Decisions, decisions. I just got off the phone with SS. They say now that I'm over 66 and 4 months I can earn as much as I want to. The question is, how much do I want to work? I love the job. In spite of recent happenings, I'm still friendly with the boss, and everyone else. I can still keep up with the best of them. It will get me out of the house and put a bit more money in the bank, but it would cut down on the time I have now for other projects. So, do I want to jump right back into the rat race I've spent so much time trying to get out of?
Then there are the people I'll be dealing with. After 40 years, I know how my wife is going to react. She is going to want me, at most, to work another five hours and get paid for twenty. Since we pull 12 hour days, that is not too likely to happen. And if I get another day, then the guy I swap the van with gets shorted 12 hours. He wouldn't be happy with that.
The boss, on the other hand, is going to see this as an opportunity to get more work out of me, and by doing that cut back on expenses he has with other smiths. I'm working straight hourly, and part time. Those guys get minimum wage, until commission exceeds minimum wage. Then it is commission. So, send me on the easy jobs, or the ones way out of town. That way there's no overtime, even with a car lockout being out of town. That raises the price. It raises the commission, unless there is no commission.
I've got a few days to consider my options and listen to my wife tell me what they are and which one I'm going to choose. (Uhhh, maybe.)