Hi again, James!  This is a continuation of my previous message to you:

AH>  Others may think you're nuts because you're not like
AH>  them... but if you wonder whether you're nuts, you
AH>  probably aren't.  :-))

JB>  This from the guy with a "short bus" in a Beenie Hat
JB>  at the helm?


          It's the folks out in front gets the jar... [chuckle].



JB>  I *know* I'm nuts, but I've still only squeaked out, "...
JB>  Perhaps, mildly paranoid." out of the medical profession.


          So... maybe you're a bit neurotic.  Who isn't??  :-)



AH>  But if people still don't get it after several reminders,
AH>  a simple "no" may be more effective.  :-)

JB>  "Listen:" is where I'm at. )-:


          Uh-huh.  Dallas often says that too....  :-))



JB>  Shoe shopping; I don't recall the last retail store I bought
JB>  my last pair at. I'm equally blank, as to the shoes I last
JB>  bought at a retail store. I'll wager they were on sale. 


          Yes, I realize you're on a limited budget.  IMHO you need good
shoes, though, if you have difficulty walking and/or if your gait is
uneven... and the fit is important too.  Nowadays many of the less
expensive brands are available in only one width & don't have the arch
support they once did.  I've found some great bargains at places which sell
leftovers from other stores & whatnot.  :-)



 [Re modifying footwear to suit individual requirements, which
 appears to be a dying art]:
JB>  "Why do you feel you need a lift?" "Can you get a note from
JB>  your doctor to say so?"


          Bingo!  A person may feel as if one of their legs is longer than
the other when the problem originates from a misalignment of their spine...
I feel the same way on occasion.  I'd have reacted just as the store owners
did.  :-)



JB>  There may be something in the 'burbs there?


          Some of our friends have recommended places in the suburbs.  I'm
not familiar with the geography of Calgary, but I think you're on the right
track. There may still be shops downtown like the one you've described.  I
would also check out side streets & strip malls where the rents are
lower....  ;-)

          I've discovered gems uptown in this way... a man who has been
fixing shoes for three or four decades & kept in stock the material
needed to replace the heels on the crepe-soled shoes I hadn't used since my
schoolteaching days, for example, when I wanted to wear them with my band
uniform.  He's also quite willing to fix purses, backpacks, wheelchair bags
etc. as long as you can tell him exactly what you'd like him to do. 
Another favourite is a store where the owner is 80+.  It's the only place I
know of which still sells neat's-foot oil
... as well as brand new leather boots for just $25.  Here in the coastal
rain forest, "fashion boots" are readily available.  Finding
serious rain boots for less than $200 can be a challenge at times, however,
unless gum boots are okay for whatever you're doing.  If such an
establishment can supply what I want at a reasonable price, I can accept a
bit of peeling paint & so forth.

          As for those with special needs regarding footwear because they
must use some adaptive device(s)... we found out who supplies shoes to the
folks in GF Strong & Sunny Hill, i.e. major rehab facilities around
these parts.  Other useful resources may be orthotists, podiatrists, and/or
chiropractors....  :-)



JB>  A happy cat, and a fed Fido!


          Okay... you accomplished something, although it wasn't quite what
you felt you should be doing.  When you snooze through an alarm etc. it may
be most beneficial in the grand scheme of things to heed what your body is
saying.  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+