Hi @carolee888,

I hope that your cousin is well again. Hip fractures used to be fatal after a year or so. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3118151/ My argument with our doctor was that our roof is only 20 feet up, but now I realize that I can break a hip falling from a curb.

Our roof is flat and we have canales https://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photography-southwestern-style-canale-gutter-drainage-image8118437; there are no gutters as we knew them in Michigan. That is common in our area. 9 inches of rain is the annual average and half of the that is during 3 months starting in July. Trees taller than the houses are not common. Our HVAC is on the rooftop and so we need to change the filters there at least twice a year and at the same time inspect the roof for any damage. Since it is a reflective white, it helps to hose it off at least once a year to keep the brown dust buildup to a minimum. We hire someone else to do it all. There are resources to help seniors that can't afford to maintain their houses.

We don't have enough medical resources for many specialty services. One must travel at least an hour to El Paso or 3 hours to Albuquerque. That, though, is why we have been in Rochester the last 13 months as my wife battles lung cancer. We were here for 9 months in 2007 for her successful battle, thanks to Mayo, with breast cancer. That care brought us back here frequently over the 15 years for her check-ups. Well worth it!! It has been worth staying here these 13 months too!!! We plan to stay until she wins the battle.