I’m interested in your horse shoes. I decorate them and sell them and the proceeds go to a children’s orphanage! Please contact me, Lorrainabishop63@yahoo.com Thank you. Oh I live in Mesa Arizona

I just got these: Keen Logan Mid WP Hikers I should've heeded reviews that said they run small, as they certainly do. I ordered my regular size (8) which was much too tight with hiking socks (I wear a sock liner and Smartwools), so then ordered two more sizes (8.5 and 9), and the 8.5 fit best. As maggiepatty's were, mine are also very stiff. I've only worn them once (hiked just over 3 miles in them) and I know it's going to take some more breaking in before they're completely comfy but I think they'll get there. I like the quality, and I like that they're made in Portland.

I've never noticed that the toe kick gets beat up so I wouldn't worry about that. As was suggested above and was done in my kitchen for both remodels, a custom size toe kick panel must be made and then scribed to the floor or cabinet so that it sits on the floor. It's not difficult or complicated and it looks fine in the end. The peninsula in our first kitchen was at least an inch rise from one end to the other. They obviously didn't average it. The second kitchen was off by two inches. When I insisted they be reinstalled to split the difference in height between the two ends the contractor refused and I fired him. Had to hire another carpenter to fix it at my expense but it was worth it.

I rode horses from 5 to 59 when I had to give up riding due to medical issues. I rode English and Western, dressage, jumping, trail, cutting horses (cow work). I worked on a ranch as a trail guide, rode on an equestrian team, and was part of the local emergency animal rescue group where we helped get horses out of the path of the California wild fires. I think back over my life and the impact that horses had on my life and can't imagine what my life would have been without that connection. When life was hard, they were there to support me. When I was a kid I trusted them to take care of me. When I was a teen and young adult I gained confidence knowing I could control a 1000 lb animal. But when I was a fully formed adult human being (No more teenage brain), I learned what a great honor it was to gain a horses trust. They are fear and flight animals, they will run if they are afraid, they are afraid of everything that is not part of their experience. It is what keeps them alive. When you gain their trust they will do anything you ask, even those things that frighten them, because they trust that you will not let anything happen to them. But you have to be patient and consistent and confident in order to earn their trust. It doesn't happen over night, it can take months and continues to build over years. Horses read our emotions, they know if you are distracted or anxious or afraid or angry and they react to those ques, so to be their lead mare you have to let go of all the other things in the world except what is happening between you and your horse. I have often thought that the people who worked for me needed to thank my horses. It was my horses who taught me to be calm and rational and keep my wits about me because that is what they needed from me. My horses taught me that when they didn't do what I asked it was my fault. They would do anything I asked, but they could only do what I asked if I clearly communicated what I wanted to them in a manner that they could understand. They taught me to be patient and give them time to get used to new experiences. Let them sniff and snort and chew on new ideas and wait until they were ready before I pushed them forward. I learned not to keep asking them to do something when they were already doing what I asked. (Don't keep digging in your heels after the have started running). I learned that bonding often means just hanging together, not doing anything and not saying a word. I love my dogs and cats and family and friends, but they all let me get away with being a snot. My horses demanded that I be the person they needed me to be or be at risk of losing their trust. The bond I had with my horses was magical.