I finally took possession of my nearly new VW GTI today. The weather was so disgusting that even the 18-wheelers on the highway were keeping to the usually ignored speed limit, and the Chevy cracker-box tried to ditch itself in a big patch of drifted snow at the county line.

The GTI is comfortable, stable and powerful, just what I like for foul conditions. My bank account is badly deflated, but at least I didn’t have to take a loan.

And the insurance company got its numbers wrong and short-changed me by about two thousand dollars. So that business is still to be settled. I sicced the Stratford insurance broker on them; he has all the direct phone numbers.