Someone mentioned on another forum, about how during WWII things were rationed such as meat, shoes, etc. you were only allowed 1 pair a year. Now I realize the shoes back then were really sturdy all leather things, we never see any more, but if you could only buy 1 pair a year, what kind would it be? Name brand, type, price etc. I thought this would be fun! I stopped wearing heels long ago, but still wear loafer type shoes to church, town, school etc. at home I just wear tenny shoes or flip flops, in the barn I wear old tenny shoes, I usually have a good pair and a bad pair, the good pair I can go to town in or go walking in, the old pair is for the garden, barn, etc. I know some ladies that would have a VERY hard time chooseing 1 pair and a practical pair at that, of course none of us homesteaders would be so silly as to buy a pair of pumps for our one and only pair. On the Sept. 11th tragedy many people literally ran out of their shoes! I guess todays office shoes just aren't practical during terrorist attacks or fight or flight situations? I think I'd a shucked my clothes if it meant me getting away faster, so sad for the ones who didn't even get a chance to run.

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), September 22, 2001

Answers

Cowboy boots! name brand, type and price dont' matter when it comes to comfort. Cowboy boots can be scuffed, dirty and have been walking in manure all day long, and can be cleaned up and worn out as Sunday going to meeting shoes!

They look great with pants, dresses, and even shorts!

you can walk, run, ride and even dance in them! not so good for swimming in but you could I guess if you wanted to. You could drink from them or use them to carry things in.

Yep! Cowboy Boots get my vote!

-- westbrook (westbrook_farms@yahoo.com), September 22, 2001.

The first year it would be hiking boots, the second year a really good pair of athletic shoes. We have Vasque hiking boots and if I was only allowed one pair at all, it would be them. I agree about cowboy boots, but we're older and need cushion in our shoes.

-- dee (www.bdforce@theriver.com), September 22, 2001.

Let us step outside the (shoe)box for a moment and go just left of off topic. In the actual occasion of shoe rationing, there is certainly no need to go with only one pair. Sure, purchase the strongest, finest example of whatever you need most (probably a nice multi-season military surplus grunt boot pour moi). However, once that is done, you are quite free to MAKE as many pairs of shoes as your little feet can wear. Wind up braided rope - like you would start a braided rug - until it's the size of your feet, sew up, and add your choice of straps - voila, sandals that'll outlast those Wally World specials by several seasons. There are several books in the library that show how to make more complicated shoes, from boots to loafers, and even a book you can order from the back of many sewing magazines that offers fairly easy to follow instructions for making your own high heeled pumps!

Truly, our urbanized friends would bitch and moan and their lamenting would be a saddening sight to see and hear, for they would never think of sullying their hands enough to actually MAKE shoes - just wouldn't occur to them. But not us! We would go proudly marching into town every month (whether we need it or not) wearing our hand made, custom fitted, off the wall (and probably scrounged-material) farmland special sneaker-boots with the roach-killer tips and the convertible tops that come off to leave respectable dinner sandals, complete with cow-horn toggles and jingly bells. Just see if I don't.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), September 22, 2001.

Where I live we have seasons so the needs are different than, say, Florida. I have a pair of those Vasque hiking boots that were a gift back when I was single. My youngest is now 21 (another 'gift' from the same person) and the boots still show no signs of wear other than scuffs. I also have a pair of Columbia brand weatherproof insulated high top shoes that are great in winter and in mud. With those and some dress shoes I seldom wear and a vast supply of still unboxed basketball shoes in closets I'm pretty well set. I'd probably look to trade my shoe coupons for something else. ;o)

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), September 22, 2001.

Soni had a good idea about making shoes. We have had for many years a book on how to make your own shoes -- my husband actually has made a very nice pair of sandals using the directions in the book. But a lot of people would have trouble finding leather, I would think, and fabric isn't as durable. Back in the Colonial era, a lot of the poorer people wore either mocassins, or wooden shoes like the Dutch used to wear. I don't know how comfortable the wooden shoes were, but with a thick pair of wool socks they'd probably be all right if you weren't going on long hikes in them -- and most people could scrounge a bit of wood to carve shoes out of.

As far as the original question, I would have to disagree with the cowboy boots unless you knew you would never have to walk very far! Good sturdy leather walking shoes or hiking boots would be much more practical. I don't wear my dress shoes for anything but church, so the ones I have will last for years (as long as we don't have teething puppies in the house!).

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 22, 2001.

cowboy boots AND shorts?? ( might be a redneck if,,,,,). For me,, I'll go with my workboots,, REDWINGS #1212. I use them for everything,, even going on,, after I put a new coat of oil on em. But wear shorts with them?/ only if IM working

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), September 22, 2001.

One pair of shoes? The best pair of hiking boots I could get for the least amount of money. I have a pair of hiking boots I've had for over ten years. I wear them almost every day and yes I wear them with shorts in the summer.

