Holy cow!

Some people are afraid of roller coasters. Some people fear enclosed spaces or heights. I'm afraid of getting trampled by a cow.

I had the strangest experience on my walk yesterday. I was walking past this farm like I normally do. Usually there are several cows milling about, chewing their cud and talking about the fluffy female walking by. Yesterday, though, they were inside the barn -- all but one that is.

This black cow was on the other side of the fence in the next pasture. He was standing their bellowing, like he was lost or mad or something. (Trust me, we don't want mad cows around.)

When he saw me he broke into a run toward the fence next to the road. He stopped at the fence and bellowed in my face. Then as I walked, he trotted on the other side of the fence next to me, keeping pace and bellowing all the way (this loses something without the sound effects).

I was a little freaked and found myself talking back with "what?!" and "sorry, cow." I picked up speed, just hoping there was not an opening in the fence further down. There wasn't. When he couldn't go any further he bellowed out a "thank you very little" and I said another "sorry, cow" and did double-time down the road.

When I was a kid, our land was surrounded by pastures and some woods. When the cows were by the pond, Mom, Raylene and I would venture into the woods. When the cows were back in the woods, we'd take walks down by the pond and sometimes go around it.

Once in awhile we'd come across the cows. Then my heart would stop. We'd quietly back track then book it home. I was always so scared those big, snot-nosed cows would run us right over some day. Of course, they didn't.

Yes, it's a silly fear but yesterday's mad-cow incident brought back some weird memories about those lovely walks in the woods, balance-beam walking on broken logs, side-stepping cow pies and occasionally running for our lives.

Even if I think I can run today, I have this sinking suspicion those cows are a heckuva lot quicker than they look. I mean that's where they get the lean ground beef, right?