| Soon, drilling and fracking rigs were
| |
| | One day I looked at the creek that ran
|
| running up and down the newly cut-in
| |
| | through the property and noticed that
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| roads, popping in wells every couple of
| |
| | everything in it, all the frogs and fish
|
| acres. Janet and I helped where we could,
| |
| | and water spiders, were dead. The salt
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| but were more interested in digging up a
| |
| | water had leaked out of the holding pond
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| large plot of ground by the trailer for
| |
| | and contaminated the ground water,
|
| the one hundred tomato plants we were
| |
| | coloring it a telltale red. The land was
|
| nursing in their little boxes. We
| |
| | beginning to erode as well, with many of
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| gathered red mulch from inside rotting
| |
| | the trees now gone, and the pump jacks
|
| logs in the forest, loaded it on our
| |
| | were rusting away. Our little hill was
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| little three-wheeler's trailer, and used
| |
| | not the same.
|
| it as fertilizer.
| |
| | Janet and I became disheartened. Things
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| The first three wells went in within one
| |
| | that initially endeared us to the
|
| hundred yards of each other close to the
| |
| | property were changing, as all things do,
|
| mobile home. Only later did we learn that
| |
| | and sadness was creeping in. I found
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| pump jacks are giant lightening rods! And
| |
| | myself becoming emotional quite often,
|
| we were in for it since we lived on a
| |
| | feeling as if I was standing on a tarmac
|
| hill! Although lightening never hit the
| |
| | tearfully waving goodbye to a dear friend
|
| trailer, it regularly hit the pump jacks
| |
| | that I knew I would never see again.
|
| next to it, which made the severe storms
| |
| | Perhaps this was a sign that my practice
|
| that frequent Northwest Pennsylvania
| |
| | was deepening. I wasn't sure, and
|
| interesting to say the least.
| |
| | although the pain was melancholy, it was
|
| Once a well was drilled, steel pipe
| |
| | painful nonetheless. Now I understood why
|
| casing was run down the hole and then
| |
| | I had always been afraid to attach to
|
| pressure was introduced by the huge
| |
| | things too tightly; it just hurts too
|
| fracking rigs, shattering the rock strata
| |
| | much to let them go. But go they must, as
|
| below, and allowing the oil mixed with
| |
| | all things seem to do in time.
|
| salt water to seep from the formations
| |
| | Whenever Janet and I surrendered supports
|
| where it would be subsequently pumped to
| |
| | that we relied upon, we usually found
|
| the surface. Rods with seals were lowered
| |
| | ourselves navigating through turbulent
|
| into the casing to act as a pump, and
| |
| | waters. Giving up both the heaven we had
|
| pump jacks were built above the well
| |
| | counted on so desperately, and the world
|
| (looking like giant grasshoppers), to
| |
| | as well, was difficult without feeling a
|
| move the rods up and down.
| |
| | crushing loss. This always left us no
|
| After a well was outfitted, underground
| |
| | foothold, but maybe this spiritual
|
| plastic piping and electrical lines were
| |
| | poverty was exactly what we needed in
|
| run. The piping ran from the wells to
| |
| | order to slide down that mountain we had
|
| large storage tanks in the middle of the
| |
| | created and have been struggling to
|
| property where the oil and salt water was
| |
| | climb. If need be, we were more than
|
| separated. The oil was stored in the
| |
| | willing to live in both the poverties -
|
| tanks until a local distributor picked it
| |
| | material and spiritual.
|
| up, while next to the tanks a large, deep
| |
| | This was a dark time for me. I was
|
| pit was dug and sealed with plastic
| |
| | restless and began to doubt myself;
|
| sheeting to hold the salt water until it
| |
| | perhaps my whole life had been for
|
| could evaporate.
| |
| | naught. Life had lost its appeal and I
|
| The salt water was produced at a greater
| |
| | was depressed, and even though I always
|
| volume than I expected, however, and I
| |
| | had Janet, I began to feel alone and
|
| had a bad feeling about it. As the wells
| |
| | abandoned. It was if I was waiting for
|
| were completed, my job was to pump them
| |
| | something . . . and there was nothing I
|
| making sure that each well was pumping
| |
| | could do, except wait.
|
| twice a day for the appropriate amount of
| |
| | A shot rings out, a deer falls, the
|
| time so that it wouldn't pump dry. This
| |
| | universe is diminished. After being
|
| involved all kinds of electrical and
| |
| | exposed to two hunting seasons on the
|
| mechanical maintenance and repairs on
| |
| | hill, it was time to leave, and like two
|
| pump jacks that were regularly damaged by
| |
| | rivulets of rain running into a stream
|
| lightening.
| |
| | that is happily returning to its Source,
|
| Janets brother-in-law was already in the
| |
| | we ended up at the Zen Center in San
|
| process of drilling more wells in other
| |
| | Francisco. I thought that I had conquered
|
| fields, but when the price of oil dropped
| |
| | any meditation related illnesses that
|
| and legislators ended the cozy tax
| |
| | developed at the Abbey, and threw myself
|
| shelters connected to oil wells, it
| |
| | into the practice, but I was about to
|
| wasn't long before the oil boom . . .
| |
| | learn that what I thought was of little
|
| went bust.
| |
| | consequence.
|
