My "casual" garden shoes

A while back I wrote about my new work boots, what I'll be wearing when digging, mowing, essentially doing anything other than strolling around the garden. When I am just walking around though I wear something more casual. Actually they're not that casual, as they're shoes made of leather, not the colored spongy plastic that is so popular in the garden and everywhere else these days (for good reason).

I didn't purchase these to be garden shoes, but one day I realized that they might be quite good for that purpose, and I never wore them anyway. They ended up being great shoes for the garden. Because they're leather they're quite durable, but do take some care. Today I'm giving them a long overdue polishing.

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There are so many different materials that are used in shoes today, it's easy to forget that leather is still one of the best. It's comfortable (once broken in), durable, water resistant when properly prepared, and just so nice on at least three of the senses.

They're not too nice on the senses when they show this level of neglect though:

Shoe polish is key to keeping them happy.

I'm going to need a fair amount of polish on the brush:

It's so satisfying to work the polish into the dry leather, much like staining a bare piece of wood a dark, rich color is -- if you've ever done that.

After the polish dries for a while, it's time to brush it off:

Buffing with the brush is another satisfying part of this job, because the dull, lifeless finish turns glossy and exciting:

Pretty soon you're left with beautiful garden shoes, perfect to wear while showing friends around your newest planting bed or pointing out a favorite new plant acquisition.

Yes, they really are water resistant too.

I really like slipping these shoes on for a quick walk around the yard!

Leather: it's probably what your grandmother wore on her feet when she worked in her garden.
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