We had a heckuva blizzard yesterday in east central Iowa. At our house the snow didn't accumulate a lot, perhaps about 4" of snow. But it was rather wet, and the wind blew ferociously all day, creating a hard crust, easily iced by traffic.
It's hard to clear streets after this type of snow, I realize. It's hard to make them safe again, pavement clean and dry, even with the bright sunshine of this new day. And of course, major traffic ways get cleared first.
Still this morning I was getting ready to leave the house and my street hadn't been cleared. We live on a cul de sac in a subdivision, we're nearly last on the list. I get that.
As I put on my shoes and coat, moved things to my car to leave, I heard the familiar sound of the snow plow. Finally.
And now I was blocked in, snow plow moving back and forth at the base of my driveway. Several minutes went by. I went back into the house to stay warm, as I couldn't go anywhere while the plow and driver were there.
I waited.
And when the plow was done, I looked out. The cul de sac, a circle dead-end with a small island in the middle, was clear. Not to the pavement, but cleared smoothly enough, with driveway ends accessible.
So before I left the house, I called the streets department. I told the woman who answered what a great job the burly young man with the big beard had done.
They might not hear much like that on days like this.
If you get good service, especially when it is difficult to provide, consider taking a moment to acknowledge the effort and the outcome. Say "thank you," or "good job."
They might not hear much like that on days like this.