Where did women's shoes go?

Seriously, what is up with women's shoes?

I got my annual fix of "trying on more shoes that fit than I wanted to buy" while back in the US over Christmas. Peanut butter, cranberries, Cheerios,...these goods have all made it to Switzerland. Women's shoes for a size 42/43 foot? Not so much.

My stomping grounds in America are Zappos.com, and a DSW store near downtown Chicago. Many a happy purchase has been made through each. This time, as well.

But the last few years I've noticed that more and more often, some of the purchases in a store have to come from the men's section. Not just because of size but because while men's shoes are still mostly made of leather, women's shoes are increasingly constructed of vinyl, Kleenex, cheap cloth and fruit rollups. What gives? Not only do we have to wear high heels but now they dissolve upon contact with water, mud, grass, and,....well, air.

Pair of black, lace-up boots - women's models looked like they were for playing dress-up and not for walking in. I may be missing something, but my personal car service has yet to materialize and I find myself still walking. Outside. For 10s of minutes a day.

Anyway, this is a pretty punky post for such a long absence, but I'll just say the the anti-depressants are settling into my system quite well and I'm feeling better. My fuse is longer, my reserves are higher, I sleep better, and I can even watch someone else breastfeed and not be upset in any way. Besides, with the arrival of teeth 7 and 8, little baby J has now taken to biting skin, hard, as a way to snuggle. I think. He bites, I yell "ow!", he smiles with his tongue out in a sort of mischievous way. It is cute and very thankfully not directed at any mammary glands in the house.