The Slice: Has your guardian angel been good?

Let’s start with a couple of questions. If you believed in guardian angels, what letter grade would you award yours for his or her performance in 2005?

And what would you say in a formal sit-down performance evaluation with your GA?

OK, let’s move on.

“Feedback: “Stop bellyachin’ about how people spell and pronounce Spokane or we’ll make you move to Coeur d’Alene,” wrote Helen Fischer of the Lake City.

Spokane reader Mike Storms also suggested that The Slice give it up. “I myself cannot get too worked up about people pronouncing ‘Spokane’ wrong and think we should keep that spelling until America sheds itself of other such illogical spellings as thought, chitin, two, feign, foreign, bought, women, et cetera,” he wrote.

“Kid stuff: Gladys Griffith’s preschool great-grandson, Caden, is still learning how use certain sayings that express surprise or emphasize one’s strong reaction. Sometimes he combines parts of two different phrases.

The other day, he walked into the lobby at River Park Square and looked up at the Christmas tree.

He exclaimed, “Holy moly cow, that tree is huge!”

“Just wondering: If you were going to advise someone who lived in, say, Georgia or New Hampshire, what would you recommend as the easternmost part of the country that could legitimately be described as “Out West”?

“Speaking of geography: You would think that almost all college basketball fans would eventually learn a few things about schools, cities and states far away — maybe by osmosis. But you would be so, so wrong.

“Slice answer: A reader in Hayden offered succinct advice in the matter of co-workers exchanging gifts: “Don’t.”

“Real or fake: After determining that she was allergic to evergreen trees, it was a pretty easy call for Mary Jean Freese.

“Pet Names Department: “A stray kitten arrived on our back patio this summer while my wife and I were on the patio,” wrote Bob Prater of Spokane Valley. “We decided to keep him since he chose us.”

The thing is, Prater and his wife, Marie, already had three cats. And the furry trio didn’t immediately welcome the new arrival with open paws.

But the kitten’s reaction to the hissing and posturing reminded Bob of a song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “I Won’t Back Down.”

So the cat’s name became Tomcat Petty.

By he way, TP now gets along swimmingly with two of his fellow felines — Ace and Melvin. And the third, J.J., well, she has issues.

“Warm-up questions: Are there any ministers or priests over the age of 50 who didn’t once base a sermon on Garrison Keillor’s marvelous story, “Storm Home”? Speaking of “Storm Home,” are there any dogs or cats in your neighborhood that appear to regard your family as the Kruegers?

“Today’s Slice question: What Inland Northwest preschooler loves snow the most?