We are preparing for a weekend at the coast. We will leave tomorrow and return on Monday. Lucy will, as always, be traveling with us.

The annual members' meeting of the condominium association will be on Saturday, and should be quite an event this year. We are not alone in our contempt for our directors' leadership in the wake of "that terrible night last September."

We hope to make it. In defiance of a lack of a certificate of occupancy, we plan to stay in our condo (fully paid for, all fees and taxes up to date), rather than rent some other accommodation, as the board and contractors would prefer. I do not want to board Lucy with a stranger, and no one is available to look after her here. We do not know what the repercussions of our action will be.

Lyman does, however, have extensive experience in criminal law, and knows how to conduct himself accordingly.

And there's some shopping to do, most importantly, two lamps to buy for the master bedroom. The two we had were fine, but one was broken somewhere down the line. No, I don't know how, though we're certain it wasn't "winds of Ivan," not if the placemats on the dining table hadn't moved an inch. Gah, I hate shopping, especially when I know that what I will find in the stores will not be as suitable as what we already owned. The art and bedspread and flowers in that room were keyed to those dark blue lamps.

For now, I am cleaning this place up. I'd leave it as it is, but Bug Busters will come in while we're gone. I wonder if they have a mongoose to chase down whatever is moving furniture in the attic?

UPDATE: Lucy says, "Make my day, big boys. I'll blow your eardrums out! You'll lose hair. Your babies will cry in their cribs."

Can you say "press"? I can.

I ain't signing no "hold harmless" agreement, either. There are half a dozen ways they can hurt or kill Lucy, who will have to be left alone sometimes, without leaving evidence. I wouldn't put anything past those people. No, I don't trust them. Not one iota.