The Slice: Scarred for life, but in a good way

Sometimes playing cowgirl can take an unexpected turn.

Years ago, Luis Montano’s young cousin Helen observed the searing process of branding livestock. And that gave her an idea. (Apparently no adult had felt the need to say “Don’t try this at home.”)

“She took a spoon and heated it (not to red-hot, thank heaven) and applied it on the rounded part of my little cousin Frankie’s shoulder,” wrote Montano. “He still carries a faint scar.”

At least Frankie got a decent story out of it.

“What’s that mark?”

“Oh, that’s where my sister branded me when we were young. She momentarily mistook me for a little doggie. She put a hot spoon on me and then told me to git along.”

Slice answer: “I think a lot of people are disappointed when they hear my voice on the phone and then they meet me in person,” wrote Nadine Joubert. “I’ve been told I have a young and soothing voice and yet I’m actually a sarcastic old hag.”

Just wondering: Who will be the first person from around here to fly in a Boeing 787?

Slice answer: “I’ve been having my hair cut by Laurel Jackson for 36 years,” wrote Betsy Lawrence. “We’ve been through red hair, eggplant hair, long hair, shaved hair, and every life experience possible.”

I’m not sure what eggplant hair is. But as a guy, there’s a good chance that I don’t really need to know.

Rhesus pieces: Robin Kropff’s 4-year-old granddaughter, Mariko, asked her father (Kropff’s son) what they were having for dinner. “Monkey brains,” he answered.

“Ewwwwww,” said Mariko.

But then she thought about it. “Wait … are they good?”

Said Kropff, “At least she’s keeping an open mind.”

Warm-up question: What advice would you give someone who has not had great luck with relationships but is nonetheless brimming with love and wanting to channel that in some healthy, constructive direction?

Today’s Slice questions: In the Spokane area in 2011, what is the No. 1 dish people bring to potlucks? No. 2? No. 43?