Force Majeure, anybody?

- Dusty sunrise -

Okay, remember the letter I got a few weeks ago? Well, today I got another one, from my landman, notifying me that they are claiming a force majeure extension of my current lease, without pay, due to current events (aka Act of God; circumstances beyond our control,etc.).

What I found interesting was that it was not all the property, as was mentioned in the previous letter. The parameters of the producers interest has become more clear to me by their expression of exactly where they want to implement the force majeure clause. I think I came out with a better deal by them doing it this way.

I've gotta say, if I never hear the words "in these trying times",  "the new normal" or yet another explanation of how many feet I am supposed to stand from other people, it will be too soon.  No one is blaming anything on Mexico or the bossa nova, anymore. The COVID is taking all the heat.

Leasing activity still going on in county

West Texas Intermediate opened at $39.12 this evening, and, despite the lull of drilling permits in Fisher county, there's still a lot of leasing activity going on, according to the May 2020 county records.

It looks like Peregrine, Moriah and others have been adding amendments and correcting existing leases, while Magnus Resources and a new player, Orange Dutch, LLC, out of Midland, have been making new ones. Weathervane Management and Permico have been purchasing mineral deeds.

Peregrine has a new drilling permit, in Scurry county. It's for an injection well, the Strawberry 87. That's the only June permit that has been issued in that county. Fisher has none, so far.

Check out Texas File for in-depth information about mineral activities.

The thing about the messenger

I think maybe the messenger isn't so innocent.

When tv stations allow scam commercials, some featuring the likes of Tom Selleck, Alex Trebek and Joe Namath, people I used to to respect (but, who cares!), to air, aren't they complicit in the crime? I mean, to me, the station is endorsing the product by airing it, and especially because they're taking money for it!

And in newspapers and magazines, all those scammy ads in the classifieds; do they approve of the message by printing it? Aren't they supposed to want to be known as factual purveyors of the truth? Do I have to mince through copy and decide for myself what warrants believability and what is chaff?

How about the postal service? Anyone can mail anything to my house, even bilkers from Sweden who want me to send them $35 to tell me the meaning of my magic number. The postal service wants us to trust them, but, again, it's up to me to figure out which mail is junk and which is from a legitimate source.

I know I have to watch out for myself, but it would be so helpful if "trusted sources" would weed out some of the sinners that try to fleece the unwitting.

I have to walk the line in life, but these shysters are making money on defrauding people, in plain sight.

Another thing, when anyone, any show, on ABC claims they are more watched, that's true, but just because it's the only station that everyone can get, digital, antennae or streaming. It really skews the curve, David Muir. You want me to believe you're the number one trusted newscaster, but when you shape facts to fit your box, you have not gained my confidence.

Phew! I just had to say all that. Now, on to facebook to start an argument about anything.

Hello, sucker!

- Summer mimosa -

The headline is a quote used by Texas Guinan, a famous 1920's New York speakeasy hostess, who was born in Waco, Texas, to greet customers visiting her establishment.  I had never heard of her until yesterday, after I read about her in a book I picked up at the Sweetwater Goodwill, The American Heritage History of the 20's and 30's.

Another interesting find was Pointie Talkie, a little 5" x 4" x 1/4" book. According to the China-Burma-India Theater website, it is an interpretation guide issued to United States Army Air Force personnel during World War II in case they were downed over China. English phrases are printed on one side, with the corresponding Chinese printed next to it.

Alright, now that I've dived into the 20's, 30's and 40's, lets come back to the present. I check the Railroad Commission drilling permit website daily, and Fisher county had been stuck at 294 pages for quite awhile. I was looking forward to getting to 295. Then, this week, it had suddenly jumped to 299. I was pretty excited, but I couldn't see any new permits issued. I'm still looking for the reason for the increase. Maybe an update in the way the permits are listed changed the number.

I received a letter from my landman this week asking me to extend my mineral rights leases by a year, without extra pay, to help them catch up on development delays caused by the last three months disasters. Maybe he should have opened the letter with Guinan's catch phrase.

The photo today is of the mimosa tree in my back yard. It smells so good in the still of the morning and attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. It's pretty messy, too, with dead blooms clinging to clothes on the line and covering the ground like bits of old, pink cotton. I'll take it, though, for the pleasure of its shade and sweet scent.