This my last day off before chemo starts again tomorrow. It’s snowing here in Stow and the world outside looks pretty uninviting. The ground is frozen and the sky is overcast. (California’s sounding pretty good, John!). Nevertheless, Mo is out walking Diggory in the town forest, along with Maisie (Liz’s Wheaten), and Riley (Annette’s Yellow Lab). Yesterday she walked with Iona (Martha and James’s Airedale Terrier). She can’t walk with both Maisie and Iona because they don’t get along! I remember the last walk I took with Diggory, back in early November. Miranda came with me that time, and we did the white trail – the short loop. I’m looking forward to doing some more walks with Diggory after the chemo is over and I start to get my strength back. Last year I did a lot of snow-shoeing in the town forest after the snow falls, and then later, would take out my cross-country skis and inexpertly navigate the trails. Often, Miranda would join me using Mo’s skis, and she got her first taste of the fun of sliding down the gentle slopes. This last Friday, Miranda got her first proper downhill skiing lesson at Nashoba. She’s in the beginner’s class so did not actually do much skiing; she just practiced different positions of the skis. Still – if you’re going to live in New England, one might as well learn how to enjoy the winter.

Miranda went to the annual girl-scouts father/daughter square dance last night, with her friend Jillian, and her Mom, Mary. (Jillian’s father, John, is in California for his new job.) Miranda slept over at Jillian’s house last night, so I have yet to hear how it went. Uncle Martin is lucky that he’s not showing up until tomorrow, otherwise I think he’d have been roped in! The square dance has been a fun Stow social event over the years, but not without event. A couple of years ago there was a point where we all formed a big circle, holding hands father-daughter-father-daughter; the caller handed down the microphone to one of the fathers; unfortunately the microphone was not properly grounded, and an electric shock traveled through the circle, each person in the circle getting shocked and twitching a fraction of a second before the next person. Amusing, but not to be repeated.

The opening salvo for what could become an insurance battle has begun. Not sure how much of a problem it’s going to be yet, but I sent off my first letter to Aetna yesterday contesting their decision not to honor a claim for reimbursement of oral surgery on the grounds that I needed pre-authorization from my Primary Care Physician. I think this one’s going to be OK, but I must say I am not looking forward to having to sort out future bills and denials of service. Taxes are going to be more interesting this year – and even more so next year!

Enjoying the unfolding Abramoff scandal tremendously, and hoping for lots of indictments. On a related note, I see that Scooter Libby has landed a plum job as member of a Washington think-tank, the Hudson Institute so he’s back on the inside track again.