My dad used to wear cardigan sweaters. He told me that he chose them so he could easily reach in the front pocket for his pack of smokes. I don’t like cigarettes. I do like cardigan sweaters. My choice deals with multiple shoulder separations that make raising my arms above my head painful. Cardigans are easy. Zip.

Unfortunately, cardigan sweaters have proven to be a bit too warm for me. My preference today are zip-up fleece vests. Same concept. Still toasty but not roasty. Mister Rogers may not have fully approved, but I think he would have appreciated the similarities.

I have also been compared to Mister Rogers for my decision to swap out my shoes with a cozy pair of slippers in my office each day. I have written about this before and received comments with slipper recommendations from many of you. I love it.

My friend Greg likes to rib me, and I give plenty back. It’s all in good fun, and it is part of our wonderful friendship. So he can tease me all he wants about my cardigans and my slippers. I don’t mind. As Mister Rogers said, “You’ve made this day a special day, by just your being you. There’s no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.”

Cardigans, slippers and all.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.

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

Your Clear Mortgage forecast from Jason Parkin

It’ll be another mild one today, though it will be breezy at times. A rain/snow mix is possible Thursday night into a windy Friday, when temperatures will start to drop into Saturday. Milder conditions return Sunday and Monday.

For help with preapprovals or refinancing, get in touch with Jason at parkin.mortgage

FROM KCCI: Ankeny Summerfest moving to The District at Prairie Trail

ANKENY, Iowa — This year's Ankeny Summerfest will be held at The District at Prairie Trail. The event has previously been held at Prairie Ridge Middle School. Organizers say the move will help the event grow in size as it gets more popular every year. ...READ MORE FROM KCCI

FROM WHO-TV: Mountain lion caught on trail camera in Dallas County

DALLAS COUNTY, IOWA — The Iowa DNR has confirmed a mountain lion sighting Monday night in rural Dallas County. The big cat was captured by a trail camera, owned by a central Iowa man who uses it to look for deer on his property..  … READ MORE FROM WHO-TV

FROM WOI-DT Local 5: Drake law professor: No-knock warrants 'inherently dangerous' but rare in Iowa

Do you send or receive flowers for Valentine’s Day?

Yes -36%
No - 64%

If you would like to advertise in this daily newsletter, please contact Pat Checketts at pat@dmcityview.com, or call 515-953-4822 xt. 311.

P.S. As a free newsletter, we rely on readers like you to grow our subscriber list. If you have a friend or coworker who you think would enjoy waking up to The Daily Umbrella each weekday morning, please share our newsletter sign-up page with them! Visit www.thedailyumbrella.com and click on the SUBSCRIBE link on the upper right-hand side!