eo - it is all about time or lack there of. I could water by hand (at night) but then i wouldn't have time for other things so by letting a computer do the watering i get a chance to mulch or see my kids bfore they go to bed etc. I do understand about getting into the garden to see what is happing and that is why i really enjoy cutting my lawn but i had to hire a landscaper to that the past few years as well and i hate it - they do a crappy job and i hate to spend the money on sopmething i used to enjoy melissa i have used hunter sprinkler parts for years and have them with my current system and they are great but i have never done anything with drip i installed a mist system in one of my smaller hosta beds and it worked great and am very happy with the results until one of my dogs ate some of the mist nozzles (no big deal to fix). I went with mist because; 1. i knew nothing about drip 2. it was easy to use with my current system 3. i figured the mist would look cool (by my little pond) 4. a few mist nozzles cover a fairly large area with a symple layout 5. it was cheap I ordered a bunch of mist nozzles from dripworks they were about 45 cents a piece and cover about a 10' diameter the only downside is you lose some of the water to the sun and you water the leaves (which has the benifit of cooling but negative of disease/rot blight) and wind will blow the mist easily

"I wonder if I should set up a small checking account JUST for the condo rentals and damage deposits. (Limit possible losses.)" I think this is a good idea. We did this when we opened another brokerage account. We weren't happy with the previous brokerage and didn't want them to know where we did the bulk of our banking. We only use the account for this brokerage and keep just enough money in it to cover any fees. If there is ever a problem, (hopefully) it will be confined to that one institution and shouldn't affect any other accounts (overdrafts, etc) we have at our other bank(s).

I have to disagree, Orie. There is a biological basis for carb addiction. I know from personal experience that there's a big difference between wanting a certain food because it tastes good or whatever, and a true, deep-seated craving. When I found myself prowling the basement, looking in the freezers for frozen cookies 13 years ago, I knew I had an addiction and needed to deal with it. If your friend hardly ever eats carbs, I don't understand why she would embark on a low-carb diet. I was pretty unbearable, too, when I initially gave them up. I think some of us sedate ourselves with carbs. But once I got over the withdrawal period (yes, just like other addictions) I felt great--healthy, energetic, and free of cravings. Two generations ago, many of my family members had diabetes. On the other side of the family, my grandmother died of a heart attack in her forties. She loved to bake. My theory (never to be proven, obviously) is that she shared my predisposition to carb over-consumption and elevated triglycerides--a BIG heart risk for women. Body chemistry is an individual thing, and I don't think we can sum up dietary needs with general statements.

Lots of shelf stable milk products available and milk does freeze well. As does small containers of greek yogurt. I keep a stash of powdered goat and buttermilk. Rarely use it. I like to use blendered roasted vegetables for a thickener in soups and gravies. Alex Guarnaschelli uses roasted veg (blendered) in her holiday gravy...no flour. Lock-down i purchased a big 4-5 pound bag of riced cauliflower. Cheap. Went through it quickly. (i don't think MrSleeve even knew i was using it) Cooked in stock with celery, onion, and some cubed roasted butternut or acorn squash makes a nice 'cream' when blendered. I added a few dried soaked wild mushroom for this years vegan gravy. (have not needed to cook vegan/gluten free since holidays 2018). Made a veg stock and a couple pints of veg gravy last weekend for thanksgiving and x-mas. A few pints of veg stock for wild rice/mushroom stuffing/dressing. My sister will eat eggs, tamari, tahini, miso, some grains/rice and certain beans. All the seeds. Some hard goat cheeses. No other dairy. So not difficult to make flavorful dishes. I'm sure a good low/no carb risotto can be done. I would finish with a good nutty romano instead of a heavy dairy cream. I doubt i would attempt risotto for either family having this seasons meals already maped out. My sister is chill about making her own meals if mine does not fit her diet. I accomadate for the main holiday meals. Same with MrSleeves family. I have a half dozen HoneyNut squashes in cold storage. Acorn and delicatta. Looking for recipe ideas i came across this risotto. Not a bad primer recipe for a creamy risotto without the carbs. Replacing the riso with creamy veg.