Confession.
A person who lives in a mid-sized camper van three quarters of the year (and sometimes longer) really should not have a shoe fetish. When it comes to the "useful" shoes I've managed to control myself for the most part- one pair of athletic shoes, one pair of plain black high tops, one pair of now almost antique Ariat's for horse riding, one pair of simple mid-heel sandals, you get the drift. But boots...
I thought I had the boots mostly, sort of, under control. Only about seven pairs of black boots of varying function, all of them suitable for gigs so that doesn't sound so bad, does it? Those are the boots which just barely fit in the little closet here at the houseboat. I believe there are a number of other pairs in storage but I haven't seen the inside of those boxes in, er... *pause to ask dadgaderie when we moved out of our house* ...five years now. (An aside- FIVE YEARS??? HOW THE HECK DID THAT HAPPEN?!?!??? My gods...)
Okay, I knew I had a problem but today it's become abundantly clear that I need to Deal with my Fetish.
I went out today for some Retail Therapy at Ballard Goodwill. It being spring and closets being cleared out there were plenty of cast off boots to peruse, none of which moved my needle or were near enough to my size to allow speculation except for one pair of what are sometimes called "booties," meaning ankle-height boots. I don't have any booties in my collection- not counting the Ariat's which used to be presentable for gigs but are now only fit for riding in- so I eyed them with interest.
Now I have some Rules when it comes to my shoe and boot buying. They can't be expensive (no $100 footwear on a folkie's income- the van's "feet" come first and those tires are going to cost a bundle when it's time to replace them), they must be in very good condition (especially the heels), they should be a useful color (that is to say black) but most of all, they must be comfortable and they must be leather.
These little booties weren't expensive at $7.00 and they were virtually unworn, so that was okay, and they were a lovely glossy black, so that was okay (no glossy boots in my collection) but they were a half size too small and worst of all, they were NOT LEATHER.
I don't know why I have a Problem with plastic or faux leather shoes but I just do. Somehow it seems Wrong, beyond the heat and sweat issues, a lie that just shouldn't be told. Weird but there it is.
I walked around the store in these little booties dithering over them for almost an hour. They were tight but bearable and that was with fairly thick socks on. I looked at them in a mirror and thought, golly, those are cute with these old jeans- too bad they're too small. I walked around in them thinking, well they may be small but boy they sure are solid to walk in even with that high heel. I tried on some blouses and looked at them in the mirror- yep, still cute, still solid to stand in...
I dithered some more and then of course I bought them thinking, I can always return them if I hate them later. I went home, googled the name on the insole and found basically the same bootie for about $100 new.
Then I put them on with thin socks and wore them pretty much all evening and though I wouldn't want to run away from rabid dogs or muggers in them I probably could bruise someone substantially with the heel and not lose my balance so of course I'm keeping them. Okay, I would have kept them even without the self-defense aspect- they're darn cute, a great deal and will look fabulous with my leather trousers and they certainly dress up these old jeans. Luckily, since they're so small, they'll fit okay in the closet but I don't think I can buy any more shoes at all unless I actually can bear to part with a pair to make room.
It would be amusing to me if my Shoe Fetish turned out to be the motivating factor in us getting a non-mobile home again.
I thought I had the boots mostly, sort of, under control. Only about seven pairs of black boots of varying function, all of them suitable for gigs so that doesn't sound so bad, does it? Those are the boots which just barely fit in the little closet here at the houseboat. I believe there are a number of other pairs in storage but I haven't seen the inside of those boxes in, er... *pause to ask dadgaderie when we moved out of our house* ...five years now. (An aside- FIVE YEARS??? HOW THE HECK DID THAT HAPPEN?!?!??? My gods...)
Okay, I knew I had a problem but today it's become abundantly clear that I need to Deal with my Fetish.
I went out today for some Retail Therapy at Ballard Goodwill. It being spring and closets being cleared out there were plenty of cast off boots to peruse, none of which moved my needle or were near enough to my size to allow speculation except for one pair of what are sometimes called "booties," meaning ankle-height boots. I don't have any booties in my collection- not counting the Ariat's which used to be presentable for gigs but are now only fit for riding in- so I eyed them with interest.
Now I have some Rules when it comes to my shoe and boot buying. They can't be expensive (no $100 footwear on a folkie's income- the van's "feet" come first and those tires are going to cost a bundle when it's time to replace them), they must be in very good condition (especially the heels), they should be a useful color (that is to say black) but most of all, they must be comfortable and they must be leather.
These little booties weren't expensive at $7.00 and they were virtually unworn, so that was okay, and they were a lovely glossy black, so that was okay (no glossy boots in my collection) but they were a half size too small and worst of all, they were NOT LEATHER.
I don't know why I have a Problem with plastic or faux leather shoes but I just do. Somehow it seems Wrong, beyond the heat and sweat issues, a lie that just shouldn't be told. Weird but there it is.
I walked around the store in these little booties dithering over them for almost an hour. They were tight but bearable and that was with fairly thick socks on. I looked at them in a mirror and thought, golly, those are cute with these old jeans- too bad they're too small. I walked around in them thinking, well they may be small but boy they sure are solid to walk in even with that high heel. I tried on some blouses and looked at them in the mirror- yep, still cute, still solid to stand in...
I dithered some more and then of course I bought them thinking, I can always return them if I hate them later. I went home, googled the name on the insole and found basically the same bootie for about $100 new.
Then I put them on with thin socks and wore them pretty much all evening and though I wouldn't want to run away from rabid dogs or muggers in them I probably could bruise someone substantially with the heel and not lose my balance so of course I'm keeping them. Okay, I would have kept them even without the self-defense aspect- they're darn cute, a great deal and will look fabulous with my leather trousers and they certainly dress up these old jeans. Luckily, since they're so small, they'll fit okay in the closet but I don't think I can buy any more shoes at all unless I actually can bear to part with a pair to make room.
It would be amusing to me if my Shoe Fetish turned out to be the motivating factor in us getting a non-mobile home again.