My feet always spread during pregnancy and after Child #2, they didn’t go back, leaving me with D width feet. (Just the front…the heel stayed narrow.) But for Zappos, I would only own flip flops. Free shipping, free returns. No real bargains, but at least I am not barefoot. When I need shoes, I order a bunch at a time (maybe 12 pairs). If you time it with your credit card cycle you can receive the shoes, return all that you don’t need very quickly., and you don’t have to worry about the huge bill.
I am with mp.! I order 8 pairs at a time, try them on the day they arrive and repackage and drop off at the UPS store all in one day for a fast turn around. I also order most pairs in two sizes.
kmc suggested Helle and I bought a pair that I adore.
as I am just shy of a AA. I have to put pads in all of my shoes and, thus,
Zappos. I rarely try on shoes at stores.
kmc, yes, plywood would work. I have found a super large yoga mat on Prime at Amazon that I think might work.
I want to be able to fold it out of the way as my elliptical and weight will be in the same room. Do you think the knots would bleed onto the carpet?
Hi there. Glad you like the Helles, Oregon 
I love mine too but for day long walking comfort, they don’t beat the Dansko sandals!
I second the zappos recommendation as most stores just don’t carry the variety of those true comfort shoes. RM, I used to wear orthotic inserts but once I started getting the right kind of shoes for my feet I actually stopped wearing the orthotic completely and haven’t had any trouble! For me, the Dansko sandals give a lot of support for the arch and the wide straps and the way the footbed moulds to my feet. But ymmv as every foot is different
That travel shoe article was cool because there’s a few brands on there I haven’t tried yet!
Oregon, re the ply, not sure about the knots but you could buy a box of visqueen (heavy plastic used in construction) to put under it.
Another thing that might work are the “stress free” foam pads you can get at places like Harbor Freight. They fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and are cheap…come in packs of 4…you could just connect them around the areas you want and use a small ply slab under the kiln only.
Those foam pads together with knee pads are the only reason I could walk this week after the endless floor shenanigans Surprisingly, considering the trick knee, my knees were fine! I’m sure the hot tub and Aleve helped too
I am sooo looking forward to a chill weekend. My only plans to date are a lunch on Sat. and a massage on Sunday.
McSon has gone on record that I am a relentless project planner who will not “go long” without an extracurricular project and I argued that same may be true but is likely more that I happened to have purchased a foreclosure 5 years ago.
I am now wondering about his observation because as weary as I am from the floors, the experience acid washing has me convinced I could make great gains on rehabbing and acid staining the pool deck this summer What I’d originally had in mind was someday having Kentucky bluestone installed, which is a pricy notion that gets complicated with the pool coping and some other features I’d rather not disturb in our master drainage plan, which is tricky on this property.
A good acid wash followed by a patterned acid stain might be a more practical and DIY project.
So perhaps mcson is correct in his observation. If so, I blame high school theater…always ramping up a production, then planning the next in the doldrums Perhaps I imprinted!
Went for my weigh in today. Down a bit over 25 lbs since mid-Sept. Slow but I seem to be down most weeks. All good.
Fantastic! Do you feel better?
Well the cold is gone but is the 25 lbs down making me feel better - not that I’ve noticed. At least not yet. I haven’t even dropped a pant size yet. 
See I need to lose a lot. Probably at least 110 lbs. So 25 is still a ways away. Hoping to get close to the 40 lb mark this session (in total not just this session) and I would think then I might feel different. So far the only thing that has shrunk on me is my feet. I guess some of my clothes are a bit looser maybe?
RM, 25 lb still impresses the socks off me!
RM…25 lbs is fabulous! Celebrate it as a move towards better health! Congratulations! So happy for you!
Right! RM, I’m sure your internal organs are happy, even if it doesn’t show in your dress size.
Son already has fatty liver disease. Because he needs to go see his doctor to get his meds and also had the anemia scare a few years ago, he is a 25 year old who actually gets an annual physical. His liver numbers were really elevated. Time to eat lots of veggies. (And lose weight. And exercise.)
Kudos, RM! Wish I resembled that remark at the moment!
Cruise #2 is coming up in 2 weeks (this one with McH, a short blues cruise to see Jon bonamassa and Beth hart) and I haven’t completely lost the gains from the last one! Plus I am up quite a bit after a year now of backsliding.
Missy, sorry to hear about the fatty liver. Clean eating does make a difference (mch had the beginning of fatty liver a few years back … Then he lost 30 lbs when I started to diet and it improved) but as I can attest its nearly impossible to inspire another, let alone myself, to do it unless they’re “fed lean” as mch would say!
Glad to put an exhausting week behind me. I really noticed that all this constant working late makes for terrible food habits. Mch offered to take me out for dinner last nigh as a rough week cap. I declined because I was actually craving a simple home cooked dish of fish and Brussels sprouts
Both H and I have gained a lot of weight in the past year. For work I have to make annual goals, which my supervisor checks up on my progress, and this year we were encouraged to include health goals if we wanted. So one of my work goals includes specific exercise and nutrition goals which I get to keep track of!
