Happy New Year to everybody. I hope that the coming year will be prosperous and healthy for everybody.
Obviously, this forum is not the place to drag in politics. I would like to link to an article from James Kunstler. He is an author and political observer / writer. He is a democrat and NOT a fan of the president. If you just ignore any political part and read his projections, you will of course see that he is a pessimist. I’ve been studying the economy intently for 13 years and, writing for 11 years. This isn’t meant to be an endorsement of any political system or party. I write about capital and markets. The stock market peaked in September and has lost north of $5 trillion. Global debt stands at about $250 trillion. Confidence is falling fast and, market outflows are the highest in history. There is no particular need to assign blame. The markets are at the tail end of the longest rise in history. All credit cycles eventually come to an end. It is definitely a time to be aware. Remember, not political. Kunstler.
With out reading this: I can tell you my sales and inquiries have spiked exponentially. This I think is a sign that confirms the consumer confidence. It is kinda of weird though, as all my markets have awoken all at once. Its not just one buyer type its all of them and that sort of worries me. This went from a complete flat line to five orders coming in with more on the way.
Besides being at ATH for an extended amount of time, there is a FED bubble that is about to break. This was created back in 2010 and basically slapping a huge band aid on a wound that required massive surgery and then stitches. That band aid is about to fall off and reveal a nasty wound that has not healed. Take this with a grain of salt Im not a financial adviser just laying it out how I see it. You cant print unbacked currency and call it a fix. 
Matt, I’m happy for you and your increased sales.
Saudi Arabia is expected to go bankrupt by about 2020 and fracking has lost $280 billion. Solar is now undercutting nuke and coal. It is even threatening natural gas. All of this is freaking out the carbon market.
BUT, the trees are still growing.
I think the automakers making more and more announces of going electric have something to do with it? Or maybe this is why and what is driving those movements to electric?
I’d say it’s because the best days of oil are now behind us. Post peak production will drop at 10 - 13% per year. It’s not just coincidence that plastic shopping bags and straws are suddenly being banned all over the world, auto makers are announcing electrics roll outs, and Saudi Arabia is murdering tens of millions in Yemen. The game is entering into a new phase.
Electric cars are problematic.
The old, dirty, creaky US electric grid would cost $5 trillion to replace
Aging And Unstable, The Nation’s Electrical Grid Is 'The Weakest Link …
America’s Electrical Grid Is Falling Apart - WhoWhatWhy
The Power Grid Is a Mess, and It’s Costing Us Billions - The Fiscal Times
We recently had a severe solar storm. At the same time, a few transformers around the country, very spectacularly.
As our magnetosphere weakens from the ongoing pole flip, the plasma streams have a much easier time getting through.
The power failures will increase.
“Research shows that in America power outages cause annual losses of up to $180 billion,”“The new research — headed by Hugh Byrd, Professor of Architecture at the University of Lincoln, UK, and Steve Matthewman, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand — has found that the electricity supply is “less robust than commonly supposed” and that power cuts will simply become a fact of life throughout much of the world as the “electrical supply becomes increasingly vulnerable”
“The vulnerability of our electricity systems is highlighted by one particular blackout which took place in Italy in 2003, when the whole nation was left without power because of two fallen trees.”
Thats where I come in. Ive already reached out to GM, Rivian and others. I have made proposals to investors to build the Flex Power Station into a car charger. 
Hey Bill, you should have plenty of ice 
We’ve had lots of rain here. Happy new year.
Thanks Al.
Happy new year to you and everyone here on Dow.
I posted the above in hopes to redirect this post to our everyday lives rather than discussions of members opinions of the world. I failed
I hope @Chris will step in soon.
Here you go, Bill 
I skipped the horisontal piece on my hopper drain the other day. It didn’t work well in cold conditions. Tar built up like stelactite inside and plugged the drain every other hopper of wood. I hope problem is solved.
Yes JO, that was a problem on my truck also. The 90* bend in the pipe just plugged up with tar. I replaced it with a 45* bend downward and no more plugging problems there in the pipe. The tar is always heading down hill to the tar/condensation tank from the hopper tar drain pipe.
