Meditation on footwear

    Sometimes things just drift out of use in ways that do not make persons conscious of their disappearance. This came to mind yesterday when I met a man leaving a store wearing five buckle overshoes. How long since you saw buckle overshoes? In my childhood days there were two, four, five and even an occasional six buckle overshoes. You remember “overshoes”? Some years ago I had ones with zippers, that slipped over my dress shoes. Have you recently thought about overshoes? Perhaps my rural readers may have seen buckle overshoes more recently than we city folk.

    A few years ago I had ankle surgery, called the Watson Procedure, which required a few weeks in a walking boot. This was in the spring when it was time to do a bit of field work. Fleet Farm sold me a pair of five buckle overshoes, size 16, one of which I slipped over my walking boot. Thus protected field work proceeded. Once the walking boot was no longer needed the size sixteen, five buckle overshoes went to Goodwill. Perhaps some giant of a man got some use from them. That was my last experience with buckle overshoes.

   A consultation with my rural readers is due to see if buckle overshoes are still common in the country. City folk seem to have gone to boots for winter walking. The fact that Fleet Farm was stilling stocking them is perhaps a clue.

Takk for alt,

Al

This school picture from 1948 shows the late Curtis Holm, on the viewers far left, wearing five buckle overshoes. He, being the coolest boy in school, was well shod. The late Melvin Risty is proudly showing his sled. His farm was sold after his death for over 7 million dollars. Five of these students are alive today. The teacher's car is parked beside the school.