H decided to try Nutrisystem and the first shipment of food arrived last night. I did Nutrisystem in the early 90s and had success, but it’s his first time trying something like that. He doesn’t cook and food is very expensive here anyway, so hopefully it will work for him.I will be gone on business every week during February so I won’t be around to cook for him.
So last night we decided to walk to a nearby restaurant for a “last supper”. H was hungry and ate “a couple of little snacks” from the shipment before we went to dinner. One of the snacks was a lunch entree.
Will be interesting to see how this works out for him!
I’ve had weight struggles my entire life (my mother’s pediatrician had her cut down the amount of formula I was given!) but this is a new phenomenon to H.
Hello from Florida! A week ago I was watching a blizzard and I’m now in a condo which is literally on the gulf. Upper 60’s and sunny. Am sold on the snowbird idea when we retire. I have been taking advantage to go out and walk a lot.
I am trying to get serious with health and fitness this year. Continuing yoga and adding in treadmill. My plans are to join a women’s training group for running in the spring. The Fitbit is helping as is posting on 2 fitness threads in the cafe. That is my accountability team.
Lovely day to day after a day of rain. 59 degrees and mixed sun/cloud. Saw a few seals and a sea lion plus a night heron. The owner of my boat is here fixing the sailboat, which we don’t use but is filling up with water. Not a good thing for a sailboat.
We learned that Otis Redding wrote “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” on a houseboat on this dock – he was probably sitting on the little dock off the back of the boat like the one I usually make calls from…
Good morning all! We had lovely weather all weekend. Took a long walk and read outside for a while. Otherwise, lots of indoors activity. (How was I supposed to know when I signed up for a 2 1/2 hour restorative yoga class for January 31st that it would be 73 degrees outside?) We saw the new Star Wars movie, and the local HS musical, and watched Grease Live.
The big news is that later this week, older D will finally meet her BF’s parents. (D and the BF have been dating for around 2 years and the parents don’t live far away.) They are of a different nationality, culture and religion than D. D met the BF’s sibling a couple of weeks ago and must have passed that test, which let to the invitation from the parents. They are meeting at a restaurant. Not ready to invite her into their home, I guess, because that is apparently a big deal.
I’m using a separate post to update on my prior sad post. So another warning. If you don’t want to read something very sad (about an animal), please skip this post.
FIL persuaded my BIL to bring the (abused) dog for a visit. (They live about 2 hours away from each other.) During the visit, MIL (who has dementia) attempted to take the dog’s chew toy away. (She can’t remember to articulate what she thought he had.) Before BIL and FIL could get to them, the dog had bitten MIL so hard that he broke two bones in her hand. They went to the ER, she’ll be wearing a plaster cast. And BIL took the dog away with plans to put it down. BIL just doesn’t want to have a dog who bites like that in his house. So a sad end to a sad story. It is 100% FIL’s fault.
All I can think of to do is to be extra kind to people and animals, as a way of paying the universe back.
Oh, MP, so sad about the dog.
Hope your D’s meet the parents goes well.
I’m in the airport in Texas right now, heading to California for our annual company meeting.
Sorry to hear about the dog MP. So sad. I’ve been looking lately at getting another puppy. Probably won’t do anything until my older girl passes. She isn’t up to a little one around all the time but it is fun to look. If the right one comes along we will probably make the leap and my older girl will find places in the house to “hide”. At almost 12 she has some health issues. I would like to have 2 once this one goes but not sure if I can convince my allergic H that that is a good idea.
Managed to get a bit of time in the sewing room this weekend. Not as long as I would like but still managed to get in for a bit. Dance class tonight so now time tonight to get in there. Maybe later this week.
On the plane coming back from 2 weeks in Hawaii. Missed a week of school so have been catching up as well as studying for a couple of tests. had to make switches at work etc… to accommodate one make up test. Hawaii is lovely and the 3 islands we saw so different from one another. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite place but lovely none the less.
My dog is 13 and having some issues with his foot. we are hoping its not cancer then we will have some decisions to make. he is sweet. I would want another dog but H wants to be free to travel. Time will tell. I don’t think people start out making the wrong decisions about pets but it doesn’t always work part of the reason pet adoption agencies screen . gotta go we are landing.
DTE, looks and sounds like you had a nice vacation.
Very sad about the dog. They really need to be trained. Well-behaved dogs are good for older folks according to some studies I recall. We have never had one because ShawWife is allergic, but now I would definitely want one (I love dogs and grew up with them). I wouldn’t want to be figuring out how to bring the dog to CA from MA and back and what to do when we went to Portland or LA for the weekend.
ShawSon called to suggest we go to dinner with him and GF and several friends so we got to know his friends. GF invited ShawWife to an yoga session held annually in one of the campus’s iconic buildings – invited me and ShawSon to dinner afterwards.
I’m sorry to hear about the poor dog. Sad story all around. Our beagle is turning 15 soon and is going pretty strong right now. I love having a dog, but do not plan on getting another. We want to be free for travel and day trips and both plan on working full time for another several years (number of years tbd).
Hawaii sounds like paradise, dte.
Back at work in time for month end close. Office move is still on track, so 2 weeks from today we will be in the new place.