Still Alive!

Sorry I haven’t written in a while. The last two years have seen huge changes in my life which have kept me busy. Last year I lost my easy gate that I was guarding for 3 years. The oilfield activity increased all over as oil prices went up and my sweet gate suddenly became a nightmare. Many of the other gates becoming available were going to be too busy for a single person. Yes, I could have partnered up with another single but then the pay would be split in half and you might as well work at Walmart for 4 hours a day less to make the same money so not an option for me. Eventually, I was forced to take day gates that required working out of my truck for 12 hours a day which is not fun, expensive driving to the gate every day, dangerous driving oilfield roads in the dark, and pretty boring. Then I caught a regular live onsite gate to be shared with a couple and I wrote previously on how bad that turned out to be. The good ol’ days for single guards in the oilfields seem to be over and I am 6 years older now which definitely makes a difference in my needs and abilities.

After finding my wonderful RV site to lease in New Mexico, I just couldn’t bear to go back to gate guarding right away. Both my old trailer and I were groaning. I decided to try to find another type of job still in the oilfields but easier such as delivering parts or water or perhaps driving escort for rigs. I submitted many many applications but it seems that although there are plenty of old men working in the oilfields, nobody wants an older woman despite all my varied work experience and knowledge. I was offered a shot at one job at the nearby refinery but they do rotating shifts which is a killer for young and old. No thanks! In the end, I reached Social Security early retirement age while searching and decided to pack it in and semi-retire. I’m still working things out but in the meantime, I took a job at the local Walmart part-time to cover the bills and keep me active. Several people from my RV park work there. Walmart doesn’t care about age or sex. They just want bodies which is true of many of the stores and fast food joints in the area. If interested, submit an app online.

So here I am, living full-time in my 5th wheel in a very nice RV park on my very own lot and working part-time. My trailer is still good enough to live in but I believe it has seen its last road trip. I still own a house up North that is now going up for sale. I hope to buy another smaller RV next year for short trips for fun and to continue this blog. I do still cruise. I may try gate guarding again at some point at a guard shack or just doing relief but it won’t be for awhile due to Social Security rules for early retirees I have to navigate. I have renewed my security license just in case and plan to keep it until I am sure I am not going back.

I did get to do my best gate ever back in January for two weeks before I retired where I lived in the oil company man’s mobile home for two weeks just keeping an eye on the equipment there. It paid extremely well and for the most part I was totally left alone with a large flat pad to walk every day for exercise, normal house shower and kitchen, and satellite TV with loads of movie channels. I had a blast and cleaned it up a bit for them to thank them and have something to do. Wish I could get more like that one but that was just a fluke.

For now, I will be posting my explorations of this area and my cruises. This actually is a great area to retire except for housing and RV park prices which have skyrocketed due to the Permian Basin oilfield activity. Not a problem if you are an Escapee!