Bella fans: big step forward tonight. My co-op board met here in my apartment. With the first knock on the door Bella was outta here, streaking from the living room to hide under the bed. An hour later, though, to my astonishment, she wandered into the living room just far enough to rub against my leg -- I was sitting nearest the doorway -- get a little chin scratch, look around to see where everyone was, and calmly retreat again. After the meeting I went to the bedroom to see what was up, and there she was sitting on the bed. Never before has she been so brave in the presence of so many. Go Bella!