Shoes (Les Chaussures)

So, I have always experienced a bit of stress when it comes to buying shoes. I bet you had no idea this was true about me. Ah, but, yes, it is true.

There is a good reason. As my Physical Education teacher in Junior High put it, I have skis for feet. (Believe me when I say, it was no added comfort to this 13 year old new student in this new Junior High school when this teacher said this about my feet in front of the entire class - boys and girls mixed together, too!!)

Because of my extremely narrow feet which are also quite long (good thing since I am tall - I wouldn't want to be falling over all the time!), it is difficult to find shoes that fit.

Plus, with age, I have become very particular about the type of shoes that I wear. I want them to be low (I'm already tall) and very comfortable. I'm through with shoes that hurt. I want my feet to feel good above all.

Before we moved to France, I made certain that I had really good shoes. I bought these shoes just before we left.


Notice the brands - Merrill and Ecco. I had always thought these brands to be very good. I still do. But, in this world where we walk everywhere, they are falling apart after just one year.

See...holes in the mesh that are growing larger each day...


...and the straps on the back of my sandals have just completely ripped off...


I sewed them back together once already, but my stitching is not holding. Thankfully, sandal weather has passed and I am hoping to purchase new sandals in America next summer where they will cost MUCH less than here.

But, I just couldn't wait until next summer to get everyday shoes to wear here. So, off to the stores I went.

I thought the shoes I had purchase in American were very "European looking" tennis shoes and that they would fit in here. Nope. They could be worse, but they certainly don't blend in this place. I went searching for one color: black. They would go with everything and would "blend in", or better yet disappear.

Ah, but guess what I discovered! No stores carry my size! The last size available in the shoe stores that sell the "fashion" shoes is a 40 or if you are lucky, a 41 (a 9.5 in the USA). I generally take a 41 or a 42 because my right foot is just a little longer than my left. UGH!!!! (By the way, is this strange?)

So, after much searching for hours and hours on two different days while being determined not to pay 110+ euros (at today's exchange rate that would be $152), I found my new shoes. Here they are.

Are you ready?

Are you sure?

Prepare to be blown away by their great looks!

Here we go...


Gorgeous, huh. Actually, if I was honest, I would not have been caught DEAD in this type of shoe when I lived in America! But, in America brown shoes, or for that matter, any color of shoe is just fine with the world. And, finding shoes is not so hard there, too.

But, these shoes will disappear here - blend with the crowd which is all black especially during the winter months. They are like tennis shoes and therefore extremely comfortable for all the walking we do around here. So, while I think they are rather ugly, I am thrilled to have found them.

I am realizing that the shoe fund is replacing the old tire fund from our USA days. We all walk so much, our shoes just continue to give out! It's not just me, its Mark and Lena and Ryan and Todd too. If I told you how many shoes we've bought since we've arrived, you would croak!

But, enough about shoes. Here are a few interesting photos I have taken recently. I took this photo about 2 weeks ago in one of the grocery stores we shop in weekly.


Do you see the fella in the middle of the vegetables? He's the real deal - stuffed and just sitting there among the fresh veggies.

Then last week in the same grocery store, I discovered this pigeon flying around the produce.


And this is a really nice grocery store! Too funny. I'm wondering what animal I will see next week!

So, this past week Lena was doing her homework, and she came to Mark and I with this paper. She said we had to sign it.



As we read, we laughed. It's a note to the parents of all this teacher's students explaining that there would be a history test on Friday, October 22nd. It informs us, the parents of Lena, that she has a test and then it explains the things that she is required to know. We HAD to sign it, to prove that we knew the test was coming.

Interesting idea, huh. Lena's teacher told the class that he didn't want any "belly-aching" from the parents that nobody knew there was a test coming up.

I know my teachers never did this when I was growing up. I am wondering if teachers do this in America. I'm not sure. But, this sort of thing is very, very French. They love documents. They love signatures. No, I'm really serious. They love systems such as this here. We sign our kids homework and classroom work to prove we have seen it all throughout the year.

I'll confess. Mark and I have one splurge per week. Last year, our kids came home every day for lunch during school days. (There's not bagged lunch option here - only eat at school, or at home. We had opted for eat at school last year. It was easier.)

This year, we have our kids eating lunch at the school cafeteria one day per week. This one lunch has become our "date lunch". We are finding the cheapest ways to get out and enjoy a meal together all over our neighborhood.

This past week, we went to a corner "bistro". Here's the menu. If you are interested in the types of foods served, click on the photo to make it bigger and you will probably be able to read it well enough to see.


But, here's the close up of just a few items...


Do you see the "Dupont Burger"? See the cost? It's 15.10 euros. At today's exchange rate, that would be $20.83 for a cheeseburger...and they don't have cheddar as a cheese option. It probably comes with some salad or fries. No drink included. Wow! Even the Lasagna (the item above the burger) is cheaper.

I fear that we are going to stuff ourselves silly with burgers when we visit America. We chose the Croque Monsieur and the Croque Madame sandwiches, which were WONDERFUL!!!! (I won't even think about the number of calories we consumed.)

Lastly, I'll close with a photo of a certain little fella in our home. Here you go...


This little critter belongs to Ryan. Ryan received this sweet little puppy dog when he was about 2, maybe 3 years of age. Ryan named this little guy all by himself. His name is Box. Can you believe it? I couldn't believe that name stuck. Even to today.

Ryan is a bit sheepish about the name now, but even with the silly little grin on his face, he wouldn't think of changing Box's name. In fact, just the other day, he found the perfect box for Box. He put Box's name on the side, and plunked Box inside. He sits just like so in Ryan's bed. Funny, huh! It makes me smile every time I look at him.

Do any of you have this sort of creature in your home? (Can you tell I am hunting for feedback? Does anybody actually still read this blog? Does anybody really find France interesting still? I think I am feeling a bit homesick of late.)

Well, that's it from this corner of the world. Have a wonderful week!

Au revoir!