The Slice: Splash left him on pins and needles

Apparently seeing raccoons take a dip in your swimming pool is not all that unusual around here.

Same with skunks, ducks and what have you.

But Dick Triesch’s sighting was a little different.

One hot summer night, while inside near an open window, he heard splashing coming from the pool. Was his wife taking a late swim?

Nope.

“I looked out the window and saw an animal swimming in the deep end even though the solar blanket was partly covering it. I watched it for awhile and finally saw it climb out.”

Until then, he couldn’t really tell just what sort of critter had been doing laps out back.

“It was a porcupine,” said Triesch. “I didn’t even know they swam.”

Well, if it gets hot enough …

Note from a friend: “Here is an ‘Only in Montana’ story that my brother-in-law told me last weekend.

“He and his wife were driving down a lonely stretch of highway (that describes just about any road in Montana) and they hit a deer. They didn’t kill the animal, but two of its legs were broken.

“Seeing a house nearby, my brother-in-law walked there and asked if he could borrow a firearm to put the deer out of its misery.

“The homeowner didn’t hesitate, offering him a choice of firearms. My brother-in-law borrowed a pistol and dispatched the injured animal.”

Which brings us to …

TODAY’S SLICE QUESTION: If you walked up to a stranger’s house in Spokane, what could you reasonably expect to borrow right on the spot?

A) A catcher’s mitt or 9-iron. B) Plum fantasy lipstick. C) A flashlight. D) Silly Putty and/or Flubber. E) A lug wrench.

F) Pie. G) A Claritin-D tablet. H) A French horn. I) A hockey stick or bike-tire pump.

J) Men’s briefs. K) An English-Spanish dictionary. L) A dark necktie from the 1960s. M) A stick of butter.

N) Kitty litter. O) Birdwatcher’s binoculars. P) Canadian currency. Q) One of those flash drive thingees.

R) An O’Doherty’s beer mug. S) Antifungal spray powder. T) A Leatherman tool and/or an Ace bandage. U) A topo map of the Panhandle National Forests.

V) A Bible and/or duct tape. W) Cinnamon. X) A gas can. Y) A reporter’s notebook. Z) Other.