Month: February 2021

Fresh Coconuts

On By kingofpotsIn Lifestyle2 Comments

I have coconut trees in my backyard but they are too tall that nobody among my assistants can climb them and harvest their fruits. For the past 4-5 years, the fruits of our coconut trees are just left to mature and dry from the tree until they just drop to the ground. This is the reason why I have a collection of young coconut seedlings ready to be planted in my backyard. So far, I have counted 36 seedlings ready to be planted.

In the last few days, I would ask my assistant to look for fresh coconut in the neighborhood and in small stores to be purchased for my daily drinks. After spending a few pesos for this activity, I thought of asking my assistant for anybody who could be paid to harvest fresh coconuts in one of the trees in the backyard. Why would I buy fresh coconuts when I have with me coconut trees with unharvested fruits? The task to look for somebody to climb took some days to be done. Somebody presented himself but his asking fee to climb and harvest the fruits was too high where he would put a cost for every single fruit that could be harvested. I really don’t know if this is an effect of the on-going Covid-19 situation in the area where anybody would take advantage to earn money due to the present predicament.

Finally, my assistant was able to get a good deal/arrangement with a guy who would do the job. In less than 30 minutes, the job is done and I paid the guy. It was a “win-win” situation. I was happy that I have already a stock of fresh coconuts which is good for the coming weeks.

It had been for the past two days that I have been drinking fresh coconut juice and eating its tender meat. I usually open up two pieces of coconut fruits everyday. These harvested coconuts will take a longer time to be consumed. Before I drink the juice, I usually put it in a pitcher and have it cooled in the refrigerator together with the tender flesh or meat. The coconut juice is now a part of my hydration on a daily basis.

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Heritage Boots

On By kingofpotsIn Fashion & Jewelry, Heritage Boots, Insights, LifestyleLeave a comment

As I mentioned in my previous post, I became interested about US Heritage Boots during the Covid-19 Lockdown Period last year and it was in September 2020 that I started to focus on my readings and research on the Internet on a particular brand which is the Red Wing Shoe which is based in Red Wing, Minnesota, USA. I found out about this shoe brand from a Facebook Page carrying the title with the name of the shoe brand and I started to make a research about the brand on the Internet. Their almost daily posts on the said Facebook Page had attracted my attention and I found out that there is only one store in the Philippines (Grind Store) that is an Authorized Dealer (AD) of the said brand. But the branch of the said store that was very active (until this time) in advertising their Red Wing Shoes Models was their store located at Glorietta 3 Mall, Makati City. In one of those days, I decided to contact through Messenger the Sales Representative (Abby Gonzaga) and asked her about the availability of the different Models in their Store. And the rest is history!

Last October 9, 2020, I bought my first Red Wing Shoe which is the Iron Ranger 8111 Amber Harness. Personally visiting the store once the Covid-19 Lockdown was downgraded to a lesser restriction was the best decision I have made to purchase the said boots. Through my readings and research, the most asked question among new buyers is the correct sizing for the boots. The best way for me to determine my proper size with the Iron Rangers is to personally try each shoe size that is near to my usual shoe size in boots and dress shoes. I usually use Size 9 1/2 in my running shoes (whether they are road or trail shoes); Size 9 in my Dress Sneakers like Converse, Onitsuka Tiger, and NIKE Basketball Sneakers; and Size 8 in my dress shoes and dress boots. Since these Heritage Boots are considered as Work Boots, I thought I need a bigger size since they are made of leather. Finally, I was able to “zero-in” my correct size with the Red Wing Iron Ranger which is Size 8 D (Medium width).

Being a retired military man, I have been familiar in using Boots as it is part of our Combat Uniform. However, my size on Combat Boots had been one size bigger which is Size 9D which allows much toe space for thicker socks and tendency for the feet to expand in prolonged marching, hiking, and standing. Almost 2/3 of my military service, I have been using Combat Boots and I know the feeling how to walk, hike, march and even jog/run with them. Actually, two years after I retired, I bought a Dress Boots from Cole Haan which has the size 8D and with a shaft length of 5 1/2 inches. The said boots had been used for so many years that it was only last month that I needed them to be resoled and polish them again. I think there is truth in the observation that retired or former military personnel would always go back wearing their boots again in their civilian lives! Those boots would be dress boots, work boots, heritage boots, or simply replica or copy of their service boots.

