The Slice: Forget about Tom, Dick or Harry

I’m not proposing anything sinister here.

But I have a feeling Spokane could function quite well if the only men left here were guys named Mike.

Let’s move on.

Language choices that strike you as dated: “The word I hear often (and seem to go off the rails about) is ‘manning,’ ” wrote Betsy Lawrence. “As in manning a booth. I find myself at meetings yelling ‘staffing, staffing!’ ”

Just wondering: Many years ago, at my first newspaper job, I described an Arizona county manager as the “country manager.” In print.

He was amused by his promotion.

What was your most memorable typo?

Things people miss about Spokane after they move away: “The trail network below High Drive in the early AM and coffee at the Rockwood Bakery any time of the day,” wrote Joy Stocking of Seeley Lake, Montana.

Ways in which Spokane is world-class: “Spokane has world-class nonprofit agencies,” wrote Ron Hardin. “Not only do they do much with very few resources, they do not hassle each other over funding sources. I have personally seen this occur in many other communities. For the most part, our nonprofits do not step on each other’s toes. There is little duplication of effort, as this wastes a lot of money. Serving those in need is very difficult work. Spokane does this extremely well.”

Jack Thompson said Spokane has world-class municipal golf courses. “Great prices, great condition and well run.”

Tom Harding said the answer is simple. “How well the city handles huge events – Bloomsday, Hoopfest, skating exhibitions.”

Behind the wall: Linda Adams and her sisters’ contribution to their dad’s demolition/renovation project came to a sudden, screaming halt when one of the first hammer blows prompted a snake to pop its head out of the wall.

Slice answer: Apart from the well-known health implications, Carol Baxter’s decision to quit smoking saved her a lot of money and kept her from driving to Idaho (to buy less expensive cigarettes) when the streets were dangerously icy.

And she said she now understands why some would be offended by the smell of cigarette smoke. “I now know exactly how they must have felt. Now that I have quit, I can smell cigarette smoke a mile away.”

Today’s Slice question: Do any Spokane area families still quote lines from “The Wizard of Oz”?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Laurie Newell noted that some boats won’t be in the water this year because trees fell on them during last November’s windstorm.