The Slice: You can all breathe easy

Those of us with asthma have been known to make all sorts of interesting sounds when breathing.

You know, tweets and whistles. Chirps and clicks.

It’s understandable that family members would be concerned. Sometimes, though, that anxiety is misplaced.

My wife and I were standing in our kitchen when she heard what she considered to be alarming wheezing on my part.

But I was fine. Unbeknownst to my better half, our neighbor’s cat was sitting nearby and had just quietly requested that I hurry up with the snack.

We laughed after I pointed this out. But the cat didn’t seem to think it was funny.

Slice answers: “Every day is spider amnesty day in my house,” wrote Kimberly Johnson of Kellogg. “Thanks for calling for a day for spiders (on Halloween). I love spiders. I let them be. The only thing they have to worry about are my two cats.”

Ann Hill shared this. “By the time I brought my cup of tea and the Today section over to the table (Friday) morning, one spider had already met its demise under my slippered foot. Then I read your Today’s Slice question. Now, depending on the size and whereabouts of any remaining spiders skittering thither and yon, I can’t fully commit to a Halloween Arachnid Amnesty, but there’s always a chance they will outrun my pursuit. That’s the best I can offer.”

Warm-up question: How many Spokane-area men older than 50 still have their high school letter jackets?

Today’s Slice question: Do you miss going to a fire station, grade school or church hall to cast your ballot? A) Yes, a little. It was one of the few times in my life I felt as if I was in a Norman Rockwell scene. B) No. C) Not really. The poll workers always — 100 percent of the time — acted as if they had never encountered a woman who kept her own last name after marriage. D) It seemed appropriate that voting required a little effort. E) Yes. I enjoyed seeing a few of my neighbors at our polling place. F) Other.