Another busy day today, cleaning and packing for a trip to the Redneck Riviera. We were not careful in planning this trip, and will find ourselves among Memorial Day crowds. Drat! Who decided to schedule the holiday for May 26?

The project at hand is to find a king-sized bedspread suitable for the condo. Do you know how hard it is to find a proper bedspread as opposed to a comforter set? Nigh unto impossible these days, unless we choose a chenille, which is an option. Experienced advisors tell us that it is far better to use a print fabric, to conceal such stains and spots as can be expected when children are running around slathered with sunscreen and tanning lotions and carrying colored drinks. A bedspread, I'm told, is the better choice because it is easier and tidier for guests to put right.

We will also inventory the kitchen and replace any items that have been broken, lost or snitched. People do take the funniest things: steak knives are always missing, plastic containers of all kinds go missing, can openers, knife sharpeners, bedside clocks all go missing. Maybe we should buy some cheap novelty ashtrays so people can take a souvenir from the beach without inconveniencing the guests that follow. Sorry to say, some people just don't get this sharing thing.

In Dallas, I stumbled across a display of battery-operated clocks on sale ($2.78 apiece, with batteries!) and bought half a dozen. Maybe I should have bought more. "Stay at our condo. Get a free clock!"

I'm really too tired for this trip right now, but given the situation in Dallas it's best we go and get it over with as soon as possible. Not a very beachy attitude is it? Maybe it will improve when we arrive.

I don't plan on being near a computer during our stay, so this might be the last post until sometime next week. Y'all have a safe and happy Memorial Day. (And I am taking suggestions for bedspread shopping anywhere from Mobile to Pensacola. And I know about the outlet mall.)

LATER: Steam irons go missing. Who in hell wants an iron?