I know I’m prone to overthinking and pondering things that really require no deliberation. Perhaps it’s a consequence of living alone my entire adult life. Until social media presented itself I had no outlet for my thoughts or commentaries. In the absence of someone next to me to whom I can make witty observations or share snarky repartee I either post it on Twitter or Facebook, or allow the thought to marinate endlessly in my mind.
So, today I bring you some controversial thoughts that have been bubbling around my head of late. And yes, I know with the current Middle East crisis and bloody Covid there are more important matters needing attention. However…
Shoes or no shoes inside
It’s starting to get colder here and I need to buy some new slippers. My house has white tile floors and their icy chill manages to make its way through my socks so for the last few days I’ve put my sneakers (runners / sandshoes) on for extra underfoot warmth. And every time I hear myself start to walk I get the sensation that I must be going out.
I know it’s said we inadvertently drag many of our childhood habits into adulthood. But, my mother wears slip on shoes around inside the house all of the time. I remember now my father wore these old moccasins (I detested). And yet… I’ve never been an inside-the-house-shoe-wearer. It’s certainly not a politeness / leave them at the door thing. I have rubber thongs at each exit of my house (including the deck) as I HATE getting my feet dirty and yet I am not a natural wearer of shoes inside. Shoes. Are. For. Going. Out.
No Soup For Me!
In the southern hemisphere people have started making soup. There seems to be great excitement that winter has arrived. Slow cookers are being yanked out of the back of cupboards and soups are appearing on my Instagram feed. Some look nice. Others look like vomit or brown water with veges floating in it.
I don’t hate soup although I don’t particularly like it either. I find it kinda unfulfilling as a meal option. As an entree – perhaps, but as a main meal. WHY?!?!?! I don’t understand the allure. My mother loves soup. She’s happy with even a cup of soup for a meal. But to me it seems pointless. Why bother eating drinking at all I wonder?
Pockets
People seem to fall on either side of this debate. There are those who love clothes (I’m really thinking traditional women’s clothes – dresses, skirts and trousers) with pockets. Those people are psychopaths. I had this conversation at dinner the other night. We were admiring a friend’s dress and she commented gleefully that it had pockets. Of course that led to the Deborah-hates-pockets discussion. Others said they find pockets handy, comforting and wondered why I didn’t like them.
I explained that my hips and thighs have always been generous and so the LAST thing I need or want is excess padding in that area. The notion of adding my coin-filled wallet, phone and car keys to my hips makes no sense.
Are you wearer of shoes indoors? Do you like pockets? How do you feel about soup? Any other pressing issues or controversial thoughts I should explore?
*image via memegenerator.net
Linking up with Denyse Whelan blogs today.
May 17, 2021
I’m totally with you Deb on the pockets, for the same reason, but I’m also totally okay with utilising pockets worn by someone I’m with (not for hands, just items I’d prefer not to hang on to!).
On shoes inside and soups, I hear you, because I used to think similarly. But, as I’ve aged….. well, let’s just say I’m looking forward to the creamy pumpkin soup I just put on my grocery order.
May 17, 2021
I often (do) ponder the soup thing for me. If it’s a texture issue? That I don’t like the consistency or lack of it or that I need to chew? I’m not sure.
May 17, 2021
In lockdown, I read that one of the things you needed to do to avoid bringing covid into the house was ditch the handbag, so I became a pocket only person. I’ve more or less stuck with that. SO i am a 100% a pockets please person. But usually on my cardi or jacket, rather than pants. Shoes off were also advised (before entering) so I was that too but don’t care so much now. I quite like soup but tend to not want it as a meal – though maybe as lunch?
May 17, 2021
When I was looking for memes re pockets there were a few articles about the fact pockets in clothes-for-women aren’t shaped the same as men’s so don’t naturally fit phones etc. And… there was a comment about designers not adding them to things so then we need to keep buying handbags! I’m not a huge handbag person – more of a satchel or clutch purse (that doesn’t fit much). I can’t stand the idea of having a bag packed of stuff you have to search through…
May 17, 2021
That’s probably it. I’m not into the watery ones, then it’s like fishing. Thick creamy ones are my fave… more filling.
