All god's chillun needs Faherty Shoes

How did it happen? The sole of my right foot was in excruciating pain. I could barely walk. Never had I experienced a pain like this.

"Plantar fascitis," said Donna. "You've gotta get special orthotics."

Oh, great. I go from the healthiest 63-year-old in the world to a friggin' cripple. I do not go gently into the world of plantar fascitis.

I focus on the word "orthotics." Hmm, you mean there's something I can do to prevent this horrible pain? I would never have made it in the concentration camps. My friends would've had to protect me lest the guards would spot me and send me to the gas chamber.

Fortunately my mother has bad feet and wears the most hideous shoes you've ever seen when she wants to stand on her feet. Actually, this was before she discovered sneakers. Now she just wears the sneakers. But I'd driven her to Faherty's in Southampton, PA, so I was familiar with it.

I squeezed my aching foot into a wide-toed sandal and drove over, radio blasting. That new car of mine has a nice sound system. It has two huge cup-holders in which I always carry a glass of ice-water. Ever notice how Americans are conditioned to buy things in plastic bottles?

Hey, if it comes in a plastic bottle or aluminum can it must be good for you. How bout some nice supercaffeinated Red Bull? Or some Gatorade with lots of sodium? Or the new vitamin waters. What a great way to waste your money.

Scuse me while I pour a nice cold glass of ice water and quench my thirst from eating 2 bowls of pudding.

Make that 3 bowls. Actually I'm revising my opinion. Jell-O is better than Oetker. Oetker is too sweet and has too much salt. Yikes!

Faherty's is nice n cool. I always bring a sweater cuz w/my kidney disease I get cold easily, esp. from drinking so much ice water.

But I LIKE IT that's why I drink it. It's worth getting pneumonia.

Their names are stitched on their shirts. Mike, Bart IV, and Ed. The latter two are Flaherty's, celebrating their 50th years in biz. Ed took over from his dad. He's the longest living man with his particular medical condition, having undergone 30 surgeries. He loves life, he tell me. Loves the little things - camping, playing baseball, spending time with his family.

Can that guy talk!

Ed explains the ins & outs of plantar fascitis, herewith known as PF, and tells me how to PREVENT it. I am ecstatic. We do stretching exercises together. Go slow, he says. You just got an injury and it's healing slowly.

I tell him we're going to the shore, can I ride a bike? Can I walk in the sand?

Yes, ride a bike with the middle part of your foot. Walk in wet sand which is better for your feet than dry sand which does not 'give.' No, you may not go barefoot in your yard cuz the pavement does not 'give.'

He sells me a pair of expensive shoes but they are beautiful shoes, a comfy sandal with all my 12 toes showing. I wear them home and drive with them, pedaling with the middle of my foot like Ed says. I blog in them and make pudding in them. I go on my stationary bike for 8 minutes in them and watch the depressing Nightly News in them.

I am in love with my new shoes and with Faherty's. Remember when you were a kid & your mom took you to the shoe store? The man would measure your feet and make you feel special. When was the last time you had this experience at Payless Shoes or DSW?

Caution, says the handout provided by Faherty's. Because these muscles are seldom stretched, the effect of doing too many stretching exercises may cause soreness of the calf area, hamstrings, thigh or shin splints.

Ed and I theorized how this coulda happened to me. The best I could guess was that Scott and I climb the high hill at Pennypack Ecological Trust off Terwood Road. I mean, this hill is huge! Next time Scott'll have to push me in my wheelbarrow. Oh well, he's quite strong.