I like what I like

Have you noticed that as we age, our likes and dislikes are pretty much narrowed down and it gets easier to pick out things? You either like them or not and the gray zone gets thinner and narrower.
I like those shoes that look like cowboy boots and I like them in black. I find them comfortable, with adequate support for my high arches and they're lightweight so I don't get fatigued walking like I do in full boots. I wear a half size and so they're kind of hard to find.
I needed a new pair. The last ones, I threw out a year ago, because they mildewed here at the lake and it has taken me about three months to find somebody who sold them at a price that was less than my right arm.
The kicker is the half size only came in brown and that didn't stop me from buying them because the last pair I purchased were also brown and I simply bought a bottle of Kiwi black shoe dye for about eight bucks and dyed them. Simple?

Hah! They don't sell it anywhere around here anymore! I couldn't even find it on Ebay!

After much driving and searching, I finally looked up on the internet in the how to's and now have a little jar of the concoction below fermenting on the counter. The recipe follows here.
Dick is adamant that I don't use my homemade version and he has his cohorts at work searching for me in their prospective cities.

I will keep reporting on the saga of the brown cowboy shoes and as soon as I get my newer laptop back from the computer store tomorrow, I will take pics and keep you informed 'cause I know you won't sleep at night until you know how this works out for me.

RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE BLACK LEATHER DYE:
Loosely fill a jar with steel wool, leaving about a 1/2-inch clearance from the top of the jar. Pour apple cider vinegar in until the steel wool is submerged. Apparently the iron oxide dye produced from vinegar and steel wool is the easiest dye to make.
Place the jar in a small saucepan on the ring of the lid, so the glass doesn’t touch the metal of the pot. Fill the saucepan with water until the jar is surrounded by water halfway up the height of the jar. Heat over medium-high heat until steam comes off of the vinegar, but do not let it boil.
Let the jar cool until it is safe to handle. Put the lid on the jar and let it set for 1 week.
Take the lid off the jar and reheat using the saucepan method. Let the jar cool, Put the lid back on and let set for an additional week.
Line a funnel with cheesecloth or coffee filters and pour the vinegar through the funnel into a clean jar. The cheesecloth will catch loose strands of the steel wool.
Let the dye set for two more days before using.