May 17, 2021
So many questions…..so little time…. I’m a barefoot in Summer/socks or slippers or uggs in Winter person for indoors. I like soft and comfortable (clothes/bras/shoes/whatever) so shoes inside aren’t a part of my life. Soup I’m on the fence about – a good homemade soup (not made by me) is always heart warming, but I can take soup or leave it. And as for pockets – not on my hips thank you but I’ll take pockets in a Winter jacket because they keep my hands warm.
PS: My Mum who hates housework wears slipper scuff things around so her feet don’t stick to the floor (so gross!)
May 17, 2021
I’m exactly the same re pockets and shoes inside! When I get home I like to be comfy so I change clothes (if I’ve worn vaguely decent clothes out. I’ve worn PJ pants out several times recently!) and if I’m cold I tend to just put bedsocks on. And yes, I can cope with pockets in jackets or hoodies etc…
May 17, 2021
Hi Deb, I need new slippers too! I usually wear socks around the house but the nights have been getting a little chilly so maybe I need to buy some ugg boots. I’ve also been one of those people pulling out the slow cooker and making soup. We don’t usually eat soup as my husband and I are usually hungry afterwards but I did make a delicious Sweet Potato and Lentil soup which I had for a few lunches during the week. #lifethisweek
May 17, 2021
I looked at some slippers today. They were slip-on ones in the shape of pigs so very cute but I suspect not very warm. I’ve got some long thick bed socks I need to dig out but I think I even feel the cold floor through them.
May 18, 2021
I loved this post, so refreshing! I think the shoe thing is very cultural. I’m from Sweden where shoes inside is a big no-no, and now I live in Ireland where most people do wear shoes inside. I don’t mind wearing shoes inside, but I think it’s more comfortable to have some slip-on kind of shoes instead to wear inside the house. Plus our kitchen floor (that needs replacing) happily receives any dirt and will make it barely possible to clean. Another reason to have indoor shoes.
I LOVE a good soup though!
And pockets too. But only if they are placed correctly, useful (like on a coat) and look stylish.
May 18, 2021
Hi Susanne, lovely to meet you and I’m okay with pockets in coats as well. And I think I’d need to wear shoes if the floor ‘felt’ dirty or sticky or anything like that. My verandah gets very dirty and I put rubber thongs (flip flops) on before I walk out on it!
May 18, 2021
When I was a kid, we always wore shoes in the house. None of my daughters-in-law do, so now none of my sons do. I think it is cleaner to not wear them in the house, but I have trouble with plantar fasciitis and my doctor told me to always wear shoes. I have some old slip on clogs I now wear to solve that problem.
I AM a fan of soup, especially in cold weather.
May 18, 2021
Oh that’s interesting Laurie. I have problems with plantar fasciitis too and pulled something higher on the back of my ankle late last year. And I wondered if walking on my hard floors made it worse. Sometimes to get some ‘steps’ up (my target is only 5000 steps a day and I rarely make it) I pace my long corridor and perhaps that was making my ankle/leg recovery much slower than it should have been.
May 18, 2021
Aren’t the things that bubble around our head funny Deb. I love your thoughts. Shoes inside? Definitely no. This was instilled into me as a child and I still feel naughty if I do it. Soup? Live it. I could live on soup in winter. Actually today I’m making two different soups for the freezer. Pockets? I’m with you. There is enough bulk on my hips without adding pockets. If they were there I’d never use them. I love your post
May 18, 2021
Thanks Jennifer and it’s interesting to hear people’s thoughts on things they do and don’t like/do and why. So often we just assume everyone does things the same way we do or that the way we do something is obvious, when it’s not the case. I just participated in an online discussion re whether ‘we’ make our beds each morning or not – so there’s fodder for my next post.
May 18, 2021
Shoes indoors – a big fat no for me. I like to leave them at the door although the exception is when guests come over and might feel weird about taking them off. I am not a fan of cold feet either so novelty slippers are my go to inside as soon as the mercury plummets!
Soup – I actually like soup but not as a main meal although I don’t object to it when served as a light lunch. The only exception would be my Auntie’s Chicken Noodle Soup because as it’s got noodles, chicken, veggies and kneidlach (dumplings) in it, it’s basically a meal in a bowl. Plus it’s got healing properties, it’s not called Jewish Penicillin for nothing.
Pockets – I’m with you. As an “ample” person I don’t need anything else sticking out of my bum or thighs. That said, now I have a dog and need to take a plethora of stuff with me on walks, pockets do come in really handy for treats, phone and keys etc so I’m actually a bit torn!
