The Slice: Only 161 shopping days left

There are only 23 weeks until Father’s Day, the made-in-Spokane special occasion.

Almost time to start thinking about a gift for the paternal presence in your life.

Let’s move on.

Slice answer: “It’s not the one person who doubts the veracity of 95 percent of my family’s cherished stories,” wrote Carol Voogd. “It’s the 95 percent who doubt the veracity of the one person telling the stories.”

For those keeping score: Slice reader Ted Redman is on track to bring his wife’s wake-up tea to her nightstand 365 times this year.

Do not mark your calendar: There are no Marmot Lodge meetings scheduled for 2014. But members will be expected to continue promoting good will in the Spokane area.

The dues structure will not change. And the secret handshake, which I once described in print, stays the same.

E pluribus marmot.

Warm-up questions: What would be your No. 1 tip for someone about to try ice-skating for the first time? Did you ever build a snow fort that was so big and so deeply encased in layers of hosed-on ice that it still blows your mind to think that it ever totally melted? Can you recall the most perfectly aimed long-distance snowball you ever hurled?

Today’s Slice questions: Can you remember when stores were not open on Sunday? A) No, and I don’t believe that was ever true. B) Yes. Somehow we survived. C) I am not a fan of religious tradition determining the calendar for overall society. But I have to say, it made Sunday seem special. D) This was addressed in an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” called “Man in a Hurry” that first aired in January 1963. E) Next you’ll be telling me that we couldn’t always buy booze in grocery stores. F) No way. This is a consumer society. I don’t believe there was ever a time when stores missed a chance to wring a few more bucks out of those of us who believe that spending is compulsory. G) There were always a few places open, in case someone needed an emergency six-pack or Sunday newspaper. H) Other.