Contrary to what management at my part-time shift-work job may think, not all of my always belongs to them.
The whole rest of my time, aside from when I'm clocked in there, belongs to me.
Since those long hours of pounding on concrete floors are brutal on my feet, legs, back, shoulders, arms, and neck ... it behooves me to do the best I can for them with the rest of that always. It kind of stinks because the whole thing was to spare my body the hurting feet, shin splints, aching muscles that I had assumed just went with the territory of that job. I assumed it right up until the 24 shifts I put in wearing the experimental versions of my happy feet boots and learned the difference.
Being as appearances trump health and comfort, my poor body is going to have to cope with the consequences and hope it never amounts to anything more than the 'normal' pain associated with the job when my feet send the hurting up my legs, which makes them hurt and not want to take the burden that usually belongs to those big strong muscles. That pushes the load onto my smaller more vulnerable back muscles, which makes them rebel and refuse to take the strain. That puts the load onto my shoulders, arms, and makes for a pretty stiff neck from stress and tension. And that's not even counting the headaches from said tension along with those bright spotlights that trigger my bad eye into its own kind of pain and flips the headaches into migraines.
So yeah.
I'm darned well going to get these pairs of happy feet boots soled in leather and finished up - even though I can't wear them for their intended purpose, there's not a soul in this big wide world with the authority to inform me that I can't wear them whenever I'm not at that shift-work job.
Okay, that's it for my rant.
In case you don't already know, that blue stuff is liquid rubber - not exactly 'liquid' but it's a consistency a person can paint onto stuff. It makes the soles and a bit up the sides of my happy feet boots waterproof and non-skid. The smurf-blue is newly painted on; the darkening stuff is drying into the dark navy blue it will stay.
Not that you'll see it.
Once these coats are dry I'll add another one just before I put the leather on.
One thing about this rubber stuff is that it's a terrific adhesive - bonds things together, it does. So it will work as a waterproof glue to hold the leather in place.
The plan is to run the leather up the sides far enough to be able to use for lacing bases.
IF I were going to use these for that shift-work job I'd take the leather and laces clear up past my ankles for that extra support - but - since I don't have to worry about that I'll save my leather for when my friend gets the new thick felted wool boot forms to me and I actually make the final version of these happy feet boots!
*laughing*
Not that there's any real shortage of leather.
I hit the jackpot recently on a jaunt to our local Frip Shop, remember. I've got lots of black leather and some really really beautifully buttery soft brown.
Even so, there's no point in wasting it, right?
Right.
Onward.
The top pair up above (the ones that are almost dry now) go with a matching sweater vest (the boots were the sleeves) and a pair of ear muffs made from the wide upper part of the sleeves I cut off to make the boots fit right. I'll wear a pair of black wool pants tucked into the boots and a wonderful black merino sweater under the vest.
The lower pair has a matching scarf and mittens to go with them.
Yep.
It's all an experiment to see what still might need adjusting before I get the actual final pairs of boot forms. Which isn't to say that I'm not going to wear these, because I most certainly will.
I've also got a pair of lightweight bright red ones I wear lined with my felted wool 'footprints' as inside soles - very comfortable with wool socks. They're my slippers.
And I've still got the original pairs (one black, one brown) my friend made for me. I'm still using them for experimental purposes.
So that's it for the time being.
This woman is heading for bed and some good solid rest while the rubber stuff finishes drying. Tomorrow will be soon enough to get the leather designed and cut.
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