Monday, looking back at Sunday’s snow

I did hear “unscheduled leave” on the radio and I think I have the credit hours to use but I trudged into work despite some people not salting or melting their sidewalks. You know who isn’t home or who is a BAD, BAD homeowner (renters can claim stupidity) by the slick paths of ice in front of their houses. People, salt. You can take regular table salt and melt (or at least break up) the dangerous ice outside your house. If you have sand that’s good too so people can have traction. Property owners are responsible for the sidewalk in front of their homes. According to DC Code, 2001 Ed, 9-601 property owners must clear snow and ice from sidewalks 8 daylight hours after snowfall. There is a fine but I don’t think the District really enforces it. What one might be concerned with is the uptick in the ‘walking to work’ lawyer population round here.
Sunday I noticed the lack of a certain population filling up the streets between 10am and 1pm. Lack or decrease in the number of cars for church parking. I think it is really telling when a large number of your congregation lives so far that they can’t make it in. My own church has a bunch of folks who live within blocks, or decent walking distance, from the church had a decent number showing up. But the distance, it doesn’t make sense, particularly when there are things that need to be done and can’t be done when key personnel can’t make it in due to snow.
Speaking of population observations. Early in the morning there weren’t as many people milling about in the Logan and Dupont Circle areas as I normally would see. But later, after noon there were people out walking, shopping, and doing their normal thing. It wasn’t the sort of weather one would drive into the area for, so I’m going to guess that a large portion of the people up and about on the streets were locals who live in the area. Provided business could get their employees in, there were shoppers ready to plunk down the cash and plastic. Sunday showed how important locals are to the life of an area. I think business and other functions that depend too much on folks who have to drive in suffer.

2 thoughts on “Monday, looking back at Sunday’s snow”

  1. Best part of the snow? The deafening quiet in Shaw. That was fantastic. It’s amazing how much noise people just haning out on the street make– you don’t realize it until they’re not there.

  2. It was very strange but welcomed. There were very few people on the streets, the church next to my house was cancelled. There were few cars on the roads. it was very peaceful and nice for a few hours.

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