Our's is from when we lived in Florida. We bought that after the horror of the crazy 2010 hurricane season. After that, we never needed it again. (knock wood) We've hauled it from house to house. LOL.
Our other houses have had the transfer switch. This one doesn't. The old machine is also starting to sound horrible. (We run her on occassion to just do upkeep.)
We have 7 acres. The photo shows the neighbors cattle pasture which is only used May-December. From December until calving season in the middle of May, I have the full run of it. It's a fun place. Nooks, crannies, and artifact hunting. I can also hunt it when ever I want, which is great since that's where the red devils have hidey holes.
We have a large chicken house, barn which houses the alpaca herd, and then another large building that is our woodshop.
We've been at it since DH decided to retire from the military 5 years ago. So we've waited for our dream house for 25 years.But here we are.
As for the weather. We slide from one mess to another here. We are a land of extremes. Spring starts to beat out winter in late february, but we still can get huge heavy wet snows through march and sometime april. Spring is quick and very wet, and then slides smack into hot and really humid with heat indexes not uncommonly hitting almost 120. Regular temps hitting 105 is common. THen come Late july we start to loose the rain but keep the humidity, which is great as it's hay making season. So we roast but don't drown. Wind is always crazy high here (except in the hottest part of august, where it disappears completely). Fall is also non-existent. It's hot dry days, and cool nights are here and there, but are more of a wake up call to get your act in gear for the hard freeze that hits in the beginning of october, no later than the 5th. Then BOOM. Winter. COLD wet, or cold and dry, but always windy.
So nothing is more or less horrible, it just is. We roll with it. We all know by January, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. Storms may be big, but they don't stay long and having a couple of days in between allows you to clean up and rally for the next one.
It is my least favorite season, as I prefer being outside and still am, but it's hard to enjoy it wearing heavy clothes in layers, UNDER a full Carhartt suit, gloves under mitten and hats. I am just not a fan, but I've had severe frost bite before and my skin cannot do it again. (North Dakota windchill -72'F) Any my fingers and toes get cold really, really fast if I'm not careful.
Worst for me is November and December, the cold, and damp, and wind, combined with the lack of light....UGH does me in every year. We have super daylight bulbs in the house, and they help. but good glory. Dark so early drives me NUTS!
That sounds hard but glad you have a dream home and retirement. I lived in Colorado for a few years, when my relationship broke up I decided it was time to come home and loose the clothing. (No regrets over either
much better now) My sweet DH and I talk about somewhere we could live on more land and have more horses, more garden, more chickens, more work 
. We own a small charming home shared with the main house that Auntie lives in (we care take her) on about 3/4 acre lot. He has raw acreage on the Big Island, it's cooler temps and I think that that will be good enough for me but with all the work of clearing and building it may just be a pipe dream. Send more photos lol I'll keep dreaming.
*mumbles*