-- Grannytoo (jacres40@hotmail.com), September 22, 2001.

Quality!!!! work boots.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), September 22, 2001.

I agree with Stan, REDWINGS(women's) They are great !! I first found these after years of restaurant work and tired feet. After I left the food business and long hours on my feet, I still found these best for the homestead. They are comfortable, durable and almost indestructable. I wear my older ones ( 6 yrs old) outdoors and when they get real bad just hose them down. I plan to buy another pair real soon to wear for winter. Now, they are not really pretty, but they are worth the extra cost in quality and comfort. Redwings..Yeah

-- Ria in Ky (MinMin45@aol.com), September 22, 2001.

Well, I suppose one could buy any of a number of different styles of shoes but whatever you bought would have to be high quality to get long service out of them and very importantly they have to be a type that can be resoled and reheeled when necessary. A high quality pair of shoes can be made to last for many years if you can replace the soles and heels as they wear down.

If *I* had to choose just a pair of shoes I'd go with Redwing Wellington boots. I have two pairs now and they've done very well by me after all these years. You can add gel cushioned insoles if you like (they're a *must* for me).

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (oneliveoak@yahoo.com), September 22, 2001.

This is also a tad off topic, but if you were going to make your own shoes--why not use recycled tire treads? I like to wear my rubber boots doing my farm chores but I was just thinking today of the damage I am doing to my knees and feet because there isn't any shock absorbsion/cushion. Any ideas? Tire treads, ha,ha?

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), September 22, 2001.

For me the best shoe would be a good quality leather USA made sensible shoe such as Eastland or Red Wings. Finding USA made shoes anymore is very difficult! Personally I don't care for boots and certainly wouldn't wear them in summer - too hot and too hard to get off and on but my husband loves Red Wing boots.

-- ugly (here@home.com), September 22, 2001.

in Vietnam, and assumeing ALOT of other third world places,, they would make shoes out of tire tread, cut em,, lace em up

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), September 22, 2001.

That pair of sandals that my husband made, that I mentioned above, had tire tread soles. They will last just about forever -- though the leather uppers will wear out in time. Much of what we buy in the stores now is *meant* to wear out -- otherwise they couldn't sell us *more* shoddy goods six months down the line, and they would go out of business.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 22, 2001.

Danner hiking boots. Never had another brand last longer and I go through boots like you wouldn't believe. Bean's and Cabela's all leather hikers are close seconds. Most of my colleagues prefer Redwings or White's but I really like the comfort of a hiker rather than a true logger boot. I'll skimp on a lot of things but never on boots. Buy the best you can possibly afford, you won't regret it.

-- Susan (smtroxel@socket.net), September 22, 2001.

I vote with Susan on the Danner boots. I found a pair in my size at the BassPro outlet store ($14, thank you very much!) in Springfield MO last fall and they require the addition of a cushioned insole of your choosing. I've been wearing them as needed and we did a lot of walking, not hiking, on a recent vacation. Those boots were wonderful even for that. I have flat feet and arthritis in my ankles and knees so saying they are comfortable is really saying something.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), September 22, 2001.

One pair a year? I'd have to go with my Workforce brand work boots. Comfort, support and I only buy one new pair a year anyway and I still wear the pair I bought three years ago (even though they have been resoled once and the insides may not make it another year)for the nastiest times.The other two pair I alternate every other day and all three pair get saddle soaped and oiled monthly. I used to wear RedWing till they got too expensive. For dress wear I keep one pair of black custom made western boots that I got from a local shoe and leather craftsman 10 years ago.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), September 22, 2001.

I wear Mason Shoes all the time. I think they are as good as Redwing and for less money. Go to www.masonshoes.com and check them out. You can even become a dealer and get them at dealers price and help your neighbors out also.

-- Mel Kelly (melkelly@webtv.net), September 22, 2001.

Ariat Performer Pro's, color: bay. I love Ariats and practically live in them. I think they're around $150.00 but I haven't bought a pair in a while. I already have 2 pair of Ariat Competitors, and a pair of Ariat Extremes-nice insulated winter boots.

Stacy in NY

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), September 22, 2001.

Hello Carol, Probably the best pair of shoes I still own are a pair of Berkenstocks that I bought to work in the kitchens of Walt Disney World. I bought them for $70.00! They are made of thick rubber and look like a cross between a clog and an "earth shoe". They have a lining that you can take out and change if necessary. When they got dirty I would just take out the lining and "run" the shoes through the dish machine at work! I wore them every day during my last three years at Walt Dinsey World and I still have them here on my homestead as great gardening shoes. Now, after four years under those conditions, the tread still looks almost new! Sincerely, Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), September 22, 2001.

I would by all means make moccasins. My sister lived for a few years in northern Ontario with the natives, and they taught her so much. She came home with all kinds of neat things, like homemade snowshoes, and beaded moosehide moccasins that were lined with rabbit fur. I never felt anything so wonderful on my feet! Now there's some real cushioning for you older folks!

