I received this comment yesterday on this post and it made me laugh:
DIYD,
Mowing a telephone wire!?! That’s a new one! We’ve heard concern about running over the cord of (non cordless) electric mowers but not phone wires! As for safety, would probably recommend the person doing concrete work (in your blog pic) NOT to be barefoot as well… there are a few corrosive ingredients in most mortar mixes…
Be careful,
MG
First, this is from a website called Mow Good, which promotes environmentally responsible law mowers. I use a reel mower for exactly this reason. Second, MG, I also heartily recommend NOT building a stone wall barefoot, but mostly because it is incredibly likely that if you are me, you will drop a bone crushing piece of stone on your toes. The cement and some additives in mortar are corrosive, but my feet are like leather so I didn’t have any problem with that.
I am eternally barefoot and have been since I was 5 and my dad decided I should wear penny loafers at every available opportunity. I am still rebelling.
In honor of my loafer-free feet here is a collection instances in which you should do as I say, not as I do, and WEAR SHOES.
1.) When laying a hardwood floorwith a pneumatic nailer…
(Okay, okay, don’t mock the haircut people I was working, not trying to win a beauty contest.)
2.) When staining a hardwood floor. Also, drinking beer and sniffing stain fumes? Probably not a good combo for the brain cells.
3.) When using a dremmel to cope shoe molding.
4.) When standing on the “this is not a step” portion of a ladder. Or sitting on top of a pergola roof.
(Although I still maintain that gripping things with my monkey toes gives me more balance.)
5.) When standing on a ladder using a sawsall.
6.) When sweeping dry mortar into flagstone mortar-joints.
7.) When using a miter saw located on the ground.
8.) You can’t really tell. But I put this pi cure up to prove a point… I am so scared of the router that I actually put on shoes to operate the thing. Considering the above… that means serious business to me!
Absolving myself of all responsibility: Seriously. Just because I do this stuff and walk away with all my toes intact, doesn’t mean you will also. I’m just saying.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I do everything in chacos… well, I did until I got a yellow jacket caught between my shoes and two of my toes. Sounds like barefoot would be better. Can’t wait till the morning temp is above 30 again so I can ditch my clogs for my chacos!
LOL! I have a problem of going shoeless in the worst times too. Glad to see that I am not the only one, and that you do indeed have all your toes still.
Girl, you are worse than me on that count. And I hear no end to the mockery about my perpetual shoelessness.
Thanks for the shirt! http://time-thief.blogspot.com/2008/04/i-won-i-won.html
You gotta be barefoot when standing on the top rung of the ladder so you can use your monkey toes to hang on.
Aaron: Exactly! I don’t know why OSHA doesn’t understand that?!