That was usually good news.

Then the official letter arrived.

I recognized the return address immediately.

Our city’s planning and code-compliance department.

I opened it at the kitchen counter.

The letter described a complaint and a review of the commercial use of our converted garage.

The department’s records showed that while I had the necessary food-handling credentials and had passed health-related inspections, the property lacked final approval for commercial food production under the applicable land-use and building arrangements.

I read the paragraph three times.