Letter to the Editor: More thoughts on our community

To the Editor:

So many things to write about: the passing of Baxter Black from the U.S. Farm Report, the beauty of the corn crop rows as we travelled to the waffle breakfast at the Northeast Iowa Community College Campus in Calmar last week, noticing the weedless corn rows. Seeing a stalk of corn in a bean field is a weed, a weed is a plant out of place. Corn is beautiful but not in a bean field.

On the same note, an old truck or trailer gracing the city plaza for weeks at a time, is a weed in what is supposed to be a beautiful plaza, no doubt to be replaced in the distant future, by a dumpster next to a thriving business in the old J.C. Penney store, which may by that time need another new roof.

In regards to the city taking over the city owned hospital, which I understand we will vote on in November, it came to mind that (with tongue in cheek), maybe the county could be coerced to take over the city owned airport! I never did hear the cost, to the city, for each plane landed. While the hospital has a heliport, I have been led to believe that the heliport has more landings than the airport.

In regard to the city repairing the city street with two men and a truck, I thought it rather hilarious to see two men and a truck and a long hose resurfacing a half mile airport on a Saturday morning, when there were apparently no scheduled landings, and did I say, I never did hear the cost to the city of a plane landing.

Lest I forget about the sloping sidewalks I have already heard of multiple injuries (multiple meaning more than two or three). In a theoretical situation of a person going for a hair cut sustaining a severe injury, who is liable? The barber, the city, or the State Highway, or all three? I fear a situation which sooner, rather than later, will be determined, and will be quite costly.

From correspondence I have had, I was thrilled to see that penmanship and cursive writing were still being taught until after my children were out of high school. My Grandchildren cannot read cursive writing. I was also surprised to find out that so many people do not know what a plumb bob is.

I still urge everyone to get involved with paper and pen, no accusations, no lies, no politics.

Respectfully,
Herb Larkin
Waukon