It seems somehow appropriate that on this, the first day of winter, we finally got some snow. Certainly there’s not much of it – just a dusting. But at least it’s visible. Last night I began to wonder if the weather forecasters had messed up with their nonchalant predictions. On Twitter, folks were Tweeting away about nightmare commutes and icy-slick roads. That all stayed to the east of us, I think, although not by much. Streets in Boston and even route 93 into New Hampshire were said to be snow-covered and slippery. At 10:30 p.m., a sander truck rumbled down the street spewing its salt/sand mixture all over the road.

When I awoke early this morning, the wind was howling but it turned out to be not quite as cold as it’s been (today was 20 degrees compared to the single digits of a few days ago). Out on the streets, the snow was gone from the road surfaces due to the heavy application of salt laid down overnight. In a two mile walk, I didn’t encounter a single slick spot. So thanks to the Lowell Public Works Department for a prompt and proportional response to the overnight precipitation.