. Everytime I post here, I have to do it twice because it disapears the first time. I got tired of contacting admin here about it. I know from long practice to always copy what I write so it doesn't get lost, but this site will never grow because people will get frustrated and not bother trying a second time.
In 2022 (or so), I purchased an Eco-Flow power station, which is strong enough that it can keep my fridge/freezer going for 4 days in the event of an extended power outage. It gives me added peace of mind. I did use it once during a longer power outage and a few times for shorter (less than a day) outages.
In November, Eco-Flow informed me of a recall and the risk of battery expolosion. Fixing it was a simple software update the customer could do themselves, but I could not. My Eco-Flow refused to sync with my iphone, which was necessary to do the update.
Eco-Flow said I could return it to them and they would do it but at some point in the past 3 years I disposed of the original box and foam packaging. This thing weighs about 50 lbs so it definitely requires special care to ensure it's not damaged en route. They said they would ship a box, and after several email exchanges and the first box shipment "lost," I finally got it this past week, but without the foam inserts, which they now say they don't have but don't worry about it, just put it in the box and FedEx will pack it. EcoFlow scheduled a FedEx pickup this Tuesday for me.
In the meantime, and out of an abundance of caution, I found someone on Buy Nothing who gave me a bunch of super spongy corrugated cardboard padding, so it's now packed up and good to go.
There were 4 bluebirds here this morning! I have mixed rehydrated freeze-dried meal worms in with the black oil sunflower seed.
Saw dad in rehab today. Each time I go he seems a little better, although he won't always admit it. He even said his meal was good. I felt in a way I was also keeping his roommate company today, too, and we had a very pleasant conversation. He was born in Denmark and lived there during WWII. I was hoping that by having a pleasant chat it might encourage dad to talk more to him himself, to pass the time.
One thing I've noticed about dad is that when he's not feeling well physically, it really affects him mentally. So initially my dad had the room to himself for several days, and when his roommate arrived, dad still wasn't feeling great, and he started talking negatively about his roommate (something about him snoring) while he was just separated from him by a curtain, so I cut my dad off and shhh'ed him.
But I noticed his roommate has a European accent, and that's why I started talking to him because I was curious. He's "just" 85. He lived many years in NYC and worked at a "salon," that was a combination book store and art gallery and "everyone" went there. Dad mostly listened but started joining in the conversation near the end. So maybe they'll be friends, even though they are two opposites.
January 4th, 2026 at 12:14 am 1767485647
As for power banks, I’ve searched high and low myself, but the unfortunate thing here is that I don’t know of any good solutions here that isn’t both affordable and doesn’t weigh a ton.
My personal chosen route is I have the Anker Solix C200 DC, which is a very small and very light power bank, mostly designed to keep your phone charged, but also have enough juice to temporarily run a small, portable 12 volt Dometic fridge/cooler.
I admit I haven’t gotten around to actually buying such a fridge yet, because they are so expensive imo, but I think they should be enough for me anyway, to keep food from spoiling during a temporary outage. Bonus that you can take it with you, and jack it into your vehicle’s 12v as they are meant to be used like in an RV.
I don’t know if that route will work for you too, but ultimately, I haven’t found a good solution yet.