Predictably, I received a number of pro-insect sentiments from readers after my self-defense initiative/savage attack (depending on your point of view) on a trespassing earwig last night. The pro-bug contingent is welcome to live in peace and harmony with its six-legged friends, but I'm afraid you mustn't expect similar feelings from me. Insects make my skin crawl. If I wanted to live with nature, I'd still be in Vermont.

Speaking of Vermont, Tony suggested that we go to Bennington after Christmas to meet up with another friend of ours from college and spend a weekend catching up. It sounds marvelous to me, but I'm concerned about my tires. They're all-weather tires, of course, for the city, but that designation really means they're all-weather-except-snow. Having spent three winters in Vermont, I have a healthy respect for snow.

I can't buy snow tires; I have no place to store them. But I'm more than a little concerned about Route 9 through the mountains from Brattleboro to Bennington without snow tires. There's an answer to this, but I haven't found it yet. Can I rent a vehicle with snow tires?

It's terribly cold in here. I'm off for a hot shower.