Shoes

Initially, when we talked about staying in SD until after Thanksgiving, due to hip replacement and cataract surgery touch-up/tweaking, I told Hubby I might have to go shoe shopping. A quick search uncovered the one pair of closed-toe, closed-heel shoes had been left in AZ. I wear them when we fly home to SD in January. I did not expect to need them before January in AZ this year.

So how many shoes does a woman need? If I found something comfortable, when I was working, I bought them in several colors. So did Hubby. He has shoes he bought before 2005 he has never worn. For certain, I needed more shoes when I was working than I need now in my retired life. The shoes I buy have always been more expensive because I used to wear a  10 AAA. I have a high instep, so not all brands fit well. Anytime I bought something less expensive, it soon became apparent it was a waste of money because the shoes did not fit right or feel right. Good shoes and a good fit are very important, especially after breaking my ankle in 2007.


When this stuff arrived last weekend,

my hiking books were the most practical, though not exactly what I wanted to be wearing to church or the weekend wedding we are hoping to attend.


I did a more thorough search of my shoe collection. I have gotten rid of some of the shoes I have collected. I do not have as many shoes as some of my AZ friends who shall remain nameless and who shop for shoes at EVERY opportunity. Some of these friends bring trailers to AZ to haul their shoes, or buy bumper storage containers to bring their additional shoes home in the spring.... Not really, but they do have WAY MORE SHOES than I.

This is what I have worn all summer. I love these shoes. Even now, I wear them around the house. Not too practical for 8 inches of snow and temps in the teens.

I  bought these on the August trip to the Black Hills. They are a little more practical for outdoor summer wear than the rubber sandals in the above photo. I was wearing these (no socks) in November, BS-before snow. Not very practical for the current weather conditions.

This is the "winter" shoe collection; open backs, closed toes. The two pair on the left are from my teaching days, more than 10 years old. The "dressy-to-me" black sandal heels were wedding shoes in 2006. The brown ones were bought after I retired, but again are close to 10 years old. They have not been worn much as you can still read the brand.

Point of all this is I am no longer comfortable wearing open-backed shoes when walking on ice. They were fine on carpet in a classroom. 

I recused these from the winter collection as I thought they were the most practical until I could go shopping. 

My new closed-toe, closed-heel shoes. Comfortable. Practical. Dressy enough. Shoes like everything else have gone up in price. $$$ for a pair of shoes! YIKES!

The sales woman wanted to know if I wanted to try on a winter boot. I told her I did not plan to be around that long. If boots are necessary, the hiking boots will do just fine. I am now set. Bring it on WINTER!