The Slice Jurassic Vanishing Act Explained By New Theory

Theresa Hale’s 6-year-old son, Shayn, has a theory about what really happened to the dinosaurs. “They just moved to a different planet.”

Maybe they heard real estate speculators were coming.

In any case, we think Shayn ought to turn that into a movie script.

If Spangle’s Dawn Brash turned her place into a B&B: She would call it the Redneck Rest Stop.

Thanks: To the talented kindergarten artists at Garfield Elementary School for sharing some of their work with The Slice.

Blown away: Lee Schmidt and Peggy Sheldon were among those who good-naturedly pointed out that “to snowblow” can’t be conjugated because it isn’t a real verb. “‘Snowblower’ is a noun,” wrote Sheldon. “Try: ‘clear, cleared, have cleared’ the walk with my snowblower.”

Considering the alternatives, that seems like a fine idea.

Sheldon’s more pressing wish, however, is that people would remember the following: Hens lay (eggs).

People, or dogs, or rugs lie (down).

“Don’t tell your dog to lay down; tell him to lie down,” she wrote.

Relatively little diversity is not the same as none: Every time we hear a foreign language spoken hereabouts - and it’s fairly often - we find ourselves thinking certain widespread assumptions about this area are not quite on the mark.

And people wonder why we’re cranky: Slice reader Marge Farquharson calls the crosswalk at Monroe and Riverside next to The Spokesman-Review a “death trap.”

For the record: We heard from Spokane residents who went to colleges in Maine and Delaware.

And after reporting that none of the readers we had heard from objected to tip cups, we heard from several who do.

Warm-up question: If a lunatic handed over a ton of money with directions to start any kind of Inland Northwest magazine you wanted, what sort of publication would you launch and what would you call it?

Today’s Slice question: Because of the unpleasantness that ensued last time somebody brought it up, what’s the one mealtime-conversation subject that is now absolutely off-limits in your home?

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing

MEMO: The Slice appears Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098. There are those who think giving little kids speaking roles in TV commercials is the worst possible violation of the “Seen and not heard” rule.