We got a light dusting of very wet snow coupled with wind gusting to 69 mph (110 km/h) made it impossible to get out of two of the three exterior doors. Still haven't had to go out a window. Not much is closed down and we're all plowed out.
It was time to serve the Solstice Pale Ale yesterday at 18:00. Bonfires (check), a couple of kegs (check), and a bunch of people. It's always a great way to usher in longer days.
Have your friend look at https://www.tiltbridge.com/ the ESP32 is cheap and easy to program. I use VSCode and Platform IO to program these type of micro controllers. I never did get around to making a case so mine lives in a quart Ziploc bag. I just place a foot or two from the stainless...
I'm no expert either. My hops will grow over a foot a day in hot dry weather as long as they have plenty of water and fertilizer. They are susceptible to powdery mildew and that is caused by damp conditions. So store up some water in barrels and grow some hops.