(For those who really need to know, yes, it’s possible to have pointy feet. It happens when the big toe is not the longest toe in the foot, and it’s more common in men than in women, oh well.)

Doing proper retired work today, mostly maintaining infrastructure on this solar-powered, roof-harvested-rain-watered, grey-water and composting nut-patch. Interspersed with house construction, slowly ramping back up.

Later, treat will be a milkshake of Colorado peaches frozen last summer, a spot of honey, and the rich goat milk I get from a neighbor, thrashed up by an old, chrome-bee-hive-style Oster blender, two speeds only, thank you.

I always enjoy your view of the Taos festival.

Tom
Mountainair, (mid) NM

I know that when I was in my teens and 20s my feet were wider than the lasts my shoes were built on; now they aren’t. I don’t think my feet have mysteriously shrivelled up. I suspect that either standard sizing has followed the boomers’ requirements and gotten wider, or now that I am an old fogey I select shoes that target old-fogey feet.

I am SO glad that old-fogey shoes are not fogey any more! I feel totally hip.

About your comment regarding “shoe size evolution”. It’s not true – as in consumers dictating shoe sizes based on marketing or vanity. Accessories manufacture doesn’t work the same way as clothing. Shoe sizes fluctuate because of the type of shoe form “last” that they are made on and also possibly the country where they are made. The “last” widths are engineered by fit specs from the fashion company and usually all the shoe labels they own fit the same way. A company like 9 West puts a lot of engineering into their shoe fits because they are mainly a shoe company. A clothing company that offers shoes just has the licencee make them or a factory make them and may not check the fit as intensely as a shoe company would. Keen shoes are considered sports specific or ath-leisure and are engineered according to their specs. I believe the wider width is due to their understanding of the foot and desire to avoid foot problems common in other shoes. Also, can be true that sometimes a company will use a men’s shoe last in a smaller size to try to fit a women’s foot. Ie: Doc Martens which before they exploded as a fashion shoe initially avoided the costs of investing in women’s sizes and created women’s styles on smaller men’s last sizes which gave the shoe a wide and overly roomy fit.

Just my 2 cents on the 4th.

Nadine

Barbecuing vegetables? Yummy! Much better than boring old hotdogs and burgers.

Mix the following: cubed tempeh; cubed pineapple; small tomatoes; whole mushrooms; sliced bell peppers; quartered onions; zucchini chunks; anything else you want. Toss with sesame oil, crushed garlic, grated ginger, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. A little while later, skewer and barbecue or toss into a barbecue wok (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000VYTB0/104-8173471-1629537?v=glance&n=284507).

The first Moosewood cookbook has a recipe for fruit salad. Instructions go something like “slice and core apples; slice and core pears; peel oranges and remove flesh from skins; [etc etc etc]; gaze fondly upon labour-free berries.”

Strawberries and blueberries are in season here and we’re eating a lot of them fresh at the end of the day with just a little dab of ice cream. Lunch on a hot day could be a julius: milk, ice cubes, a little frozen orange concentrate, frozen berries, a little sugar and maybe a dash of vanilla. And then blended.

Have peach agua chilling in the fridge for dinner. I cheated, tho’… I buy the Jumex nectars, which easily make a 64oz pitcher. Though, I saw white peaches on sale… perhaps there will be some Peach Bellini in my future.

We’re celebrating the 4th of July by going to a baseball game and watching the hometown nine beat the tar out of the Chicago Cubs. (Its also going to be $1 hotdog day, which is always a nice bonus.)