Invincible Boots

Hooray for boots! Bring on puddles, snow and mud!

I have skinny little dainty feet, very far from sturdy furry hobbit feet. As much as I admire beautiful fashion boots, it is the work boots that make me happy. My trusty hiking boots are steady and safe whatever the terrain. My wellies never met a slop or slush they didn't disdain.

In my years of working as a water-resources geologist, I wore hiking boots, wellies, hip boots and even waders. One of my colleagues played a trick on me by handing me a pair of waders with a hole in the foot. When I jumped into the stream, my foot was promptly swamped in a stream of cold water. He is the same guy who tried to scare me with a dead snake. Boys will be boys.

There was a poster in the Columbia Sportswear store a few years ago, showing a young woman garbed from top to bottom in waterproof gear and boots. The caption read something like, "In Oregon, this is beauty."

I feel beautiful in my invincible boots.