Please help me narrow all this down...dizzying array of choices above. Keys may not be what I want. Don't want to fish, golf or bar hop. Just want sandy beach where kids can swim and I can sit on my butt and watch. Something similar to condo in Port A or in Hawaii. Perhaps Keys is not my spot.
Your comment on insurance is interesting because in the recent past insurance would not pay for, or only pay a portion of the costs of speech therapy. It's good news that that has changed.
Purely anecdotal but when I worked, for several years, evaluating the medical records of children with disabilities I found it striking the number of children, especially boys whose problems began with a speech impairment. The progression was: speech impairment>being teased and taunted by their peers>refusal to attend school because of this peer rejection>deteriorating grades>behavior problems. Since that time I have noticed some of the mass shooters have/had speech impairments, the most recent being the Uvalde shooter.
It's frustrating as hell. A barre F is darn near impossible. If I get my index finger good and planted so I get good fretting on the low E, that places the fleshy part of the lower finger right on top of the B and no matter how hard I push it's just a thud. Part of it is that the neck is wider than my 6 strings, but I'm afraid the main culprit is the same thing that limits my ability to post photos...I'm getting a bad case of the olds and hands are weaker. Makes me respect, even more, people like Kottke.
After a long back order wait my Martin D-12 28 came in. I have wanted one of these for decades, just so damn expensive. It's a bear to play, but the extra effort is helping my 6 string playing...sort of like running with leg weights on...when you take them off you feel light as a feather. It's making me conscious of buzzing and sloppy fretting since you have twice as many strings to accidentally mute or mis-fret, so I guess that's a lesson I needed. Hard to play, but it really does sound like the proverbial chorus of angels.
Those “low flow” toilets are…crap. We installed 3 like that photo and replaced all three because the extra forceful “water saving” flush splashes bowl water on the seat and floor. I fought with Kohler and they replaced all three. I was insistent. The lady rep came all the way from San Antonio. I showed her the bowl water on the seat after a flush and asked if she wanted to have a seat. Kohler sent new toilets.
You mention that your giftee will be signing many documents. If signature is the main use, you might include a couple of different nibs with the pen. There are various widths and even calligraphy nibs. You can create your own special signature by changing to a different nib and practicing a little. I liked using a fountain pen because it sort of "forced" me to write more slowly which gave me time to think about what I was writing. I enjoy writing personal notes and people seemed to respond positively, knowing that I had taken time to write a note which was obviously personal. Of course, there is a time and place for the speed and simplicity of an email, but I think there is also a time and place for a handwritten greeting.
My favorite pen is a Parker Duofold International in Pearl and Black. They have been out of production for several years, but there are plenty on ebay. You didn't mention price point. The Duofold must be pretty collectable because they have doubled in price since I bought mine, but you don't have to spend big bucks. Levenger makes several attractive and functional pens.
I'm hesitant to interrupt the pizza kerfuffle, but...according to the googletrons the amount of water in the earth's atmosphere remains relatively stable. There is drought in North America. There is drought in Europe. It never rains in Africa. Where is all the water?
Fountain pens have a bit of a learning curve but once you get the hang of it they can make the act of writing a pleasure. No way to know if your giftee will have the patience to muscle through the curve.
I was just pulling fireman 4's chain when I said "fancy lodge". I spent several years in a college dorm room. I can take less than fancy. Thanks for all the suggestions.
When it comes to odors in the house I am, admittedly, persnickety.
I had dreams of my son bringing home his college friends and me cooking burgers on the griddle. Nope.