DSW Walking Shoes

It takes my husband a while to decide when he should buy things. He talks about it and I’ll say “let’s go get it.” His response is “it can wait.” Then he will mention it about every week and we have the same exchange for awhile. So finally yesterday when he asked what we might be doing today I mentioned maybe he would like to get a pair of walking shoes. He finally agreed since his old ones are pretty beat up. The shoes must be four years old and have outlasted their usefulness since we take at least a two mile walk every day. So we went out for lunch - which was a big disappointment. The reason we went to that place was because it was near the DSW in Rockville. I forgot that there was a store near our new condo in northern Virginia. So after lunch we walked over to DSW and wandered through the men’s casual sports walking shoes. I thought my husband wanted something waterproof, but he decided on a pair of every day Skechers Outdoors after trying on a couple of pairs. He knows what he likes when he sees it - that goes for almost everything including women’s clothes and furniture. Even on a Friday after lunch the store was relatively busy. But Friday is always busier, as is the freeway getting back home. At least now these excursions are half the distance since we moved from Capitol Hill. But getting my husband to finally get something he needs hasn’t changed. 

An Unplanned Visit to the Finish Line at Northbrook Court near Chicago

We spent a lot of time in Chicago when we lived in Milwaukee for thirty years. It wasn't uncommon for us to visit downtown every six weeks or so. Oftentimes we first stopped at Northbrook Court for seasonal clothing - they had more interesting things for our taste than in Milwaukee. Last week we drove to Milwaukee from DC to visit friends and colleagues and passed through Chicago. Lately when we leave on a trip, we have been forgetting items. The last time was pills that required a prescription. This time it was walking shoes. So after we passed the very busy Windy City on our way north, we stopped at the old familiar stomping grounds at Northbrook. We never heard of the Finish Line sports shoes store, but ended up there and ended up with a pair of shoes on sale with socks to boot. On the way back to the car we stopped at my favorite shops and checked out the summer clearance racks as well as the new fall wardrobes. Nothing looked promising but we also felt compelled to get moving so we would make our 4 PM prearranged engagement with my colleagues from my health care days. Our visit was so nice this time that we considered the possibility of moving back. But the snow and ice and high property taxes snapped us back to reality. We'll have to see what comes our way in the future. Time to set priorities! 

From Cole Haan Heels to DSW Memory Foam

How things have changed! Since I retired in February my style of clothes and shoes has really changed. I haven't yet gone through my wardrobe to dump half of the things I will probably never wear again. Yes, I still wore stockings and heels to work, although for the last few months I was wearing primarily flats. I can't imagine ever wearing heels again, especially since I think I may have plantar fasciitis on the right foot. Something just felt like it ripped one day when I was getting up off the floor. Isn't it fun getting old? Anyway, wearing size 11 shoes doesn't help the matter much either. It was always - what do you have in my size? - rather than please show me this! Since we have been walking every morning and my walking shoes are over ten years old and have water leaks, I decided it was time for a run to DSW to see what we could find for my new life. It started out pretty depressing as there was nothing in my size. But as we headed toward the athletic shoes, things changed a bit and I was finally able to find three pair of comfortable, memory foam, form2u - whatever you want to call the - shoes. I never thought memory foam would be so important until now. Walking on anything without a padded foundation is out of the question. I still have an urge to visit Cole Haan again for a step up comfortable, less old lady flat for more formal occasions. I really need to dump all the old stuff too. I just need to find some time. Since I retired, it seems there is even less than before! But now I am really looking forward to our morning walks in my stylish retired old lady shoes. 

Cole Haan Shoes Finally Bite The Dust

They don't look too bad if you look down. But from the sides and bottoms they've seen better days. These Cole Haan walking shoes have traveled across the globe to Iran, France, and many points in between. For the last many years they were relegated to afternoon walking shoes where I work. The hallways are long and potentially slippery, so these do nicely. But, they started to fall apart within the last couple of months. The plastic on the bottom has just plain worn out. It will be hard to throw these away - but they are not worth repairing. The light color also makes it look even worse. So I'll just have to bite the bullet and get another pair. It's only been about ten years!