Asked and answered
The Slice had asked who would be spending part of Christmas visiting with distant family members via a Web camera system
"My husband and I arranged a Skype session with his sister, Becky, who lives in Indonesia," wrote Judy York.
They are on different sides of the international date line.
"The biggest challenge was trying to figure out the best time to chat since they are 15 hours ahead."
Dan, Maria and Lexi Obenchain got to connect with Rachel Obenchain, who is working as an au pair in Florence, Italy.
Marianne Guenther Bornhoft and her husband video-visited with his sister in Melbourne, Australia.
Marilyn Othmer hooked up with a grandson in Virginia.
And in the matter of why people talk to their pets, an email arrived from Shelley Davis.
"I don't have protracted conversations with our cat, Samantha. I say 'Hey, Boo Boo' upon rising and returning home, which she answers with a short 'Maa'.
"And I usually ask her if she turned off the water when she's done getting a drink out of the faucet in the bathtub, to which she has no reply. My husband, however, has more lengthy conversations with her. He often argues with her about whether he has pet her enough or fed her enough."
Nancy Downing said she talks to her cats because they start the conversations.
And Karen Botker had a simple answer: "Why not?"
There's more on both of these subjects in tomorrow's print Slice.
