The Slice: Throwback Tuesday

Here is one of my all-time favorite Slice items.

I’m rerunning it on the anniversary of its first appearance in my column on Oct. 27, 1998.

It’s the second part of this two-for-one item.

Little boys in action: This lad named Seth was watching trash collectors outside the house last Thursday. Shortly after that, he told his aunt that when he grew up he wanted to be a garbage man. She asked why. “Because they only have to work on Thursdays,” he said.

Then there was this preschooler at a Spokane restaurant who was analyzing his Halloween plans. He had a question for his mom. “Will my mask scare children?”

Ahahahahahaha. “Scare children.” That kills me.

I’ve loved that for 17 years. Hope that kid is happily launched into a successful adulthood.

No one has ever asked me to subjectively rank the months in terms of conditions for Spokane area bike riding: So here they are. (Your mileage may vary.)

12. January. 11. February. 10. December. 9. March. 8. November. 7. July. 6. August. 5. June. 4. September. 3. April. 2. May. 1. October.

Geography challenge: How many times would Washington fit inside British Columbia?

Show your work.

Just wondering: What would you like to do with the first snowball you can make this fall?

Feline rodeo: “My cat, Pilota (roughly Italian for female pilot, due to her aerobatics), will not chase birds or rodents,” wrote David Dodson of Hayden. “However, last year she jumped on a doe whitetail’s rump and went for a three or four second ride. She then ran into the house as quick as you can imagine.

“Ever since then she has been stalking them and barking, yes I said barking at them, at every opportunity. She has made four more runs at them but, thank goodness, has never ‘caught’ another.”

Warm-up question: Today is the 300th day of the year. For you, which of the first 299 was most noteworthy?

Today’s Slice question: Assuming you don’t spend your days at a school or day care center … How many of the people you work with instantly turn their heads and look for the source the moment they hear a child’s voice at your workplace?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. I had been thinking it might be the squeaks and whoosh of STA buses, but I find that I agree with Bruce Colquhoun, who said downtown Spokane’s signature sound is “The rumble of diesel locomotives.”