September 15, 2020
Growing Up In Bandera
By Glenn Clark
The Bandera Prophet
Despite the fact that I grew up in The Cowboy Capital of the World I never wore any kind of western style boots until my late teens. My work boots were everyday wear during all seasons but never cowboy boots. Now if you look at the many styles available today you might have a hard time deciding exactly what constitutes western style boots.
Around the house these days I prefer flip-flops if I'm staying inside or in close proximity of the porch. You need to get over the fact that I still call them thongs because I have no intention of changing my ways to suit your beliefs. Back in the hippie era we sometimes called them Jesus shoes. Matter of fact I still use that term on occasion too.
When the cooler weather sets in I will switch to moccasins for a little comfort while I'm out filling the bird feeders on a chilly morning. The main drawback for them is the thin sole which will send you a signal if you step on the smallest of rocks or any other sharp object.
Due to the achy joints which I now enjoy or endure due to my advanced years, I prefer my tennies for going out on the town instead of boots. I have several pair of various colors which reside permanently and directly in front of my dresser in the bedroom. My wife doesn't much like it because she says, "that looks tacky". It not like other people come over and go into our bedroom for an in-house inspection. Besides if I put them in the closet they might lose all that training I have invested in them keeping their shape so I can take them off or put them on without touching the laces.
As a kid I was pretty rough on my shoes which were most certainly purchased at Stein's Clothiers which was and is located on 11th Street in Bandera. That merry-go-round at St. Joseph's Catholic School was the cause of many spankings and ear pullings I received when arriving home with shoe toes that had been ground off as I desperately held on while being dragged in a circle over and over. My pant knees were sometimes in need of another patch too for the same reason. The skinned knees underneath received very little sympathy as I recall. What a sad day it was when someone decided that playground favorite had to be eliminated.
Will people understand if I still refer to "The Shoeleather Express" as a mode of transportation these days while Growing Up In Bandera? There's all kinds of unusual and fancy footwear on the market today. Anyone know if they still make squaw boots for the girls and so-called motorcycle boots for the two wheeler fans?
#247 2020
Around the house these days I prefer flip-flops if I'm staying inside or in close proximity of the porch. You need to get over the fact that I still call them thongs because I have no intention of changing my ways to suit your beliefs. Back in the hippie era we sometimes called them Jesus shoes. Matter of fact I still use that term on occasion too.
When the cooler weather sets in I will switch to moccasins for a little comfort while I'm out filling the bird feeders on a chilly morning. The main drawback for them is the thin sole which will send you a signal if you step on the smallest of rocks or any other sharp object.
Due to the achy joints which I now enjoy or endure due to my advanced years, I prefer my tennies for going out on the town instead of boots. I have several pair of various colors which reside permanently and directly in front of my dresser in the bedroom. My wife doesn't much like it because she says, "that looks tacky". It not like other people come over and go into our bedroom for an in-house inspection. Besides if I put them in the closet they might lose all that training I have invested in them keeping their shape so I can take them off or put them on without touching the laces.
As a kid I was pretty rough on my shoes which were most certainly purchased at Stein's Clothiers which was and is located on 11th Street in Bandera. That merry-go-round at St. Joseph's Catholic School was the cause of many spankings and ear pullings I received when arriving home with shoe toes that had been ground off as I desperately held on while being dragged in a circle over and over. My pant knees were sometimes in need of another patch too for the same reason. The skinned knees underneath received very little sympathy as I recall. What a sad day it was when someone decided that playground favorite had to be eliminated.
Will people understand if I still refer to "The Shoeleather Express" as a mode of transportation these days while Growing Up In Bandera? There's all kinds of unusual and fancy footwear on the market today. Anyone know if they still make squaw boots for the girls and so-called motorcycle boots for the two wheeler fans?
#247 2020