You're Doing What?

Your doing what?

I've been running!

I haven't really wanted to confess this because it's my alone time, but I really have begun to crave the run.

I started out in Brooks Puredrift and had a really difficult time adjusting to the fit of shoes with so much padding and heel lift. I thought I could add insoles and make adjustments but inevitably I ended up taking my shoes off halfway through and carrying them.

I invested in Vibram Five Fingers since I was running barefoot most of the time anyway they seemed a logical choice for those uncertain terrains. They were good but I missed the connection I had with the ground.

Then came the hole! I found the one hole the dreaded hole that caused me to lose my beloved exercise for almost two years.

In the midst of all the crazy my heel now hates me pain I reDISCovered disc golf. It was the outlet to fitness I needed without the jolting of the run and I began to improve my health at the same time I gained strength in my feet again.

I started to jog to the next tee to get my running fix in small doses. I'd sneak away when kids were in school and hubby was working just to get in a few holes and a jog. But there was a problem.



And it's name was clay!

I couldn't go run my trails without wearing them home as Texas sheet cake on my feet!

It was unbearable until...




...GoSt Paleo Barefoots Anterra Sport with paws. These beautiful chain maile shoes made their entrance into my life and changed everything!

Anterra were what I was looking for they have a lightweight feel which I didn't anticipate. They breathe like no shoe I've ever worn! I could feel the earth beneath my feet again and the tickle of dew drawn grass in the morning.

Then there was the clay factor; they picked it up just like my other shoes had, but with a remarkable difference. I could now wade into the puddles and streams on the course and with a little swish and splash my shoes were CLEAN! I could run the trails without worrying about stepping in glass barefoot and I had incredible grip thanks to the paws application!

I began to do more running than discing in my Anterra and discovered that I had no foot pain in them like my fully padded running shoes! I was hooked and that was saying something. I began to seek opportunities to share with other guys at the park about my wonderful shoes. Disc golfers trying to remove clay from their shoes would get to hear how I never have to worry about clay anymore! Bloggers and ezines featuring minimalist shoe sources weren't safe from my great affection for my Anterra Batefoots!

Then came the most amazing email; Jörg, the brain behind the creation of my passion for maile-footwear asked a question that gave me chills. 'Wanna try the new paws?'

It was as if the heavens opened up and were singing behind me when I read those words. Me? The NEW paws? YES, YES, how soon will they arrive?





Two weeks!

The postman left a card in haste so he wouldn't have to walk to the door and I caught him! Well I literally ran him down at the opposite end of the road and claimed what has now given me the nickname 'crazy metal shoe lady' from my boys.

The difference between Anterra and Pronativ is remarkable.

Pronativ have more paws and for someone like me with double jointed Morton's toe finding a shoe that gives support and durability on the ball of the foot behind the second toe can be a challenge. These paws are perfectly placed!
These paws are perfectly placed!

Yes I said it twice because it bore repeating. They provide grip right where it is needed I can climb root laden hills with ease and descend slippery clay slopes without finding my way down on my gluteus maximus.

Pronativ are slightly heavier than my Anterra but not enough to make a difference in my stride or my launch from the tee pad. They are much better transitioning from the car to the trail in asphalt or concrete as the links don't strike the concrete as much as the Anterra did.

I've also noticed that the Pronativ are better able to inhibit the smaller thorns so common here in Texas. There isn't any shoe other than perhaps a wooden shoe that could handle the typical two inch thorns that hide on some of our disc golf courses but both versions of Paleo Barefoots do a better job of stopping them before they penetrate delicate foot flesh.

Are these for concrete runs? NO!
Are they for asphalt runs? NO!

Will you be alright walking/running on these surfaces for a short distance to get to natural surfaces? YES! Just slow down and use caution or remove your maile-footwear because your bare feet grip better on those surfaces than any man made material.

The big question, which one is best?

When embarking upon simple grass trails and maintained disc golf courses Anterra are a wonderful choice.

If your surfaces are a bit more rocky or multi-surface, say, sand to pebble to clay to shale Pronativ is a far better choice for extra grip.

Whichever you choose I can guarantee you'll have an experience that is unforgettable!

Want to learn more or get a pair for yourself?

portal.gost-barefoots.com




After clay



After squishy puddle



Knit4love and Knit4life

| High Performance Chain Mail Gear! Become one with the elements, improve health mood and perception!

| High Performance Chain Mail Gear! Become one with the elements, improve health mood and perception!



More info to come!

While on vacation

Hot skin tingles as a glint of sun shines through the window onto my arm as we find our way down an unfamiliar pathway.

Another year I wouldn't have given sunshine a thought but since June 2012 the sun and I have found ourselves to be in a different kind of relationship than the one I enjoyed as a carefree child. Instead of spending all day carefree beneath the bountiful rays of vitamin D gleaming from above I find myself sheltered beneath a thin veil of long-sleeved cotton, a scarf and pants to prevent the inevitable.

Ah the inevitable, sun blisters; not the kind one gets from a sunburn, no these come from simple exposure and are small, red, itchy and take days to alleviate.

Awe, poor baby, whine a bit more for us about your condition. Well I could but instead of being one who cries the world does not love me, I take the stand that this era of style and dress has made this the perfect situation for me.

