The Slice: Sometimes it takes a young mind to map out our road to happiness

Cheney school bus driver Rene Penna got a kick out of a little girl who was pumped up about her first day of kindergarten.

“I’m so excited,” she told Penna more than once.

As it happens, though, that child lives way out in the country. She is the first student Penna picks up, at the end of the line. Her ride to school takes almost an hour.

That’s a long haul for a little kid.

So, near the end of that fateful first trip to school, the girl updated Penna. “My excited’s wearing off,” she said softly.

The driver understood. But she suggested to the little girl that it would come back when they arrived at their destination.

And, happily, it did.

Sometimes Penna finds that her own excited’s wearing off, too. But there’s nothing like a kindergartner to fix that.

Things to mull while planning your transition to long sleeves: Some Spokane-area guys who are not tall would never consider purchasing an extra-large truck, even if it suited their needs.

What would college football be like in the West if schools in other states couldn’t load up on players from California?

A Slice reader noted that it won’t really matter if Tacoma’s population passes Spokane’s because the former will always be in the direct shadow of Seattle.

It seems like you can either tsk-tsk the irresponsible behavior of certain young people or you can delight in telling stories of your own binge-drinking antics. You can’t have it both ways.

Seeing The Ridpath never stops being depressing.

Pecking order: “My friend Margaret says her granddaughter has the power hierarchy all figured out,” wrote Mildred Scheel.

The child reportedly said, “God’s first, then Grandma.”

Maybe that kid has seen the sweatshirt that reads: “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. If Grandma ain’t happy … RUN!”

A TV show set in Deer Park would be called: “Oh, Deer.” – Jo Pickens

“Stag Nation.” – Lois Hattenburg

Today’s Slice question: How many times have you been tempted to give up on cantaloupes?