It's a brilliantly sunny day and has warmed up into the low twenties after zeroing out overnight. Joined my neighbor Carol for a walk on the frozen Steppes of the lake with our combined dog pack. On messy days I use the stepper in the basement office, on clear days I use the Stepper outside. This cartoon speaks to one of Scout and Wing's winter behaviors, the Poopsicle syndrome, the catalytic converter function of dog metabolism. Digging for them in the snow banks appears to be part of the fun. Hey, whatever keeps them in the yard; the invisible fence doesn't give off a really strong signal with two feet of snow on top of it. On this Sunday afternoon, I'm watching football playoffs. I have no idea why I like watching football on TV. Today it's the guys in light shirts against the guys in dark shirts. My only team loyalty is to the Saints, but that is largely philosophical. No matter what kind of talent the Saints have, their destiny is intermitently tweaked when that skinny creole voodoo priestess in the Treme gets some new drugs and starts fiddling with those figurines on her mantelpiece. To ally myself with them is to acknowledge that there are forces beyond our control and that we all keep on playing as best we can when the ground shifts. The playoffs are also about spreading the year's receipts out on the coffee table and getting organized. Nothing much else is happening. Melissa is catering a seed-savers conference at MOFGA. It was supposed to be for 30 people, but turned out to be 90. She has emptied the freezers. All summer and fall she stocks up with organic and free range meats and products; then serves it at MOFGA events in the winter. I'm starting to put up the theater schedule. My method is eclectic plagiarism. I go out on the web and get photos and reviews. Sometimes I actually quote the source, but mostly I just grab this and that and repackage it. This year there will be food and drinks(John got a liquor license) served before almost every show as the banquet facility downstairs becomes the Playhouse Grill.

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