On Monday our class was looking at a bunch of old prints to try to see the difference between etchings and engravings. This one (Italian engraving c.1650) got my attention because the foremost guy with a shovel is wearing my shoes.

I discovered unstructured shoes a while back after reading Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen and I haven't worn anything with arch support since. My feet are flat, flat, flat so it was a relief to lose the lumpy soles. The only problem I find is that the shoes I wear now, while great for walking (I walk a lot) and running (I run a little), are not too wonderful for biking. I have real bike shoes, which are made to keep your foot attached to the pedal. They are crummy for walking. I kept a pair of my old running shoes for when I need to both bike and walk. They are not perfect for either activity, but when I'm wearing them I'm usually going someplace fun enough to take my mind off my feet.

I do have two fancy pairs of shoes, a brown pair and a black pair. They are not comfortable at all and I've not worn them in public. Ever. When I need fancy shoes, though, I won't have to worry because I know they're in my closet.

The funny thing is the print. In class we were paying attention to the quality of the lines so we could determine how the picture was printed. I got distracted by some footwear and took a photo to share with you. I didn't think too much about the subject of the print, but I had a vague impression that some supervisors were instructing some gardeners—until I looked at the scene behind them. That is some rough yardwork.