To paraphrase old Walt Whitman writing about “great poets” and repeating a little something that I use at public events, I want to give a shout out to the readers, hundreds of ’em, thousands of ’em, who visit this publication again and again. You complete the loop.

Today was a feedback day on the blog-thing. On two occasions I heard from regular readers of this blog. At a community event, a young guy who works in government said it was a a morning ritual to check this blog and a few mainstream media sites to get the day started. He said he doesn’t miss a day. Another person called to me in a downtown restaurant where I was picking up a take-out order to say he enjoys and appreciates the championing of Lowell that he sees on this site. Both comments were spontaneous.

Encounters of this kind are a reality check. We know the numbers on the site visit counter, but it’s a different kind of data when you hear from readers first-hand. So, thanks for giving us your attention and time. There’s something important going on here. I don’t think we have the full measure of it yet.