Goin' Barefoot - the Shoeless Word Whore

By Kerry Schafer

I have been so inspired this week by the sexy and glamorous shoes of my sister word whores, that I can hardly contain my excitement over sharing my own collection of stylish footwear. Let's begin with the basics:

These are my feet, very happy in their natural habitat. They are the sort of feet that like to experience the world first hand. If it was socially acceptable, and if all the world was as soft as this clover, I would probably never put on a pair of shoes. Sadly, this is not the case and I must make concessions to my environment. Employers frown on the barefoot choice. Gravel and snow are uncomfortable.

If I must wear shoes, my first choice looks something like this:

Actually, it looks a lot like this. These are my favorite shoes, battle scarred and well worn. The time has come (and passed on by) when they should have been discarded. The fabric is melting away, the treads have worn down to nothing. Still, the idea of parting with them makes me sad, and when the day finally comes I may have to honor them with a moment of silence.

If it's a hot sunny day, or even moderately warm, heck during any season considered 'summer', even if it be 40 degrees and raining, I'm likely to wander around in these sexy numbers:

Note the leather, and the stylish buckle.

But it can't always be summer and winter in my part of the woods definitely calls for boots. All of the other Word Whores own leather lace up boots, and I am no exception...

... with thinsulate for warmth, of course.

If I absolutely must make a concession to decorum - such as wearing a nice pair of slacks and attending an important meeting, I do own a pair of dressier shoes, obviously the height of fashion:


This assortment pretty much meets my shoe needs. They allow me to go out in public. They protect me from sharp stones and snow, and prickly thorns. If the need to run should arise - you know, from a bear, or a predator of the human kind - they carry me away to safety. However, there are those unexpected occasions where these just aren't good enough.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and if I am ever called upon to actually "get dressed up", possibly even in a dress, I do keep one pair of heels in my closet, for emergency use only.

Cinderella I am not. That said, I do like to look at the pretty sparklies other women are wearing. And, if you're really into shoes, the latest Martha Grimes mystery has a plot centered around high fashion footwear: