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***my email is in the cloud ... I stand to lose almost 20 years of stored communications, if this pans out. Ugh***

Wow! I have a solution but it won't help with older messages. First, I don't know how accurate that source is. It is an aggregate site - like Twitter or FB (it is on Telegram) - and there are many posts per hour. This particular post is by the site owner/moderator; as I said, 'for what it is worth.' If things happen as he/she forecasts then that is a good source.

As to a solution for keeping older communications... For many years I have made text files of all sorts of noteworthy things, like emails. Whatever mail I feel worth keeping I swipe the text and copy it to a text file: Notepad. I have an email directory and a sub-directory for each year. Most years I have three or four sub-sub-directories for mail from regulars; for example, I have an FR directory for personal FReep mails, for every year.

I would have to start up my main computer to be sure, but I think those mail records go back prior to 2010. Occasionally I look back for something that far back. Mostly it is the product of a compulsive archivist. I keep a SD card in a slot and automatically back all that stuff both there and on the hard drive. Once you get into the routine you find that it takes little time to breeze through the 'Save' process.

I have never trusted the cloud, and now we find the NSA and DoJ scanning the cloud looking for prosecutable material on individuals... not really surprising - like seizing the property in all of the safety deposit boxes in an Arizona bank ''Because the bank was used by money launderers!'' Seized ALL the boxes indiscriminately. They bragged at all the cash and jewelry they got. What will happen with all that booty? I doubt any of the owners will ever receive their personal treasures again. I have never trusted safe deposit boxes either.

For many years I have made text files of all sorts of noteworthy things, like emails.

That’s the only thing I could think of to do, but in retrospect, it’s such a daunting task that it’s just not gonna happen. And when the emails have embedded photos or attached files, how to keep it all together? It would have only made sense if I’d started with a plan and done it piecemeal all along. I applaud you for your superior organizational skills. That has never been my strong suit! I made a few unsuccessful attempts to try and figure out how to import the emails into an email client, but that was it. So I guess I’ll just be hoping this scenario never happens to that extent!

I know what you mean about not trusting safe deposit boxes. We had one for a very short while, but then made other secure arrangements for the paperwork we had stored in it.

Good luck with Elsa. We just got some windy rain yesterday, a bit of precipitation today, and that was it. Not much different from the season of on and off rain that we’ve been having for a while.