on my toes

Perhaps it's because I haven't worn leather for about 25 years that I've developed a deep respect for it. At the very least I can admit that I don't know of any other material that makes a good (and truly comfortable) pair of shoes or sandals. Even today finding non-leather shoes isn't the easiest thing to do. Back then it was almost impossible.

That being the case, the next best thing was having a pair of sandals made for me. These were probably the last of the pairs I had made (the others undoubtedly wore out completely). The upper sole of these was made from a smooth canvas, and the straps were made out of jeans denim. They were more or less comfortable, though they frayed easily, and didn't last long.

My guess is that over the years I had three pairs of sandals of this sort made - until the person who made them for me turned to a different profession. Luckily, around the same time that this last pair of sandals became unwearable, synthetic sandals, especially made to allow walking in water, became popular. That meant that I didn't have to get by for too long without sandals. And of course today I'm able to buy a quality pair that I can honestly enjoy wearing.