I've not been feeling too great lately. Usually, I can trace it back to one of my allergies.

Could it be gluten or wheat? I doubt it because I'm pretty sure I've not been exposed to any gluten-containing foods. I'd have to say, my gluten exposure risk has been pretty low lately. I've kept well away from wheat.

I recently mentioned that I hate early spring, and realized it was because of the mold.

Well, here is something else I thought I was noticing, which I now believe to be true (probably). In the spring, I prefer overcast days to sunny days.

Strange, no? The rest of the year, I much prefer the sun.

Today was a cloudy day, and my allergies aren't bothering me nearly as much as yesterday - I have very low-level allergy symptoms.

For years - decades in fact - I have detested the early part of spring.

Now the late part of spring, that is a different matter, once the grass has sprung, the flowers bloomed, and the birds are singing in the trees. Even before that is fine.

But just now, as the snow melts to reveal the ground once again, I don't feel happy.

This has always been a mystery to me. I love the sun. It's great to get outside. True, it is the end of the ski season, but soon it will be cycling season. I can't loose!

Except I feel out of sorts around now.

Yesterday though, I suddenly realized what it is: mold!

I am nearing the end of my house-sitting stint at my friends house - the house with the moldy basement. Most basements in this city are moldy it seems, which is why I am loath to move (I live in a house with a dry, relatively mold-free basement).

I've been managing my allergies by completely avoiding the basement (except for rare occasions, when I have done my best to take a deep breath before opening the door, running down the narrow stairs, doing what I have to do, running up again ... hopefully all on one breath as I slam the door behind me).

Do you find that your allergies are worse in the late fall, after the leaves are down and when it rains a lot?

On of the most common areas for a serious mold problem to occur in a house is in the basement, yet it is probably one of the most ignored. One could say that a damp and moldy basement is one of the biggest but most overlooked disasters for those who have allergies.

A leaky roof or bathtub is much more likely to be noticed quickly and fixed promptly. This probably has a lot to do with people's dislike of damp walls and marred paint. Forgotten in this calculation are health concerns. Mold is a major health concern whether you have an allergy or not.

I am one week into a three week stay, house-sitting for a friend of mine. The air quality is not what I am used to.

Here is one secret to feeling great and having lots of energy: manage the air quality of where you live and where you work.

Air conditioners can be excellent mold breading grounds. dust gets deposited on the cooling fins, then becomes damp because air conditioners condense water out of the air. Damp dust is a pretty good medium for growing mold. The mold may not grow all that well when the air conditioner is running and cold, but between cycles, and during longer periods when the air conditioner is not needed, the mold can have a real field day.