Shoes Glorious Shoes

I can easily admit that I am a "Shoeaholic" and proud of it. There will be no 12 step program for me. However I'm a very choosy shoeaholic. Not just any ol shoe will do. In fact the cuter and more feminine the more I must have then. Since we have moved here the more accurate description is Sandalaholic. We very seldom have to wear a real shoe. Oh there are a number of evenings or mornings in the winter where a real shoe feels mighty nice. But other then that our sandals will get us by.

I didn't realize until after we moved to Mexico that I have moved to a country of women shoeaholics. No really I think out of all the different countries Mexico leads in their love of shoes which of course leads to the bazillion of shoe stores. :c} I find myself truly amazed at my Mexican friends ability to wear the HIGHEST heels created by human!! No kidding they can walk all day in 4-5 inch heels on cobble stone streets never stumble or worse yet fall off those heels!!

I had spent my career standing, walking, lifting and a hundred other things that just are not conducive to cute, feminine shoes or heels any higher then an inch.

Sooooo I use to promise myself that when I retired I was only going to have a really cute, no sensible shoes allowed, wardrobe of shoes. Shoes with initials for names or had orthopedic in their description need not apply. Then I reach the age of retirement with 2 of the most lovely bunions (one for each big toe), degenerative joint disease, and move to a place where even ground and walking never appear in the same sentence :c{. Did I hear you say so much for cute shoes?? HA there you are wrong, because ahead of me was a core of brave demanding shoeaholic women. They too wanted cute feminine shoes.

There is a town San Miguel Allende in the center of the country that is an old colonial town built on the side of a mountain where all the streets are paved in cobble stones, and the sidewalks are uneven. In San Miguel Alleneda is an old shoe cobbler. The women of the town went to him and begged he and his wife to design and build a cute, feminine sandal that could handle the "ruff" ground. The shoe that the couple created was given the name of "Cocktail Combat Sandal" :c}The sole has a lug design (like hiking boots) made of vulcanized rubber with wide straps of elastic straps that cup your heel and secure your toes.

You guys remember about 15-20 years ago when those nasty elastic sandals were all the rage of the more mature woman?? Well these are nothing like that. Cocktail Combat Sandals or CCSes are cute feminine and oooh soooo comfortable :c} So much so that once you start wearing them you end up not wearing anything else. As time went on our little couple listen to the requests of their customers and began designing sandals with different soles, heel heights, styles, and materials. Cuz you know there are times when a lug sole just won't do. They also designed a shoe and low bootie for those times and places where a sandal doesn't work. These too are adorable and so comfortable as the tops are made of two large pieces of elastic fabric. Now this is very important for those of us that wear sandals all year. There is nothing worse then having to force a foot kicking and screaming into a shoe!!

Well I'm here to tell you that LW has been the most patient and understanding man :c}. When a shoeaholic falls hard for a shoe of course she must have more then one pair, right?? Black and brown are necessities but green, blue, red, tan, striped, metallic these are always nice to have.

Then one shoe leads to another and before you know it... they must be breeding in that dark closet because there is no way I could have that many pairs of shoes!!!

In case you might want to give my favorite cocktail companions a whirl at the next flea market there is a distributor in the US. This is a great accomplishment for this family run business. They have no web site, email address or a computer in any of their 3 stores or factory. Amazing huh? :c} The website where you can see the San Miguel Allende shoes is: http://www.outersoul.com/ Then you too can wear really cute, feminine, and comfortable shoes, and strangers will walk up to you and ask were you found THOSE CUTE SANDALS" !! :c}

Now my Bloglandian friends it's time for me to find a place in my closet to put my new boots that came today :c} Just in time for my trip up north to meet my grandson!! :c} Have a good evening or day depending on what part of the world you live in :c}