Pretty scarves are everywhere and fashionable for both women and men, thin breathable fabrics in natural materials abound in colors only the coral reefs could produce, and knitting is haute which has enabled me to find materials that weren't available to me five years ago.

So take that sunshine and I'll take my fine laceweight kid merino scarflet and go about my day in comfort and in style

Deeds and Doctrine

A question was posed to a group I meet with and I didn't have the chance to complete my answer before a novella interrupted and derailed my thinking train.

How can our deeds match or exceed our doctrine?

I think the world of my Catholic and Lutheran friends whom have completed full confirmation classes. Such deep knowledge about faith and doctrine is amazing to me. This type of relationship to ones doctrine I find beautiful and a thing to aspire to.

So where does that put us when questioned as to how our deeds can match our doctrine?

Is it possible to fulfill the service end of one's doctrine to the same extent as our knowledge of it?

Is our religion or tradition more desirable to us than fulfilling the works of our hands for another?

Should we each re-examine ourselves and see what deeds of service we should impart instead of trudging along in the same old direction because its the path we've always taken?

Traditions and doctrine can be good, even beautiful, but they can get in the way of living out doctrine. If you stay on the same path and continually walk it year after year, day after day you end up walking a deep, almost cavernous, rut. Once in so deep it takes great effort and often someone at the peak with a rope to pull you out of the hole you've worn yourself into.

Worn out?

Holler! Scream! Cry out to someone lift me from this place and give me a fresh beginning. Show me a new path that takes me from:

this is how we do it
To
let's see if this works.

I need a new path and a fresh direction. I need to be walking in openness and living in freedom.

Tradition is a worthy thing, doctrine gives us tools for discovering but it is our deeds which shine like fire on the mountain's peek.

What do your deeds say about you?

What do mine say about me?

Are my deeds living up to my doctrine?

Till next time i'll be climbing out of a rut...

Texas Vegetarian

I find that living in Texas there are few things I miss more than a trip to the local grocers for good vegetarian ingredients. They exist but often require a trip to a large market or specialty several towns over from my little bedroom community.

First off if you ask, "could you direct me to seitan?" as it's pronounced say-tan they look at you as though you worship the devil and are looking for his house of worship.

This evening In The Neighborhood I phoned the takeaway Asian style restaurant and requested the gen Tso's chicken the household eat, save the sole veggie me, and one coconut curry. "What meat?" she asked.

"No meat," came my reply and to my surprise she balked back with a demanding request for my face preference and a list rattled off like machine gun fire.

"No meat, just the vedge please," was my simple reply to the demanding woman.

"No meat?! You no meat? Nevah hear dat in Texas! You sure no chicken?"

"I'm certain, no meat please," I said most desperately.

She complied and rang my total proclaiming the order would be ready in five minutes. I gathered my wallet and keys and snaked my way through the look-a-like houses and up to the storefront.

The lovely women who took my order was very concerned again that I hadn't any meat in my curry and proceeded to inquire ad to whether I would be mixing the gen tso's chicken with the curry. I ensured her that I did not eat meat and she looked at her co-worker then back to me and asked, "You Catholic?".

"No ma'am, I'm vegetarian, I don't eat meat."

"We Nevah hear dat in here before!"

I thanked her for the concern and departed with my order.

Have I mentioned that I miss the local vegetarian markets...


-tweet
@Knit4love

World Wide Knit In Public Day!

It's here! WWKIP Day! And I'm at The Well teaching the staff an anyone else who walks in the door how to become a fiber enthusiast. It's a bit crazy around here this morning mostly a question filled day buy questions lead to knitters.

Today's favorite question is "How do you have the patience to do that?". Which I can only answer you should see how impatient I am when I don't have anything to knit or spin! I'm a basket case without my fibrous jewels and tools.

My friend Casey and I went to a drum circle and I accidentally put my knitting in the boot of the car; five minutes down the road she asked if we needed to stop and get it. Ten minutes later she knew not stopping when she asked earlier and I said no was a mistake. It calms me and keeps me from fidgeting. So if you need a calming/focusing tool, I'm knitting in public at The Well Royse City, TX come join me.

-tweet
@Knit4love

Drive thru!

In this edition of In The Neighborhood I travel thru a local restaurant...

There is a gentleman who works the drive thru window at one of my favorite places for breakfast. He is always busy and has a way of making you feel at ease no matter what kind of day your having.

After an incredibly busy day last Friday I slipped through to get lunch for my Jeffy and myself and he was working.

I noticed he was wearing a Superman tie and commented that it was a great tie. He was cordial and replied that he (superman) gets him through many days. I simply replied we all need a hero. He agreed and I went on my way.

Today it was a quick cola to start the day and a simple tie. I remarked that I missed superman. He said that this was his MADD tie print patterned after tequila under the microscope. Such a simple thing but very telling item.

This simple man with a fuzzy beard and shaggy hair has taught me a lesson about life that I think we all could stand to learn; no matter our age we all need a hero!

Simple or fantastic heroes are more than police/fire/millitary, though wonderful and necessary, heroes can simply be the guy who reminds you about bigger things in life. Just like my drive thru neighborhood hero!