More posts like these please! Love it!
May 18, 2021
Ha! I’m glad you can relate to my thoughts on some of these Sammie! I used to wear novelty slippers – cows and some weird hamster looking things from memory and I’d love a new pair. I looked at some ‘pigs’ yesterday but they were slip-on slippers so wouldn’t be very warm. I still remember Whoopi Goldberg dancing to Jumpin’ Jack Flash in the film in 1986 wearing these cute slippers and it was something I’d never seen before.
I’m not even sure how fulfilling I’d find soup for lunch, but maybe with some nice bread or something…
May 19, 2021
Oh dear is there where I tell you I haver just today brought my slow cooker out of its hiding spot at the back of the cupboard and used it for the first time in ages!! I also LOVE pockets in dresses and wear ugg boots inside, but we do get quite cold here – already there is snow on the main range which I can see from my kitchen window!!
Great to read your thoughts and you made me smile Deb 🙂 #lifethisweek
May 19, 2021
My mum’s a big user of her slow cooker. She uses it for soup but heaps of other things as well.
I’ve contemplated buying one but usually only decide what I’m going to eat at the last minute and barely have time to defrost it, let alone be organised enough to do prep.
May 19, 2021
Gosh, this post stirred up lots of thoughts from others too. I would always be barefoot inside until I couldn’t be…because it’s buggering up my already poor feet being on the tiles. So, it’s often birkenstocks because they support my 71 yo feet. I haven’t had a dress with pockets but like a pocket in jeans. As a head and neck cancer patient soup is a supposedly easy meal but I bore of it very quickly. Until now, when I actually have some ingredients to do my only winter cook up which will be frozen into batches. Some for me and some for Dad. Husband hates it. Thank you for linking up for Life This Week on Monday 17 May 2021. It is a great community here and I am always pleased to see your post linked. Next week, the optional prompt is Self Care Stories. I look forward to seeing you then too. Denyse.
May 21, 2021
Ah yes, I had to eat a bit of soup post weight loss surgery as I could only have pureed food for a couple of weeks. My mum did make a nice potato and leak soup though. She used to make pea and ham soup (still does but not always gluten-free) that I liked and it was thick as well.
I should probably think about shoes of some sort indoors for the exact same reason Denyse. I think the tiles are a bit harsh on my plantar fasciitis, achilles and calves.
May 21, 2021
Interesting about the plantar fasciitis….B ended up curing his simply by making sure he has some kind of arch supportive footwear inside on the tiles.
May 23, 2021
I did a lot of googling before I bought a new pair of sneakers late last year so make sure I got something supportive as I’m also prone to shin splints!
May 20, 2021
I do love a good soup. If it’s got lots of ‘bits’ in it, I find it very satisfying as a meal but I agree it’s often nice to have just a little as a starter. And pockets – you just have to get them in the right place. I’ve become a master at what pant styles work for my body and many with pockets at the front are a total disaster where others are brilliant. It’s the art of fit. Pockets in dresses are a bit more problematic. I do find a bra always serves as a good spot for a tissue or two and occasionally loose coins on the run!
May 21, 2021
I’m okay with pockets on the back of pants but I’d never use them though. It’s the side pockets that annoy me as they are often lumpy and the inside can be bulky and stick out – particularly if you don’t iron things like me.
May 20, 2021
Okay, can I say a couple of things really quickly so we can still be friends? I love soup & have it nearly every lunchtime during the week – all year round. I also like it for Sunday night dinner if we’ve been out & I’ve had a good meal at lunch. Otherwise I feel ripped off. I like pockets on dresses & skirts as long as they’re the floaty boho style. I like to have somewhere to put a tissue & to forget to take said tissue out before washing. Other than tracksuit & pyjama pants though I’m no pockets in pants or fitted skirts. And shoes? I hate wearing shoes inside. Hate it. I have thongs at every door because I don’t like getting my feet dirty. The exception is winter when I wear ugg boots – which aren’t like shoes because I wouldn’t wear them out.
May 21, 2021
I have the same thoughts on the shoe thing – hate getting dirty feet so slip thongs on even to walk down a few steps to my rubbish bin.
I know you’re a lover of soup (and will forgive you for that) but you also probably have fairly interesting soups you make yourself. I’m not sure I’ve ever ‘made’ soup myself. Perhaps it’d be more fulfilling a meal option if I’d toiled over a stove to make it?