My First Vegan Shoes, Peach Problems, and a Garden in Middle Age

My new fair trade, cruelty-free, vegan shoes arrived from Thailand yesterday

Took delivery of my first pair of vegan shoes yesterday, woot! I didn’t know that when something is sent to the U.S. from Chiang Mai, U.S. customs opens the parcel and pokes around. Then closes it back up very sloppily. Ah, well.

I love them. So comfy (I bought 2 sizes up, per the seller, who said they run very small). They fit perfectly and are insanely colorful. And no animals were harmed in the making of them. Awesome. The seller even tucked in a free, fair-trade coin purse.

I’m changing out all my leather and suede shoes, sandals, and boots for vegan. It’s a time-intensive and costly project (vegan shoes, because they’re trendy now, come with big price tags). But it’s mandatory. 

Being vegan is not about what we eat and nothing else. It embraces every part of our lives. ‘Fast fashion’ clothes manufactured in sweatshops, shoes and purses made from terrified animals who have been tortured, killed, and skinned (many while alive), housewares made through child labor - all of it is no longer an option. There’s nothing perfect about the process, but every day, we’re moving closer to a kinder lifestyle and a smaller footprint.

There’s no sign of peaches on our trees. My husband and I discussed it last night. We were really looking forward to peaches. We see pollinating bees in the garden. Maybe there are not enough? Are we seeing the effect of the bee die off? The trees are healthy and getting big; lots of leaves with no sign of disease. I’m nonplussed and am going to research it today.

The food garden is starting to show its age. It’s August 4, after all. It’s past its peak and is entering late middle age. Summer squash is producing less. Cucumber plants are getting that telltale yellowing of the leaves. It’s not game over, but in a month, things will noticeably change. It’s always surprising how quickly the season passes.

This month, we’ll be clearing out any plants that are clearly ready to retire. A benefit of this is that it opens up space in the garden, letting in more air and sun. Things have gotten pretty hairy in there. And it’s time to plant the autumn greens, the seeds of which arrived a few days ago. Everything in its time.

I didn’t mention the morning glories. We have a large garden arbor that supports two blooming purple clematis, one on each side. I had banked seeds from last summer’s crimson morning glories, and decided to plant them at the foot of the arbor, next to the clematis. Those seeds really took off, and now, there are gorgeous magenta morning glories weaving their way through the purple clematis vines.

It’s a spectacular show. Seed banking is the best. Free flowers from year to year! Bank all the seeds you can. It always amazes me that the flowers in the garden today are making seeds that will produce flowers in next year’s garden. It’s so much more satisfying than buying a packet of seeds each season. The circle of life, right before my eyes. Miracle.

Live in peace.