What is going on in our crazy, mixed up, messy life.

Jer works for a drilling company Patterson, who is a contract of EnCana, EnCana tells them where to drill and when, because they own the mineral rights. His company was drilling in the Piceance Basin, for home heating oil. Due to the economy gas prices have dropped and it is more economical to leave the gas in the ground, or the gas that has already been extracted is being stored, for when prices come back up. Don't you just love how the economy works!?! So at the beginning of every year gas companies (EnCana), rewrite their contracts with the drilling companies (Patterson). So because the way that the economy is, while they are rewriting their contracts they have stacked out all their rigs, and laid off most of their employees.


When Jer started his hitch in Jan. they were told that they had 12 holes to drill (taking about 2 hitches) as the hitch went on they were told only 8 holes, then 6 holes, and then on his last day they were told they were only going to drill surfaces. He was laid off and told not to come back for the next hitch. So while I was at home I was fixing our resumes and putting in job apps. I put in for a part time booking job in Ephriam, and got it. (Crazy I called about the job on Wednesday afternoon, had an appointment within an hour, had a second interview Thursday, and then got the job on Friday, and start on Wednesday, what whirlwind.)


Jer heard that his company was doing some thermal drilling in southern Utah, so Saturday we packed up and drove through Delta, because the BLM was having a horse auction, and we wanted to look. They were beautiful, but the kids just couldn't figure out why the horses didn't want to be loved on. We then went on to Minersville to look for Patterson rigs, it was totally a whim, to see if we could find them. The first rig we found near a Thermal plant about 7 miles north of Milford, UT and it was already stacked out. We then tried to take a dirt road to I-15, but there was a little too much snow so we turned around. It's a good thing we did, because about 27 miles more and we found a Patterson drilling sign. By this time we were clear out by the Circle Four Pig farms, stinky! Anyway we got to the rig just in time to see them lay the derrick down. Jer asked if they were hiring, and the guys laughed, and asked "Why are you?" Poor guys there isn't a drilling job to be had, But we did feel better that we tried. After exhausting all of our resources, and ourselves we headed for home. We watched some moves and went to bed way too late, and then at 5 in the morning the phone rang(I HATE THAT!) It was Bob, Jer's Tool Pusher, asking if he could come to work that night. I guess the Derrickman got ran off, so today Jer went off to work to stack out the rig. I isn't long term work, but at least it is work!, which is a lot more than a lot of roughnecks have right now.

So that is our crazy whirlwind life. Thanks to all of our friends and family who have sent messages and told us about job opportunities. Thanks you guys are the best!