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Posts Tagged ‘Shoes’

Saving Souls

Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on May 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »

It’s rainy and thundering this morning in Nashville. Can I just say again, I HATE tornado season. But dogs must be walked, so my Grand Dogs just came for a visit.

A little rain never stopped me from strolling Ms Bean, all I needed was an umbrella and my old sneakers! And speaking of weather-aware footwear, I’m happy to report the Love Bug has chosen her Bat Mitzvah project; she’s asking her family and friends to donate gently used shoes (or money if you prefer) to the non-profit, Nashville Soles4Souls. I’ll have to look through my shoe rack since my options have been limited to flats and sneakers, I’m sure I’ve got a few fancy heels I’ve hardly worn.

The Bug was surprised to learn that I wore Weejun loafers all the time and ‘kitten’ sling-back heels to dress up in college. Back in the 60s, we had to wear a skirt on the streets of Boston – no pants for us. And one pair of Keds was essential for dressing down. Not sure I ever wore high heels. I was happy to read that Kristen Stewart changed the rules for female footwear on the red carpet a few years ago by throwing off her stilettos! Supercilious symbols of sex appeal!

Tweens of today have the right idea. Most wear sneakers with anything and everything. I mean, if a retro pair of Converse was good enough for our almost Madame President… I’ve been wearing Asics for decades; through tennis, paddle ball, dance aerobics, and even a try at pickle ball, my gel-cushioned Asics have stood the test of time. Sneaker brand loyalty is definitely a thing. I once tried wearing a pair of HOKA sneaks I found on sale, and was nearly crippled! In fact, that pair can be donated if I didn’t already give them to the Bride – we wear the same size!

“As Soles4Souls, we give goods a second life—and people a second chance. Whether you’re donating, fundraising, or volunteering, your support reaches people near and far—helping those in crisis, empowering entrepreneurs, and reducing waste.” https://soles4souls.org/volunteer

This feels like my second chance at life, a do-over. Ever since the dreaded erev election fall, I’ve sworn off lug soles and slip-on mules. Did I ever tell you, after our Year of Living Dangerously, the Flapper could only wear chunky, two inch heels? The car’s engine had crushed her legs, and after months of immobility, when she was finally allowed to walk, one leg had healed two inches shorter than the other. My Mother simply adjusted her gait rather than limp.

My heart goes out to President Joe Biden and his family after his cancer diagnosis. Two Catholic kids from Scranton, PA, our stories are strangely similar. Only my Father died before the car accident that changed the trajectory of my family’s life. His wife and daughter were killed when a truck hit her car just weeks before Biden was sworn into the Senate. How does one go on after the unthinkable happens? Of course I was too young to understand. My foster parents were my guardian angels.

I wish Joe well on this next chapter. It is an opportunity to be honest with the American people, to let down his guard. As for me, I’ll put on my pink penny loafers and soldier on.

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Nana’s Old Man

Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , , , on June 3, 2021| 3 Comments »

We met the Bride et al for lunch, and a trip to our favorite bookstore, Parnassus. Ann Patchett walked in as we were checking out. Then I decided to check out this sneaker/running store in the same shopping center, they scan your feet and really know their stuff. I knew I had a high arch and instep, and this proved it! Instead of my usual Asics, a brand I’d been wearing for 20 years, I bought a pair of Finnish sneakers – Karhu. Maybe my feet will thank me, we’ll see.

As Bob and I were leaving, a woman about my age asked me how long we’d been married. I smiled and said “42 years today! It’s our anniversary!”

Then she proceeded to tell me how special and rare that is, that she could tell by the way we touch each other. She must have been watching us interact with the salesperson for awhile. We talked about building houses, and then she said her marriage ended in divorce.

I didn’t tell her it was all a bed of roses. I didn’t say we’d had our tough times, but we slogged through. I forgot to mention that the way he drives, drives me crazy, or that he likes to eat his food separately, and hates being told what to do. Especially if he was just about to do a thing, like take out the garbage.

I didn’t tell her that it was his smell I first fell in love with, back in high school, like freshly washed clothes hung out to dry on a line in the sun. I forgot to say he was my music man, my Nathan Detroit. That we have totally different tastes in almost everything: films; books; furniture. He has no use for style – he is the consummate scientist and I’m the artist. But we agree on most of the important things.

Like parenting and grandparenting and politics.

Religion or lack thereof.

Our mostly positive outlook on life.

Netflix this past year was hit or miss. But it’s rare to find him sitting down for a long period of time anyway. I’m currently watching The Kaminsky Method, and he sits in every now and then.

