I finally departed with my old faithful boots. I had worn so many holes in them, they were no longer useful unless the ground was frozen solid in every spot on the farm. A new pair of boots was purchased at the local farm store (when they were on sale of course).
I have become a Muck Boot devotee, now that I have had several years of the sweet cushion of neoprene uppers and layers of soft pads under my feet I doubt if I will ever be able to go back to plain old rubber boots. I have been pampered, and it is going to have to stay that way.
Aside from the price that is 8-10 times more than a rubber boot, the Muck Boots have a downfall and it has to do with barb wire fencing. Snag an old-fashion, merely substantial, rubber boot and the tire patch kit used for bicycles will get the boots back to waterproof. But snag the neoprene on a Muck Boot and you just have to expect things will never be the same again.
Not overtly clumsy, I do have issues with uneven ground especially when I happen to be around sharp fencing when fate hunts me down to slap me silly. I just happened to catch one of my brand new boots on the fence as I was stepping over to check the water level of the stock tanks. I had momentarily snagged the soft part of the boot right at the ankle. Puddles around the farm start higher than that with only a hint of rain, I had to try something to fix the small hole.
I put the boots upside-down on the boot dryer (a most marvelous invention especially for those of us who tend to be quite cold blooded first thing in the morning). Once the boots were dry inside and out I gave a good smear of the boot goop on the inside and outside of the snag.
After setting for 24 hours I gave both spots another smear and let it set up.
For now the goop is holding and my foot remains dry. But since the tear was on the flexible fabric of the boot, I don’t think that this repair is going to be long lasting. Fear not, I think to myself, I only have to make it through the rainy season. For Oregon, this could mean until June so I will be keeping the tube of goop handy for quite a while.
By summer time the boots will be just right to work outside, when it’s not raining, with no puddles in sight.
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