The Slice: Are you smarter than a fourth-grader? Not likely

Spokane grandmother Nancy Reeves accepted The Slice’s geography challenge and asked her 9-year-old granddaughter in Atlanta how much she knows about Washington.

Well, fourth-grader Lucy Fisher knew a lot — cities, borders, crops, colleges … you name it.

Reeves eventually stopped asking questions when she realized Lucy knew more about Washington than many adults around here could tell you about Georgia.

•Reasons to drive to Spokane: Colville area resident Joel Shank listed friends, Chinese or Thai food and Costco.

Metaline Falls resident Tara Leininger mentioned museum exhibits and theatrical performances.

Marilyn Othmer of Chewelah said family visits, cultural attractions and shopping top her list.

Delores Quick and Julie Harmon of Curlew/Republic mentioned medical appointments with specialists, shopping and concerts, among other lures.

•Living in the Pacific time zone: Rick Barth and William Hall like how televised sports wrap up at a decent hour.

But Nancy Kiehn sometimes gets calls at about 5 a.m. from people back East who have forgotten about the time difference. And Pamm Haslebacher is on a committee with members all over the country. Yet she’s the one who always has to get up early for the monthly conference call.

•Some people might think I’m crazy, but winter weather isn’t going to make me stop … : “… riding my bicycle,” wrote Charlie Greenwood.

“ … wearing my Birkenstocks sans socks,” wrote Karen Buck.

•Monday’s reader challenge: Alric Balka rewrote a scene from “Dr. Strangelove” in which George C. Scott summarized a crisis involving B-52s heading for targets in the Soviet Union.

“The duty officer asked the health officer to confirm the fact that he had issued the flu shot code and he said, ‘Yes, gentlemen, the flu shots are on their way in and no one can bring them back. For the sake of our country and our way of life, I suggest you get the rest of the Spokane Regional Health District in after them. Otherwise we will be totally destroyed by flu retaliation. My clinic staff will give you the best kind of start — 1,400 CCs worth. And you sure as hell won’t stop them now. So let’s get going. There’s no other choice. God willing, we will prevail in peace and freedom from fear and in true health through the purity and essence of our yearly immunizations. God bless you all.’

“Then he hung up.”

•Today’s Slice question: Has anyone ever loaded a bicycle onto the front of an STA bus and then forgotten to collect it upon getting off at his or her stop?