Arrow-right Camera
Subscribe now

This column reflects the opinion of the writer. Learn about the differences between a news story and an opinion column.

The Slice: A Christmas tree for all seasons

Dawni Miller and Claudia Lium have a Christmas tree that never comes down in their shared office in Browne’s Addition.

Sort of like the old movie, “Holiday Inn,” they just keep changing the decorations to reflect different special occasions on the calendar.

Finish these sentences: Spokane is a great place to raise children if …

Spokane is the biggest city between Minneapolis and Seattle if …

Parenting 21st century kids: The Slice heard about a preschool girl who asked her mom for help pretending to be an Indian.

Assuming her daughter envisioned attire from long ago, the mother came up with ideas involving native headdress, a vest with tribal markings and using a yard stick to fashion a hunting bow.

The kid listened to this and then said she was thinking more along the lines of a sari.

Take it outside: She was out of the stuff she normally sprinkles on her porch steps when icy. So last week a friend applied kitty litter just before company arrived.

“Minutes later my visitors showed up, and I opened the door to a strange scent that can best be described as ‘elderly lady rose water with a hint of Pine-Sol.’ ”

It turned out the kitty litter was the kind treated with a strong deodorizer. And introduced to the elements, it produced an odor all its own.

Civic vibe: Seeing as how TV’s “Portlandia” gave us “Put a bird on it,” what expression would “Spokandia” inspire if there were such a show?

Slice answer (sharing a work station): And now, a bit of Sunday elegance.

“The night-shift yardmaster on our railroad used to have a lot of gas,” wrote Fred Tenisci. “Eventually, the day-shift yardmaster demanded a different chair cushion for his shift.”

Today’s Slice question: Is there a question childless married couples get asked here that similar couples in other parts of the country don’t get asked because people elsewhere assume it is none of their business?

Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. One difference between Bing Crosby’s relationship with Spokane and Elvis Presley’s relationship with Memphis is the latter didn’t permanently move to California.

More from this author