The Slice: You could even complain about this column

The daily newspaper and winter are alike in one respect.

If you buy a copy, you get to complain about the paper all you want.

Same deal with winter. If you stick around Spokane and tough it out, you get to grouse about the weather to your heart’s content.

Let’s move on.

Slice answers: “Since I’ve retired, my Saturdays have lost a bit of their magic,” wrote Connie Jay. “I think it’s because now everyday is like a Saturday.”

Terry Martin, who retired from a bank, knows it’s Saturday when her husband is not at work and he is making breakfast for her.

“Of course Saturdays retain their magic after retirement,” wrote Jay Broderick. “You know the days of the week: Sunday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday.”

For Kary Miller, Saturday is when “All the lovely working people go shopping. We stay home and quietly gloat that we don’t have to navigate any crowds.”

Steve Wilder said, yes, Saturday does retain its magic after retirement. “It’s just that there become more of them. Retirement is six Saturdays and fat newspaper day.”

Cindy McHargue said post-retirement Saturdays are like those of her youth. “How much more magical can they get?”

Remembering backyard ice rinks: When Dee Hargitt was about 8 years old and living on the South Hill, her mom decided to flood the backyard to make an ice rink. One problem.

“Our yard sloped downhill and all the water ran into our neighbors’ yards and froze.”

What Jeanne Goss would say to a skunk: “Your choice of perfume is unusual and a bit strong. In the future, may I suggest just a dab behind the ears.”

That’s a cold shot, baby: “I can’t drive by the corner of Boone and ‘A’ Street without getting nauseated,” wrote Sue Teague.

She fell on some ice there in January of 1976 while waiting for the school bus. “I still rode the bus to school that day (standing room only), but I passed out upon arrival.”

She had cracked rib cartilage.

Today’s conspiracy theory: “The chemtrails are sprayed by the government to alter our thinking,” wrote Rich Young. “The spray makes us think that sunrise and sunset have changed overnight by an hour every fall and spring.”

The chemtrails also turn leaves colorful and then dead. “They also cause us to painfully carve holes in innocent pumpkins.”

Today’s Slice question: Who has the most sincere pumpkin patch in the Spokane area?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Do you know a backyard football tosser who throws a perfect spiral?