After spending over fifty years living in the northern part of the country, my husband and I were tired of the snow and cold. While we weren’t ready to completely abandon our hometown, we wanted to avoid the long months of sub zero temperatures. We purchased a second home down south and now divide our time. The goal is to enjoy the best weather in both locations. We reside in our original house from sometime in May until early November, avoiding the intensive heat and humidity down south. Setting up and maintaining two households requires more work than we anticipated. We now have two sets of kitchen appliances and dishes, bedding and towels and even shoes and clothes. We keep a vehicle at each house. One of the biggest issues was concerns over leaving a house empty for half the year. We worried about break-ins, theft and vandalism. We were afraid of a power outage up north causing pipes to freeze or a tree falling on the house down south. We had no way of protecting or keeping an eye on our property. The perfect solution was the installation of a home security system at each location. The features of the systems are linked to an app on our smartphones. We receive notification if there’s an excess of moisture, smoke, power outage or temperature fluctuation. We get alerts when there’s motion on the property, and we can watch real-time video to find out what’s going on. If someone were to enter the home without permission, an alarm would sound and the local authorities would be dispatched. Having the security system is such a relief. I like the ability to check on either house at any time, no matter where I happen to be.