Two years ago I decided to get serious about being outside during the winter months. I've never made any secret of the fact that I'm a summer, golfer-type, person. Some of my worst memories involve watching snow fall on green grass. Snow that cancelled an important golf outing. Or any golf outing for that matter.

One item that cost me a bundle was my pair of Deer Stalker, 1000 gram Thinsulate, Irish Setter Hunting Boots. They are comfortable, warm and waterproof. I was surprised at just how great a boot they are. My foot doesn't slide around, even when I'm taking steep slopes. My toes never get jammed, wet or cold. In fact, I've been out in 3 feet of snow, breaking trails for the better part of 4 hours and never felt a hint of cold. This and my feet stay dry. These shoes really breath well.

But they aren't every day shoes. Anything above 40 degrees and they would likely be uncomfortable. So they have sat in one corner of my room since early last spring. I cleaned them, oiled them and made sure they were dry. They have been faithfully awaiting the day that their service would be again required.

Today was that day. The temperature at 7:00 AM this morning was well below freezing. The wind was blowing. The ground was frosty. Definitely a day for the Setters. The boys and I took an extended walk. Dressed properly blustery days don't seem to be so fierce or intimidating. I look forward to the cold. And I've discovered that with the right preparation spending time in wet, rainy, windy conditions can be, well, just delightful. That may be a bit of an overstatement. Or misstatement. But to tell the truth, I'm much less of a summer person today than ever before. My Setters make that possible. Too bad the company stopped making this model...........
10:24:29 PM    comment []