Crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange closed today at $67.15, a two month high, amid continued unrest in the energy sector.  http://www.ericwilder.com  http://energyissues.blogharbor.com

Crude oil closed at $66.07 per barrel today on the New York Mercantile Exchange.  Reasons cited for this increase of almost $2 per barrel included technical buying at the month’s end, continuing jitters over oil supply disruptions in Nigeria, and unrest in Iran.  Factors also affecting the increase were a possible strike of Norwegian oil workers and jitters over the upcoming hurricane season.

An increase in demand was also cited as a reason for the price gain in crude oil.  It seems likely that this is perhaps the primary factor, as all the other factors were on the table before today.

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  This is an old wooden derrick from a well drilled in the Trees City Field, Louisiana.  http://www.ericwilder.com

Oklahoma City has received less than 1/4 inch of rain since September 15, 2005.  http://www.ericwilder.com  http://justeastofeden.blogharbor.com  http://ghostofachance.blogspot.com  http://ericwilder.blogspot.com

The paper reported today the discovery of a 4.21–carat diamond at the Crater of Diamonds in Arkansas.  This article contains nothing about energy, but as a graduate geologist from the University of Arkansas I know quite a lot about the geology of that lovely state.  I also wrote an as yet unpublished novel titled A Gathering of Diamonds, a tale based loosely on my secret, and as yet undiscovered, diamond plug in Arkansas.  Here is a short excerpt:

"Maybe you can tell me something about this."

Reaching into the pocket of my jacket, I removed a small leather pouch. Professor Fridel's mouth dropped open when its sparkling contents rolled across the desk toward him.

When he regained his senses, he said, "Is this a diamond?"

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 Old oil well near Jeems Bayou, Caddo Parish, Louisiana.  The well has been plugged and the surface equipment moved.  http://www.ericwilder.com  http://justeastofeden.blogharbor.com

The month was July, the temperature hot.  There were no trees at the drilling location for shade.  It was the height of the 80s-drilling boom, everyman on the drilling rig a weevil (translation – a person having no earthly idea what they are doing).  Anne, Ray, and I were not worried.  We had our chicken fries to look forward to three times a day.

 

Returning to the rig after breakfast on the second day of drilling, a State trooper, directing traffic and pulling selected cars to the side of the road, halted us.

 

“Where you folks headed?  He asked.

 

“We’re drilling a well about a mile from here.  What’s going on, Officer?”

 

“Someone cut up a cow out there last night,” he said, pointing to the adjacent field.  “Cut its udder smack-dab off.  Not a drop of blood anywhere.”

 

Anne glanced at me, and I looked at Ray.  “What’s going on?”  I asked.

 

“A coven,” he said.  “Last night was a full moon.”

– to be continued –

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Years ago, I worked up a geologic prospect in Grant County, Oklahoma and sold it to a company that bought it under the condition that I would personally sit the well.  This means I would stay near the location while the well was drilling and personally look at the drilling samples as they came to the surface.  This occurred before Anne and I were married, but not before we were living together.

 

Deciding to make an adventure of it, we rented a 33’ recreational vehicle - country and western singer Wanda Jackson’s RV, according to the man we rented it from - and headed north.  We took along a good friend, Ray DeRieux.

 

The well was in the middle of a wheat field, without a tree in sight.  The drilling rig did not have enough power to generate electricity for the RV, so we had to run the generator full time.  It was hot that summer, 100 to 105 degrees every day.  The weather was hot, the wheat field dusty and the drilling rig noisy.  We did have a daily respite, three actually.

 

There was a café in Pond Creek called the Curb Café.  The County sheriff owned the café, and the specialty of the house was chicken-fried steak.  Soon, Anne, Ray and I were eating chicken-fried steak and eggs for breakfast, the chicken-fried steak luncheon special, and the dinner that included a fully-loaded, baked potato.

 

We soon learned that Sheriff Archie’s chicken-fries were not his only claim to fame.  He was also the state expert on witchcraft, crop circles and cattle mutilations – of which there were many.  STAY TUNED, THERE’S MORE  http://www.ericwilder.com  http://justeastofeden.blogharbor.com