“You told my son that he was quicker turning to his left side when playing football just by looking at the bottoms of his shoes! Was he kidding, or is this really possible?”

Medical conditions are a lot like success… They both leave clues. And just like looking at the tires on your car, your shoes reveal a lot about how you function. After all, it’s where your “rubber” meets the road.

I often thought how much fun it would be to go to a shoe repair shop and leave little notes (from the “Shoe Reader” of course), telling folks about their structural problems. “John, it will be $23.” And as they begin to pay they see the “Shoe Reader’s” note; “The tips of your shoes are badly worn so if you ever feel like you’re tripping, it’s probably because your calf muscle is too tight.”

It’s normal to wear the outsides of the heels (toward the very back) of your shoes. Then the wear pattern should be mainly in the middle of the sole. If you pronate (or roll in excessively) you will find far greater wear on the inside bottom of the shoe rather than the outside. This can cause pain in your feet, ankles, knees, hips or low back, and also affect sports performance.

The inside bottom of your son’s left shoe was more worn than his right, indicating that he had a flatter left foot. And that’s a harder foot to push off from than his straighter right foot. So he would most likely be faster to his left. His wear pattern also usually indicates that he has a longer left leg.

Excessive wear on the outsides of the shoes means you have a supinated or high arched foot. This can cause problems such as lateral ankle sprains and knee problems.

Free spirits break the rules. On the other hand, I am drawn to follow rules as an unaligned car pulls toward the curb. There is only one rule I have trouble following.

The “Kathy Lehman rule.” The rule that changed my life.

It was a typical Friday night at the Icehouse. While wandering to a table, I ended up talking with Kathy who was eating nearby. She mentioned enjoying my column but one thing bothered her. “Stop writing about how old you are all the time, because you’re not old.”

Stop writing about being old. I do that?  
    
I might do that a little -- because I think about it ALL THE TIME!  Or I used to before learning the Kathy Lehman rule which is to, “Stop thinking that you are old, because you’re not.” Abiding in that tenet is a daily struggle. Certain things trigger the “I am old” downward thought spiral in milliseconds.

Let’s say I’m registering online for an athletic event and scroll down to find my birth year. Down I go passing 1995, scrolling by the falling of the Berlin Wall and down below disco and three-piece suits. I leap over man’s first footprint on the moon but stop short of the Edsel. Ugh. The Kathy Lehman Rule comes to mind each time I see the Classic Rock station button worn off my car radio. Or happen upon a current photograph of KISS front man Gene Simmons (with or without makeup).

By: Colby Dunn; News Writer

By: Gary Pike; Gary's Garden Center

In the lake area, there are places in the landscape that have a tendency to stay moist. Many plants will not tolerate moist soil; quite often root rot and fungus will cripple and kill a plant. Fortunately, there are plants available that will tolerate moist soil conditions but there are very few that will survive in areas that stay very wet. If you have very wet areas, consider using bog plants. For areas that are moist but not wet, here are a few examples of trees to use; Weeping Willow, River Birch, American Hornbean, Sycamore, Serviceberry, Pin Oak, Bald Cypress, Black Gum, Red Maple, D. D. Blanchard Magnolia and Sweetbay Magnolia. There is also a good selection of shrubs that can be use in moist areas. Moisture resistant shrubs include Clethra, Wax Myrtle, Viburnum, Spiraea, Anise, Fothergilla, Yaupon Holly, Inkberry Holly, Itea, Emerald Green Arborvitae, Pussy Willow, Witch Hazel and Bottlebrush Buckeye.

There are perennials that grow in moist areas including Ferns, Foam Flower, Astilbe, Balloon Flower, Beebalm, Verbina, Black-eyed Susan, Canna Lilly, Columbine, Foxglove, Creeping Phlox, St. Johns Wart, Hollyhock, Japanese Iris and Lamb’s Ear. Good ground covers are Vinca Minor or Major, Liriope, Mondo Grass, Sweet Flag, Creeping Jenny and Creeping Raspberry. If your area stays wet, you could install French drains or you could add some drainage rock to the bottom of holes before planting. With a little extra care and planning, the moist areas in your landscape can be attractive.
Happy Gardening!

Printed in the October 1, 2009 edition.

By: Fred Johnson; Columnist

We knew a lot about Mr. Obama before the election. We knew that he had no business experience, no experience in foreign affairs and that he associated with radicals. However, he was a good speaker and promised to be a healer and many voters were excited about electing a president who promised hope and change and who might make us better liked abroad.

But eight months into his presidency his popularity has plummeted and many of his supporters are angry. He has broken many promises: no pork, five days to study bills, an open government, bipartisan cooperation, and on and on. People are realizing that Obama is not a healer, he is not sincere and it turns out he is not even a good speaker without his teleprompter. And rather than distancing himself from his radical friends, he has appointed many as his czars.
During the healthcare debates his story changes daily; there is no public option, then there is a public option, there will be no cost increases except taxes must be raised, etc. He has given us several figures on the number of uninsured that change weekly. It has become obvious that he, himself, has not read the healthcare bill and citizens who attend town hall meetings seem to have a better understanding of it than he does.

His attempts at foreign policy have proven to be a joke. His approach seems to be that if we are nice to ruthless dictators and apologize, they will like us and stop their efforts to destroy us. But North Korea and Iran are openly defiant and are continuing with their weapons programs and now Chavez is threatening to partner with Iran to develop their own nuclear program in South America.