Best Boots Ever
Last fall Peggy and I spent Texas Heroes Day at Monument Hill in La Grange, Texas. This is a day set aside to honor the men who died fighting to protect the fledgling Republic of Texas against Mexico. Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836 but fought Mexico on and off for another eight years or so to protect it and maintain it . The stories of the Dawson Massacre, the Meir Expedition and it's conclusion in the Black Bean Incident (1842) are interesting historically and particularly locally since many of these men came from Fayette County, Texas. In the summer of 1848, the people of La Grange brought back the bodies of these men and buried them in a common cement tomb constructed on Monument Hill, just a mile south of La Grange. The Saturday closest to September 17th was christened Texas Heroes Day in memory of the date of the Dawson Massacre.
We love going to Texas Heroes Day. It's close to home, only about 45 minutes from here, so it doesn't require airline tickets, a long drive or hotel rooms. We wear long dresses and take our spinning wheels and demonstrate, along with others, the kind of crafts that would have been appropriate in the 1830's and 40's. There is a solemn presentation and remembrance along with cannon and musket salutes, flag displays and dulcimer music. It's a fun day and worth the drive out to see it. Monument Hill is lovely with a great view across the Colorado River and the valley.
All of this is background information. Here's what I really want to talk about. Last September, while we were demonstrating at Texas Heroes Day, I saw some of the cutest muck boots I'd ever seen. I've owned muck boots for years, ever since I first acquired horses. Back then the muck boots were always black and you could get them with a steel toe if you wanted to. They were tall heavy rubber boots that did a pretty good job of protecting your feet. They wouldn't keep your toes safe if a horse decided to stand on your foot, but short of that they were pretty good. No snake would have a hope of biting through the boots. They were also very heavy, particularly the steel toed variety, and very hot. They were mostly sized for men so finding a boot small enough for a woman's feet was an issue but at least the calf of the boot was always wide enough to let you get your jeans tucked in.
The boots I saw at Texas Heroes Day were plaid. How cool is that? They looked much lighter weight than the old rubber boots. Then I saw another pair of cool boots in a herringbone pattern. Wow. I know I mentioned the boots to Peggy. She says I spent the entire day talking about them, which I find completely suspect. She says she got really tired of me talking about the boots but also figured out that's exactly what I needed for my birthday.
Here is my birthday present. My birthday is the middle of November so by that time I was wearing nothing but long pants. Turns out these boots a just a little too tight in the calf to tuck in my jeans so I saved them for this summer. I have some great winter muck boots that are short and insulated for the cold so I used them over the winter.
But now its hot outside and I'm weaving shorts. These are the perfect boots! They are soft inside with a cotton lining and they fit my feet with or without socks. They are tall enough to protect my legs from mosquitoes and tickling tall grass and keep my feet dry in the rain. They are light weight so I can walk in them for a long time without tiring out my legs but a snake would still have trouble trying to bite me through them. They are a bit hot but slipping them on and off is easy.
Best Boots Ever!