 By Alvin Engelke
alvinengelke@hotmail.com
Rev. Keith Belt filled his regular appointment at the Burning Springs M. E. Church. He brought his lovely bride along with him. Pending an updated notice, there will be no services at Burning Springs on Sunday, December 1. His mother, Jenny Belt, is scheduled for heart tinkering at the Cleveland Clinic this week.
The Creston Community auction will be held Saturday, December7, [Pearl Harbour Day] starting at 6 P. M. at the Creston Community Building. Local residents are also reminded that now is the time to pay the annual dues ($1.00/member) to the community association.
Ann Newell, the family historian, is home from the hospital but is weak. Mr. & Mrs. Parris Parsons were making inquiry about their former neighbor. Parris recently underwent carpel tunnel surgery.
The big thing around the Creston area is the annual madness known as firearms deer season. Lots of four wheel drive trucks pulling trailers with four wheelers have been about and many four wheelers have been running up and down the highways looking for "the 30 point buck". There was quite a bit of "sighting in rifles" Sunday and some nice deer carcasses were seen hanging since it was cold and a good time to cool the meat to make it easy to cut up.
The Annamoriah Cowpoke was visiting area relatives and friends. He noted he and the missus went on a cruise a while back and while "out in the middle of the ocean in the dead of night" a speed boat came up to the cruise ship. Initially the captain put a light on the suspicious craft and it went away but then circled back. This time a brighter light was shown, "bright enough that one could count the hairs on the mustache of the rogue boatman". He left again but then circled back. The Cowpoke then noted that, "this time the captain lit up the entire ocean. We figured the next thing we would be hearing gunfire or a bomb from the small craft." However, nothing happened. He said next year they were going to Aruba, the place where teen age girls are murdered and their bodies are never found.
The postal "service" closed the Orma post office citing lack of a facility in which to operate. That was the excuse used to close the Creston post office even though such was not valid. It was recently noted that Smithville is now on the chopping block even though folks with powerful political clout and pull use the office. Since the closure of the Clarksburg facility the reliability of mail delivery has dropped rather drastically, to the point that if items must be at a certain place by a certain time one must either use overnight, FEDEX or deliver the items by hand.
Charles Russell was calling on Ray Gumm, brother Euell Russell & Mr. & Mrs. Parris Parsons at Miletree.
The other day, Sunday evening, the be exact, a big wind blew through the area bringing down trees, impacting electric service and blocking roadways. Some of the local highway departments didn't check out roads to see if they were closed and local folks opened them so they could go to work, get mail service, etc. No one checked the Bear Fork Road [on Little Creek] so Ellen Hedge couldn't get home. A call for help went out & Cap'n Spock and Angie's friends opened it up. Some fine cured oak firewood was placed along the roadway for those truly in need of warmth.
Local residents were among those who attended the Forced Pooling hearing during the legislate interems Down at the Mouth of the Elk. A spokesman for the W. Va. Royalty Owners Association made it clear that the main reason for forced pooling or "lease integration" was to lower the amount of royalty that the companies would be obligated to pay. The outrageous threatening letter sent by Antero to a woman with Wirt connections was circulated with, quite often the comment, "We've seen ones like this before; that's how they do." That is how the big boys operate when they do not have forced pooling to help them intimidate those who will not agree to unsatisfactory terms. Delegate Sam Cann who works for Mother Hope [Dominion, CNX, Consol., etc.] made Kevin Ellis, who was talking for Antero, wiggle & squirm in a discussion about what is a fair royalty, whether 12 1/2% gross [the supposed state minimum] was better than a 14% net which, at one point, was said to equal about an 8% royalty after deduction of unspecified expenses, etc. Antero pays Cann's employer 20% in royalties and overrides for Marcellus wells drilled on the old Hope leases. Someone noted it was like when Tom made life very, very rough for Jerry. Woody Ireland and the Monongalia County women did their part too.
Creston native Jason Stutler who has a fur buying operation near Rockport had a big write up in the Parkersburg paper concerning trapping and the market for fur. He noted that the prices are up and that the pelts go mostly overseas where folks can afford to wear the best & where the "animal rights" folks are not taken seriously. He also noted that more people are now trapping with higher prices and folks who are having problems in the "Big Eared One's not so booming economy".
John Heintz-Kerry made a deal with Iran that lifts sanctions and allows them to continue to build bombs. Many feel that this is the ultimate sell out of Israel. There is a book that was written long ago that says what happens to those who are against Israel. We may be half a world away but with open borders and terror cells found in Kentucky, nothing if off the table.
Excitement continues over the proposed ethane cracker (the Nabisco plant) on the site of the former GE/Marbon/Borg Warner plant at Washington Bottom. Some felt that financing might be a problem but the German named firm is part of Petrobas, the Brazilian state oil & gas company, the outfit that the Big Eared One gave $20 billion to do deep sea drilling [just before he shut down drilling in the Gulf of Mexico]. George Soros, the big Democrat moneyman has a stake in Petrobas so likely, things will happen. It was noted that lots of wet Marcellus & Utica wells will have to be drilled in the area to provide the ethane needed to operate the plant.
The price of local Pennsylvania grade crude dipped to $92.34 with Appalachian Light Sweet (drip) fetching $71.88, Marcellus & Utica light $85.39 and medium $93.84/bbl.
A poem written by Pauline Brumfield Sept. 17, 2013
I love my home, but I'd love to go
to Oregon, or maybe Idaho,
Just stay a week or two
Under Montana's Big Sky, so Blue?
Or go to Alaska and dig for gold,
But I'm 84 and can't stand the cold.
Maybe Florida near warm water swift,
Or Texas! Where tumble weeds drift.
Oh Wyoming! Napiti Valley so green,
Most beautiful place I've ever seen,
But 'twould be sad to stay around --
Our Native Americans' hunting ground.
New York? No, too many cars
Perhaps Missouri where there's country music stars,
And there's Tennessee and Dollywood,
Say! Minnesota, where Powhatan stood.
There's also Maine, but i's full of bears
and I can't climb a tree. So there,
Hopefully Kansas or Arkansas,
Connecticut or Vermont at the "Spring Thaw",
Well, there's Indiana or Delaware,
Or the Old Dominion, Virginia Fair,
And Alabama, I would love to roam
Where Hank "Hiram" Williams called his "Home".
My, Old Oklahoma, a very first choice
Home of Will Rogers!, My what a voice
Washington State? Na, too much rain
Sweet Mississippi, Was that the home of Mark Twain?
Will, I guess I may as well forget --
For I have things to do here yet,
I'll be content here and glad that I
Am in West Virginia where mountains "Kiss the Sky".
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Hur Herald.
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