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Friday, Jan. 5, 2024
Good morning to you!

Welcome to the Friday 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.

“Your column brought back a memory of 58 years ago (Chewing gum, Dec. 27, 2023). I used to chew Juicy Fruit gum. A friend of mine didn't usually chew gum, so I would offer her some. She'd take it and tear it in half and keep the remaining for a later time. This continued for about two months ... take the gum, tear it in half, and save the rest. I don't know why this irritated me, but it did. One day, while we were waiting for our bus to take us home, I offered her some gum – Dentyne. Needless to say, she did her routine. To this day, I still don't know how she managed to tear Dentyne in half.” - Diane

If she could tear Dentyne in half, you should challenge her with a phone book. - Shane

“Shane, I think you ought to commission a photographer to do a photo essay on you men who are wearers of bibbed overalls, despite seeming to be unlikely to do so (Ripped jeans, Dec. 28, 2023). Start with you and Art Cullen. You both probably know others. Actually you could probably include women, too. I’ve had two pair in my life — one set of blues back in my radical times in the 1960s, then a pair of black and gold striped ones when Hayden Fry made us all lose our minds for a few years. But then I realized bibs are a poor match for my black and white saddle shoes.” – Chuck O.

I love the idea, Chuck, although some may confuse Art and me with Bert and Ernie. If only these came in adult sizes! - Shane

“Hey, Old Man. You'll look great in those bib overalls yelling at kids to get off your lawn (Ripped jeans, Dec. 28, 2023). You earned the right. Your grandpa would be proud.” - Brad

All I need is a rifle, which I am guessing Grandpa had plenty of, too. - Shane

“Blue jeans are one of my pet peeves (Ripped jeans, Dec. 28, 2023). There is no denying Levi’s lead the pack in comfort, durability and style with their many cuts that start with a 5. The brand, however, in my opinion, falls behind in functionality. I'm not suggesting Levi’s come out with carpenter jeans, sometimes called seven-pocket jeans, nor cargo pants, but the long-standing tradition of five-pocket jeans (the ones with the little watch pocket) is outdated. Who carries a pocket watch these days? The answer? Everybody. (Hint: look at your phone). As far as I have been able to tell, there is only one brand of jeans that carries what they call a ‘five-pocket’ style that is capable of comfortably holding the large phones we carry today (more accurately, a six-pocket as this jean retains the watch pocket, too), and that would be Keys. The pocket is set mid-thigh behind the seam on the right side and is marketed as, Cell Phone Pocket Denim Jean. They have become my go-to casual blue jean. My only wish is that these jeans were a little heavier weight fabric.” - Brent

If these came in bib overalls, they might be perfect. - Shane

Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.

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

See Shane Goodman's previous columns here.

 
 
CITYVIEW's Best Of Des Moines®
 
The polls have closed and a record number of readers have cast their votes in the latest CITYVIEW'S Best Of Des Moines readers' poll — the metro's original and largest poll of its kind.
 
Winners will be announced in the February 2024 issue of CITYVIEW!
 

Your Clear Mortgage forecast

Highs stay in the 30s into next week. Flurries are possible at times during the weekend. A good chance for accumulating snow Monday night into a blustery Tuesday.

For help with pre-approvals or refinancing, get in touch with Originating Branch Manager Carrie Hansen at carrie.mortgage.

 

Looking for another creative outlet? Try a class at Hoyt Sherman Place. Art classes are offered on various topics for various ages.

— John Busbee, The Culture Buzz

 
Featured home for sale
 
Attention, Realtors, post your listings here for $50. Contact jolene@iowalivingmagazines.com for details.
$429,000
118 51st St.
DesMoines, IA 50312
 
Cute cottage style home with light filled rooms south of Grand on 51st in Des Moines. When you enter the home, you walk into the large living room with hardwood floors and a gas fireplace. The dining room has large windows bringing in natural light and a built-in corner china cabinet.
 
 
See More Homes For Sale
 

Booth's, a large supermarket chain based in Lancashire, U.K., has ditched its self service checkout stations and returned to fully staffed checkouts. Company spokespeople said it was simply about providing a more satisfying customer experience. I suspect easy theft was a part of the reason. Wall Street Journal (WSJ) editorial writer Joanne Kaufman said that being asked for a choice of 15%, 20% or 25% tips at a convenience store self check out makes her want to move to Lancashire.

Capital One Venture Rewards was named the best travel rewards card in the U.S. by the WSJ editors.

Beef short ribs are probably the longest of all the ribs we eat. They come from the plate section of the cow, next to the brisket, and are scrumptiously tender. Whatcha Smoking (Route 17 in Luther) serves them on Saturdays. Fareway has them on sale ($6.99/lb.) through Saturday.

Tune in Saturday at 10 a.m. to learn all things pig. Niman Ranch Pork founder Paul Willis and Iowa State Historical Society Curator/Director Leo Landis, aka Professor of Bacon, join us for a friendly discussion of state of the art of pork. https://kfmg.org/

— Jim Duncan, jd91446@aol.com

 
 
Headlines

FROM KCCI: #PerryStrong: Town gathers to mourn deadly shooting

PERRY, Iowa — Hundreds of people gathered together at Wiese Park in Perry Thursday night to pray following the shooting at Perry High School earlier in the day. Candles were lit among the crowd as people stood shoulder to shoulder, singing and praying with one another. ...READ MORE FROM KCCI

FROM WHO-TV: Road rage incident may have led to shooting, Des Moines Police say

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Police Department said a road rage incident may have led to a shooting at an apartment complex on the southwest side of the city Wednesday evening...READ MORE FROM WHO-TV

FROM WOI-DT Local 5: What is a caucus, and why does Iowa use them instead of primaries?

Much of what you think you know about the Iowa caucuses may no longer be applicable in 2024. ...READ MORE FROM WOI-DT Local 5

 
From the Iowa Living magazines
 

Class act
Residents share why they continue to expand their horizons through learning.

By Chantel Boyd

You learn something new every day. Sometimes it’s by accident, but sometimes it’s intentional. Some continue their education out of necessity — to maintain a license, for example — while others enroll to further their career or launch a new one. Still others simply want to learn a new hobby or expand their horizons. Whatever the case, the thirst for knowledge knows no age limit or bounds. And plenty of opportunities — in person and online — are out there to quench it.

 
Teaching painting
Meghan Kinney, known to many of her students as “Miss Meg,” with the occasional help of her daughter, Vaughn-Elise, who is 16, teaches watercolor painting at Create Adel. Students wanting to learn the art range in age from children to adults in their 70s.
Kinney started to Create Adel as a creative outlet.

"I know how important it is for there to be options outside of sports for kids to express themselves,” she says.
 
Read more in the January issue of Adel Living magazine.
 
Birthdays and notables
 

Happy Birthday on Sunday to Cyote Williams,
Danielle Stoppelmoor and Paige Irlmeier!

These celebrities were born on this date: Walker Scobell, Bradley Cooper, Deepika Padukone, Marilyn Manson, Griffin Santopietro, Carrie Ann Inaba, January Jones, Clancy Brown, Diane Keaton, Jason Mitchell

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

 
Morning chuckle

The answer to yesterday's riddle:

Which movie was about a city in Washington where everybody wears tank tops? SLEEVELESS IN SEATTLE! - Brent Antisdel, Judy Anderson, Lori Bluml. Or TANKED CITY! - Gail Tomlinson.

Today's riddle

Was there ever a great movie about hotdogs?

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!

 

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