The Slice: Feel free to smoke ’em if you got ’em

There’s something to be said for old songs and scrapbooks.

But the smell of wood smoke when it’s crisp and quiet out is the most evocative thing there is.

It might not be great for air quality. But there’s no seasonal signature quite like it.

Reminder: You have until next weekend to figure out what you are going to do with the bonus fall-back hour.

The Slice recommends using the time to come up with a recipe for Spokane pie.

Skywalks in other cities: “Anchorage, Alaska, has several skywalks and my son-in-law Scott Worthington, who grew up in Spokane, designed one of them,” wrote Janice Sauer. “That skywalk can often be seen in posters and various promotional items for Anchorage.”

Just wondering: What do squirrels make of sprinkler blowouts?

When interviewing a pumpkin: “If you are selected to be our next jack-o’-lantern, what will you do to break the partisan gridlock and support American families?”

Speaking of voting: I suppose everyone who sends their ballot in early thinks, “I hope the people I picked aren’t revealed to be total nut jobs in the next few days.”

Do you feel that this vehicle is safe for highway travel: If you bump into Steve Martin when he’s here next month, you could ask if 1987’s “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” seems especially melancholy to him now since both co-star John Candy and director John Hughes are gone.

Editor’s note: There won’t be a full-blown Slice Leaf Contest this year. But as fall moves forward, I will be accepting 2009 snapshots of little kids and pets ensconced in mounds of leaves.

Today’s Slice question: What do you do when you receive a compliment you don’t really deserve?