The Slice: So why did you buy that pickup?

In the Inland Northwest, we have our own version of “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” It’s this: Which came first, the pickup truck or the chores requiring the use of a pickup?

Some say it is obvious that the chores came first.

If you asked me, though, I’d say a lot of people around here with pickup trucks don’t really need them. But once they have them, they’re eager to justify the purchase and suddenly find all sorts of things that urgently need hauling.

Of course, I could be wrong. But what are the chances of that?

“Californication: Spokane businessman Mark Bekken shared an utterly serious communication sent to the Lilac City from a company in New Jersey. It’s addressed to “Rancho Spokane, WA.”

That brings to mind a few other Golden State hybrid possibilities.

How about “Mission Millwood” or “San Luis Steptoe”? Or perhaps “El Pullman” or “Big Athol”?

“Speaking of California: A visitor from there recently asked Marilyn and Bob Austin why practically every home in Spokane has a basement.

Well, one answer might be “Why not?”

But the truth is basements are the norm here because of building code requirements advocated long ago by lobbyists for spiders, plumbers and the American Association of Clutter Storing and Hoarding.

“Natural high: Krisi Sonneland looked out the kitchen window and saw her 5-year-old son in a tree — way up in a tree.

(Judging from snapshots Sonneland’s father-in-law mailed to The Slice, it would appear young Adam was about 40 feet up in a ponderosa pine on the family’s property near Mount Spokane.)

“He loves to climb,” his mom said.

She elected not to freak out.

Yes, it occurred to her that it would be bad if Adam fell. “Nine-one-one,” she said.

But unlike some modern parents, panic is not Sonneland’s default mode.

So she went outside and watched her little boy work his way down the tree.

And when he got to the ground, she did not scold him. She doesn’t want him to be afraid of everything.

“I kind of like that he enjoys climbing,” she said.

The lesson here? Well, you can make your own call.

But maybe it’s worth remembering that flailing arms and omigods aren’t the only way to react to an alarming situation.

Sometimes things work out, even if you stay calm.

“Naming convention (a Slice exclusive): Sarah Wasicek’s two black cats are each named after soap opera characters and meat-extender categories. “They are my little helpers,” she said.

Get it?

The felines are called Lily Marie Tuna and Rose Mary Hamburger.

“Today’s Slice question: Which of your acquaintances has the most stunning ability to turn any conversation into a first-person monologue?