But that wasn't the end of it. A short time later, I started getting posts from a certain reader who goes by the handle Feetman. Hmm, what do you reckon he's into? At first his comments were general - "I love your blog and I love your feet" - but they quickly went downhill from there: "Too many shoes that hide your toes!! More open toes shoes and sandals!" he demanded. And if I happened to follow his advice by coincidence, I got one of these: "I really like these shoes. They show toe. Your toes are so cute!" Naturally, I banished all of them immediately from the site.

So months pass, and Feetman seemed miffed that I'm not allowing him to post his comments on my blog. "Is it because I talk about your toes?" he asked innocently. I wonder how Alex Simons would've handled it (I would guess that maybe she'd figure out a way to monetize it so she could pay off her credit card debt).

Some Like It Haute Book Review Excerpt Small town Texan turned big city fashion writer Alex Simons is off jet-setting to all the major cities wearing all the major designers. She organizes her days and her outfits scrupulously and she knows every stitch and detail of designer shoes like the back of her hand. Complete Review

As for me, I just felt queasy and laughed half-heartedly when people told me that hey, foot fetishists buy books too! (And they'll demand their money back when they find out there are no feet in the shoes pictured on the cover.) But then something funny happened as summer passed into autumn. I put away my strappy sandals, slides and open-toe heels - and away too went Feetman's interest.

From my perch in New York City in January, I know that my winter has a good chance of lasting well into April. And for once in my life, I'm hoping it'll last longer. If that doesn't work, I have but two possibilities. Either the next new trend's gotta be pilgrim shoes for summer, or Alex is moving to Siberia!