Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Back to the Real World!


Spring has finally arrived in our small town and not a minute too soon!  We really had a cold snap this year that drained us of our otherwise suitable firewood supply and we were beginning to think we were entering the next ice age…

Before the latest update I need to step back a few steps.  After leaving Mammoth Lakes last fall we decided to stay put in Glenns Ferry for a few years so Isabel could attend high school locally.  That is working out very well for the most part, but it also means that Diana and I need to do something to earn some extra egg money! 

To that end Diana took eagerly to the job market and promptly landed three jobs in very short order.  She started working at the “Pilot Travel Center” in Mountain Home and was enjoying the job, but not the 30 minute commute each time she worked.  Shortly after starting this job, a new “Family Dollar” store moved into Glenns Ferry (You know your town is finally on the map when you get a dollar store!).  They advertised for managers and Diana applied and got the job – sort of.  They said that they would have everyone start on the same level during the build up of inventory and fixtures and that those who really applied themselves would become managers.  After a few back breaking weeks of working at the Pilot and Family Dollar Diana found out that the Family Dollar folks had actually already hired their management team from out-of-town resources and she never actually had a chance… so she walked away.  Shortly thereafter, our little small town grocery advertised for help and she promptly started working there which cut her commute time from 30 minutes to 30 seconds (the store is 1 block from the house).  The decision from there was easy.  Though she enjoyed working at the Pilot she couldn’t beat working 30 seconds from home so she left Pilot.

Meanwhile I happened to be at the high school one day and saw a flyer advertising part time school bus driver positions!  What a great job for retirement!  Not only do I get to play an active part in Isabel’s school day as I transport her and her friends to school and back and to her sporting events, I also get paid to obtain my commercial driver’s license which will be great on my work camping resume in future years!  Come to find out I was hired to fill not only the substitute driver position, but also the mechanic assistant position as well!  So now I’m tearing apart the front and rear ends of school busses, finding electrical shorts, and performing tune-ups on a regular basis. The transportation supervisor has been very patient thus far as my learning curve has been very steep in a few areas.  We also have two compressed natural gas vehicles ( 1 van and 1 bus) which we’re having a good time learning about.

As it is, Diana and I are now both working about 30 hours a week which should keep us busy as Isabel attends public high school.  It has not, however, made us too busy to get rid of our love of other hobbies!

Read on in our next posts for more updates and some new projects!

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