The Slice: Notice a little extra spring in their steps?

Little kids don’t realize it, of course.

But sometimes there are people of a certain age in their neighborhoods who look forward to vicariously experiencing summer through them. You know, watching them run around in their yards with boundless energy, as if solar powered. Hearing them squeal while sprinting through a sprinkler. Monitoring their progress as they learn to throw a ball. Seeing them grow up almost at time-lapse speed.

These kids think summer lasts forever.

Don’t anyone tell them the truth.

Unexpected vocabulary: “I love it when my students apply their learning,” wrote a friend who teaches second grade. “We’ve been working on the un- prefix. A student told me, ‘Last night my mom had to unconstipate my brother.’ ”

Let’s hope the procedure was not unsuccessful.

Slice landscaping tip: When growing grass from seed, it helps to stare at the patch of yard in question on a daily basis.

Just wondering: Would you be a different person today if your childhood summers had not included countless hours of unsupervised time?

Today’s travel wish list: “If I had to prioritize, I’d pick Peru and New Zealand for new places, and a return trip to Zimbabwe.” — Sue Lani W. Madsen

Watch for it: Craig Heimbigner had a friend who asserted that every movie eventually has an “A man has to do what a man has to do” moment on which the plot turns. “And he is right, certainly every action movie.”

So now Heimbigner never fails to anticipate that decisive point in the story.

Is there some often-repeated theme or plot device that you monitor?

Warm-up question (for those who were born when their parents were closer to 40 than to 20): Ever mention the age of your mother or father to someone and immediately suspect that the person assumes you are significantly older than your actual age?

Today’s Slice question: Do pickup truck owners tend to have more back problems than the rest of us because they repeatedly get dragged into helping people move furniture?