I’ve spent the last few days in a work and stress-induced fugue state, trying to wrap my head around things. Andrea and family went to meet with our immigration person on Monday. The only sure way that I’ll be allowed back into Canada is for us to file for immigration first. That sounds easier and quicker than it actually is. We’re facing up to a few months before that can happen.

The paperwork portion isn’t difficult, just painstaking. Most of it is filled out already. It boils down to money, the main reason why we hadn’t filed sooner. Until the house in Illinois sells, I’m stuck paying it’s mortgage and basic utilities and upkeep. On top of the maintenance I’m paying from the divorce (only 15 or so months to go), that leaves little in the way of extra cash.

There’s also a criminal background check that I need to order from the FBI, as part of the immigration process. No worries there; I have an unblemished record. The painful part of that is the big bold “please allow thirteen weeks for processing” on their website.

The plan:

Send off the request for my background check, since that may take up to three months. Get all of the paperwork filled out, get my fingerprint card, and find a local doctor that can do the immigration exam. Hurry up and wait.

The house here is mostly empty. Most of the furniture was sold to pay bills. I’m going to spend the next couple weekends packing up what remains in the garage and basement, getting the house completely empty, and selling the last few things that I won’t be taking with me or can easily be replaced. That way, the only thing left to do when we get an offer is to sign the papers.

With the summer coming, anything I can do to make the house look prettier will help. If I need to muck around the lawn on my hands and knees to pluck dandelions and plant flowers, I will. At this point, I’m willing to go door to door and ask if anyone’s interested in buying a house.

I’m not sure what more I can do to sell the house faster, other than lower the price below my break even point. That’s an option I’m looking into, if I can work the logistics. People have been coming to look at it but no one’s been interested enough to make an offer. The high property taxes are not helping, either. I’m open to creative suggestions. A short-sale or going into foreclosure aren’t an option, by court decree.

My weekdays (and nights) are filled with work. It’s the one thing in my control that I can do to bring in more money. It’ll come, but it’ll take a bit of time. Between this and Clarion, the odds of me getting home before August are slim. Possible, but unlikely as much as I wish it so.

The next couple weeks will be filled with the day job, trips to various doctors appointments and tests (trying to pinpoint what’s wrong with my autoimmune system), house work, and paper pushing. In between I’m scrambling to read for Clarion and keep up with the writing. Hopefully this summer brings the end of the outstanding divorce issues that have been hanging over us like a storm cloud and we can start the process of getting back on our feet.