Grocery Shopping Can Be Exciting

Tue., Dec. 19, 2000

By Paul Turner srpaulturner@gmail.com

Here’s one more reason to check out the ads in Wednesday’s food section.

“My husband was teasing me the other day and said he was going to go out and `get a hot babe,’ ” wrote Denise Masiello.

She laughed and inquired about just where he planned to find one. But before he had a chance to respond, the couple’s 5-year-old daughter, Faith, answered for him.

“Tidyman’s.”

* Slice answer (worst excuse): Because this is a family newspaper, we can’t really describe what was happening. But what the guy told the Spokane police officer was: “There was an insect on it.”

* Office attire theme that never caught on: Swaddling Clothes Friday.

* Well, it’s the right number of syllables: Bonnie Hughes has a 3-year-old great-niece who refers to her Lincoln Logs as “Stinkin’ hogs.”

* Let it snow: When the sidewalk is covered at Chuck and Nancy Wilbert’s place, they at least don’t have to see the amazingly prominent hole created when a bird bombed the fresh concrete earlier this year.

* North Idaho memories: “When our son Mike was about 5 years old, we were driving on a gravel road between Clarkia and Bovill,” wrote Mary Lou Wilson. “Mike held his beloved Bunny out the window, assuming Bunny could fly.”

And of course, Bunny did fly out of the little boy’s grasp.

The family had to drive on a little ways before finding a place to turn around on the narrow road. Meantime a fully loaded logging truck heading in the opposite direction zoomed by.

The situation seemed dire for the stuffed rabbit.

“But when we were able to turn around and go back, there was Bunny safe in the road, no logging truck tire marks to be seen.”

After that, Bunny stayed inside the car.

* Speaking of stuffed animals: In the summer of 1999, Robby Anthony left his trusted friend, Simba, at the Minneapolis airport. But his mom got on the phone and was able to track down Simba’s whereabouts. Turned out he was at a McDonald’s.

A nice guy there asked where he could send the stuffed animal. And he didn’t even ask if they wanted any fries with that.

* Warm-up question: When you were a kid, what would have happened if you had hit your dad in the back of the head with a snowball?

* Today’s Slice question: What is this area’s most perfect sledding hill?

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