The Slice: Yes, it is time to start hoarding eggnog

With exactly 10 weeks until Christmas, the season has arrived.

Yes, it is time to start hoarding eggnog.

Too early, you say? Bah!

Apparently you do not remember last year. That’s when I found myself at store after store, staring at empty dairy shelves – even the Brand X stuff was gone – and meekly beseeching a cruel-faced clerk, “Do you have any more in the back?”

I’m still haunted by the ripsaw sound of his Dickensian laughter.

But this year will be different.

Now, if I can just find some space in our freezer.

Voter suppression: “After hearing family members discuss repeatedly how every vote matters, 7-year-old grandson Ari was shocked and dismayed to find he is ineligible to vote in the upcoming election,” wrote John Kafentzis, who put “grandson suffrage” in the subject line of his email.

Folklife winter forecast: Sally Deranleau and Cal Fankhauser both said mountain ash trees are the best when it comes to predicting winter weather.

“If it is heavily laden with orange berries, we will have a wicked winter,” wrote Cal. “Coincidentally, they are loaded this year.”

Makes sense, in a way.

“After all, the birds need food for their winter feed,” wrote Sally.

Slice answer: “If ‘The Jetsons’ were set in Spokane, the Riverfront Park Garbage Goat would be their housekeeper instead of Rosie,” wrote Lisa Moore. “Instead of a zippy space car, George (the dad) would ride a kids’ BMX bike.”

Today’s Halloween memory: “Years ago I ran out of candy for the kids, so I finished the night out by giving away Top Ramen,” wrote Greg Vandeventer.

He also handed out a frozen loaf of French bread.

Happy Halloween!

“The next year, a couple kids must have remembered that, so when they came to the door they said ‘You’re not going to give us Top Ramen again are you?’ ”

Not to worry. Ever since coming up short that one time, Greg has been well supplied for trick-or-treaters.

Warm-up questions: If you were heading out to cut some firewood, who would you want to have with you? How did you rule when your child or grandchild, faced with intense questioning, tried to invoke the Fifth Amendment at home? What was your takeaway after injuring yourself while exercising?

Today’s Slice question: What were you doing when you were the farthest north you’ve ever been?

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Willene Wick thinks the pink bunny outfit her mom made for her when Willene was little might have been the least frightening Halloween costume ever.