I can breathe, but I can't speak.

Five months ago, for Christmas, we got an air exchanger for the house. Because when you have asthma and allergies, and a long haired dog, and a long haired cat, and unfinished dry wall and floors, and a wood stove, - air quality is important.
Like all our renovations we started off with great gusto, and then when the project was 80% installed we stopped and went back to doing other things. Now that the weather has become almost summer like (27 degree today) and we can open the windows for fresh air, we decided that the last step of installation could be completed. It was humming (or hissing) along for me when I got home from work yesterday. Peter thinks it looks like a robot and has taken to calling it Marvin. The installation guy also defrosted the deep freeze while he was at it. Thanks Sweetie.

It may be psychosomatic but both Peter and I feel that the air in the house is a lot cleaner, even though it has been only a few hours. One of the ways we can tell is when the sun comes through the window pane, the beam of light doesn't get dispersed through a haze of grey dust, dander and soot, but actually hits the floor. And neither of us woke up with the sniffles this morning.

Waking up with sniffles is actually something I got used to a long time ago. It usually gets worse in spring with the pollen, and sometimes the allergies give me a sore throat. That is why, when I woke up last week with a sore throat I just took an antihistamine and went to work anyway. Three days later it still wasn't better and then I lost my voice. That was last Saturday. I have been voiceless for a week now, although the course of antibiotics that the doctor prescribed seems to be working and I can almost talk.
My doctor insisted I stay home from work for two days unless 'you don't have to go outside, do physical labour or talk." Pretty much sums up my job. She said I couldn't go to work, but she didn't day I couldn't go shopping, so I took advantage of having a week day off to prepare for an art fair I am doing in June. I feel so ahead of the curve. (I'm sure that feeling will go away)
It was the worst possible week to get sick though. I was preparing a 'special' street planter to be part of the Alliance of Kings Artists summer art series Unommon Common Art. The planter was due to be finished by Monday, and since Monday is a holiday here, it had to go out Friday. So I went to work Friday and did a lot of mime for my co-workers. All of who had something clever to say, along the lines of "Today is a good day to argue with Jane" and "Gee, Jane, you're almost the perfect woman."

It did get finished though, and the idea is that by the end of summer, the plants will envelop the bicycle and it will disappear. This is the plan, but tonight we are scheduled to get frost, and there is always the worry that enterprising young hoodlums may try to throw it in the harbour, so I took a picture now for posterity.
In case you are wondering, no, I did not get frustrated with my cycle riding and trash my own bike. This was on found on the street, along with a lot of other debris as the university students vacate all the rental units for summer.

In training (I'm such a jock, not!)

Started riding my bicycle for the charity ride I do for brain cancer research in June. This is my second day out. I rode in March when we had the hot summer 24 degree freak weather week, but that was just a quick ride to the store in the village, a mere 2km. My ride today was from Habitant to Medford and back. Google maps tells me it was 8.2 km. That's less than 1/5 of my goal as the charity ride is 50km (not 25 like I thought )
Amazingly I didn't feel that bad afterwards. Possibly I will be singing a different tune tomorrow. I think the yoga and physio I have been doing are really helping but by the end of the ride I was wishing I had dug out my cycle shorts.
While I was cycling I was keeping an eye out for our dog pool. We bought a child's wading pool for Willow last year, and it was in the shed of the winter, but we pulled it out to put the snowblower and generator away for summer and left it out without water in it. It blew away in one of those windy days we had. Our winds blow west to east, so I expect it fetched up on a hedge row between some farm fields between here and Kingsport. No luck, but perhaps I will go ask at the vineyard if they have seen it.
Thaks to everyone who has donated to my ride, if you haven't already you can do so by clicking here http://pmhf3.akaraisin.com/teamed2012 and click on Sponsor a Participant to find me and donate.
No picture of my route today. I didn't think to take a camera, but here is a photo of some tulips I planted by the greenhouse last fall.