As we drove home today with my new sneakers, I thought about how lucky I am. Bob tends to the garden, he still loves to fly, he’s taking his (every 10 year) emergency medicine boards re-certification test online even though he’s retired, and he’s taken to doing the dishes which is only fair since I do the cooking. Although he has become the pasta chef extraordinaire! So maybe that’s a part of it, we still find each other interesting. We actually talk to each other.

And he will hold me when I can’t sleep.

Tonight we’ll celebrate at a swanky local restaurant, and tomorrow I have to be on set at 8 AM!! Believe it or not, I’m going to be a “hip nana” in a music video. Maybe this will be my second or third act?

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Fair Warning

Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , , , , , , on February 12, 2014| 1 Comment »

This post is early because chances are I’ll be buried in snow tomorrow, and our generator only powers the heat and the lights in the main part of the house. Which means my office will be down and wi-fi will be out.

Forecasters are predicting another “historic” snowstorm for VA. Like the kind we had the year after we moved into this mountain abode.

But this time Bob is home; he hasn’t camped out at the hospital and left me alone for days on end. When we lived in the Berkshires and the kids were little he did shift work, so he was home a lot. Which was good since we had to feed our woodstove all the time, especially when a Nor’easter hit and dumped 2 feet of snow in one fell swoop. I remember when the VA contractor asked us if we wanted wood burning or gas fireplaces in this little house, and we looked at each other and said “Gas” simultaneously. Bob is sure he wrecked his shoulders cutting and stacking many piles of wood on Windsor mountain back in the day.

I’ve heard there’s a shortage of snow boots in the North East. If I didn’t get the kids their boots and snow suits and mittens and hats in August, I was out of luck. We couldn’t order online in the 80’s, all we could do was go down to the main street in Pittsfield, MA and search by hand. We used to have ice skating Valentine’s parties on our pond, it was expected, this snow and ice. New Englanders are always prepared. Kids built snow forts while they waited for the school bus. We were a hardier crew. Or is it just my memory? Am I starting to sound like that old timer who walked 20 miles to school, through rain and snow and ice?

The snow has just started and I’ve got to finish some laundry and get dinner under way. Hope all of you stay warm and safe over the next few days.

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Pining or Pinning; that is the question

Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , , on March 10, 2012| 1 Comment »

Recently Mother Nature sent a tornado roaring through the Bride’s city and then dumped 8 inches of unexpected snow on us. In the midst of all this, hunkered down in the basement with her dogs and laptop, my lovely daughter thought she’d send me an invitation to join Pinterest. Without thinking, without knowing exactly what it was I was doing, I said “Sure!” and clicked OK! Instead of writing, or drawing a bath for stress relief, I was trapped by snow in my study and started Pinning away…

All of a sudden I had 33 followers, most of whom I don’t know, and 25 people “repinned” a picture I tacked onto my virtual bulletin board of a lap pool; this means they copied it into one of their Boards. What is Pinterest you might ask? Well I’m sure whoever invented it is going to make a bundle for one thing. It’s a platform that let’s you tack up pictures you find online (not from Facebook mind you) under “Boards” that you can create and rearrange at will. Reminds me of those collages kids make in middle school on poster board. For instance, my lap pool was under a Board I called “To Build or Not to Build.” Look at people’s Boards and you get a pretty good idea of what makes them tick. Attention Dr Jim, my Psychologist brother. People are Pinning pining for lap pools, puppies and travel spots. They are posting pictures of food they either want to make or have made. The Rocker’s band (Parlor Mob is on tour now – http://www.theparlormob.com/tourdates) asked their fans if they should join Pinterest. Overwhelming answer, “NO,” make music please.

So astute! Another great way to waste your time alone, in front of a computer. And yet, it has become a guilty pleasure. Here is where you can yearn for something, express your creative self, find like-minded, creepy strangers? But the way I think of it is the way the Flapper would cut out pictures and hang them on the refrigerator. She was a big Norman Vincent Peale gal. If you just visualize something, your mind will make it happen. The yin and yang of build it, and they will come.

Whoa! Someone just “repinned” my picture of an Oak Bluff’s carousel horse. This was under my “Favorite Things” Board. It is the oldest, still standing carousel in the US on Martha’s Vineyard, and my kids loved it when they were little. I wonder if the person repinning knows anything about it, or if she just likes the picture? I made a new Board today called “Smart Women” cause I was tired of the sexist tilt our country is experiencing and seeing all these stick skinny or glam celebrity pictures on other Boards.

Who benefits? Probably it’s free ads for some and just fun for others. My favorite shoe store Scarpa

Scarpa

is doing their philanthropic thing this week – bring in your gently used shoes to donate in exchange for a discount on their designer duds: http://www.thinkscarpa.com/blog/ Totally love this idea. I have a few Scarpa Pins on a “Fashionish” Board. Can you tell why?

My Closet

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