Another Shot at Amazon.com – 2009

Last year I left early because walking on concrete floors ten hours a night was just too hard on my feet and legs. But, I loved being here and meeting so many great people. Plus the money was great. So, this year I decided to try again, this time in Shipping instead of Picking. I just got back from taking care of all the preliminary paperwork and drug test at the employment agency in Independence, Kansas, and am all set to begin work Monday night.

They gave all of us early birds the donut shift, which means we’ll work Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, with Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday off. For me, that’s the ideal shift. And, in talking with others today, it seems that shift is also their favorite as well.

Saturday evening there’s going to be a Watermelon Social here at Walter Johnson Park, given by Express Personnel. At that time we’ll get to meet people, make arrangements for carpools, get our name badges, and so forth. Plus eat our share of more than 20 watermelons direct from a farmer's field in Independence.

I got here early in order to get settled in and hopefully get the camp site I had my eye on last year. And, I was lucky: one site by the covered area was still open.

There are two of these covered spots here; the other one is at the other end of the park, and they not only have roofs, but concrete floors, picnic tables, and electrical outlets. This is going to be great, a perfect place to sew and do other things that need more space than my motor home has. I understand they're also the place where lots of people like to hang out. Perfect. I’ve already met the couple in the RV at the other side and I think we’re going to be good friends.The man has found a direct source for straw bales, perfect for insulating the underneath of RVs during the winter and has offered to join my order with his. The farmer will deliver them here directly. Again, perfect. One of the biggest problems here last years was the extreme cold weather around November on, so I'm hoping the straw bales will help. I'm also going to get some insulating board from Home Depot and some shrink-film for the inside windows.

It’s been okay living in a house again and trying to garden. However, I knew as soon as I hooked up the pickup to tow behind the RV this morning that it’s a good thing my house lease is only until the end of the year. It’s also a good thing I didn’t sell this RV. Somehow, this lifestyle has gotten into my blood. There are so many wonderful people to become friends with, so many places to explore, so many spots to stay for a while and work, so much freedom.

Many people just don’t understand that need for freedom. Let’s face it: up until three years ago, I didn’t either. I rented and owned homes for many, many years, raised two generations of kids, and was married for a total of 36 years. However, when the empty nest raised its head, the marriage ended, and it became too expensive to continue living in San Diego, living in an RV and workamping just made too much sense.

I love this life. Who knows what will happen in the future. Perhaps if the right person came along, I might consider living with him or perhaps even getting married again. However, that isn’t high on the agenda right now. My brother and sister-in-law have invited me to park my RV by their barn in Ohio, and that is a very tempting idea, at least when the weather is decent. Like most RVers, I don’t do cold weather well, mainly because these metal boxes aren’t known for their insulation. However, I would love to be around lots of family again. So, we’ll see.

In the meantime, a new segment of this life begins Monday evening—and with it, the chance to do some major bill-paying and maybe even some saving. It will be hard work, but the rewards will more than make up for that.

Time to take a walk around the park and see who else is here.