I may have gotten the hours wrong thinking it should last a week. So I'm unplugging it and testing it for this post. So far, 7 hours and full bars of battery life. No beeping yet because there is ventilation. I'll come back to update when it goes to zero battery life.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09P8DTRMQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title It’s sensitive, but I need it for the kitchen and it’s beeped at least 3x since I’ve owned it for the past year. It is portable, but the battery doesn’t last more than maybe 4-5 hours. You could get a portable battery charger (usb c). There might be other ones with better battery life, but I didn’t have a chance to look thoroughly when I first bought it.

I’m really excited for you! I can’t imagine what it feels like to look at the backyard and see 4 acres. I love attics. I grew up in a home with one but it was a much smaller attic than what you are describing. Recently dd went to a friend’s house which does have what looks a good sized attic with exposed beams and where all the teens hang out.

Dd as well and it was so much more expensive than going to the mall which apparently is not suggested. I went to the mall in the 80s and my piercings got infected, and then tried it on my own again with same results. So for dd I was thinking after the initial period I would only give her high quality earrings that would not cause infection or tarnish. I’ve been looking at Mejuri.

Just want to repeat what @BeachGal mentioned about choline. My elderly friend had liver problems (basically the beginning of cirrhosis) so we gave him choline after he was tested and so far he’s been fine. He’s been taking them for 15 years or more and he also contracted hep c when he was in the army in his youth so given his age, he’s been doing ok in terms of his liver. Most of my family take choline because we all seem to have had liver problems.

We use this with 2 doors due to being highly allergic to mosquitoes but giving our dog freedom. It works very well.

I defeated Hans Solo (and his wife) in Chinatown. I was about 8-9 months pregnant and waited in line for 30 mins at a famous bakery in Chinatown. When I left with the custard, I stood right in the middle of the narrow sidewalk and ate, probably had crumbs down my shirt and on the sidewalk. Because I was so big, they had to step off the curb to get around me. As they walked 3 steps away, Dh nudged me to tell me who just passed me by. We followed them a couple of blocks, and no one even glanced at them. No one went up to them. They looked really comfortable strolling in Chinatown. And probably was having a most pleasant walk until I rudely interrupted their path. ETA: oh yeah my brother and I as younger teens made my mom drive by near a school where Bill Cosby was filming. We eagerly waved and he did smile and wave back. Of course we didn’t know what was happening in his personal life, but he was the dad of America back in the 80s-90s.

No postal worker is safe from my dog. How does my dog recognize all carriers whether USPS, ups, or FedEx? These are not even our usual delivery people. I can be on any random street in a car and if she sees a USPS person dressed in their standard blue uniform she goes crazy.

I was able to get rid of many items of clothing just by whether it fits now and not whether I hope it’ll fit next year after I lose some weight. The one year rule also means the body could have changed. During the pandemic I’ve gone one size up every year. So in my case that really applies. And my style has evolved so it’s easier to get rid of clothes that don’t fit my current style.

Believe it or not I know a college freshman who can’t find a job as a CS major in the Bay Area. But he is a quite an introvert.

I looked at TX homes recently and I think generally it’s more expensive, but I was actually looking for a friend who wants to invest in the bigger cities like Houston. There’s an area next to Rice that has comparable prices to the Bay Area. Museum district, I think.

Many months ago I tried to get him to look at Texas because it won’t be so far for him to drive to and we can get there faster in an emergency. Plus I thought that for him Texas seemed politically similar to Florida, but he’s probably more aware of the politics in these states than I am. I’ve even tried to get him to move to Fresno which is in central CA so not that far by car but very different politically from our area. But he needs to leave CA, not just move to a conservative area.

My friend will not want to live in a senior community especially if there are fees he needs to pay. And he has a pit bull that is completely attached to him. His dog didn't eat or drink when my friend visited FL last year. He had to fly back within a day and didn't even get to see any homes. This time, his dog will probably stop eating and drinking, but the vet told him that dogs will eatb and drink eventually. I'm going to focus on the panhandle for now as there's Georgia and Alabama to drive to. And if this area doesn't work out then move towards the center. He'll be there a week and plans to drive from the north to the south and back up again. I'll need to find an agent for those areas as well. Are there benefits of living in FL that can't be found in Georgia or Alabama along the borders of FL? My impression is that those states are politically aligned with his. Homes seem to be cheaper there.

I was actually looking at that strip of land and didn't know that it's called a panhandle. If he goes over the border the homes are cheaper, but then it's not Florida. I think he's fine with a mobile home. Would those be easier to maintain?

Thank you for listing some towns! It helps to have specific towns to ask the agent.

I've stalled for a long time. And now he's upset with me because an agent said he should have bought a couple of years ago as there are so many people moving into FL so home prices have gone up. And if I don't help him now he'll die soon and never get to live out his dreams.

Thank you so much for the links! Dh and I discussed it last night - we're going to see if he can buy a small place and another one in the Bay Area so he can come back to visit people. What do people do in Miami or Broward County during hurricanes? What about those living in senior communities?

That's the thing about him which makes this really sad. Racism doesn't bother him. He explains it as a them problem. The kinds of people he wants to be closer to may be the people who may not be very kind to him. This is going to make him sound odd: he started seriously considering moving to Florida because he wanted to be closer to an ex-President. I don't think that's the case any longer but the overall politics of CA is extremely frustrating for him. Thanks for suggesting specific places. I'll look them up for him.

I asked about hurricanes before seeing your post. I was looking at homes asking the state lines and even thought that buying a home in GA might be better. It looks like a better deal over there. But he now needs to be in central Florida - someone must have told him that that's where their politics align more with his. I have an uncle (not close to him at all) who lives in Brower County in a condo but he's lucky to go back and forth from here to there.

I mentioned to my friend about insurance. He doesn't use the internet. He really thinks hurricane insurance is optional. I'll let the agent know to tell him about expenses of owning a home in FL. My friend is the type to just not get insurance. For a cheap home, that might be fine. But he's already thinking that he can't get anything great at $100k so he'll sell his current home and buy a better house. Is hurricane a problem for the entire state? So without insurance are there areas that are safer from hurricanes?

Only for emergencies. Dd will be in college soon so there's not going to be a lot of spare money. He does have family (no kids, just nieces and nephews) but none of them can be relied upon. My friend will probably make friends at church and hire someone to help him with yard work.

That's a great idea - stopping at campgrounds every evening.

He's 80 in body but 35 in mind and spirit. He's going to buy a van and drive across the country after he buys his home. He'll take his 9 cats and a dog with him. It sounds crazy but he's not crazy at all. He used to be a driving instructor so driving is not the problem - it's the amount of driving with the animals. Politics has a lot to do with the move. I don't think anyone would rent to him with all these cats plus he really wants to own land. Did your family member move back after living in FL?

Great memory! He let go of the farm idea. His balance these days is not as stable as before. But he can't let go of moving to Florida despite deep roots here. Plus dh and I are here to help him. And he has church friends here. In Florida if he needs help I would need to send dh. He has no children.

If he does an exchange, it'll mean the home he buys will be worth about $800k which means it'll probably have more living space. So it'll mean the homeowners insurance will be really high? Could it be more than $10k? Would property tax be about $8k?