Catching Up

On September 22 my hubby received a letter from immigration with an appointment for an interview on September 28 at 9 am with instructions to bring me. My husband's 2 year conditional Green Card expired in 2015, and we had filed for ROC (Removal of Conditions) at the proper time. Hubby had his Biometrics (fingerprints, photo and signature) done in Sacramento last year. He had his one year extension letter. One year came and went. Nothing from the government. Finally they called him for new Biometrics in Milwaukee in August. Apparently they expire after 15 months.

Needless to say I spent the next few days preparing paperwork and printing pictures. We were separated and interviewed individually. Scary, right? Well, apparently they wanted to hear it from each of us why we moved from Indiana to California and then to Wisconsin in such a short time, and to compare our answers to confirm we made the moves together.

It was an easy interview. My hubby was nervous but answered all the questions. I was all confident and chatty. The officer was even asking me about what I said regarding mold in Crescent City and smog where we lived in Indiana.

"Mold was growing around the windows on your car?" he asked.

"Yes, on the rubber, on the outside. And we had to use Damp-Rid or it would mold on the inside. But it's beautiful there. You should visit, but in the summer, when it is dry and sunny. They get 90 inches of rain in winter" I answered.

"And why did you leave Indiana?"

"My house was in bad shape and the neighborhood was getting bad, plus I had asthma problems from the bad air." I said.

He looked at our Indiana address. "Oh, you lived near the steel mills."

"Yes, and I had breathing problems from the mill smoke." I answered.

He wanted to know why we just didn't stay somewhere else in Indiana.

"The humidity" I answered.

"And what made you decide to move to California?"

"My daughter lived there and I visited a couple times. It's beautiful there and we thought it would be a good move for us. But we didn't know my husband was going to be so sick from the mold. The mold was in the air, everywhere. And no good doctors."

"Why did you decide to move to Wisconsin?"

"Well, when we knew we needed to leave....how to you choose a place? You can't just plop your stuff down in some town and know what to do. So my husband found out his cousin lives in Hartford and his cousin helped him get a job and I rented an apartment long distance."

By now I had the officer totally engaged in my stories, though it wasn't my intent, it just happened. I offered the photos and he looked at them. He asked me some questions about where we were in the pictures. He added that he could tell we like nature. I briefly told him about the trails we walk and how we like to explore other towns and that we've been to Oconomowoc, Grafton and Port Washington.

I offered the paperwork to him and he said, no, he didn't need it. FIVE pounds of paperwork and he didn't need it. Yes I weighed it on my postage scale.

The interview was over. We stood up and the officer said, "Your husband will receive his (10 year) Green Card in about 2 weeks."

YAY!!!!!

Next step....Naturalization. Hubby says he wants to relax and wait until next summer.

In other news, the sunscreen I bought seems to be working.

I really think my hair has stopped falling out for real this time.

There are a few Sandhill Cranes around but I don't hear them. I have seen them flying now and then. Lots of geese are forming "V's" and flying south.

And look what I found! The ONLY apples I like, McIntosh :)

I could not find McIntosh apples anywhere in California.