Thursday, October 27, 2005, 21:49
Walking Shoes
As the dogs and I went for a walk along the dirt road this morning, I started thinking about a pair of shoes I had seen advertised in one of the catalogs that showed up in my mailbox a while back. I have no idea why I started thinking about the shoes. I just did, that's all.
Anyway, the shoes -- ladies walking shoes -- available in black! -- were listed as "thousand mile" shoes and were guaranteed to last through one thousand miles of walking.
A quick calculation revealed to me that the shoes would last for 8 months. I generally walk 4 or 5 miles a day, between doing my outside chores, my inside chores, and going for walks with the dogs.
And of course, what I want to know is -- what happens to the shoes when you hit a thousand miles? Are they okay up until mile 999, but then you get to one thousand, they fall apart on your feet and go up in a puff of black smoke?
At any rate, I like my shoes to last longer than 8 months. That's why I wear work boots. Men's work boots, to be precise, even though I have to wear 3 or 4 pairs of socks in them. I tried a pair of women's work boots a few years ago. They were as expensive as the men's boots but they started to fall apart after only two months of wear.
The thousand mile shoes wouldn't be any good for me, anyway, because what would happen if Isabelle or Kajun stepped on my foot? The shoes didn't look like they would provide much protection for my toes if a thousand pounds of horse stepped on my foot.
And what about all the muck and mud that I walk through sometimes? The ladies walking shoes did not look as if they would hold up very well in mud or muck or even wet grass. We have a lot of wet grass around here in the mornings during the spring, summer and fall.
And the ladies shoes certainly wouldn't be very good in knee-deep snow. I'd probably lose one of them in the bottom of a drift and then wouldn't be able to find it until spring. Although, if I lost it in the driveway, I might find it with the snowblower -- or Randy might find it with the tractor and bucket when he plows snow.
I'm happy with my work boots. They suit me fine. They're not very pretty. They certainly wouldn't win me any awards for being a "fashion plate" -- but they suit me fine. Especially when I'm working around the horses or going for a walk with the dogs or wading through the mud and the muck and the snow.
LeAnn R. Ralph
Wednesday, October 26, 2005, 19:15
Cedar Waxwings
For the last few days, the cedar waxwings have been quite entertaining, fluttering and twittering among the branches of the cedar tree by the living room window that my dad and I planted nearly 30 years ago.
This morning, while I was rinsing carrots and cutting off tops in the yard, the cedar waxwings were in the tree again, dining on the blue Juniper berries. There's maybe between 30 and 40 of them in the flock.
I didn't know it, but my little tabby, Bobby-Cat, was sitting in the cedar tree, watching the birds. Another kitty cat decided he wanted to share the branch with Bobby, which was out of the question, as far as Bobby was concerned.
"Raaa-oowwwwww!" Bobby-Cat screamed.
That was it for the cedar waxwings. They flew out of the tree in one bunch and headed for the oak tree across the yard.
A moment later, Bobby-Cat hopped out of the tree. I could tell by her expression and demeanor that she was as disgusted as a cat could be.
A few minutes later, the cedar waxwings returned.
I am always fascinated by watching cedar waxwings fly. They burst out of the tree in a group, flying so close together that I wonder how they can fly that way without hitting their wings against each other. The other thing I wonder is -- how do they know where to fly? How do they communicate where they are going to fly? It is as if they are of one mind as they fly up and then turn to fly toward the oak tree at the edge of the yard.
From now until next spring, we will see the cedar waxwings from time to time. The cedar tree has plenty of berries for them to eat. It usually does. And after all these years, we are starting to find cedar seedlings, too, that the cedar waxwings have so kindly planted at the edge of the yard near their other favorite perch in the big oak tree. We have transplanted some of the seedlings below the bank of the lower driveway, and if they make it through a few more winters, we will eventually have a cedar tree hedge.
Isabelle's Shelter We have the fence back up again, and Isabelle is enjoying exploring her shelter. The weather hasn't been bad enough yet for her to stand inside of it for any length of time, but at least it's there if she needs it or wants it. Randy has taken to calling it Izzy's Abode. He thinks we ought to spray-paint "Izzy's Abode" across the back. Right.
Pictures I have added another picture to the photo album. It is a picture of the inside of Norton Church. This is the setting for the stories "A Miracle of Sorts" and "Jeg Er Sa Glad Hver Julekveld (I Am So Glad Each Christmas Eve)" from my book *Christmas in Dairyland.*
To see a larger image of a picture, just click on the picture.
LeAnn R. Ralph