Mid January in Calgary:  my boots sink deeper into the snow. But the snowshoe hare that keeps crossing my path doesn’t have the same problem.

The long feet that allow this bunny to skip along the surface of the snow were the inspiration for the original hardwood, rawhide snowshoes designed by indigenous peoples all across the snowy regions of North America. Don’t let the leather laces on my Vero Cuoio boots fool you — they have no such function. But since they were crafted in Italy, way beyond my rabbit’s turf,  it all makes perfect sense. Ciao coniglio!