So, the Red Wing Iron Ranger 8111 Amber Harness is my first Heritage Boots which is Made In The USA. I really love them as I was able to naturally “break them in” as weeks of wearing them go by. By the way, Red Wing Shoe is a family-owned business company that was founded in Red Wing, Minnesota, USA in 1905. The Iron Ranger Model got its name when the said boots was made for the iron miners in those times. The leather that composed the boots was thick and sturdy which became popular among the workers in the first decade of the 20th century.

Red Wing Iron Ranger 8111 Amber Harness

Here is the description of the Red Wing Iron Ranger Model as I have copied from their Website:

“The Iron Ranger was originally built for iron miners in the 1930s. In the decades since, it has grown indispensable for owners from all walks of like, thanks to its iconic style and longevity. The six-inch boots signature feature is a leather toe cap that is as distinctive as it is durable. Each pair develops a personalized fit and custom comfort over time thanks to leather insoles and a cork midsole that form to the feet. The boots are built with a Goodyear welt and Puritan triple-stitch construction, and brass speed hooks provide precision lacing and a visual hit of hardware. The Iron Ranger is anchored with a Vibram 430 Mini-Lug outsole.“

In the next posts, I will tell you about my review on this Heritage Boots. Thank you for reading.

A New Direction, New Stories

On By kingofpotsIn Fashion & Jewelry, Fitness, General Information, Insights, Lifestyle2 Comments

Starting today, February 11, 2021, this blog will be anything under the sun. Aside from running and my outdoor lifestyle and experiences, I will be making some stories of anything I can think of, whether it is about fashion, food, news and current events, my personal opinion on events, and maybe some repost of things that I want to share to my readers.

I think this will a way and good reason for me to write again in this blog. As I grow and become older, I have been not so consistent with my daily runs as my runs had been transformed to hiking/walking in my backyard and within my playground. After I have finished a 4-month “virtual race” last year, I had to rest and instead of going back to running, I have managed to do some hiking for the past months. Such hikes would last up to 2 hours as my longest duration and on regular basis, a short hike lasting for one hour. Sometimes, I would carry a backpack with weight in it for more effort and challenge.

Since September 2020, I became interested with Heritage Boots which by chance was able to discover them on Facebook. After one month of reading and researching about the history of Heritage Boots in the Internet, I became interested in them. Luckily, there is a popular brand which is the “Red Wing Shoe” that is locally available in my country. Through a Facebook Page, I finally decided to try the said brand and bought one pair of boots.

With my subscription with You Tube and being able to revive my Channel, I found out that there is a lot of videos about the Red Wing Shoe Heritage Boots. Maybe, this could be one of the reasons why I finally decided to buy my first pair of such brand. On October 9, 2020, I bought my first pair of the said brand with their Iron Ranger Model 8111. I have posted two videos of this particular Heritage Boots Model in my You Tube Channel since then. I will post a link of these videos in the next days to come.

Having bought an Iron Ranger 8111 Amber Harness (colored brown) in an Authorized Store of the said brand in Metro Manila had given me the comfort and peace of mind of getting the right size for my feet. Sizing of new users of the Red Wing Shoe is always the most discussed topic in the Internet. Whether in FB Pages, Groups and Internet Forum, this “sizing” topic (how to get the right size) would always flood the comments section in the You Tube Channel and other Discussion Groups. Because I was able to try different sizes in the said store, I was able to zero-in my right size. Just like in any other International Shoe Brands, I shoe size is 8D! Most of my Signature Brand Shoes are size 8D except for my Corcoran Jump (Combat) Boots which is 9D, the Combat Boots that I used on the last 10 years of my active military service. I think I will have a separate story about my Corcoran Jump Boots which is also considered as one of the Heritage Boots that is Made In The USA.

Since my purchase with my first Red Wing Iron Ranger 8111 Amber Harness, my interest now is being directed to Heritage Wear or Vintage Wear and their respective stories that go with them.

As I don’t want to create another blog site for this topic (Heritage & Vintage Wear) and for my personal opinion and other things that I could think of, I decided to use this website just to continue with my subscription with WordPress. So, practically I am back to blogging again.