Wooden Shoes

News of January 16, 2003:
Dutch Firm To Make Wooden Running Shoes



EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS - The Dutch have always been known for their wooden shoes, although for centuries they have been strictly a tourist item - not something that anyone would wear. Until now, that is. Kwinkslag Shoes, one of The Netherlands' approximately 40 shoe companies, has developed a wooden athletic shoe that some say may give even Nike a run for its money. Based in the high-technology city of Eindhoven, Kwinkslag Shoes has until now produced comfortable shoes for office workers.

Groot Henrik, Kwinkslag's president, explains that the new shoe uses high technology and European design to combine durability, comfort, and style. "We use a new thermoplastic wood composite for the sole, and multiple layers of specially treated paper-thin Ethiopian ironwood for the body of the shoe. Decorative strips of polished rosewood and oak trim provide the beauty of wood in a comfortable and naturally anti-bacterial setting." Kwinkslag is also developing lightweight wooden covers for the shoes, which look just like the original Dutch wood shoes that are carved from a single block.

"Imagine running a race, and being passed by a guy clattering by in wooden shoes," Henrik chuckles. "Maybe losing wouldn't be so bad, if you couldn't stop laughing?"

Now you are probably wondering why I posted this old article. Well, I will tell you. Night before last around 11:30pm, while on my hands and knees, I was picking up some diapers that had fallen under the end table. When backing up, still on my hands and knees, (Lord help me, I am so clumsy) I some how managed to slam my left foot into the recliner breaking my toe next to the little toe. Yep, told you I am clumsy. Who else do you know that can break a toe while crawling around on their hands and knees? You see this is not the first time I have broken a toe. It is the 5th time to be exact. So my husband has threatened to by me a pair of wooden shoes and make me wear them at all times.

About one and a half years ago my daughter was getting ready to take my grandson to school. With a baby in her arms, she was locking the front door and Caleb was walking ahead of her with a smaller foster child and she heard Caleb say, "Uuumm, Mom"? His tone let her know something was wrong. As she turned around she found the S.W.A.T. Team surrounding her children and charging towards her. Of course she freaked and they said, "Mam where are you going?" and she replied, "To take my son to school." By this time they had her and the children completely surrounded and and were moving them towards the street. They told her to get into her car quickly and leave and don't come back. They had reason to believe that there was an armed fugitive in the apartment right next to hers. They helped her get the children in her car and belted them in as others stood guard. Well needless to say she was pretty shook up. She got Caleb off to school but could not get back to her apartment for some time. She had no bottles or diapers with her and both babies were crying, hungry and wet.

The office, where I live, is located in the back and my daughter called me on her cell phone and said she needed diapers and bottles for the babies and needed me to get them to her. I keep extras at my house so I got them together and was going to have one of the officers pass them to her over the block wall of the complex behind us. We live right by the wall so it would have been easy for me to get the bottles and diapers to her that way. Well as I opened up the garage door (I was running and had no shoes on and really needed the above running wooden shoes) and slammed right into my husband's tool box breaking three toes on my right foot. The toe next to the little toe was totally sideways and laying cross ways on top of the little toe. The middle toe and little toe was cracked. I stopped dead in my tracks. It literally took my breath away. I thought I was going to pass out. Yep, clumsy, that's me. Twice I have broken my little toe by crashing into the corner of the couch as I came around the corner of the living room. Once I ran into the door frame of the bedroom. Do you agree with my husband and think I need to wear wooden shoes at all times as well? If I must wear wooden shoes then I want a variety of colors. I also want those soul inserts, what are they called? Dr Scholl's? Need that comfort you know. Got to be gelling.

Well, after shutting off our complex like they did and then forcing everyone out of the apartment, and doing a thorough search, guess what? FALSE ALARM! There was no such person in said apartment. The tenants in that apartment were very good tenants. So where ever they got their information it was WRONG!!! It was like a 3 hour ordeal. I blame the three broken toes on them that day. If they had not surrounded our apartment complex and shut us off like they did I would not have been in such a hurry to get bottles and diapers to the babies. Now I feel justified as to why I broke my toes that day. I am not to blame. After all, the duty of a grandmother called. On the other hand, as for the broken toe I now suffer with, well I honestly can not figure out how in the world ANYONE can brake a toe while crawling around on their hands and knees. But, I did it. I guess you can say it is just another one of those special talents that I have been blessed with.