Kicks for Kane

I came to Maine with a good variety of footwear. I got sandals, I got dress shoes, I got tennis shoes, and, perhaps, most importantly, I have boots. I have actually had the occasion to wear each pair of these so far, but boots have undoubtedly been the most important Boots not only give me a passport into the working world, but I wear them everyday. When we do horses in the morning, I'm walking through mud and manure, and I need my footwear to be sturdy, and I need to be able to get it dirty.
But guess what I noticed. First of all, Bill told me that whatever shoes I wore outside would probably be destroyed by the end of the summer. Second of all, I didn't want to destroy the boots that I brought. And third of all, I am getting stepped on by horses at least once a week and I am walking through wet mud.

So my boots might be able to take me on a hike, but they aren't gonna work perfect on the farm. Now, it is true that I could just deal with it, but if you see any of the farm boys who come by the barn and look at their shoes, they all have heavy duty stuff. So I decided to make my first big purchase. Some cheap boots. And I had three qualifications. Price, water resistant, and steel-toed. Oh, and I need something with a heel so that I could ride in them.

So if you know me, the first part (price) is a "duh." The second part is so that I don't have to ask myself what that brown stuff on my sock is, and the third part is just fascinating. Did you know that they have a steel-toe shoe industry? New balance has steal toed shoes. And literally, they are tennis shoes with steel toes that just make the end of your foot impenetrable.

So I went on a search for this shoe. I stopped first at Marden's, which is a low, low, low, price overstock store that puts walmart prices to shame. But they only had army boots. So then I went across the street, which is where I learned about the steel-toed shoe market. I was just gonna get some rain boots but decided to keep looking.

So my search ended up probably where it should have begun...Walmart. I walked into the show aisle and there they were. my boots. Ozark Trail boots for $30. They didn't have a steel toe but they were waterproof and I just thought it was meant to be that they were Ozark Trail because everyone knows that the Ozark Trail might as well have meant "All Arkansans buy these!" So I grabbed them and headed towards the bathroom.

But wait, that wasn't all. There were some shoes on the back wall, and so I just decided to put my slow-paced shopping skills further to the test. So I grabbed 3 different pairs off the back shelf and repeatedly took them on and off until I narrowed four pairs down to two. I still had the Ozark Trail, but I also had these slightly cheaper, though less handsome, waterproof, and steel-toed boots made by Brahma.
And then I saw it. I was looking at the size when a magic word struck my sight.

I allowed a knowing chuckle to emanate from my lips. haha. and I smiled softly as I went to put back my OT boots. I looked at the box just to make sure I hadn't deceived myself.
Hell, after I bought my boots, I kept the tag on them another 3 days just because it was an awesome story.

It was meant to be, they were mine. They are the Brahma Kane all-purpose work boot.

I've had at least 3 horses step on me since I got them, and every time I say to them "step harder. I can't even feel that weak sauce through my steel-toed boot."

I've sloshed through wet mud and thought, "oh, that brown is nice." and I've walked into stores and said "yeah, that's right. these are my Brahma boots.


These are my kicks for kane."