The young lad related that he was having some problems with the balls of his feet burning.  I brought out a couple of pairs of shoes and told him to go out to the sidewalk and I’d watch him run.  We came back into the store and as I was checking the shoe length, asked him if the new shoes helped the burning on the balls of his feet.  He said, “these shoes are great, my balls don’t burn a bit!”  I could not look up because I could tell he was horrified at what he had said and we both pretended that I didn’t hear a thing.  This is a story that I don’t think I’ll ever forget, even though it happened more than 30 years ago.

-Ruth

Many of us have been chased by a dog, but let me tell you of the time I was chased by a rooster.  Back, many, many years ago, my Mom and Dad lived in a very rural area in the south east part of  Kentucky – way back in the hills.

On one visit to them, I went out one day for a 10-mile run. Around the 6 to 7 mile mark I noticed an old farm house where there were many chickens loose in the yard.  There was also a big red rooster standing in the road giving me the once-over.

As I ran, the rooster started chasing me and attacking me with his spurs.  Blood was flying, the rooster was crowing at me and I thought I would never get him to leave my legs alone.

Finally, the farmer came out and hollered at the rooster at which time the rooster came to a complete stop and went back home to his yard full of chickens.

The farmer gave me a strange look as if to say, why would anyone be out here running around in his underwear (hi-tech running shorts) and looking like a skinny fool (I was in good shape back then).

Seeing my legs, the farmer decided he would drive me back to my parents’ house, who in turn, took me to the local doctor who fixed up my legs.

Since this episode, I eat chicken much more often than I did before.

-Ken