Backyard Chefs Take Backseat
One group of Inland Northwesterners has been especially disappointed by the mild winter.
That would be those hardy backyard chefs who fire up their grills 12 months of the year. They’ve had few opportunities to brag about cooking out in freezing temperatures.
Come right in: “We have two black cats,” wrote Lori Trowbridge. “Our neighbor has a black cat who likes the cat food at our house best. She comes in the pet door when she needs a snack.
“Sometimes I will wake up in the middle of the night and see three black cats. It is a little disturbing. For some reason our cats and dog don’t mind if this neighbor cat wants to hang out.”
Count Ritzville’s Thomas Pulliam among those who doesn’t like having a “Spokane” postmark on out-going mail: “It really, really irritates me,” he said. “I mean, I’m 60 miles away.”
For a time, someone with whom he corresponded thought that Ritzville was a part of Spokane.
So why not get his letters hand-stamped? Pulliam said the postal clerks he encounters aren’t always eager to do that.
Today’s “Titanic” story: “I was getting my hair cut as several of the hairdressers were talking about recent movies and the subject turned to ‘Titanic,’ ” wrote Fred Rewey. “One hairdresser, who was very upset, said that she knew ‘Titanic’ was going to be romantic but had no idea that it would be a tragedy.”
Rewey added, “They let these people carry scissors?”
Surfin’ U.S.A.: Max Gerber wonders how many others have noted the astonishing number of products sold on TV for $19.95 plus shipping and handling. Why, it’s almost eerie.
Here’s an airline schedule oddity that caught our attention: According to the current Northwest Airlines flight schedule - and this was confirmed by two ticket agents, you can fly from Spokane to Toronto without changing planes. OK. you’ve got to spend some time in Minneapolis. But it’s the same plane.
Permagrime: Peg Coffey wonders who has the Spokane area’s dirtiest car. It’s probably a thousand-way tie.
Warm-up questions: Does a low-flow toilet really save all that much water if you end up flushing it three times as much? Can you pick out the HGTV watchers in a crowd? Have you voted for the ‘50s-themed stamp series you want to see? (Ballots are available at post offices.)
Today’s Slice question: What is Spokane’s No. 1 personal-ads lie?
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing
MEMO: The Slice appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; fax (509) 459-5098. Hope, Idaho’s Darlene Ponack sort of enjoys her long-distance company’s attempts to spell “Coeur d’Alene.”