This morning it was minus two degrees outside. (That’s below zero Fahrenheit, not Celcius, by the way.) Our dogs were tip-toeing around the yard because the snow is really, really cold and icy.
It’s times like these that I’m glad I have my winter footwear: chains. Yes, I’m a klutz, so every winter I put chains on my shoes, so I don’t fall on the ice while I’m walking the dogs. The chains are attached to a rubber strap that you stretch around the base of the shoe to hold them on. I have a number of pairs of ugly old hiking shoes and I just leave the chains on those shoes all winter. Obviously, wearing chains inside is bad for your floors, not to mention slippery and dangerous, but I always take off my shoes and leave them in the entryway anyway.
The beautiful part is that if you’re wearing shoe chains, you can walk normally on ice and snow. You don’t have to creep and shuffle along when the ground gets really icy. Sadly, the chains don’t last forever. Because they spend all winter getting wet and essentially rusting, eventually they break. In fact, one of mine snapped this morning. Oh well.
Fortunately, shoe chains are inexpensive. Historically, the Surplus Store on Fifth Avenue in Sandpoint has had them available for about $10. I haven’t checked this year, but I will this weekend, since I have a whole lot of winter dog walking ahead of me.