defensive boots
It’s a dangerous time out there for California garden bloggers. One of them just had a run-in of a thumb and a chipper-shredder, though fortunately with an outcome way short of what you’d see towards the end of Fargo. 
(If you don’t know Fargo, here’s the snowglobe that came with the deluxe collector’s letterboxed edition VHS tape which mirrors the tone of the film perfectly. It memorializes the infamous chipper-shredder scene where Trooper Marge Gunderson comes upon the criminal trying to dispose of his latest victim. When shaken, the snow in the globe is tainted with little red flakes. Magical…)
Another blogger broke her arm, taking her away from posting for a while.
Not to be left out, a little over a month ago, while working on my house repair project, I ended up stepping into a pile of scrap wood that happened to have a big spikey nail that was pointing straight up out of one of the boards. My work shoes–some battered old Skecher tennies that were hip in the late 1990s–were no match for the nail and…you know the rest. I’m perfectly fine now, but two days of painkillers and the week of crutches were no fun.
I really should have better shoes for working outside, I thought after the little accident. And this weekend I finally got around to replacing my unsafe and ugly tennies.
So here they are: some industrial Timberland workboots with steel toes and puncture-resistant soles. They weigh as much as a small sack of potatoes but are surprisingly comfortable.
So was this overkill for working outside and around the garden? They should be great for forcing a shovel into the patches of the garden where the earth is seriously hardpan clay. But they’re definitely nothing to wear when trying to weave gingerly through a bed of new seedlings. I haven’t had a chance to plant anything over the last couple of days, and I haven’t had a need to finesse my way around tiny little plants. But I think I’ll like them and that I’ll actually wear them gardening.
Whatever the verdict, one member of the household is already happy. Here’s Scooter, who doesn’t give a hoot about my new boots. But every new pair of shoes that enters the house means that there’ll be a shoebox accompanying them. The cat approves.
November 10 2009 06:17 am | Categories: gardening | Tags: cats • Fargo (film) • films • injuries • Scooter • workboots
GrokSurf on 10 Nov 2009 at 8:07 am #
Those jeans aren’t even frayed! Get back out there in the garden!
Town Mouse on 10 Nov 2009 at 8:59 am #
I’ll be curious how this works out. I tend to favor slip-in shoes and would probably just slip into the birkis which are there for a quick run to the compost instead of putting on my workboots. As it is, I sometimes catch myself getting side-tracked, though I do have a decent pair of shoes for working in the garden.
Gayle Madwin on 10 Nov 2009 at 11:59 am #
Ack! I’m glad you’ve recovered from your encounter with the nail.
I find that gardening ruins all my shoes in no time at all, so I try to wear mostly slip-on plastic gardening shoes when I’m out in the garden — shoes that I never wear in any context other than gardening, and that don’t easily fall apart, due to being plastic.
The cat sure does look happy!
ryan on 10 Nov 2009 at 8:32 pm #
Great Fargo globe. I’m scared to wear steel toes around big rocks. They protect you from the little ones, but they can the damage with the big ones. I ran a nail up into my finger once while digging on a job. I was better about wearing gloves for about six months…
tina on 11 Nov 2009 at 5:01 am #
The boots are awesome. Not overkill at all. I wish I had such a good pair. For me it is old holey sneakers and they do nothing to support my feet when I have to dig. I couldn’t even imagine stepping on a nail. May they keep you safe and all the other California bloggers stay healthy and safe.
It is way cool you have a camellia!
Steve on 11 Nov 2009 at 7:55 pm #
I wear clogs, lol. Not the wooden ones, but you can buy some very safe clogs that are reinforced underneath as well. The heaviness of the big boots always bugged me. I’m glad you’re OK, James, let me hasten to add. Make sure you check your area out for hazards, lol. (Unnecessary and gratuitous voice).
Jean on 12 Nov 2009 at 11:15 am #
No, those boots aren’t overkill at all. My house tends to get strewn with empty boxes for the cats. We’re always saying “we really must get rid of those boxes” but then the cats do enjoy them so. LOVE the Fargo snowglobe, ha!
Barbara on 13 Nov 2009 at 9:52 pm #
To paraphrase from the kitchen axiom: If you can’t take the pain… stay out of the garden. Glad to hear you have recovered from your injury. My thumbnail is turning a nice inky blue but it doesn’t really bother me. And no I don’t think your boots are overkill — they look perfect. Now for some stiff leather gloves to protect my clumsy hands!
Your cat is adorable!
lostlandscape on 17 Nov 2009 at 9:14 pm #
Groksurf, actually at this points even the boots seem too good to wear in the garden!
TM, I’m sure I’ll end up wasting yet another pair of non-garden shoes by getting pulled into the garden by a project that seemed like it’d be safe in street shoes. But so far I’ve remembered to put on the boots for anything off pavement in the garden.
Gayle, the cat’s box is still around. It usually takes 2–3 weeks for boxes to lose their appeal, and at that point they get removed from the house.
Ryan, I can see how complacency can develop with something that gives you protection from the little accidents but not from the more serious ones. No boulders in my yard, though.
Tina, 2000 miles away and we still share some plants–gardening is so cool.
Steve, thanks for the concern and warnings. At this point the voice in my head is making sure I’m extra-safe with the garden projects.
Jean, as I mentioned to Gayle, the boxes hang around here a long time as well. I’m sure anyone with cats would look at the house and nod their heads and say something like, “You have cats, don’t you?”
Barbara, so glad you’re better! Replacing my gloves is the next order of business. I hate the ones that provide so much protection that you can’t feel a thing, and finding less clunky ones that still provide reasonable protection is always a chore. Yes, the cat is adorable. She gets told that many times a week!