I've been sneezing constantly for the past two days. I think I caught a cold.
Lorenzo left for Mayne Island early Saturday morning and is taking the week off from work to get the cottage ready for paint and floors. I mentioned the issue we were having about the fireplace, and how we were going back to the wood stove idea. I called Lorenzo this morning and the subject came up. He became defensive, like he was ready for a fight. Turns out, he doesn't want the wood stove, wants to install a different fireplace insert, and refuses to tear down the fireplace surround that he built...

He went on to say that the guys are coming to install it on Wednesday. Case closed. I told him that if it makes him happy, then that's what we'll do. He immediately became relieved because he thought I was going to flip-out. At the end of the day, he's the one doing all the work, so if he has his heart set on a fireplace instead of a wood stove, oh well. Life's too short.

Yesterday, he crawled underneath the cottage to run the pipes for the built-in vacuum. He said it was absolutely disgusting - cob webs, spiders, etc. He duked it out with the critters and said he'll never go under there again...Somehow in the midst of his misery, he managed to take a picture for the blog!  I'm assuming he was crawling around on his stomach when this shot was taken. That's what I call dedication....

Here is another pipe he had to install - all this effort in order to keep the dust bunnies under control. I'm not sure, but I think this is where the hose will plug in...

Installing a central vac system may seem like over-kill in a cottage, but it was on sale. And once you've used one, there is no going back to using anything else. They are amazing, and the dirt and dust get carried outside - your house is twice as clean...

Lorenzo has been strapping the ceiling to prepare it for the beadboard...He has already finished the entire west side of the cottage...

I was feeling sorry for him over there with no heat, shivering and lonely, but he says that since he insulated the walls and ceilings it's toasty; he hasn't been cold at all. This is a huge change - before, even in the summer, the evenings were really chilly and you had to make a fire. He does feel a bit lonely though, and is looking forward to coming home next weekend.

So, Guido will gone for the whole week. I miss him already...he's my Scrabble buddy.