Of Cartons and Corgis

We interrupt the frantic packing, labeling, inventorying, and document collecting of my final three weeks in Pennsylvania to weigh in on said crazy-making chores, scotch and water at hand.

My last couple of days in Managua in May were spent tearing across the metro area from Inmigracion to INTUR, the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism, and back to Inmigracion again. The country wants to attract retirees like me, to spend our pittances in Nicaragua, and hire people to keep house and wash our cars. So they figured that the tourism folks would have the best toolkit for selling norteamericanos on the merits of tropical life.  Yet, those retirees  also need to apply for residence visas, which are the purview of the immigration office. So, in keeping with bureaucratic logic, one must apply for retiree residence at —the tourism office. But the forms are at Inmigracion.

The shipping company I hired to transport my worldly goods—incredibly, after selling all my furniture and giving most of my clothing to Goodwill, I still have 23 boxes of books, tchotchkes, kitchen goods, paintings, fishing gear, CDs, travel souvenirs, bedding, pillows, towels, first aid—requires a complete inventory of all boxes and their contents. So, it was necessary to pack absolutely everything in advance of delivery of the boxes to a port in New Jersey, scheduled in five days. Of course, Gabe and I do have to live here until I leave in July in time to meet my boxes in Managua. I did not pack the coffee maker.

The house is for sale. In two months, one person has asked to see it. In two days, brother Jack and I have a date with our lawyer to arrange power of attorney for Jack, so he can sell the house. I have lowered the price in hopes that somebody will find it irresistible. Yep, that's gonna happen.

And if things were not already chaotic enough, I just bought a corgi puppy! My late lovely corgi Sugarbunny died last year of cancer at just 7 years old. I figured I would adopt a dog in Nicaragua, but that would have made sense. It turns out I simply need a corgi, and when I found a litter for sale near Pittsburgh, I just had to have the female tri-color. Her name is Brynn, and we are both working hard on her house-breaking. I have never traveled with a pet. Why not, I asked myself, enjoy that new experience while I am panicked about my shipment, customs, visa, and selling my house?

















I am fucking brilliant!