THREE-HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR DAYS of the year, he’s got me nailed: Yes, Andre, I am often seen in the wrong footwear (read: garden boots), no matter the occasion. They’re just so easy on the feet, if not the eyes. But today, as yet another glacier slid across beautiful downtown Cupcake Falls, N.Y., even I had to relent and change into crampons to go break up the ice, or at least give it my best shot.
The storm and the aftermess were so distracting that I even forgot today was Thursday (meaning Andre Day), until faithful Johanna squawked “Where’s Andre?” a few minutes ago on some other silly post I loaded in, thinking it was Wednesday. But no: Today, the day I spent not in garden boots but my even sexier YakTrax, was Andre Day, and I have done you and everyone wrong. Mea culpa, Andre Jordan.
I have also done the local environment wrong in some measure by using lots of rock salt, or halite, to try to make the steep passage from house to street resemble something other than a bobsled track. I begged the plants around me, already irritated at the tenacious cold we’ve been having and all the ice and wind, to please forgive me.
“You’re not environmentally friendly today, Miss Margaret,” they said without answering whether they’ll tolerate my misdeed and not croak as result of the salty mess I’d made.
I may not have done right today on all these scores–the posting schedule, the fashionable footwear, and especially the use of salts–but there is something environmentally friendly to offer as an antidote: Andre’s environmentally friendly bird doodle is the first of his garden doodles to become a T-shirt (for sale in his shop with some other ever-so-slightly more edgy ones). Congratulations, Andre (and p.s., would you mind reminding me next week when Thursday’s due again?).
Well, well, the fashionable gardener! I’ve never gotten the hang of Wellies. Sadly, my garden footwear is the same as my barn footwear, which usually makes it into the living area of the house for a while before one of the dogs notices that I’ve got manure on my feet. Even in the cold and snow, the tennies are my first choice.
But crampons sound like a marvelous idea! I might even be able to walk the big dogs between December and March!
Thanks for Andre, Margaret.
–Johanna
I am so with Johanna. I have all these clogs (even lime green and pink) and boots galore, but I always seem to jump right out there in my tennis shoes. Then I am kicking myself for messing them up. Thanks for the reminder of “proper” and chic footware, Andre.
No wellies here either–just way too much snow, ice, etc for humble rubber boots til the temps warm up about 50 degrees. I got a great chortle out of this post.
Welcome, Jodi. I am glad you laughed…I feel like a total ass for losing track. This winter has had several such fugue moments, always around a lingering storm. I like easy-to-slip-on boots because I run in and outside all day long, over and again. I have no shoes that have laces, don’t even own a pair of “sneakers” or “tennis shoes.” In the winter the boots with some lining that I wear are Muck Boots. Do come again soon…for a laugh or whatever.
My wellies are 20 years old, too, and have holes and such. Really desperate-looking. But he kind I like aren’t made any longer, and I can’t grapple with that reality. As for YakTrax, yes. Trusty garden helper and friend Susan (the OTHER Susan) has tried to make me a believer for years, and this year I gave in and wow! Best $20-ish I ever spent.
I was wondering where Andre’s doodle was. I figured you were dealing with the ice. Last year was the death of my 20 year old wellies, so new ones are on the list for spring. I love them. Do Yaktrak really work?Ice seems to be the worst.
Your plants will forgive you.
Good morning,
I can see you now, Margaret, sitting in the very posh restaurant with your wellies on and a pocket full of country garden seeds.
Thank you for missing my doodles Johanna. Your comment on the previous post did make me laugh.
And thank you Margaret for the T shirt link. I ordered a couple myself last week – one for me and one for my wife and we were very pleased with the quality of the T shirts.
I’m now thinking of putting together a little list of things ‘gardeners must remember to do in the real world’
By the way, kind sir, my legs are just a tad shapelier than you depict them. Details, details.
Good luck with your new T-shirt store (my niece, 13, adored the one I gave her for Christmas).
Ha, I based the legs on my own.
thanks for the link to yaktrax, will pick one up and see if i start running outside to get my winter willies out like i have been saying i would
my semi-circular driveway can be a real problem for the fuel truck etc; i have the local guy sand after he plows and it seems to work just fine w/o salt; the sand just sits there and grates, gratefully
Andre, you’re most welcome. You’ve become a fixture here at A Way to Garden — you’re how we know it’s Thursday!
So now that we’re 2/3 of the way through winter, can we count on less need for yaktrax and more for wellies? I hope so!
–Johanna