DUSTING OFF THE SHOES

Have any suede shoes around? Time to brush them off and get ready for fall!

RULES ABOUT SUEDE SHOES

1. Do not wear them in the rain
2. Do not wear them in the snow
3. Do not wear them for clamp on roller skates

Now, when I was growing up, I got two pair of shoes a year. My choice, except when I was walking them over and mother insisted on shoes with steel shanks in the heels. Yes, they were suede. I have a thing about suede, always have.

Now, it was my 8th grade year and I decided on buff colored suede shoes. And on the third day, I went roller skating at the local arena and the clamp on skates made black marks on the shoes. So mother took them to the shoe repair and had them dyed black. They problem was, suede, when dyed, gets shiny in places. They were SO ugly. But they were the shoes I had chosen.

The odd thing about it is, my parents had lots of shoes and I could never figure out why they did and we didn't. Well, of course it made sense later when I realized theirs never wore out! I mean like how do you wear out a pair of hi heels? Let's feed the chickens!!!

And so it came to pass that I had two pair of three inch heels, one in brown and one pair in black and they didn't fit, but what did I know, and I couldn't walk in them like I could in cowboy boots. They were not friendly.

Mother, Dad, and my sweet Thomas were walking across the cobblestone street in downtown Minneapolis when my heel caught and tore the heel right off my shoe. Now I was dressed in something for brown shoes and would either have to change or limp. I changed. That was in 1960 and I haven't broken a shoe since.

But I did dust off the suedes. Shoes I have had for several years. Why? Not wind, or rain, or snow have touched these hummers. And I don't walk them over. And I don't have to wear them every day.

Ever have suedes? How did yours fair?

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