Satchels & Shoes: The Replacements

I have a favorite pair of shoes that I love to wear in the fall/ spring/ winter time. They're lace up brown loafers with a chunky heel. I've had them for about... 10 years. The leather is cracked, the laces have been replaced so many times I've lost count, I had to put in Dr. Scholls Magellan Gellin' insoles in many times, and now the sole has a hole- the sort that if I step in a puddle or walk through damp grass I shall have to endure a wet sock for the duration. So these shoes should be retired.

Well, last spring, I did get a replacement pair. And I was excited because they were so close to my favorite shoe. I wore the replacement pair around for a few days, deemed them worthy, but I couldn't get rid of the old pair; I just bequeathed them space in the rear of my closet. Then I wore the replacements to Ireland. And I got blisters. I didn't get a little tiny baby blister but the sort of blister that... COVERED THE ENTIRE BOTTOM OF MY FOOT!!!!!!!!!!! On BOTH feet- 1 on each heel and one on each 'ball' of my feet. And on the tops of my toes and the side of each pinky toe and on the back heel of my left foot. (These blisters actually left a sort of weird type of scarring on the bottoms of my feet in the form of discoloration of the skin in the blister shaped pattern that remains today) I was in utter misery because this happened on the first day of my trip to Dublin. I never wore the shoes again. I have no idea why I even lugged the bastards home from Europe because when I got here, I showed Daddy-O my feet, bought blister pads, and threw the offending footwear in the nearest Dumpster- And yes, I'm sure there was some starving person to whom I could've given these shoes but I would've felt terrible if my charity shoes ruined someone else's feet- what if I cursed them? Here's a picture of the offenders!

Okay, so today Daddy-O and I went shopping and lo- and behold- I got another replacement pair for the replacements. And these are Sketchers, which is what I should've bought in the first place rather then the cheap knock offs that about made my feet fall off- literally! I love love love my Sketcher tennise shoes so if these are even one tenth as comfortable and don't leave blisters, then they could be the perfect pair of casual shoes!

So there they are: the NEW replacements, part deux. And a cute green Nine & Co. bag.

In Shoes We Trust,
Maggie