Spring, Sprong, Sprang

You probably think that I have not had much of a life since my sister got sick. You would be right on many fronts, but I did discover two things while we were in Minneapolis: Sprongs (pictured here) and a fabric outlet that sells Dupione silk at $7 a yard. Both are fabulous buys. I won't bore you with information about the silk. It's just plain fabulous.

The shoes are called Sprongs. Made by Z-Coil -- http://www.zcoil.com/ --,which is a company in Albuquerque, NM. The guy who invented it was a runner who experienced all the usual aches and pains from this sport. I know they look weird, but trust me they are so comfortable. This shoe accomodates my very wide foot. The tension of the springs depends on the weight of the person and how they walk. Normally I would have taken a medium spring, but because I strike on my heel and role forward, I take a light.

We first saw these shoes on some of the nurses in the ICU. These people are on their feet constantly so good support is essential. During this last visit we asked where they got them. They sent us to a nearby store called "Sprongs." We discovered that it is owned by a mother and daughter. They sell these shoes plus fantastic jewelry and very creative purses. I was skeptical about the shoes but tried them on and was won over. You can replace the z-coil about every 500 miles or if you detect wear on the heel part. You can order the replacement on line and then just screw it in.

So these are my sandals for the summer. I always get a new pair each year. I couldn't figure out how to get rid of the "regular" and "wide" stuff when I stole the photo from the web site.