Crazy Weather

We have had the craziest weather the last couple of weeks.  Our fan sits right next to our electric heater and we’re using them both!!! In one day, we have run the air conditioner all day with temps of 88* and then the temps drop to 39* and I’m running the heater at night.

Last night it rained, we had thunder and then the lightning started flashing.  Oh, my, it sure was fun going out to open the metal gate with lightning flashing!!!  Scared me silly, it did!!!!

Sure was happy we bought a mini voice recorder so we can just “say” the information we need for the log-in form instead of messing with paper on a clipboard out in the rain.  Even the truck drivers are having a good time seeing me use the voice recorder.  Tonight one driver asked if he could say hello into the recorder…ah, yes, sure so I reached up the recorder for him to say hello …. to me LOL.  I then go inside and “play” the recorder and fill out the log-in form with that information.

Because of this crazy weather I go through at least two and usually three sets of clothes a day. I start out with a sleeveless tee and capris with the air conditioning running. Then the clouds roll in and the temps drop so I change into a short sleeve tee and jeans.  By midnight it is really cold and I put on a sweat shirt and a jacket.  I sit inside with a jacket on all night because I don’t have time to put it on and take it off each time someone comes to the gate.

I’m so glad we bought all the extra throw rugs to cover our carpet as it helps to keep things clean.  We wear our shoes inside now, again because we don’t have the time to put them on and take them off. We try to get out the door within 5-10 seconds.  The rain makes very slick mud out of caliche rock and it is a mess.

Fracking is finished so it has been pretty quiet the last couple of days and it will continue to be quiet till Tuesday.  Then about 300-500 trucks will come in with caliche rock and dirt to build a road to the next well sites.  After that we’ll get 1,200 to 1,500 truckloads of dirt and caliche to build the well sites themselves.  We only have two more weeks here so I don’t know how much we will be a part of, but it will be busy up till the end of our stay.

I’ve taken to fixing our next night’s dinner sometime around midnight. When the fracking stopped I lost my nightly catered meal so I’m back to cooking.  Yesterday I made clam chowder and tonight I put the fixings together for a pot roast in the slow cooker that Jim can start around noon.  It helps to get the dinner going and not have to think about what to fix when I wake up at 1 or 2 p.m. 

When we finish here we plan on taking a few days in Rockport or Port Aransas as kind of a “vacation”.  Then we will head for Santa Fe to see our daughters and grands for a week or so.  After that it’s on up to Alamosa, Colorado, for a month before we start our summer job camphosting in national forest campgrounds in South Fork.  We also look forward to going up to the Denver area and visiting Bill Borger and Lesle Thomas for a couple of days.  It’s been about two years since we’ve seen them…too long. We will get to see Rich and Terri Deacon again as they wintered in Monte Vista, Colorado, staying close to their aging moms.

All in all we like this gate guarding job and will probably come back next fall to do it again.  At least this time we “got our feet wet” and know what to expect for a longer stay.  We’re thinking of doing a two month stint and then taking a couple of weeks off before working another couple of months.  We’re not real sure about doing this gate guarding for 5-6 months straight. The work isn’t hard but you are always “on” with someone always having to be here.  I miss driving with Jim and doing things together like shopping and going out to dinners together.

Well, it’s 3 a.m. and Dish Network is going through its nightly rebooting procedure.  Time for a cup of coffee.

Remember, you are loved.