If It's Messy, Barn Boots Are The Best

When we moved out to the country we lived across the street from a hog farm. The couple had three children and they were all a bit strange. They were nice enough people, but they did weird things. The couple had met when he purchased the farm. The land he purchased adjoined the woman’s parent’s farm. Within a year of him moving there they were married. This meant she lived less than a mile from her parents.

Because farm work can be messy and barn yards muddy many people wear barn boots. This type of boot is made of rubber so you can hose them down when they get dirty. Many barn boots also have reinforced steel toes to protect your toes if something falls on your foot. Due to the material they are made of and the steel reinforcements, barn boots are quite warm and heavy to wear. Barn boots are meant to be worn as convenient and safe footgear when working around the barn. This family wore barn boots everywhere.

The family would walk to her parent’s house often. The two families shared in completing much of the farm work. No mater what time of year it was the family would be walking the mile between the two farms in the barn boots. The woman and her mom would also walk for exercise and the woman would have her boots on. In the summer she would wear the barn boots with shorts.

Because she did not work outside the home and farm the neighbor woman would like to come over and talk with me when ever she saw me outside. I worked as a social worker so I spent my day talking with people about their problems. In the evenings I wanted to work in my garden and have quiet time. My husband would laugh at me because I would sneak out my back door to avoid her seeing me. I think she would use binoculars to see if I was in the garden because it would not take long and she would be over in our yard telling me about all her troubles. I tried explaining to her several times that I needed quiet time, but she did not get it.

One day I had an extremely bad day at work. I told my husband that I needed to be outside. I knew that if I tried to go for a walk she would follow me and eventually catch up. I had my husband call to the neighbors so that she would be in the house and on the telephone. I then went out the back door and cut through a hayfield to get to the road. As I was walking off my frustrations from work I began to feel better. As I was walking back home I noticed my husband cutting across the hay field to join me. We laughed about the extremes we needed to go through to avoid the barn boots people.

Why I Love Ballet Shoes

Ballet shoes

My daughter just began ballet lessons. She told me, on her fourth birthday, that she wanted to be a ballerina when she grew up. Nothing thrilled me more than knowing that I had a true little girl. She wanted nothing to do with being a tomboy. I put her into some creative dance classes that they recommended before actually going into ballet. Her instructors told me after the first year, that they thought she would be perfect for beginner ballet lessons. I was even happier than she was.

We rushed out to buy the outfits that she would need for classes. She looked absolutely darling in her tights and tiny tutu. I was taking pictures every few seconds. Then, came the moment when we had to find ballet shoes. The salesperson was very helpful but my daughter didn't like the way that the ballet shoes felt on her feet. I explained to her that ballet shoes were supposed to feel like that and if she wanted to take the class, she needed to get them. She pouted for a few moments and then agreed. We left the store, ballet shoes in tow.

Her first class was a week later. She was all decked out elegantly in her new outfit but refused to put the ballet shoes on. After pleading with her for 15 minutes, I told her she could wear sandals and put her ballet shoes on when we arrived. She packed them in her bag but told me that she would be dancing in her sandals. I sighed and thought that I'd leave the drama to her teacher. We arrived and all of the other girls in her class were running around happily in their outfits with their ballet shoes on. My daughter removed her sandals but was content to walk around barefoot. I whispered the issue to the teacher, who agreed to deal with it. She approached my daughter, whispered something, and before I knew it, the ballet shoes were on her feet. Amazed, I left the room.

She's now in high school and we've gone through many pairs of ballet shoes. She has definitely continued to chase her dream of wanting to be a ballerina and she's off to a tremendous start. My heart soars proudly whenever I see her carrying those pink ballet shoes to class. I can't even tell you how many of my paychecks have been spent on buying outfits and ballet shoes. I can tell you that I have never once complained about a single moment of it. It has been worth every penny. I still have that first pair of tiny ballet shoes that were purchased and almost not worn. They are sitting on my dresser, next to her first picture in a ballet recital. How I love those ballet shoes.

5 inch Heel Shoes, A Right of Passage

Getting my high heeled shoes was kind of a rite of passage for me. You see, I grew up as sort of a tomboy. I hated dressing up. I would much rather be out back, climbing trees with the boys or playing football. Going to church was the worst. I hated all those fancy dresses and skirts. That is why I would not even look at high heel shoes. That is, until my older sister made me try on her 5 inch heels.

If you have never worn a 5 inch heel shoe before, there's just no way for you to imagine what it is like. You are towering up on a tiny spike, perilously suspended above the ground. This may seem to be an exaggeration to you, but this is exactly how it feels. The first time I put on that 5 inch heel shoe, I fell over almost immediately. It is not like I wanted to wear it anyway, and trying it out was such a hassle.

My sister actually made me put on the 5 inch heel shoe when she was babysitting me. She literally held me down and would not let me get up until I promised to try on the shoe. It was humiliating, and I hated it at first. After a while, however, it started to grow on me. I liked the challenge of walking around the house in a 5 inch heel. I liked the way it made me shake my hips while I walked. Although I still felt like a tomboy, I was getting to the age where I liked attention from the boys, and wearing a 5 inch heel would give me just that.

Of course I was never allowed to wear the 5 inch heels again. Once my sister found out that I liked it, she kept the 5 inch stiletto shoes away from me. Nonetheless, I did get to wear prettier shoes from then on. My mom was thrilled to see that I was getting more into girls shoes and girls fashion, and was willing to indulge me with a few trips to get new clothes. It was really a lot of fun, and it actually made me feel freer. You see, I could still dress up like a boy when I wanted to, but I also got to dress up like a girl. And as soon as I got old enough, I bought a 5 inch heel of my very own.