Careful choice, not necessarily expense, matters with walking shoes

I was delighted to buy a pair of Dolce Vita sneakers at TJ Maxx for $24, discounted 84%. I didn’t know the brand but figured that for the original price they should be first-rate.

“You’ve got nothing on me,” I crowed to myself when walking by people in Hokas.

At home, I asked Google whether Dolce Vita shoes were good for being on one’s feet for hours. I want supportive shoes for Chicago Greeter tours and volunteer shifts at the Anti-Cruelty Society, especially now that I’m having knee problems. “Dolce Vita shoes generally receive mixed reviews regarding their quality,” came the AI-generated reply. “They are better known for style than performance.” I returned the shoes.

When is it safe to plant?

For Northerners who garden with annuals, May is always a fraught month. When is it safe for us to plant?

The usual answer is around May 15 or Mother’s Day, when frosts are no longer expected. But even if a frost isn’t in the forecast, temperatures in the 40s can stunt warm-weather annuals. As the Chicago Botanic Garden says on its website, “In May, it pays to be patient and flexible.” 

I’ve had it with show-offy novelists

My book group recently read The Sea by Irish novelist John Banville. All seven of us were disappointed.  

  

Its first-person narrator is an unlikable, self-absorbed misanthrope who recently lost his wife but is more focused on a 50-years-ago loss. He spends his days ruminating about the past but not learning from it. I felt indifferent to his fate.  

  

Especially frustrating for me was the excess of multisyllabic unfamiliar words. I asked our group, “Why do you suppose he always chose a big word instead of a small one?” “To show off,” someone said, and nobody disagreed.  

  

I don’t like novels that seem to have no point except to flaunt how well the author can write.