The Slice: Some things you would just as soon forget

Not all “house you grew up in” memories are warm and nostalgic.

This is from a reader whose name has appeared in The Slice half a dozen times over the years.

“There are many of us, I’m afraid, who NEVER went back to the houses we grew up in. But when we thought about them, we remember the line from ‘Forrest Gump.’

“ ‘Sometimes there just aren’t enough rocks.’ ”

Near room service, near perfect: “Camping to my wife is anything less than a five star hotel,” wrote Jay Dudley.

Naming an Inland Northwest lake monster: “Marmotuan.” – Curt Olsen

“Leady.” – Cindy Matthews

“Mackignaw.” – Jeff Nadeau

“McMorrisauris.” – Ron Lugone

Re: naming a water craft while intoxicated: Boating safety instructor Charlie Schaefer passes out stretchy wristbands that say “Designated Skipper … Boat Responsibly.”

Good advice. What would your personalized boating wristband say?

A) “We’re going to need a bigger boat.” B) “Iceberg, dead ahead!” C) “Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.” D) Other.

Reader feedback: In the matter of hot weather and garbage smells, I heard from my friend Dan Hansen.

“A few summers back, Pam and I started sealing particularly odoriferous, non-compostable food scraps in milk cartons or used zip-lock bags, and storing them in the freezer until trash day. This, so they wouldn’t draw critters, or stink up the garage during hot spells.

Dan’s son Kyle, who is about to be a senior at Western Washington University, reportedly believes his parents are the only people in America who do this. Which brings us to a note from Slice reader Robin Oos of Otis Orchards.

“You mentioned that summer lends itself to smelly garbage. I can help. I put anything that might develop a smell when warm in the freezer. Any food items that don’t go down the garbage disposal I put in a bag and put in the freezer. The night before the garbage is to be collected, I put all the frozen bags in the garbage can. Works great as long as you have some extra space in the freezer.

“I learned this trick in Arizona. You cannot put garbage in an outside can because of the animals, mostly javelina. So freezing solves the problem.”

Today’s Slice question: What’s something your parents did that you were quite sure no one else in America did?

Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. “Star baker,” mentioned Monday, is a reference to the “Great British Baking Show,” which airs on PBS.