 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
The spring ATV poker run is scheduled for Saturday, April 16 at the Community Building. Signup starts at 9 and ends at noon. Some of the local men have been busy removing trees from the roads that haven't seen travelers since last year &, in at least one instance, for years. For certain there will be plenty of mud and wet places although, with all the rain, river and major stream crossings are not part of the picture. The daY WILL START off with biscuits & gravy and go from there. There will be 50/50, door prizes and generally a fun time for all. Everyone should remember that it isn't a race; take your time, smell the flowers (they are spectacular in places), watch the game, be careful, stay on the trail and obey the law.
Roger Grim is walking around on crutches now. Seems he was helping Fred & Betty Bish with their Tee Vee antenna in Creston and a big puff of wind came along and down came tower, Roger and all. He 'only' has one broken bone in his pelvis. Speaking of wind, the local area had high wind, downed power lines, trees blown down and lots of rain to go with the wind. While out and about Alvin Engelke became buried in a 'depression' found in a Roane County roadway & had to be extricated by Full's Fork dairyman Randy McVey.
Some fine big logs are being taken out from the former T. R. Boggs farm on Ground Hog. Wet weather & deep mud do not seem to bother the timbering crew there.
The USDA's multiflora rose is growing and sending out new shoots. It is an example of how federal government programs "help" the citizens and how the "unintended consequences" are a bane to taxpayers for ever afterwards. The folks who meet down in the swamps near the mouth of the Potomac made sure that the highly paid 800,000 federal bureaucrats didn't have to be laid off or miss a paycheck. On average they make twice as much as those who toil in private employment. The Big Eared One said he wasn't concerned about the military men not getting paid but he was adamant that federal $$ must continue to go to fund the abortion parlours as they are part of the ruling elite & must be protected at all costs.
Peaches & pears are now blooming as well as all sorts of spring ephemerals. Greens are prime and tent caterpillars are starting to munch on fruit trees. More calves have arrived on the scene and grass is growing & the amphibians have been making lots of music. Some of the Creston deer apparently were so well fed that they came down with the gout. They devoured all the crocuses which are noted as being the natural source of colchicine, the medicine of choice for decades to treat gout. In some places there are still acorns laying on the ground that the deer, squirrels, turkey, bear, etc. have yet to consume.
W. Harrison Schenerlein IV was visiting the Magic Kingdom and met up with a famous mouse and other notables. However, it was noted that after a while Harrison showed much more interest in the local hydrology. He was also visiting his cousin David Welch & wife Keri.
Charles Russell was calling on Euell Russell and, along with Mr. & Mrs. Dean Miller, attending to business in Spencer.
Residents in one Roane neighborhood were amazed to discover that the road crew worked til dark one Friday night and then all day Saturday hauling rock for the roads which are now described as being in the best condition ever. It was noted that no votes would be changed as a result of the work even though the primary campaign is "heating up".
The assessor in one coal county said that the state lowered the values of the big mineral tracts to help out the out of state & now foreign owners and raised the values for local residents who own small tracts. It had been noted earlier that the state said, "Mineral resources should be owned by the big companies." With the power to tax the ruling oligarchy can make it happen & then those who profit can reward those in power -- just like they have done since 1928. Some think that with the problems plaguing nuclear plants (real or imagined) coal may have a new surge but the Big Eared One & those in power are still promoting windmills, especially if the parts are made in foreign nations. One might do well to read about what happened when sail boats were becalmed for extended times.
Rebecca Starcher put her house on the market.
Mary Weaver brought the message at the Burning Springs M. E. Church. She is the former Mary Javins and, as a girl, lived in Creston when her father was the dairyman for H. C. "Brick" dePue.
I. J. Lynch, Sr. & Luke Lynch were attending to business in Spencer. Luke had to go to DMV which now takes a while since the Parkersburg office is closed and the Spencer office gets way better reviews than does Point Pleasant & Clarksburg where, it is said, there is a 2 or 3 hour wait. This must be the "leadership" that one of the candidates has been touting in campaign speeches. Ira & Luke also called on Euell Russell.
For those who want to read about the topic Donald Trump brought up there is an excellent article by Doug Hagmann in the Canada Free Press entitled "Unraveling of Barry Soetoro, a/k/a. Barack Hussein Obama", which can be found on the internet. Some wonder if Bim will read the article.
The price of local crude oil rose to $105/bbl and the price of gasoline is well on its way to the $4 range. Back the last time that happened the media types said "Bush & Cheney are getting rich selling crude" but the Big Eared One said, "Get used to it!" and now the media declines to beat the drum to call for a lowering of gasoline prices. One might conclude that some want the resultant inflation and economic woes.
Joe Pennington reported that he had been having a rough time but now, at least, is able to drive for short distances and can walk and get around.
A big slide is coming in the road going down Straight Creek and heading toward Rock Run near the Belt graveyard. Those who are familiar with the area know that when the road goes out repairs will be problematical. It seems there is some plugged drainage.
The folks who are planning to replace the Annamoriah bridge forgot to fix the fence the other day and some fine Hereford livestock were out on W. Va. 5. A crew of travelers including Peanut and a group of oilmen rounded up the critters and but them back in the pasture field.
Local residents are reminded that the taxes that should have been paid last August will be published in May & an additional fee of $20 will be added to each ticket. Calhoun County taxes can now be easily checked on line to be sure that tickets are not missed.
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