Watch Your Step

The Hula-gen’s are backdoor people. We use the backdoor to go in and out of our house all day long. Sometimes we use the patio doors, but we rarely use the front door. In fact, when the doorbell rings we give each other that, “What’s that?” look. Our backdoor is a busy place, and the steps are a snapshot of our days. If you pay close enough attention to that door and the steps leading to it, you’ll get a pretty good idea of how we spend our time.

You see, we don’t put away the shoes we use most. They sit on the steps in a neat little fashion, ready to go whenever we are. We never wear shoes inside the house. We just like them to be ready when we are. I’d like to say this has never resulted in me tripping over them and stumbling down the steps, but that would be a lie, and mama says to never tell a lie ‘cause it’ll bite you in the arse. In fact, it’s a dadgum miracle I haven’t broken a bone while dashing down those steps. However, we like our shoes there, and there they shall stay. In fact, in a couple of months some snow boots will likely join them. Bah humbug.

1. My slip-on yard shoes for walking the dog in wet weather. Bought for $3 at a clearance sale at New York and Company. They are ugly as homemade sin but perfect for navigating wet grass.

2. Hubby’s flip flops. Used for everything but yard work in the summer. I make him put on real shoes for mowing because the father of a friend of mine once cut off his toe mowing in flip flops, and they had to dig around in the grass to find the toe. I do not have a strong enough stomach to search the grass for a toe. Did you know they even made flip flops in a size 13?

3. My #2 pair of running shoes. The #1 pair stays in my locker at work because I do most of my running at lunch time. The #2 pair was a little less expensive than the #1 pair, but I still could have adopted a Russian orphan for the price of those stinkin’ shoes. And trust me, they do stink. (See previous post.)

4. Hubby’s tennis shoes. Used for yard work and knocking around town. Some strange lady at a hamburger joint recently asked him if she could use them for skis. Rude!

5. Teen Angel’s Rollerblades. She skates most evenings when the weather is nice.

6. Teen Angel’s Crocs. These are for traipsing around the yard in wet weather. I’ve been known to steal them when my yard shoes have gone missing.

7. Teen Angel’s black flip-flops. For traipsing around the yard in dry, warm weather. She obviously cares nothing about supporting her arches. Ah, youth.

8. Teen Angel’s white flip flops. Because she likes to be color coordinated even when she’s just goofing around the yard. Ah, female youth.

9. My black flip flops. Used in dry warm weather for just about everything. These have arch support because my feet are old.

If you ever come to our house, don't bother with the front door. Come in through the garage. Just watch your step. I don't really have a strong enough stomach for broken bones either. That whole bone sticking through the skin thing really grosses me out.