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), September 22, 2001.

What?! No one else digs their plastic garden clogs as much as I do? I have a heavy pair for winter, and flimsy ones for the rest of the year. Socks are always optional, they're ridiculously easy to clean, and they always look decent enough to wear out & about. Don't know what I'd do without mine. (By the way, I bought one pair for $40 from the catalog, and the other pair for $9 at a Wal-Mart type store. I like the cheaper ones better.)

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), September 23, 2001.

Leather clogs! Last pair cost $95.00 and that was 5 YEARS ago! I wear them almost everyday alternating New Balance sneakers and Red Wing boots.

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), September 23, 2001.

My garden clogs (rubbery duck boot type) were great until the uppers split down the middle. I wore them almost everywhere (quick jaunts to store, to the lumber mill etc etc..not to church) so they lasted only about one year. Now I have suede rubber soled clogs that I got at payless and I have been wearing them like crazy since last December as well as second hand sneakers and my rubber boots. I love clogs and rubber boots so those would be my vote..one for dry weather, one for wet.

-- Alison in NS (aproteau@istar.ca), September 24, 2001.

I've been buying only one pair of shoes a year for about the last 7 or 8 years. I buy my new pair in April or May because I don't want to wear a new pair in winter's snow, salt, and early spring mess. Then I use the older pair for "yard shoes" that summer. The brand? Rockport. The most comfortable and long-lasting shoes I've ever owned. I spend about $85 on a pair.

-- Steve in So. WI (Alpine1@prodigy.net), September 24, 2001.

And go barefoot as much as possible. It saves the shoes for cold weather, and actually is good for your feet. The fresh air and natural massaging action of the earth under you is just what nature ordered for feet. Hey, we ARE trying to be old-fashioned, arent we?

-- daffodyllady (daffodyllady@yahoo.com), September 24, 2001.

I have a pair of Vasque hiking/working boots (nessasary) and a pair a Rockport fisherman sandles that I wear as dress shoes-I sometimes work as substitute teacher so these are considered nessasary. (I can wear these with heavy socks/Tights in winter) I have a pair of leather clogs to fill in gaps between the other two, and a pair of Teva River sandles. These shoes pretty much get me through every thing. I ordered all through Sierra Trading post-they have a web site-great quality stuff, very reasonable prices. I also have some great garden clogs I picked up at a thrift store for a buck, and some cheap sneaks but I'm not much of a sneaker fan. Birkenstocks are also great if you can afford them I had a pair for years and years. I finally got out of the cheap shoe habit-I only buy one or two pairs a year but I get the best I can.

-- kelly (markelly@scrtc.com), September 24, 2001.

Daffodylady, actually going barefoot isn't really all that great on your feet. I used to go barefoot all the time, to the point where I could run on sharp gravel. My feet are much healthier now that I wear shoes most of the time -- softer, but no painful cracks, no cuts, punctures, or scratches. And some places (warmer climates than where we are now) you can pick up a couple of kinds of parasites by going barefoot. Oh, and keeping shoes on also means no manure all over the tootsies, too (my grandfather said the reason I had big feet was because they were well fertilized!). And I can get a lot more work done (house work and outside work) if I keep my shoes on!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), September 24, 2001.

Good question!! I would have to agree with boots. I think you can find a pair of boots to work in that also look good even with a dress. I know some may cringe at this idea but I find good dress shoes in thrift stores to wear at work and save my money to buy good boots. Thrifty people can still be well dressed and practical!

-- Vickie in Oklahoma (ouvickie@hotmail.com), September 24, 2001.

I would have to go with my rubber Birkenstock clogs. They sound like Ernest's same ones. I wear them every single day for garden and animal chores...have had them over 10 years and they are in great shape. They are warm in the winter with socks and protect your feet too. I can't say I wear them to town much anymore, but they were pretty cute when they were newer. My second choice would be work boots. But I do prefer clogs.

-- Jenny Pipes (Auntjenny6@aol.com), September 26, 2001.

Clogs for me too. I found some Haflinger brand wool clogs with a closed back so they are more like a shoe on sale for 90.00. They are the most comfortable things in this world and they look great. The wool breathes so is cool in warm weather and warm in the cold. I do almost everything in them except slog in the mud or manure. That calls for my trusty rubber boots!

-- Amy (gshep@aeroinc.net), September 26, 2001.

Shoes are overated and not the absolute necessity as commonly believed today. I agree with daffodyllady that going barefoot often is best, especially around home. I'm barefoot reguarlly as are my kids with no problems including germs &/or parasites for many years now. For some interesting medical evidence on this idea see this link www.barefooters.org/medicine/

Gary barefootd

-- Gary Noland (barefootdad@hotmail.com), September 27, 2001.