Column

The Slice asked if December weddings lead to long marriages. Davenport’s Karen Cole knows something about that. She and husband Everett celebrate their 50th anniversary today.

Is it time for the good to defeat the perfect, when it comes to police oversight in Spokane? Perhaps. There is a case to be made that the package of police oversight measures proposed by the mayor and police chief is the best we can do – while not, in my view, reaching the standards expressed by the mayor’s Use of Force Commission or by voters. There is a case that purists like me, or the mayor’s Use of Force Commission, or the voters, are being either unrealistic or unreasonable in continuing to seek full, unqualified investigative independence for the ombudsman. There is a case to be made that the city can either adopt this plan, which is very good in many ways, or find itself stuck in a losing battle against the more determined enemy of the good on this issue: the Spokane Police Guild.

I’d like to hang out with Spokane-area 8-year-olds at this time of year. It would be a hoot to hear them recall the winters of their youth. You know, back when they needed taped-together yard sticks to measure the snow.

Nobility sometimes rises out of a crushing defeat. It’s our way of romanticizing lost causes like Gen. Custer’s futile last stand at Little Big Horn, say, or those brave Alamo holdouts, so outnumbered and outgunned.

I offer a final few words about Thanksgiving. We spent the holiday in Seattle with our youngest son. His life and schedule are so jam-packed that it’s hard for him to get home – and especially now, as he’s in dress rehearsal for a play opening this weekend, in production for another one he’s directing, teaching theater classes and busy putting in hours at a part-time job where inventory needs to be readied for Christmas.

Over the years, Connie Murray has sometimes chosen to hide Christmas gifts more or less in plain sight. “My all-time favorite place, which my son will never live down, was the laundry hamper in his bedroom.”

Ah, the holiday season, that traditional time of tinseled trees, pretty poinsettias and catching up with friends, family and … Felons?

Today The Slice presents a transcript of an exclusive interview with a Spokane kid who has finally admitted that no amount of watering can really save a Christmas tree. You won’t believe what he had to say.

Good grief, let’s jump right to ... Today’s Slice question: If adult characters were present in “A Charlie Brown Christmas” — tonight on ABC — how would the seasonal classic be different?

BOISE – Idaho’s state Tax Commission has a message for all those holiday shoppers making their purchases online: You still owe Idaho tax. If the online retailer doesn’t charge the tax, Idahoans are required by law to pay it when they file their income tax returns. The 6 percent tax in this case is called a “use tax” rather than sales tax.

Here is today’s Christmas tree story. “Back in the late ’70s, we went out to our 10 acres of undeveloped land to cut down our own Christmas tree,” wrote Joe Kramarz. “We walked the property and found a perfect tree – a fir that was nicely balanced and not too tall.”

One obituary is a portrait of an individual. Several are a portrait of a place. The obituaries of recent weeks told a tale of the Inland Northwest that included farmers and arts patrons, harvest cooks and golfers. Here, summarized, are some of them:

You might recall that last Saturday’s Slice column was devoted to cats. Cats, cats and more cats.

Spokane’s city government is measuring itself with a vengeance. How fast do crews arrive at fires? How many water lines have broken? How many chronically homeless people had been placed into housing? How many books have been checked out from the libraries?

We all know this is a busy season. You have a lot on your mind.

Cover your giblets, ladies and germs. It’s time for another edition of America’s favorite Thanksgiving Day advice column: Ask Professor Pilgrim. Before the professor starts addressing your concerns, we’ll take a moment like we always do to announce the following holiday closures:

Clenching the steering wheel, I muttered while the tractor in front of me slowly puttered. A quick glance at the clock on my dash confirmed my fear – I was going to be late for my relaxing getaway at the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort. The muscles in my neck tightened, my jaw clenched – the masseuse would have her work cut out for her.

Our relationship to family stories changes over the years. When we are kids, our main job is to absorb the tales.