when it's warm and dry? whatever is on my feet really but i've altered my shoe collection to be garden-oriented at this point pretty much. ;) flipflops, soludos espadrilles (good price and comfy), clogs. for when i'm digging and getting muddy i've got a pair of croc boots that i love - so ridiculously comfy - don't get too hot, really soft, easy on and off and waterproof. i can't be bothered with anything that laces or zips anymore. ;) Here is a link that might be useful: croc rain boots

I've composted small amounts of dairy with no problems, but I do question how long some of those things would take to completely break down. Wood chips, tree bark, and cattail reeds, depending on the size could take awhile, as could leather items. Since I only occasionally hot compost I'd not use many of those things. I question whether Ivory soap is a completely natural product so I know I wouldn't compost it. I wouldn't bother composting peat moss either but would mix it with the finished compost if I needed to use it up. I'd also be careful to not add too much wood ash or minerals as they don't decompose and could alter the pH and cause an imbalance that's difficult to restore. In a good hot compost everything else on that list would decompose fairly quickly tho - except maybe those little olive pits. Warning - wedding bouquets are composed of more than organic materials, they have wires and plastic stuff also so one should gleefully rip it apart to remove those things OR ceremonially burn/trash it if it no longer has sentimental value! ;-D

I wear ankle rubber shoes that have a zipper up the front. the current favorites come from SoftMoc. I like with the zipper the shoe doesn't slosh around on my feet. The soles are thick with a good tread. I have worn work shoes with steel toes and while you do get used to them, not much we do doesn't require them and they are heavy which I do not want any longer. I wear these shoe-like rubber boots year long and for all activities i e walking the dog. My daughter in Toronto wears hers all the time as they are a great walking shoe in the support department.

Fantastic pictures! I am amazed by the things our forefathers did. They built houses that truly stood the test of time--grand mansions, with staircases and moldings that would put today's carpenters to shame. I can't imagine how hard they worked just to get through the day, and with none of the luxuries that we take for granted. Thanks for sharing this look at our history!