Bob
Hi Bill, I’m here. Busy, but here.
Happy New Year everyone!
Just a friendly reminder. This thread, “Life goes on”, was intended as a place to share things from your personal life that aren’t strictly woodgas related. But most of us are here to discuss wood gasification and socialize on that level. It’s what unites us.
So, to Bills point - please don’t force me to add economics to the list of topics we avoid. Mr Breeden’s article is interesting reading, and I am actually a fan of Kunstler - but you’ve never seen me mention it here. It’s just not the place for an in depth world events / economics / social / semi-political discussion.
There are a lot of forums online that ARE the right place for such a discussion. If you are part of one, you’re welcome to post a link here, and some interested members may follow you over there.
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I’ll try and post some photos of what I’ve been up to lately. I know I’ve been hard to reach, I’ve been trying to de-tech my life a bit, and re-focus on what really matters.
Life goes on - Winter 2019. Happy New Year to you all. We had a winter warming a couple days ago, all the snow is gone around by us. It is cold outside today. Dana and I with the youngest Daughter home from college, are take care of the three grandchildren. They are running around and playing in the house. The sun just started the shine through the clouds, I hope we can get the children out for a walk down to the river when it warms up.
Bob
Happy New year Mr. Bob .
We have had about a week of rain and have several more days of it in the forecast. I was just thinking walking down to the river would be a good thing , stepping out of the house into isn’t 
Hi Wayne, I watched your videos and if it doesn’t stop raining soon you will be able to step off your porch a be at the creek. I Hope and Pray you all get some relief from all the rain and dry out your land with a mild warm breeze.
Bob
It was minus 32C here yesterday morning, and now it’s melting temps. Risk of rain, they say. Crazy fluctuation.
I was out DOW yesterday with the windows down and my sleeves rolled up . 
Oh yes Bill, that’s the malt maker that will out last all of us. Just a month ago I had lunch with a friend and after lunch I got a craving for a chocolate soda. We went on down to the Owl Malt Soda Shop it use to be the Owl Drug Store 50 years ago with the soda fountain in the back of the store. That soda was Yummy good. They moved the whole soda fountain to the new present location up the street after the the drug store closed down. It is like walking back in time going into the store.
Bob
Matt, sounds like really good news. But it also means you’re going to have to shift gears to production. Can a true inventor do that? There have been many who failed in their efforts because they refused to go to market and do manufacturing once they had succeeded at developing something that was marketable. Ever tweaking, improving, bettering their system until they missed their opportunities. Edison, De Lorian, Montgolfier, Fuller, even Whitney almost missed his chance, just to name a few. I don’t doubt you man, just a friendly warning from history. Don’t hold on to the part you love so hard that you fail to do the part that makes the money…
Same problem exists with non-profit organizations I’ve been involved with through the years. Usually they begin as some family deal with a pretty good clear, small vision. Then they grow beyond what that family can handle, and if they are not allowed to grow beyond that, they end of dying or becoming defunct.
As for weather, Wayne is probably as wet as we are. Haven’t had this much rain for a long time. But it’s not cold. Made it into the 70’s F the other day. Just perfect for oyster mushrooms. We picked about 100 lbs today.
The thread is called “Life Goes On”. But sometimes it doesn’t.
We got word today from the community we used to live in in Tennessee that one of our friends was killed today on the road. She was one of Erika’s good friends and the older sister of her closest friend there.
It’s an Amish community so they use a lot of horse & buggy and bicycles. She was riding her bike home from the community store where everyone buys sewing and medical supplies, on the shoulder of the road., someone going too fast around a big curve in the middle of an Amish community. They came around the curve on the side of the road and hit her. It knocked her off a cliff into a deep ravine. She was about 44 years old, mother of 7 children. the youngest was 2. They were our neighbors for several years. Amos, her husband was a real good friend of mine.
Also, a 4-year-old boy in another community we interact with in Kutztown, PA was killed by a manure spreader this week.