The Return Of My Bad Chesapeake Energy Neighbor

Chesapeake Energy finished the noisy, messy part of its operation, across the street from my abode, a long time ago. Leaving behind, I thought, a hole in the ground that was spewing natural gas.

And then yesterday, a new drilling rig appeared. You can see it in the photo, between the two blooming crape myrtles. Or is it crepe myrtles? I guess either crape or crepe works.

I don't know why Chesapeake Energy has put up a drilling tower again. They don't let the neighbors know anything. Like when the convoy of water trucks arrived, spewing clouds of dust. We weren't warned. Chesapeake Energy never came around offering to pay for a car wash. Or a new air filter. We just got to read how lucky we were. On billboards, on TV, in the paper and on park benches.

I can hear my new neighbor right now, making a rhythmic pounding. Did something get clogged up? Did the gas quit flowing? Should we be careful about making any sparks? Like they say, I mean Chesapeake Energy says, this is "Living with the Barnett Shale!"