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The Slice: Delivering despite the obstacles

Let’s start on an upbeat note.

“Our mail deliverer rocks,” wrote Melody Gartrell.

A letter from her stepson at Navy boot camp near Chicago arrived in a timely manner the other day despite a couple of obstacles.

“He had transposed the numbers in our home address, sending it to ‘930’ instead of ‘903.’ ”

And the carrier got the letter to the right house even though the addressee line just said “Dad and Melody.” There was no last name.

Gartrell said she pictures the carrier wondering who on the block is named “Dad.”

Just wondering: How much time does having short hair save a person over the course of a year?

Slice answer: “In answer to your question about how many bags of ice I’ve purchased this summer…,” wrote Marty Petrilli. “You should know this: I live in Colbert, which is apparently on the preferred path of destruction for every violent wind and thunderstorm sent from the Wrath of God storm factory this year. I’ve long since lost count, but I’ll say it this way. If you see the CEO of Pacific Ice driving around in a new Mercedes this summer, please inform him that I’m waiting for my ‘thank you’ card.”

How to know it’s time to wash the car: “When my 4-year-old grandson says ‘Grammy, your car is filthy,’ ” wrote Valerie Adams.

Re: More than one person wanting to use the bathroom at home: “You don’t need to have a large family to have issues,” wrote Melody Podlas of Mead.

“In 2010, (husband) Rick badly needed a kidney transplant. We always knew we were a good match for each other, but testing confirmed I was also a compatible kidney donor. Doesn’t happen often with spouses, and it led to a unique situation. After the transplant surgeries, we repeatedly found ourselves needing to use the facilities at the same time.”

Her theory? “Two kidneys in separate bodies that still seem to be working together.”

Today’s Slice question: When writing, what word do you silently mispronounce because doing so helps you remember how to spell it?

Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Don Forshag remembers when watermelon seed-spitting eventually produced sprouts in the lawn.

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