The Slice: Memory might be stained

If you haven’t worn a particular shirt or blouse in ages, there might be a good reason.

But perhaps you will remember it after you leave home and only then notice that the garment is ridiculously frayed or sports an unsightly stain.

Alternative square dance convention theme: I’ll skip over the various reader-submitted allusions to circles of hell and “I Got Squared in Spokane” and go right to a suggestion from Brad Hawkins: “Near Nature, Near Dancing.”

Slice answer: “This is a little different take on your question about not wearing earphones making you rediscover natural sounds,” wrote Dawn Bayman.

“I drive the new north-south corridor northbound every night. I’m also an avid KPBX listener. A mile or so along the corridor, it crests a hill and the view suddenly widens out. I’m always taken aback by the gorgeous evening sky and mountains. And for some reason my first instinct is always to turn off the radio.

“I can’t hear nature over the sound of the car cruising at 60, but somehow just simplifying the sounds going into my ears helps me appreciate the striking scene.”

Comparing songbirds by region: Jean Retzler, who used to live in the Midwest, misses one feathered friend in particular. “I find myself longing for the cheery song of the beautiful red cardinals.”

If you want to hear it, go to YouTube and enter “Northern Cardinal.”

What to do when your two friends can’t stand one another: “It did come to pass that something I’d done got them both ticked off at me,” wrote Steven Wells, recalling a bit of personal history from decades ago.

“For a brief time they were allied in their anger and soon found themselves gabbing up a storm, comparing notes on my various personality flaws. But as a general strategy for uniting unfriendly friends, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Today’s Slice question: How carefully do you rinse out bottles, cans, yogurt containers, peanut butter jars, et cetera, before putting them in the recycling bin?