Book Review: Made for Walking

My faithful readers know how important boots are to me, living in a wetland! What an idea for a book, showing the changes in fashion over time! I think the title clever, too. My fave is the 1964 French designer André Courrèges boot, AKA the Go Go boot!

🎶🎶🎶These Boots Are Made For Walkin', I can just hear Nancy Sinatra singing it!

In the words of renowned designer Beth Levine, "Boots moved into prominence the same time The Pill did. Both were symbols of a woman’s new freedom and emancipation."

You can view a few pages on the publisher's website: Made for Walking: A Modest History of the Fashion Boot. They sent it to me for review.

The book is an interesting one. There are lots of photos, as well as a pictograph, which compares boots and boot shapes and styles over time: the riding boot, Edwardian ankle boot, the Russian boot, rain boot, Cuissarde boot (over the thighs).

There are end notes, a bibliography, and an index. Peake has done his research! The author, Andy Peake, is a writer and a museum curator. He also writes a blog.

ATGLEN, PA - Social meets fashion history in the tantalizing story of the boot from the Roaring Twenties and Prohibition to online shopping and fashion blogs. Weaving together such unlikely elements as Glam Rock, the martyrdom of Joan of Arc, and the Iran-Contra scandal, it shows how the modern fashion boot plays with our ideas of gender, straddling the line between practical and stylish, between fashion and fetish.

Whirlwind tour of Ottawa

We were supposed to have lunch with JB's aunt Monday, but she's having some issues. We thought we'd do some errands in the city (Ottawa), anyway, before the freezing rain began and rush home. The green is rain, the blue, snow.

The snow was being blown by the wind as we made it into Bells Corners.

Hubby had a couple of things to pick up at Carlingwood Mall. It's a formerly Sears-anchored mall. Sears is done in Canada. The blurry photo is pathetic. Rather fitting. The parking lot is bereft. I feel so badly for those whose pensions have gone, while they paid upper management millions in bonuses for staying on to shut down the company.

Coincidentally, the mother of an FB photographer buddy parked behind us in the parking lot. She lives in Merrickville. She posted that on FB and I had a good laugh. We have never met and might not recognize one another!

That said, there are still a number of stores in the mall. I found myself a new suitcase. Hubs says they match my red boots, which aren't waterproof BTW.


We dropped off a gift to my daughter, as well as the loan of my soprano recorder. I love music. I haven't a photo of me playing my little recorder, but I have a photo of the autoharp. I played and sang in church many times, both in choirs and solos. I joined the church choir with my parents when I was 13.

Josee is taking recorder lessons and will borrow my recorder. I've had it for close to 20 years, I think. It's a one-piece, a good style for newbies. In music camp, one summer,  I met some interesting players. I've often toyed with getting an alto or deeper recorder. I just need some motivation.

It was a lovely drive, considering the storm that was on its way.


We stopped to buy some mealworms for tree frog. He's still in the plant. He sang when I played the piano a few weeks ago. He sang randomly, when we were watching evening TV. The cats were amused.

I'm so sad. Big Al's closed in Kanata. In August! I didn't know. Its other Ottawa store is about 100 km away, in Orleans! This other one was on our way into Ottawa.

We spoke to a young man who worked in the Pet Store nearby. He said that Al's had management issues, yet many people still come into this store asking about things. He sold us some spray for the easy chairs. You can see how well it worked the first day. Yay, Annabelle.

Other purchases, a green tablecloth, new kitchen knives, and drink mugs.

We had lunch in Perth, on the way home. The snow had started and things were deteriorating.

Dead stop on the 417 right at island park west bound #otttraffic pic.twitter.com/1eIdpItsmq

— Janet Rochon (@janetsplanet16) January 22, 2018

@MIHomeYGK @OttTraffic @cbcallinaday Perth Road, north of #ygk - freezing rain for an hour. Accumulating like crazy. Doing about 60km/hr. Super sketchy. #ontstorm pic.twitter.com/wsc1u1g7qM

— Jana J (@StellarJana) January 22, 2018

Josee took piano lessons, and can read music. They are learning this at school.
Izzy is still taking ukulele lessons. Mommy sent me a photo.

New boots!

How many pairs of boots do you have?! I started counting and was quite embarrassed.

 I had four pairs. Two dress pairs, with heels, that are becoming increasingly uncomfortable as I age. A tall pair to wear with dresses, which need an insert. I haven't worn them all year.  The last pair I use when I snowshoe, or muck about elsewhere. This last pair has a hole. These old (going into town) boots have a hole where the seams had ripped. I use hubby's duck boots on the back deck. (P.S. Tree frog was singing, again, this morning. We're going to have to shop for some bugs.)

We have different terrain on our property, and it calls for different boots. I have another big gum boot, lined, for wetland walkies.  You can see hubby with HIS gum boots in the wetland. He got a soaker, as did I, that day! [Talking a walk in (not 'on') the watery bog] I have snowmobile boots, but they were hurting my Achilles tendon.

Hubby has offered to go into town shopping, but I loathe shopping. Especially up to Christmas!
This is a simple tale. Out buying suet for the birds, I was quite excited to find some boots, on sale at 40% off. I tend to wait until serendipity strikes. And it did!
They are amazing.  These are warm down to -30 C., which is nothing to sneeze at around here. They were $160, but I'll get so much use out of them!

They have these little doohickeys you can flip down with their key, or your normal key, which gives studs for traction.  They are really great: ocsystem.it made overseas. With our freezing rain, and slippery sidewalks, they are going to be amazing!

Of course, the bonus? A big boot box for the cats! Hooper kept putting his paw through the hole in the end of the box... what a joker.


End of tale!

Brock Zeman at O'Reilly's pub

This is a boot made for a woman!

We went out on the town yesterday. See my previous post. What was I thinking adopting an abandoned bird? Being adopted, with abandonment issues myself, it seemed to make sense. Deal with your issues...

For a bit of blessed relief, we went out to O'Reilly's pub. Those 5 a.m. feedings, with beautiful chirping songs from Batman.

It was a nice break. Caesar Salad with shrimp, and Oriental Stir-fry. Yum.

We practically lived at O'Reilly's when we moved here last September. No internet; no dishes or cutlery (couldn't find the box - too bad so sad!) They have wireless internet, and a great staff.

I've featured the boss's boots. They are SOOOOO kewl! 

Every Tuesday, Brock Zeman plays.
I heard his band featured on CBC radio one Sunday morning. The song that captured me is 'Life is Good'. A song about getting old, leaving your home, perfect for the people I volunteer with.

The ravages of old age are incredible. You lose your physical agility, mobility, and the sense start to go.
This song embodies the sadness of this state of old age. And we know that we have to name it to own it. We know how healing it is to speak of your issues, whether they be grief, anger or any of the emotions we feel as humans.

One of our clients, home ill, has a hubby in the hospital. She is lonely, and fearful.

Many talk about living to be 100, but you lose your friends, you cannot maintain your home, you may be unable to drive safely. Independence changes your life as your world narrows.

A haunting song. A great band. A good night out on a Tuesday. What the heck. Hubby let me sleep in until 7 p.m., when a kitten curled up on top of me to sleep after his first feeding.