Survival and Emergency Preparedness

Covid. They only let one buyer into the design center at a time, which means one buyer per day. It's silly.

Wife and I were out at the property this weekend. Beautiful sunset from our backyard.





While we were standing there in the backyard I noticed a wake from the other side of the pond heading towards us. At first I though it was a duck or other bird but as it drew closer I didn't see anything on top. At least until it got about halfway then I noticed the head. We got ourselves a pet gator in our pond


Just a baby. I'd guestimate about 3 feet, maybe 4. He's got a ways to go to reach the 12 feet of the one in the pond across the street from my house.

You can keep your pets.

Bmyers wrote: ↑Mon Dec 07, 2020 6:21 pm You can keep your pets.

As my son and I were walking the neighborhood at our current house we saw a fair sized gator in the pond across the street. I figure maybe five feet or so. They don’t bother me unless it’s mating season. They get a little aggressive then.

Critters that can eat me are not on the top of my list.

Yet, like most hazards, when you grow up around them, you just learn to accept and deal with them. I have a cousin that will visit from California and he is always sure that while he is here that a tornado is going to come through and destroy everything.

Bmyers wrote: ↑Tue Dec 08, 2020 6:59 am Critters that can eat me are not on the top of my list.

Yet, like most hazards, when you grow up around them, you just learn to accept and deal with them. I have a cousin that will visit from California and he is always sure that while he is here that a tornado is going to come through and destroy everything.

All you need for gator defense is a walking stick to put between you and the gator. Unless it’s mating season, then they get aggressive.

Design date is next Tuesday

I just recently seen a news article of 16ft + snake down there.

As much as I joke, there is some truth to what hazards we get use to and our willing to accept.

Critters around here, rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, bears, etc., doesn't even cross my mind as a high risk because we are use to them. Yet the thought of alligators and large snakes truly would concern me if I had to be walking around in the woods in Florida.

In the Midwest, thunderstorms, tornados, winter storms are all norm. Yet that thought of hurricane is not something we would like, yet we have learn to leave with the others. You guys hear about a hurricane and know what you need to do. We have had single digit and sub-zero temps with windchills bellow -20, but we don't think a lot about, we just layer up and keep moving on where you guys may not like that so much.

It is interesting to see how diversified the US is and how each area adapts and gets use to the 'normal' threats.

We had our final design meeting last Tuesday. March 2nd is the anticipated date for ground breaking. We are suppose to have our per-construction meeting around that time with our builder. We're very excited. Once it's started I can see ourselves heading out there many times a week to take pictures and see the progress. Completion time is scheduled for the end of July.

Good for you.
1. don't hesitate to ask questions of the builder and take notes.
2. under NO CIRCUMSTANCES change your order in any way during construction. Some contractors make a fortune on "extras". A friend wanted to change 40 electrical outlet covers that he approved. He reluctantly signed a change order charging him over $200. He complained. I asked him how much time he thought it took to order replacements, take off the old ones, put on the new ones and what was the name of his hardware store that would take back 40 unwrapped and installed electrical covers???
3. in your contract there will be a provision for "unforeseen events" and you will be responsible for paying them. if you start hearing a buzz about unforeseen events, don't argue, take notes, get a lawyer, have the lawyer write and dispute "unforeseen events" asap.

David wrote: ↑Sat Feb 20, 2021 11:12 am We had our final design meeting last Tuesday. March 2nd is the anticipated date for ground breaking. We are suppose to have our per-construction meeting around that time with our builder. We're very excited. Once it's started I can see ourselves heading out there many times a week to take pictures and see the progress. Completion time is scheduled for the end of July.

Exciting stuff.

We just had the drywall guy finally come back to fix some of the stuff he missed. He was there Friday, came back yesterday and got stuck in the driveway. Had 6 inches of snow Sunday night. Now he won't come back until I get the driveway cleared. Heading back up on Thursday to clear the driveway and move some more stuff in.