The Slice: She’s getting a steady diet of assistance

Linda Beem’s husband of 45 years died not long ago.

Since then, some of the kids in her North Side neighborhood have been helping her by doing various small chores.

Recently, a 10-year-old boy who had taken her trash out to the curb told Beem he was worried that she might not be getting anything to eat since she was widowed.

It seems that in his home his dad does all the meal preparation. And, well, he just assumed that men fix the food in every household.

Beem assured the little boy that she was making do. She thanked him for his concern. And she smiled.

Sometimes the best gifts arrive without wrapping paper.

Popularity contest: Jeff Brown passed along something he read somewhere:

“As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers. But no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.”

Slice answers: Readers told of seeing Spokane area drivers eating yogurt, shaving, applying makeup, brushing their teeth, fixing their hair, changing clothes, reading, reaching around and grabbing kids in the back seat, making out, painting fingernails and … well, the discouraging list of distractions goes on.

In fact, drivers paying attention to something other than the road is so commonplace that a few readers suggested they don’t really even notice unless the multitasking motorist is doing at least a couple of things in addition to driving.

This summer Leora Gendreau saw a woman tending to a dog on her lap while holding a cigarette in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

“While driving!”

God help us.

In another matter, it turns out that quite a few Slice readers have stepped on, bumped into, fallen onto or sat down on cacti.

“I’ve had to go to the hospital twice for cactus injuries,” said Hank Greer.

And Lan Hellie said he would cast Carrot Top to play him in a movie.

Today’s Slice question: What’s a good use for horse chestnuts?