Most of these porches were incorrectly framed and most used regular lumber which became deteriorated over time. I come across these type of porches all the time in neighborhoods with houses dated back to 1900's to 1950s. Here is a few examples and they all have the same issues. Example 1A few more, I did complete remodeling on this house, gutted to the subframe and put second story addition in the back, but when I purchased this house, it was overgrown with shrubs, and previous owners never realized what's going on bellow them and how bad it was, lucky this porch or roof did not collapse and no one got hurt. Deteriorated column supports the roof, just a matter of time before this will come down if the issue not caught in time. You can also see pier displacement, they just stacked the brick held by mortar without footings or anything else. But after everything is gutted and done the right way, you have a beautiful home,

I prepared one a few years ago. I used to have a duffle bag filled with what I call the immediate essentials. Flashlight, batteries, portable radio, water, band-aids etc. Then i started thinking on abgrander wcale so in addition to the shuffle bag I have a blue trashcan on wheels (recycle can) in case i need to run on foot with it. Ok everyone calls me "overkill" so in that can i have enough to last at least 3 days, 3 weeks, or a month. Case of bottled water at the bottom, blanket, toilet paper, can foods that open without a can opener, matches, etc.... and most all i think it is important to have a whistle. You might have to blow to make some noise to help someone locate you.....ijs

I have four small parrots - two I bought as weaned babies 14 and 15 yrs ago (maroon belly conure, caique) and two I "rescued" from craigslist (nanday and green cheek conures). I do not believe parrots should be kept as pets. They are truly wild animals. They are not evolved to live in homes. They should be in the wild, flying with their mates, dealing with the challenges and mental stimulation of navigating the wild and predators...not locked in a cage, left alone for hours or days on end. I dont think most humans can give them what they need - the constant social interaction of a flock or mate provides. I try to vary my birds' life as much as I can. I feel so guilty for keeping them as pets (although they would die if let free), that I bought large custom stainless steel cages - 4 fix 2.5 ft. They also sleep in night cages. They have cages in the dining/great room for eating on also. They have perches in the bathroom. These animals are highly intelligent and need variation in their lives from the monotony of the cage. They can be very affectionate and all of my birds crave being touched. If I was wealthy I would work to get a bill passed to limit breeding and to set minimum cage limits. In some countries, the minimum cage size for a parakeet is 2.5 feet wide. The minimum for a macaw is 8x8 ft. I feel like we are living in the dark ages of animal welfare in the US. I am renovating a midcentury modern home and I am doing it with the parrots in mind. Their cages are in a bird room for now, but it is too small for all four to get a view out the window. I have paid an architect to design a separate bird room for them, air conditioned, heated, and shaded, but with walls of glass. These animals are so smart, so affectionate, and so long lived that I owe them the best life that I can. As a side note, my two rescues are extremely sweet and mindful. They have never bitten me. I was told that the nanday is mean, but even with the broken wing she came with, she is not. She will snuggle up next to me, laying her side, sucking on her foot. My little green cheek came to me in a cage the size of a shoebox. He was severely malnourished and was missing most of his feathers (they have mostly grown back). Both of these birds just light up my day. They seem happy and I am so glad I found them. If you ever do consider a bird, think about a rescue or rehome!

Leland Cypress trees,Thuja Green Giant both grow really fast 3-4 ft a year and get tall great staying green for privacy all year round. Neighbor spats can spiral out of control surprisingly quick. Best to avoid them and if they do anything try to not let them get the best of you or under your skin. Just plant the trees in front of windows first then add more when ever you can afford more even if it is one at a time until that side of house, yard is protected/blocked from their prying eyes. You can also buy rolls of bamboo made for privacy or shade from Lowes/HomeDepot that you could put up outside of house in sections in front of each of the windows just using tree stakes,tall pieces of rebar,or tall metal fence post to hold the bamboo up. Another similar idea is to put chicken wire/stucco wire on some tall pieces of rebar or fence posts in front of windows 3 ft or so away from house then grow some fast growing vine on wire such as Trumpet vines,Jasmine,Honeysuckle,Virginia creeper. Some vines would not be good in winter when leaves are lost. You could even grow them on the bamboo making it more beautiful or even fragrant,while providing food,nectar for hummingbirds,bees,& butterflies