I've got this 8 year old pair of sandals that I just love and can't find another pair like them. They were made in Brazil, and the sole is made of some material that is so durable they hardly show wear, although the straps are wearing out.
The leather heel strap on the left sandal finally wore out and broke. I tried to sew the two ends back together on my sewing machine. All that happened was I broke the needle on the machine.
Last year I repaired one loose leather side strap back in place using Gorilla glue, but this time I had to go to Mack's shoe repair in Hattiesburg to see if they could be repaired.

Of course they could! A lady cobbler said it'd be a couple of hours before they were ready. I put those much loved shoes in her hands and asked her to do what ever she could with them.
To kill time, I went all the way across town to the Sam's Club to renew my card. It's vanity, but I like the photo on that card. I really don't need humongous quantities of stuff, so I just dawdled around looking. I was eating a slice of pizza and started talking to a woman and her daughter who were wearing those sheer little caps on their heads.
I asked if they were Mennonite or Amish. You never know unless you ask. The woman said they were Mennonite, and there are several families living in Marion County. They don't live in enclaves together like the Amish. They wear the caps as dictated by the Bible, where it says women should cover their hair. They don't cut their hair unless it grows so long it causes a woman to have headaches or neck pain. Their children are home schooled.
Her daughter was a teenager, so fresh and innocent looking, compared to a lot of scantily clad girls who dress like mini hookers. The Mennonite women wear long cotton dresses.
Nice to talk to them.

Back to the cobbler, who had given my sandals special attention. She had fixed the heel strap excellently, tweaked a few minor things, dyed the shoes back to their black color, so the worn leather looked like new. Next day I wrote her a Thank You note, I am so pleased with them. It is so nice to find a person who enjoys their work and makes the effort to do a good job.