After weeks of no action, suddenly everything is happening at once. The masons took up half the patio yesterday, and now Tony the carpenter is hard at work in the basement and the foundation crew are unloading their power digger. The street is full of large vehicles, every one with its engine running, and my garage door is wide open. The cats have gone to ground until peace breaks out.

My voice is gradually coming back, though I'm still coughing and croaking. This morning's air quality is not great -- smoke from the wildfires out West -- so I woke up wheezing, but at a reasonable hour!