Why do we do it??

I'm watching a show, an Amazon show called Goliath, in which all of the women are wearing high heels - VERY high heels. Why? I had my share of them and I ask myself the same question - why? My feet hurt when I wore them. I definitely couldn't run while wearing them. I remember reading about Japanese girls having their feet bound so that they wouldn't grow, and I thought, why? And then years later, I could hardly wait to buy my first pair of spike heels. Do they even call them that anymore?

I love getting past all of that, and I'm so happy that I didn't mess up my feet by wearing them too often. I must have had a shred of common sense.

Now I almost always wear Finn Comfort shoes. And they are - comfortable, that is. When I was on the farm and money was very tight indeed, I even bought a used pair on eBay, only $65 for a pair of $275 shoes. When they arrived, they didn't have insoles in them, a fact left out of the listing, but no problem. I had a pair of old sandals, and the thing about Finn Comfort shoes is that the insoles are removable - and interchangeable. And they never wear out. So I took the old sandals and pitched them (they were long overdue for the bin), and used the insoles out of them in the $65 shoes. Perfect fit! I'm still wearing them. (They are top right in the picture below.)

My daughter laughs at my shoes, especially the red sandals, bottom right in the picture. Okay they are not stylish. However, who cares? My feet never hurt. At 75 years of age, a podiatrist is not on my list of doctors.

Hail to flat shoes, good arch supports and feet that never hurt!

My shoe wardrobe

NEW RECIPE - Steak and blue cheese

Need to kick-start your ketogenic diet? I know I need to, after one too many cheats during the holidays.

Someone gave me a gift certificate to DC meats, and I bought a beautiful New York strip steak. Any good steak will do, or even good quality hamburger. The topping is where it's at. And by the way, it's ZERO carbs.

Take a 4 oz. container of crumbled blue cheese. There is an Amish brand that is very reasonable. Turn it out into a bowl. Add 3 tbsp. soft butter and a rounded tbsp. of fresh grated horseradish. A couple of vendors at the South Bend farmers market have good horseradish. Mix them together with a spoon - should still be a bit lumpy. Then sprinkle a tsp. of good Italian seasoning mix over it. (Ceres & Co. at the farmers market has a really good one, reasonably priced,  and it's organic.)

Liberally salt and pepper your meat. I like to use smoked salt and smoked pepper, especially in the wintertime. Fry your steak or hamburger in a screaming hot cast iron grill pan or skillet - or if the weather is good, on your grill. I like it 5 minutes per side. Meat should still feel springy when you press your finger into the meat. Then put on heated plate to rest for five minutes. While it is resting, spread a fourth to a third of a cup of the blue cheese / horseradish / butter topping evenly over the meat.

Now this is a "get back on track" meal, so tuck in! Only side should be a shot of good bourbon or whiskey. You will definitely be full, and you will be back on track!

Happy New Year! And bon apetit.

Blue cheese topped steak

Out with the old, in with the new.

So another year has bit the dust. Lots of stress for me. I am like the proverbial ostrich with head in sand. I refuse to think about where this country might be going. I can only hope the shakeup works, and not in the way the far Right thinks it will. It has been a wake-up call for everyone, I think.

Some things are going right for me. Finally got rid of the tenant from hell who was basically squatting in my rental unit in Illinois. She is gone - house is empty, keys are back in my hands. Thanks to an improving housing market (and rising interest rates that will push some people into the decision to buy now, before they get any higher), I am going to do a little to the outside of the house to make it more attractive from the street and put it on the market.

My VW diesel Jetta, which is being bought back by VW, has been sitting in storage for a couple of months. Two weeks from today at 9 am, it will go to the VW dealer, I will get a nice deposit in my checking account, and that knotty problem will be behind me.

Tashi is doing great! She has had two bad days since I put her on a strictly grain free diet - one because I foolishly gave her some ends of sweet rolls from the market (Susan, there is grain in a sweet roll!), and another bad day after I fed her a can of Science Diet, which was supposed to be grain free. But either they are using a filler that is not listed on the ingredient list, or there is cross contamination in their factory, because it was a reminder of how bad she was. She is past it. All is good.

I fell on the ice, jammed my thumb and bruised a rib. All pain gone, and I can do Crossfit once again!

Came down with the flu on New Year's Eve. As of today, except for a lingering cough, all is well Temperature back down to normal, body aches gone, sneezing done. I found some prescription cough syrup that keeps the cough at bay for a couple of hours, so I am going to hit the Crossfit box this afternoon. I'll take a slug of cough syrup and go for it!

It's a beautiful winter day! Cold, lake effect snow floating down. The Yule tree is coming down today, all of the decorations too. My house looked really nice this year. But it will be good to clear the deck for the New Year.

I hope that you have a Happy New Year.