This afternoon I spent considerable time trying to pay Hyannis 
Home Depot $1632.57. However, the payment was blocked, I surmise
because a Citibank computer had been programmed to deem $1632.37 
spent so far from home to be attributable to a lost or stolen
credit card. After three failed attempts at payment, I received 
an automated telephone call directing me to press "1" if the
Hyannis purchase had indeed been authorized by me, and promised
in return that the funds would be released. But this was not the
case. The fourth attempt at payment also failed. The Home Depot
clerk and I agreed that I would try again tomorrow.

The dog was alone in his first floor garden room pen almost all day.
In late afternoon Nathaniel took him for a walk. Nathaniel explained
to me that he, Nathaniel was tired because he had been driving all
day, and needed to sleep before this evening's rehearsal. I don't
know when Nathaniel left. At about 6:30 p.m. I heard loud barking
which seemed nearby. The door to the first floor garden room was open.
The dog was in the first floor School Street room, barking, and
when I tried to talk to him, he snarled at me as if he were ready
to bite. I thought hitting him with my cane, as might have done, 
would only make a bad situation worse.

I telephoned Nathaniel who was at his rehearsal, and he in turn called
Laura who came over and put the dog back in his pen. The dog then
demonstrated how he had gotten out, and tried to get out again. 
Laura put him on the leash and tried to coax him upstairs, but he 
would not budge. Finally she carried him upstairs into the back bedroom 
which has the latch on the door, and placed his water dish on the
floor. That's where he is now. It's getting cold, (38 degrees) but I 
hesitate to set up a heater, because the dog might easily push me over, 
and I couldn't protect myself from his biting me while I was trying to
get the room warm for him. Nathaniel will be back in two hours. Meanwhile 
Laura has gone to a rehearsal. I don't hear any barking; the doors are 
closed; the dog can't get out, and I feel safe. The dog is still young.
I ask myself what I will do if I am still alive when he is grown.

Life is strange. I hope you are comfortable and that you sleep well.
I will meet you at the airport tomorrow evening.