Snow falling on silence

One good thing about a snow storm, if you live and work near the corner of Lincoln and Wells in Old Town, is that everything gets quieter. The truck noises subside, even though purveyors refuse to slack off on their routes; the oft-incessant beeping slows to a halt, even though cars are still lined up at red lights; and there is no one shouting as they walk down the sidewalks, even though the bars on Wells and Lincoln have been open all day. You could say that it’s too cold to shout, or that the snow muffles the sounds, or that when the streets are so treacherous no one would have the gall to beep. Whatever the reason, we now have one vote in favor of snow storms.