Welcome to an extra edition of the mailbag where you will find some of the comments, questions and ideas sent recently by subscribers of this newsletter or our publications. They are edited for space and clarity.

“Greetings, Shane. I dropped off a historical item at your office and thought I’d better give you the back story (Coin pouches, Aug. 8, 2023). My dad unsuccessfully ran for Iowa Attorney General in 1963, and the coin purse I dropped off was one of the promotional items generated in connection with the campaign. If you look inside, you will see a 60-year-old balloon with my dad’s face on it that I presume they stuffed in all of the coin purses they gave out. One box of these artifacts has been following me around since law school when I became the designated caretaker to these orphan items that serve no purpose. There are thousands of lapel pins, flyers, bumper stickers, pocket squares, and more. After following your latest on the coin purse, I knew I could get rid of one of them. That is to say, it’s yours to do what you’d like with it and I don’t need it back given my abundant supply of these artifacts. Could this in fact be the oldest functional coin purse in Iowa? Hmmmm.” - Jeffrey

I love it, and I am using it — the coin purse, not the 60-year-old balloon. Thank you, Jeff! - Shane

“I totally agree (Sports gambling, Aug. 14, 2023). The state of Iowa wants gambling tax revenue and is hereby driving many to lose everything, sometimes even their life.” - George

The problem is that the gambling cat is out of proverbial bag, and nobody seems to want to attempt to put it back in. - Shane

“My bride Celene and I have been re-gifting cards for quite a few years (Repurposing cards, Aug. 16, 2023). We don’t sign the card or label the envelope from the start so you get to do the regifting without (much) guilt. This has been done with some presents as well. One sneaks into the others closet and pulls out an item that still has a tag on it, re-wrap it and… VIOLA, a regift/regift. But when Christmas gifts get stashed around the casa, you have to recall where you buried them and then be able to retrieve them in a timely fashion.” - Rex

Well, that explains the pet rocks you keep sending me. - Shane

“Hi, Shane. This is Coach Kimbrook Tennal. I just wanted to let you know what a fantastic job Chantel Boyd did with the article ‘Put Me in Coach’ (Urbandale Living, August 2023). I love how well written it was, and it actually made me cry, which I think is one mark of a great writer when they can bring that kind of emotion out of the reader. I also read your ‘Just a Few Words’ intro. I began wrestling late in high school my junior year actually because it wasn't offered in our high school in Kansas until then. I ended up wrestling in college and coached wrestling for five years. My first college wrestling coach was an ex-army sergeant who pushed us to the max. He helped to shape my life as a coach, even though I made a name for myself as a volleyball, basketball and track coach instead of a wrestling coach. Well, I could go on and on about coaching and kids and how coaches shape us into who we become when the games are over, but I will just end with a few of the quotes I learned along the way. ‘When God measures an athlete, he puts the tape measure around their heart!’ ‘Be stronger than your excuses!’ ‘Dreams Are the Seeds of Reality!’ ‘Your Thoughts Create Your Destiny!’ ‘What a dream costs in courage...in blood and guts and tears and sweat and pain...it pays back in GLORY!’ And I will stop with one more that I coined myself, part of anyway: ‘Pain=Gain=Fame=Fun=Picture in the Paper, Medal Around Your Neck, Ring Around Your Finger, and Banner on the Wall!’ Keep up the good work and please let Chantel know how thoroughly impressed and moved I was about her piece, ‘Put Me in Coach.’ ” - Coach Kimbrook Tennal

Thanks for the kind words and the inspirational words, Coach. And thank you for all you and so many other coaches have done for our young athletes. - Shane

Have a thoughtful Thursday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com

View Shane Goodman's archived columns from past issues here.

CITYVIEW announced its 2023 Best Of Des Moines® readers' choices Jan. 31. You can find all the results from the poll in the February issue of CITYVIEW magazine!

Best local LGBTQ hangout

1. The Garden Restaurant and Show Lounge

2. Blazing Saddle

3. AJ’s on East Court

SEE BEST OF DES MOINES® EVENT PHOTOS HERE...

From childhood ER visits to physician

Donahue’s path leads to long-time Adel practice.

By Marsha Fisher

For the last three years, Dr. Sue Donahue, or “Dr. Sue” as many patients call her, has been voted the Residents’ Choice poll favorite Dallas County doctor. She graduated from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in 1993.

Specializing in family medicine, she has been practicing in Adel for 26 years. Now she will enter a new phase of her career as she moves her practice to The Iowa Clinic group, with a new building in Adel to better serve her “family” of patients. Her entire staff is going with her.

Donahue grew up in Marshalltown as one of three children in her family. She was an active “tomboy” who enjoyed sports, fishing and camping.

“My family would often go camping up in northeast Iowa and fish in the trout-stocked Yellow River; and I always caught the most fish,” Sue chuckles.

Read more in the August issue of Adel Living magazine 

These celebrities were born on this date: Rupert Grint, Vince McMahon, Dave Chappelle, Justine Skye, Alex O'Loughlin, Reggie Miller, Marlee Matlin

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

The answer to yesterday's riddle:
Why do old people tell the worst jokes? BECAUSE THEY ARE GROAN-UPS! Or, BECAUSE THEY FORGET THE PUNCHLINE! - Mike Chiston, Gail Tomlinson, Carolyn Rogers, Larry Herren, Irving Stone, William Snyder. Or, They told all the good jokes years ago. - Lori Bluml. Or, because we can! - Rex Post

Today's riddle

Why did the student studying surgery rip the last page out of their textbook?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

To advertise in this daily newsletter, contact Jolene Goodman at jolene@iowalivingmagazines.com, or call 515-953-4822 ext. 319.

©Big Green Umbrella Media, Inc., all rights reserved.
www.biggreenumbrellamedia.com. Add webmaster@dmcityview.com to your address book to ensure delivery. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Click here to get it delivered to your inbox for FREE!