The Slice: Sorry gardeners; no wolves at the door

Some locals who have had deer devastate their gardens believe we need more wolves around here.

Wolf house calls can’t be scheduled, of course. You cannot phone the Lupine Hotline and say “Got deer in my backyard right now — come harvest some venison.”

That’s not how nature works, which might be a good thing.

Slice answer: “I’m going on 85 and I’ve lived on a farm all my life,” wrote Glenn Leitz of Fairfield. “Blue jeans have been both my work uniform and my dress-up wear.”

He has more than 30 pairs in his current collection. “As a child of the Great Depression, I hate to throw anything away that might have some use. OK, I’m a hoarder.”

But as to the number he has owned over the course of his life, that would be hard to say. He said it might take “a UNIVAC or some other new fangled computer” to calculate it.

More loose change: “Yes, I always pick up pennies when I come across them,” wrote Di Anne Lewis. “Years ago, I was told they are loving messages from heaven.”

Jodee Christner picks up pennies only if they are heads up.

Greg Saue’s grandmother said finding a penny was lucky, but only if you kept it for a day.

Jeri Hershberger’s late husband used to pick up coins. Near the end of his life, he began putting found pennies in Jeri’s purse, in the pockets of her apparel and in her travel bags, as an endearment. She now keeps those coins in a special dish. “I love my pennies and felt very loved every time I found them.”

Bonnie Larrison shared this. “My husband (Harry) and I are retired and live in Millwood. I walk and he rides his bike every day the weather permits. We pick up every penny, nickel, dime and quarter we find on our route.”

They toss them in a jar and then annually donate the stash to Second Harvest Food Bank.

“We once found the mother lode — 116 pennies scattered all over the street. Although it took a while we picked up every one.”

Their average yearly haul is $20 to $25.

Today’s Slice question: What percentage of Spokane area residents who experience springtime allergic reactions are competitive about it?