In Praise of Rubber Boots

There are many things I never thought about when I lived in a city that are now of great importance to me. Potable water, for instance. It's like Mexico in this house--you don't want to drink the tap water. Or the weather. Who cares what the weather's going to be like when you're inside most of the day? But here, where I spend a good part of my day running in and out, tending to various animals, dumping the compost, and other activities that require me to change out of my slippers more than I would like, the weather matters quite a lot.

Today's weather called for rain, and lots of it. Which means two major things: 1) I have to remember to check that the sump pump has turned on and the cellar isn't flooding, and 2) Every time I step out that door, I have to put on the rubber boots. Because you see, one of the things I never thought about in the city was mud. Why would I? Every surface I had to walk on was paved; mud just isn't much of an issue in the concrete jungle. But of the 5 acres of our property that isn't covered by the house, I'd say 99% of it is not only not paved, but is a quagmire of viscous ooze. Check out the photo above. Try to navigate that in your stilettos. The appropriate footwear is key, and the only appropriate footwear is knee-high rubber boots. They allow me to splash about with no fear of wet feet or ruined shoes. My rubber boots are actually the MiL's rubber boots, as we luckily share close enough to the same foot size. They aren't the cute ones you sometimes see in "Cosmopolitan," in one of those features about "Stylish Rainy-Day Wear." They don't feature lady bugs or colorful stripes. They are, in fact, men's boots, and quite ugly. But they keep my feet dry and the mud off my pants, so they are the ultimate fashion accessory here in my own rain-sodden mud pit.

In case you were wondering, they are Tingleys. And I love them with a devotion I never would have imagined possible for rubber footwear. All I can say is: Go get you some.