BIRD TALK

With reference to Sandi Elliot asking Bird Talk about selling your U.S. home and moving some of the belongings that you acquired while living in the U.S. back to Canada.

I watch Border Security and, on one episode, a young woman had everything packed and had a list of everything that was in each box.

As everything she had were items that she had been using and had obtained over the years, the security officials considered them as ‘yard sale’ items and let her be on her way.

Similar to the Elliots, I had a home in Tennessee for 18 years and, when it came time for me to move back to Canada, I did exactly what the person on TV did.

At the border, I gave them my numbered pages which listed everything in each numbered box.

They flipped through the pages and asked if anything was new. I replied no, but pointed out that about half of what I was bringing back to Canada had been purchased over the years in the U.S.

He asked what I thought the value of some of the things was and I replied that they would be more or less yard sale value.

He handed me back my papers and said, “Drive Safe.”

Tom Barnes
Georgetown, Ontario

Ed.: A satisfactory repatriation of your personal belongings at the end of your “snowbird career.” Bravo!