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.

“I was in high school when JFK was shot and killed, 11-22-63, and I still remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when we received the news (Kennedy cartoon, Nov. 22, 2023).” - George

I wasn’t born yet, but I do recall when Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. I can only imagine the pain our nation — and JFK’s family — felt. - Shane

“I can relate to your story about skiing (Snowing, sledding, skiing, (Nov. 27, 2023). Jolene sounds exactly like my friend! ‘Come to Colorado, and I’ll teach you how to ski,’ he said. First lesson was up the ski lift and getting off. I had the same experience: face plant into the snow — without the tumbling. I spent the day on a snowcat trail learning the plow technique. By the end of my three-day visit, I was on blue slopes doing quite well. I returned to Colorado several times to ski. It was a lot of fun, once I got the hang of it.” - Chuck

Try the tumbling next time. It’s much more entertaining. - Shane

“In response to your sledding column, one New Year’s Day when I was a kid, my much-older cousins took a car hood off an old junker and tied it behind a truck with a log chain (Snowing, sledding, skiing, (Nov. 27, 2023). They tried it behind the tractor first, but that showered us in chunks of frozen mud. They then piled us younger cousins on top of it and did donuts in the bean field. It made for some very nervous mothers.” - Dan

Ahhh. That explains the Chevy emblem that is still imprinted on your forehead. - Shane

“Good morning, Shane. You're younger than I, so you had snow boots 2.0 or even 3.0 (Snow boots, Nov. 28, 2023). My early snow boots just had the buckles. We didn't get really cold weather like Iowa, but we still would complete a snow adventure to find the boot clasps frozen. Several minutes in a warm room were required before we could take them off. This could delay the start of the school day, making for unneeded additional chaos. Mom had the Bergen Record newspapers at home to place the wet boots on. I'm going to take your advice on snow boots in the car, especially when I travel.” - John

Frozen boot clasps. That sounds like something tasty from the frozen food section. - 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

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

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!

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From www.history.com

 

1955: Rosa Parks ignites bus boycott: In Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks is jailed for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man, a violation of the city’s racial segregation laws. The successful Montgomery Bus Boycott, organized by a young Baptist minister named Martin Luther King, Jr., followed Park’s historic act of civil disobedience.