If you are going to have it plugged in to AC all the time at home, I would fully charge the battery and take it out and store in a cool, dry place. My original battery stayed in the computer all the time and I used it plugged in most of the time. Didn't take long for the battery to give up the ghost because it was contantly being recharged. A battery is good for only a certain number of charges. So I bought a much larger capacity replacement battery, use it sometimes, and will be using it when we travel. Otherwise, here at home, I take it out of the computer and store it in the box it was shipped in. These instructions were on the website of the vendor where I bought the battery.

Wow, that is one long thread. May I ask what county you are in? Unfortunately, I don't have time to go through all the posts to find out if you mentioned your location beyond TN mountains. I took the liberty of posting a direct link to your thread below. Here is a link that might be useful: Direct Link To Going Off The Grid City-Data Thread

. If you really wanna be OFF grid . . then you'll need to supply / generate your own electricity. That means either PV ( solar panels / batteries ), wind ( "windmill" and batteries ), or fossil fuel generator. Fossil fuel generator will also mean you must store a fair amount of fuel; lest you have a generator and cannot obtain fuel if the power is out. Being in the "Sunshine state" would make the choice of PV the no-brainer. Wind is usually not constant enough to be the ONLY source. Generators make noise and need maintenance / replacement; especially if run constantly. Plans are wide open except for their energy consumption consequences. You will want to pay GREAT attention to efficiencies of EVERYTHING you have . . every light bulb ( DON'T use ANY incandescents ), appliance, etc. I read that every dollar spent in reducing your needs; saves $20 off the cost of whatever system you choose to produce your electricity with. A/C is a BIG user, if that's even on your radar. I have a PV ( grid-tied ) system; and I went through each and every load one by one. Biggest load in the whole house is . . . the hairdryer. The other biggies are well pump, the vacuum, the microwave, the toaster . . . . the fridge ended up being fairly low; while a large size it was bought by it's efficiency; NOT by doo-dads and ice makers . . . . As far as supplying your own water; you will need a well . . and choose the pump carefully . . don't just put in whatever size everyone "usually" does . . it may be oversized. Water is heavy, and is pumped under pressure. Depending upon how deep you've got to pump it from; it can be a sizeable load. Also know that reducing your water usage will help greatly. Get a washer that uses less water / electricity . . such as the front-loader types. I guess what I'm driving at is that building a place to achieve what you want to achieve; leaves a good bit of room for style / layout etc . . . but that you'll need to include energy considerations as part of ANY plan you end up choosing. Use large eave overhangs, face/size windows appropriately, use trees freely as they can greatly reduce cooling needs. Insulate well; this help with both cooling and heating needs. And of course; smaller is better . . . a smaller amount of sqare footage, WELL thought out / planned; is more efficient and cheaper to build. Bob

So happy to hear from you. I'm sorry you've been having back issues, but it's great that you had a good day today! I hope your good days start to outnumber the bad as your body mends. Good luck with getting the house cleared out and the Internet hooked up! I'm glad your daughter has been able to be of such support to you. It sounds like you're very loved by her. And just so you know, your kinds words and helpful advice have been missed here!