But I have a few pairs that I've owned for going on 15 years, having walked thousands of miles in them (I used to walk 3-5 miles per day for years, and only recently because of an injury stopped) and have only re-soled them a couple of times. They are wonderful beasts.

Resolved? Re-soled. It's best to go to a specialty shoe shop to see what kind of footbed works for you. You can get a catalog or look online, because shops only carry a small portion of what they offer. I wear orthotics, so I can't fit into any of their cute dress appropriate shoes, unfortunately.

I like the Finn Comfort brand. They are a German brand and extremely well made. They are expensive because of it. One pair can last years, and then you can get newrm insoles and have them resolved for much cheaper than a new pair. They also have different kinds of footbeds and insoles depending.

Same.

I'm tired, too. I'm going to sleep well tonight!!

Thanks for the suggestion! I just picked it up. :)

Turn my back for a minute...

Love it!

I totally feel this. When I set out to write my fantasy novel, I hadn't intended for it to be a trilogy. And, now that I've drafted the first three books, it's looking like it might be 5 or 6. One book! That's all I had intended originally.

Thank you. It's been a few years now, but I still miss him.

But they have masks. We don't know who they are. Their identities are still secret.

Me, too. I probably use them far too much--but like when I take a car to the mechanic and the car refuses to do that sound so the mechanic can't hear it, my brain refuses to come up with m dashes on command.

BTW--how do you manage to get the m-dash to work in your post?

You are totally making me hungry.

Yes, exactly. I don't want people pestering me on the streets. But it would be great to have a line at book signings, support my family, and afford adequate health care. That is my goal for the future.

Yes, exactly!

My husband was a Marine, and I played military strategy games with him a few times (I beat him TWICE! BWA HA HA), plus we TTRPd military characters. That was invaluable, because the stuff I didn't know, he gently corrected me on. Now that he's died, I have to research everything.

Right? I mean, I'm relatively intelligent, but trying to come up with a brilliant plan when I am not brilliant is a recipe for research. Lots and lots of research. My epic fantasy has a land at war, and some of my characters are soldiers and military officers. I've never been in the military...