At the North West corner of our old homeplace is a steep hill. It's right next to the property line and is now covered with timber. Called the Dugan Hill because of a family that lived there about a hundred years ago or so. A dug water well is still there but is covered up to protect people/animals etc from fallin in. At I recall it's not much over 10 ft. deep and has very little water--maybe 2 ft. It was never a good well as I recall pap tellin us. He didn't want me and ole jeep back there tho. Of course, that's the first place we'd go when rabbit huntin about 45 years ago. We knew where it was and staded clear of it----YEAH RIGHT! That's the FIRST place we'd go! Throwin in sticks and other chunks just to hear the water splash! As far as I knew pap never found out or at least never mentioned it to us. I was helpin ole jeep three years ago, cuttin firewood for his woodfired boiler i'd sold'm. Felt obligated to help him out just a mite. Well anyhow, he'd cut a dead tree on the "hill" and was attemptin to drag it down off the hill with a long log chain and his old H international tractor. While lookin backwards at the tree trunk the front end of the tractor dropped off into a small creek at the bottom of the hill. He was LUCKY! Tractor didn't turn over but could have as he was comin down at an angle. Needless to say we unhooked and moved the H to the other side of the creek and hooked another chain on then continued with the draggin. We would get'm out where we could cut poles with a chainsaw and then drag all of'm to the house for the buzz saw. With a little bit of help firewood can be made real quick. We made most of his winters supply in that one day. He built a wood splitter from scrounged parts 2 years ago. Used an old rail road rail from the steamer days. It has a wider "foot" than the newer ones. I still go and help'm sometimes but not as much as I'd like. I'm awkward and clumsy and always trippin around. Very poor qualities for a wood cutter with a CHAINSAW! Once in awhile when he's sawin lumber I go and offbear from his bandmill. Best part of that is if I need lumber--he loads my little s10 down with whatever I want--FREE! Winter will soon be here and already some are preparin for the commin cold snap. Furnaces need to be checked as well as space heaters, wood stoves, wood furnaces and outside woodfired boilers. I'll make a post later on about what needs to be checked. Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), August 15, 2000

Answers

Doesn't have anything to do with the Dugan Hill but I'd heard from an insider of the natural gas industry last week-the price of nat gas will TRIPLE this winter. Today part of it was confirmed by an article in our local paper stating that it will DOUBLE! Of course they'll want to keep it under wraps until winter and then spring those glad tidings upon an unsuspecting public that's hungry for fuel and don't mind paying the toll--just to stay warm. If the public was to find this out now then alternative heating sources would be widely sought after. My sales of wood fired boilers have really picked up due to the word gettin out about the coming price increases. Suppose firewood will go up next! My advice? Get ready BEFORE cold weather hits us! Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), August 16, 2000.

The man we plan on buying our propane from charges the same prices year round. If it's .69 cents a gal. in the summer, or last winter, I think he averages it out by the year before. That's what he charges you. But, some people around here buy in July from other distributors because it's cheaper. But, you have to pay on delivery. Our friend that sells it, lets you make payments, what you can afford and makes sure you got a full tank before fall. Keeping you warm is more important to him than money in the bank... And yes, they're pretty well off, but they've worked HARD for what they have, and the Lord has really blessed them for the blessings they are to others...

-- Louise Whitley (whitley@terraworld.net), August 17, 2000.