The Squirrel Queen

Who doesn’t love a pair of Chuck Taylor Converse All-Star sneakers.

They can make you feel like a retro rebel, a punk rock two-chord star or a kid at heart.

I’ve got two pair of the kicks in my closet right now.

Newscoma stimulated the economy a few weeks ago when she acquired a new pair.

In recent years, the Chucks have gotten all fancy with more than the basic colors. There are patterns and designs and themes.

Now, you and I have a chance to come up with our own custom creation. There’s a contest where the winner gets to have their design be mass produced and go on sale.

Even if you don’t win the contest, the actual Converse web site allows you to mix and match colors for your own personalized Chucks.

Pretty cool.

I actually redesigned a pair of blue Chuck high tops about 25 years ago. I mixed up a bleach paste concoction. The fumes were pretty fierce and gave me a headache. I’m thinking I had an extra ingredient in there that nearly killed me. With the bleach, I made a polka dot pattern and, if I must say so myself, they turned out pretty sharp. I wore them until I outgrew them.

Now I’ve got to come up with a new theme.

Let’s see.

Thinking …

Thinking …

Thinking …

Hmm, acorns, trees, crowns.

I think it’s all coming together.