The Slice: When birds say “Don’t see me”

Colville’s Ellen Hodde shared this.

“I walk every day down a mile-long road and see many amazing things but the most amazing one has to be the time I spotted a grouse which decided that he was invisible if he was quiet.”

The bird stayed still as Ellen slowly approached and reached down and patted it on the head.

At that point, the bird realized its cloak of invisibility had been compromised and flew away.

Does anyone else remember when ages ago Linus in “Peanuts” used to pat birds on the head and how that bugged his sister Lucy?

And speaking of seeing birds while on a walk, Ceil Orr wondered if the reader who came upon a tree full of magpies (Sunday’s Slice) has ever seen Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”

One more animal item: Phil Zammit was listening to a CD featuring operatic arias.

It was the first time his dog Chewie had heard opera. The collie/heeler mix howled whenever a soprano was belting out her part, but he remained quiet when a tenor or the chorus sang.

Theories?

Slice answers: “I don’t have a fishing buddy, but I am a ‘Mass buddy’ to a friend who teaches up at Gonzaga Prep,” wrote my old building and loan pal Gina Boysun. “Perhaps both kinds of buddy are similarly sacred?”

Gus Kruger has a movie buddy. “We refer to each other that way.”

Then there was this from Jack Vines. “My wife refers to a car guy friend I spend a lot of time with as ‘your Studebaker buddy.’ ”

Following up: Sandy Tarbox said The Slice’s list of approaches to grocery shopping left one out.

“Making a detailed, comprehensive list and leaving it at home. Which is why I currently have three boxes of saltines but still no laundry soap.”

Civic marketing: Sandpoint’s Forrest Schuck came across Key West, Florida’s slogan and wondered if anyone else heard echoes of Spokane’s old motto.

“Close To Perfect – Far From Normal.”

Certainly that first part sounds familiar. But “Far From Normal” seems more like the Oregon city’s “Keep Portland Weird.”

And it has been observed that Spokane and Portland are quite different.

Seems as if Spokane’s version of the Key West line would be something more like “Crushingly Normal” or “Comfortingly Normal” or “Get Off My Lawn Normal.”

Today’s Slice questions: Do you have a mud room or is that what you call your whole house? Is your mud room open concept?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Sane cyclists don’t take the side of cyclists who were in the wrong.