Rurally Screwed: The Shoe Free Home

Rurally Screwed: The Shoe Free Home

"I’d tried to implement a shoe free zone in our house for years but Jake always poo-pooed the idea. He thought it was asking too much to expect him to remove his dirty boots and muddy shoes every time he needed to come inside and get something to eat or fetch something. I had no choice but to let it go and get used to the fine layer of dirt and grit always on the bottom of my bare feet.

But after he came home from Afghanistan, he sort of fell into the shoes off routine without much coaxing from me. I like to think it’s because he came around to my point of view (because he knows I’m always right — yeah, right); a house is so much nicer without muddy tracks and shoe dirt everywhere. Especially in an environment like ours where we’re always stepping in chicken poop and mud and other nastiness."