my ducks in a row

This has been a great week. I have checked off three more items on my To Do list for the move south.


1. Over a year ago, a portion of my back yard fence came down in a storm. I used the equivalent of chicken wire to fix the gap. It looked fine to me, but I think my neighbors and friends had a vague fear that I was going to introduce a flock of Rhode Island Reds to our very proper urban block.


I have mentioned my friend Bill before. He gave me the name of a fellow who does great fence work. And, on Tuesday, he completed the entire project. It looks great. At least, I no longer look like an aspiring Don Tyson.


2. I mentioned last week in door number 2 -- or the curtain? that I needed three items to get my FM3 from the Mexican consulate in Portland. The first two were simple. I had them in hand before the sun set.


The third item was a verification from the Oregon State Police that I was not Al Capone. I thought that was going to be very easy. But I discovered on Friday that a computer check was not enough. The police needed to fingerprint me and run the prints through what I imagined Efram Zimbalast, Jr. did every Sunday night on television.


When I asked how long the process would take, the officer said: "A week or so." That concerned me because my appointment to get the FM3 is on Friday.


I had no reason to fret. The letter appeared in Tuesday's mail, looking so very official with its police letterhead, notarization, and attached fingerprints.


But I now have everything I will need to go to the consulate on Friday -- along with my $134 -- and return home with my FM3.


3. I had lunch with our CEO on Wednesday. She wanted to know what my plans were -- what I intended to do in retirement. Her questions were sincere, but she also had a business agenda. She resurrected an idea I had discussed recently in this blog (#1 -- work). She wanted to know if I would be interested in doing some work for the company on contract while I am in Mexico.


I now need to work out some details with two vice-presidents, but I am very tempted to take her up on the offer. That should not be a surprise. I came to the same conclusion when I first discussed it.


I had talked myself out of doing it, though. Most of the projects would require a good deal of face time with senior managers, and I had no interest in flying that often between Salem and Melaque.


Since then, a young man from our church has provided me with a technological solution. He is currently attending college in Seattle. To keep in contact, he has helped me set up my web cam and audio to allow us to talk through video conferencing. I had no idea the technology was that easy.


Thanks to Jordan, I may have an income stream and some interesting projects to keep me busy my first few months of retirement. It will be a test worth taking. American Mommy in Mexico and Jennifer Rose have convinced me to give it a try.


Now, I just need to get working on the rest of the list.