Shanna's Connections

My niece Shanna called me on the phone. I thought we had a bad connection. "What's that background racket?" I asked. "Oh," she said, "that's the little shovel on my lap scraping against the table." "Why do you have a shovel on your lap?" I asked. "Well, see, Daddy tied it to the cordless with a shoe lace so he could keep up with the phone when he needs it."
Why a shovel? Why a shoe lace?