesting concept that is fun to explore.

I'm also not planning on teaching summer school. This would be only the third summer in 30 years that I didn't teach something in the summer.  Plenty to do here and I'm still figuring out the Crafts gig.  That has been a Godsend.  As one friend said, "You get to go to work and make things."  Or at lest help students make things.  It has been a stretch in many areas, but I've tried to stretch the students more.  I am still amazed though at the lack of curiosity in some youth.  We're finishing the year with leather and many want nothing more than to get a small circle of leather, paint their name on it and add a bit of lacing.  My working theory of the students is they will do anything as long as it involves painting on something.  If we do plastics, paint the plastic. Same for wood, leather, or mosaics.  I'm thinking of adding screen printing next year.  Maybe that will get the painting out of their minds. Or they will screen print instead of paint different mediums.  Glad I was given the class and I will have to adjust some more. And I am happy with the chance to make those changes.

John Wooden Quotes

While looking for some information on John Wooden, I found these at the blog SB Nation.

10. The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones. 

9. If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes. 

8. Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then. 

7. Never mistake activity for achievement. 

6. Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights. 

5. Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be. 

4. Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability. 

3. Ability is a poor man's wealth. 

2. Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful. 

1. You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.

Another Quote and a Challenge

I stumbled upon this quote and have taken it as a challenge.  It comes from Heinlein's vision of a "Competent Man" as spoken by Lazarus Long in Time Enough for Love. I haven't read the book, but like the quote.

"A human being should be able to:
change a diaper,       X  (four children)
plan an invasion,      
butcher a hog,          X  (Once helped a friend, turkey and chickens since)
conn a ship,             X (Sailed a boat?)
design a building,     X
write a sonnet,        X
balance accounts,   X
build a wall,            X
set a bone,
comfort the dying,   X (Parents and mother-in-law)
take orders,            X  
give orders,            X
cooperate,             X
act alone,               X
solve equations,     X
analyze a new problem,  X
pitch manure,         X
program a computer,
cook a tasty meal,  X (Tasty to me count?)
fight efficiently,       X (Twice in my life and at least a draw each time)
die gallantly.             (Some day)
Specialization is for insects." -Robert A. Heinlein

I've put an X behind those I have done, some with a small explanation.  The rest are on my "Bucket List"

Aren't Quotes Fun?

In writing the last post, I used a quote I have used before that is attributed to George Orwell.  In looking for the exact quote, I came across this discussion  about the quote.  Being a curious person, I was intrigued with the background to the saying and how the saying evolved. 

But in reading the discussion, another quote in the same vein, from an essay by Orwell about Rudyard Kipling caught my eye, "He [Kipling} sees clearly that men can only be highly civilized while other men, inevitably less civilized, are to guard and feed them."  How often do we see that still today?  I guess that idea applies to all of man's history.  I immediately thought of not just warriors, but farm workers, mechanics and plumbers.  How often do we realize that the wonderful meal we just ate, or the car that was just repaired, or the water that comes out of our faucet weren't the result of some magic we conjured, but results from many people getting dirty and doing what we don't or won't do?  But am I the civilized person, or the less civilized? Do I take responsibility for what I am doing?

We garden and raise some animals for food.  We discuss where our food comes from and its background.  We drink whole milk and raise our own chickens for eggs. Hopefully we will be eating our own fowl soon. I'm reintroducing myself to fishing for another source of meat.  We talk about hunting, but the cost benefit is questionable in our area at this time.  That may change. Our children listen and argue with us and that is how they learn and we refine our thoughts and actions.  Overall it is a process that works for us.But still, which person am I?

I've been thinking about personal responsibility and personal choices lately. Certainly making decisions is a part of the everyday life of a coach.  Teaching is the same. Life is the same. My thoughts have been weighing the idea of "retiring" from teaching and working in another field, becoming the "less civilized" on purpose. Certainly this would mean a pay cut, but will the benefits outweigh that?  And that is not just monetary benefits. Certainly a decision like that would change how I could care for my family, be responsible to them.  But how would it change?  Maybe I could perform some things better.  Acquiring money isn't the only way I care for others. Maybe I could actually provide for my family in a better fashion.

I've written in the past about changes in my teaching situation.  More changes have taken place after those were written.  Maybe this change is just another in a string of life's changes.