Welcome to the Friday mailbag where you will find some of the comments, questions and ideas sent recently by readers of this newsletter or our publications. They are edited for space and clarity.
“Hi, Shane. I enjoyed your column about tractor tire sandboxes (The tractor tire sandbox, Sept. 22, 2026). My younger brother and I enjoyed playing in one when we were little. I debated sharing this memory because it's kind of gross, but one day I convinced my brother — after he announced a ‘number two’ was imminent — that he should make like the neighborhood cats and just use the sandbox. This seemed like a good idea until our mother noticed the decidedly human shape of the result and made him 'fess up. (We both got in trouble.) Not good!” - Carolyn
Well, when you gotta go, you gotta go. - Shane
“Your comments on how communication has changed over the years, regarding phones, emails, etc., reminds me also about how neighborhoods have changed (When the phone was for calling, Oct. 6, 2026). Nowadays you may know neighbors’ names, but you don't know anything about them, and you know they may not be there for you in an emergency because they aren't clued in or tuned into you at all. And if you grow old and live alone, you become terribly lonely. Not like when we were children, huh?” - Margaret
The old “Cheers” theme song with the words “where everybody knows your name” does seem to be from the distant past now. On the flip side, sometimes I do enjoy today’s privacy and anonymity. Meanwhile, I appreciate our simple communication, Margaret. - Shane
“Good morning, Shane. Robocalls (When the phone was for calling, Oct. 6, 2026). The curse from India, Philippines, Mexico or anywhere outside the United States that has folks with a heavily accented ability to speak English better than many foreign CDL drivers. Contact officials, and they'll tell you there's nothing they can do about it because the calls come from outside our country. What they ignore is they're not selling End of Life Insurance of Mumbai, Extended Auto Warranties from Manila, or Looez, Lopez, and Escobar of Tijuana who will help you recover the money owed to you from that accident within the last X years. The products are all American. These firms are using a loophole bypassing the ‘Do Not Call List’ by originating calls from outside the U.S. If you think elected officials are going to close this loophole and give up corporate contributions, you might believe everything will be fine after the election.” - John
Sounds like somebody still has a landline phone. I cancelled mine several years ago because of all the robocalls. And now, if I don’t know the number on the incoming call to my cell phone, I don’t answer it. Unless it is Looez, Lopez, and Escobar. - Shane
Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading. |
