My father-in-law suffered an infection in his left ankle after a botched replacement surgery a few years back. They were unable to get it under control and he had to have his lower leg amputated.
He came up for a visit a few weeks later (about a 4 hour drive each way). When he arrived, in an attempt to lighten the mood, I asked "Did you happen to stop and pick up any lone shoes from the side of the road today?"
He didn't really laugh. Not even a little bit. My mother-in-law on the other hand laughed -- a lot. He does laugh about it nowadays though. Every time I see a mention of a lone shoe, I think about that story and laugh. Does that make me evil? Or was I already evil, which is why it was so easy to laugh at the jab in the first place?
@capguncowboy Other than this thread, I can't think of any lone shoe references that I have encountered. Is this a regional thing? I know of throwing shoes to insult someone, shoes tied on bridal cars, but lone shoes???? No. Can you explain why these pop up in daily conversation?
@Pamtha Woot does like to send out single shoes in bags of crap but I'm not sure of any other references. For some reason they like to take pairs of shoes tied together and throw them over power lines here though. I don't get it.
@sammydog01 Not sure if it is an urban legend or not, but depending on the type of shoes slung over power lines it is supposed to indicate a drug dealer lives near by, or a narc. Or bored kids...
@Pamtha I once read a sci-fi short story about why there are only left shoes on the side of the road...something to do with a monster that picked up and killed hitchhikers but only had one leg...
Somewhere, deep in the bowels of Amazon, is a cheaper listing for this.
@darksaber99999 $97 with free prime shipping ;)
Single shoes are 69 cents a pound at the Goodwill clearance center here.
@narfcake - Maybe you can find the missing one.
My father-in-law suffered an infection in his left ankle after a botched replacement surgery a few years back. They were unable to get it under control and he had to have his lower leg amputated.
He came up for a visit a few weeks later (about a 4 hour drive each way). When he arrived, in an attempt to lighten the mood, I asked "Did you happen to stop and pick up any lone shoes from the side of the road today?"
He didn't really laugh. Not even a little bit. My mother-in-law on the other hand laughed -- a lot. He does laugh about it nowadays though. Every time I see a mention of a lone shoe, I think about that story and laugh. Does that make me evil? Or was I already evil, which is why it was so easy to laugh at the jab in the first place?
@capguncowboy If people can't learn to laugh at themselves, we need good samaritan's on hand to laugh for them.
You're doin' God's work.
@capguncowboy Other than this thread, I can't think of any lone shoe references that I have encountered. Is this a regional thing? I know of throwing shoes to insult someone, shoes tied on bridal cars, but lone shoes???? No. Can you explain why these pop up in daily conversation?
@Pamtha Woot does like to send out single shoes in bags of crap but I'm not sure of any other references. For some reason they like to take pairs of shoes tied together and throw them over power lines here though. I don't get it.
@sammydog01 Not sure if it is an urban legend or not, but depending on the type of shoes slung over power lines it is supposed to indicate a drug dealer lives near by, or a narc. Or bored kids...
@Pamtha I once read a sci-fi short story about why there are only left shoes on the side of the road...something to do with a monster that picked up and killed hitchhikers but only had one leg...