diff --git a/ha/homeassistant.container b/ha/homeassistant.container
index f04363b..b93f0f2 100644
--- a/ha/homeassistant.container
+++ b/ha/homeassistant.container
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ Environment=TZ=America/Toronto
 # recovery. HA is rootful + host-net anyway.
 PodmanArgs=--security-opt apparmor=unconfined
 AddCapability=NET_ADMIN NET_RAW
+# Podman's default 10s stop window SIGKILLs HA mid-flush and the recorder
+# complains about an unclean sqlite shutdown on the next start.
+StopTimeout=120
 
 [Service]
 Restart=always
diff --git a/power/van-thermal b/power/van-thermal
index f31f725..7a3b71d 100644
--- a/power/van-thermal
+++ b/power/van-thermal
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ def load_creds(cfg):
         return None
 
 
-def pushover(cfg, title, message, priority=0):
+def pushover(cfg, title, message, priority=0, attempts=3, retry_delay=15):
     creds = load_creds(cfg)
     if not creds:
         log(f"pushover skipped (no credentials): {title} — {message}", "warn")
@@ -84,15 +84,22 @@ def pushover(cfg, title, message, priority=0):
         "message": message, "priority": priority,
     }).encode()
     req = urllib.request.Request("https://api.pushover.net/1/messages.json", data=data)
-    try:
-        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=10) as resp:
-            ok = resp.status == 200
-        if not ok:
-            log(f"pushover HTTP {resp.status}", "warn")
-        return ok
-    except Exception as e:
-        log(f"pushover send failed: {e}", "warn")
-        return False
+    # Retry network failures (DNS not up yet at boot, WAN flap) — they block the
+    # sample loop briefly, which is fine at this cadence. A non-200 means Pushover
+    # rejected the request (bad token etc.); retrying won't change that.
+    for attempt in range(1, attempts + 1):
+        try:
+            with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=10) as resp:
+                ok = resp.status == 200
+            if not ok:
+                log(f"pushover HTTP {resp.status}", "warn")
+            return ok
+        except Exception as e:
+            last = attempt == attempts
+            log(f"pushover send failed ({attempt}/{attempts}): {e}", "warn")
+            if not last:
+                time.sleep(retry_delay)
+    return False
 
 
 def load_config():
diff --git a/power/van-thermal.service b/power/van-thermal.service
index a5b287a..ff8e79f 100644
--- a/power/van-thermal.service
+++ b/power/van-thermal.service
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 [Unit]
 Description=Temperature monitor (CPU + NVMe) for the campervan router
-After=local-fs.target
+# Order after network-online so a boot-time threshold crossing (common: the Pi
+# boots hot) can actually reach Pushover — the very first sample fires within
+# seconds of start. If no WAN comes up, wait-online times out and we start anyway.
+After=local-fs.target network-online.target
+Wants=network-online.target
 
 [Service]
 Type=simple