A field of fish

more X-mas lights in my new town

There is an empty lot I pass when I am crossing town. Recently it was full of giant fish sculptures

More unseasonable warmth..yay! If only winter would stay like this. Back to the bike shop yet again to replace the punctured tube. In less than 10 minutes, it was replaced and I was only charged for the new tube itself. I guess he felt sorry for all the times I've come in just to deal with this front wheel. Twice for broken spokes (eventually the whole wheel was replaced with a sturdier version) and 3 times for flats..all on the front wheel. Meanwhile the bike I finally just gave back to Josh I had taken in only once in the 20 years or so I've had it (and rode on it a lot). But over the last 2 days, I was able to bike 20 miles or so. Come Monday, it probably will be too cold to go back out.

Mystery spots: Naomi has been covered in hives for the past 24 hours. She has never shown any sign of allergy to anything nor has she been exposed to anything new that she can think of. It looks like poison ivy but not likely given the time of year. Poison ivy is my nemesis. My last exposure consisted of me merely grabbing a plant (thinking it was a weed) for a second until I recognized what I did. I washed the oil off immediately but 3 days later, I was treated with an itchy rash for 3 weeks all over my body. The physician was no help other than to give her steroids. My current theory: she is reacting to the metal in her various piercings though she has not changed these piercings for at least a year. Or maybe to the dyes in her tattoos although none are new. She did sleep in new sheets without washing the sizing off. Weird co-occurrence. Both Shanna and Oliver had a rash on X-mas day but it quickly went away.

So much that I should be doing.