Hard-workin' Old Chippewa Engineer Boots

These "old Chips" (steel-toed engineer boots made by Chippewa) worked hard all day long on Sunday. The day began when I pulled them on at dawn, prepared a big breakfast, then paid a very early visit to a local home supplies store to get a few things, then my partner's favorite K-Mart to get a few more things.

By 7:30, we began work on our home renovation projects. I was able to get more of that flooring put down in our upstairs hallway. It required lots of precise cutting at odd angles for the parts of the hallway that go around corners and over to an atrium that overlooks our lower level. Unfortunately, the tools required to make these cuts are in my basement workshop, so I must have gone up and down two flights of stairs at least 50 times. That's okay, I can use the exercise!

While I was doing that work on my own, my partner was painting. He's the painter of our partnership. He painted all of the baseboard and closet doors in our master bedroom. Seven doors and 70 feet of baseboard is a lot to cover!

We broke early for lunch. These boots clomped around on the deck while I grilled some burgers and veggie toppings. Then... back to work!

We called it a day about 2:30, and were happy with what we both had accomplished. It was such a nice day, I decided to hop on my Harley and go for a ride. I dropped over to see an elder bud who hasn't been feeling well. I wasn't able to stay that long, but it was good to see her and give her a smile and a hug.

I climbed back on the Harley and rode some more through some backroads and byways not too far away from where I live. These Chips loved the ride. I stopped along the way at a roadside vegetable stand. Totally without intent, the boots sunk in some mud while I was waiting to pay. The stand operator handed me a paper towel and said, "sorry about that. Use this to clean up." I wiped the mud off my jeans, but left it on the boots (LOL!)

Off I rode toward home, with sweet Maryland corn, cucumbers, green peppers, and tomatoes in my Tourpak, and mud on my boots which dried and flaked off during the return ride. When I got home, my partner called me into the back yard. He was irritated with a couple of bucks that were trying to get to the bird food. I set up our motion-activated sprinkler which deters the deer quite well. And oops, the boots and jeans got a little wet in the process! Oh well, they got cleaned up a little.

I took the boots off and stood them up on a rail of our deck to dry in the sun. The boots deserved a rest, as did I. My partner and I showered in our two-man, two-headed shower, then relaxed in our hot tub. Following that, I put on some patrol boots and breeches while I prepared a steak dinner with fresh vegetables that I bought a few hours earlier. My partner loved them! (I wish I could eat corn and peppers, but they don't agree with me.)

Life is short: work hard, then relax and enjoy!