Editor, Gazette-Journal:

On Friday, Aug. 23, one of the "marijuana eradication" checks the Mathews Sheriff’s Office conducted with assistance from Virginia State Police and helicopters took place on my property in Onemo. Apparently, my grandson’s wigwam attracted a lot of attention. Since I was working in a post office out of the county that day, I wasn’t available to welcome folks that, under normal circumstances, I would have proudly explained the purpose of the wigwam and the "uncustomary gardening" that sparked their interest. Attempts to speak with MASO officials having failed, I would like to share that purpose with anyone, particularly those Onemo residents who endured the disturbance of our normally quiet neighborhood, who might still harbor questions about the presence of a wigwam in the woods of my 10-acre property.

Grandson is the president of the Primitive Technology Club at the university he attends. This summer, he decided to "live off the land" as...