For "heavy" or "hard" gardening and yard work, I wear last year's New Balance running shoes. My oldest pair is always designated as my "work shoes." For regular garden maintenance where I'm not like to injure my feet I have an off-brand, "Holey Soles," made in Canada, that I picked up at the Garden Center. They are lime green, look identical to the "Clogs", and cost $25. They do have a molded arch support; they're comfortable, but I wear old socks with them. I have "gardening socks" that are clean but stained. They can get wet and muddy. I wear the socks because I have diabetes and I don't want to risk rubbing a blister. They're comfortable without the socks, but I'm extra cautious; I plan on walking into heaven with my original feet! Yes; they're a fashion statement; but not one I want to make in public. I wear them while gardening and in my yard to check on the birds (Purple Martins and Tree Swallows.) I occasionally wear them in the evening while watching TV Pajamas, night shirts, night gowns and long johns/sweaters are perfectly acceptable and understandable early to mid-morning garden attire. I highly recommend them. If people don't have a sense of wonderment and humor, they should not live next to me!

Who knows what tomorrow may bring? There used to be a japanese restaurant in Atlanta many years ago that made you shed your foot wear at the door. It was a novelty then. We would eat there when we were in town for a play or some other such event. We were in Charleston a few years back doing the plantation tour fund raiser. It was pouring down rain when we went to one beautiful place. I can't remember the name now but it had a golf course. We had to take off our shoes at the door and don those hospital type things. I totally understood. The mud and water would have ruined their floors and carpets. Once in Russia I laughed because we were touring a palace there and we had to put shoe covers on. The shoe covers were squares of carpet pulled up by two corners and a piece of elastic holding it together. I remember thinking then that it was a good idea but wished they knew about the hospital shoe covers. I also wondered why they didn't do a similar thing at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg to protect those beautiful old floors. In private homes,I suppose "when in Rome" would be the thing to do. Just think what a whole new world of opportunities for yet another shopping trip it would bring if it became the norm to take off one's shoes before entering someone's home. You'd have to have a pedicure at least every 2 weeks and you certainly wouldn't want to wear those tacky little shoe or foot covers or anything that someone else had put on their feet. The very thought of catching a fungus or some other such thing would be enough to drive one to drink. There would be a rush to design little shoes and foot covers of every color and material. Fabric would have to be imported from all over the world. There would be a scramble of designers to come up with the best the quickest. Milan would probably devote a whole show to shoe covers alone. Television commercials would have to be made showcasing beautiful feet wearing the very latest from Paris in shoe and foot covers. Oh! My! God! we would then have to make yet another decision. Which shoe covers to take to wear with the dress. I can't think about this today. "I'll think about it tomorrow y'all" she says as she presses the back of her hand to her forhead and sighs. No wonder the Wall Street Journal was so interested. Janis

I have been icing and doing exercises. A friend gave me a "boot" he had with PF. I cannot wear this thing to bed - it is huge! - but I have been wearing it at home when I am sitting. It is still extremely painful, but not as bad as it was a week ago. I am going to just keep up with what I am doing - and see what happens. I have not ruled out seeing a podiatrist or a cortisone shot if needed. I am awaiting the Sketchers Shape-ups I ordered. I have a pair now, but they are shot. They seem to take pressure off the heel as you rock more toward the ball of your foot. They may help as well. I just came in, having been gone a good part of the day, and while painful, I can still walk!! Tib, from what I read on that website, the insole is something you can buy to replace one in the shoes. If the one you have wears out, you can remove it and buy a replacement. I did not get the idea that you could buy the insoles and use in other shoes - but I might be wrong.

@Flo Mangan That's the problem with things like this. The builder in this situation owns this whole nice subdivision so you have to go with them. Then they trick you into thinking you are getting SOOO much incentive when you go to the design center. When you go in there you see that they have the lower grade LVT at a higher price point than of a much higher quality you could get anywhere else. So you then you are forced to pick and choose what you want to do. I know for a lot of people that want to move right in they just bite the bullet, or they don't know the pricing so they are somewhat stuck. When faucets, etc are so much more than retail you have to just figure out the things you don't want to deal with after close and and pay for those. The rest if you have the time to do it I suggest doing it after. We had that luxury so I did everything that we felt was much better priced after.