Welcome to our new subscribers! There are a lot of you this week. We have fun around here, especially when my husband, Richard Gilbert, weighs in with his ‘Sh*t Richard Says’ contributions. This column is called Julie Gammack’s Potluck for a lot of reasons. If you are new, please say hello in the comment section below. Tell us about yourself, where you live and how you found us. Most of our subscribers are either Iowans or former Iowans, but not everyone. Please engage with us.
Our Monday Zoom Lunch guest is the Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, Susan Christensen. Paid subscribers will receive a link to the Zoom session on Monday morning. We start promptly at noon and end the interview at 1 p.m. Afterward, we move into Zoom break-out rooms for a chance to get to know one another. Our participants are from around the state and are all as interesting as the guest at hand. Try it. You’ll like it. Proceeds benefit scholarships for the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat on September 19, 20, and 21. Check it out. There are only six spots left! You will have a blast — guaranteed. Julie Gammack (Chief Windmill Tilter).
No Happy Ending…yet
Justice delayed is justice denied. William E. Gladstone, 1868
I had hoped to report a satisfactory outcome for the farm couple north of Pocahontas, who lost their vegetable crop due to a neighbor spraying herbicide on his field. Sadly, not yet.
I wrote about their plight after discovering the story during a road trip to Okoboji a few weeks ago. At the time, I didn't have the presence of mind to get their names for this column. But I’ve been thinking about the couple since we discovered their plight and was eager to find out if they’d been compensated yet. We checked in on our way home on Friday.
Justin and Lynne Revling have lived on their farmstead for over three decades. Just three years ago, Jason put some of his extra tomatoes out for sale when he realized there was brisk business potential.
Last year’s sales were even better. As this season approached, he had about 20 neighbors say they weren’t planting their gardens but would buy produce from the Revling’s place this year.
But the Revling’s tomato crop curled up and died shortly after the neighbor sprayed his corn with an herbicide that is touted as ok for corn, but not other edible plants.
Jason could smell it from his front porch that day. When he discovered his tomato plants curled up, he figured he knew what had happened.
It was too hot and windy to spray the herbicide that week without drifting to the neighbor’s land and impacting the vegetable plants the Revlings had planted for the season.
Jason had hoped the responsible neighbor, who he would rather not name, would just do the right thing, but it hasn’t happened yet. There will be a letter sent from Jason’s lawyer this week. Between legal bills and the lost revenue, this is a big hit.
Let’s hope the letter makes a difference. Because the courts are so backed up, he’s been told that there will be a two-year wait for a small claim the size of $6,500.
I sent him the column below with your suggestions in the comment section.
Stay tuned.
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
Have you found your way to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative team of columnists? We are all pleasantly shocked by the number of subscribers coming into our movement. And some are even becoming paid subscribers. This is such a wonderful outcome. If you haven’t signed up yet, please do. Only pay what you can or want to. Seriously. But please do spread the word. Tell your friends.
Laura Belin: https://laurabelin.substack.com/about
Doug Burns: https://theiowamercury.substack.com/about
Art Cullen: https://artcullen.substack.com/about
Julie Gammack: https://okobojiwriters.substack.com/about
Beth Hoffman: https://inthedirt.substack.com/about
Bob Leonard: https://rleonard.substack.com/about
Chuck Offenburger:
Mary Swander: https://maryswander.substack.com/about
Iowa Writers: https://iowawriters.substack.com/about This is a Sunday roundup of links to our columns from the week before.
Special thanks to our alliance partner, Iowa Capital Dispatch, for including our commentary.
So, who is new around here? Say ‘hi’ and give us the ol’ Iowa finger wave. Not the bad kind.
So sad to hear things have not progressed since your last post. Tell them we are rooting for them!
From Spencer, IA. Grew up on Boji Summers. Love the DMR! Loving your posts even more. Please keep them coming. Caroline Nelson