out of all the precipitation (hail, rain, sleet, etc.), snow is the only one that's silent. nothing warns you that it's snowing until you look outside and surprise! the landscape is covered in white. this was the case this morning, as new england experienced its first snowstorm of the season (season? it's not even winter yet). the snow mixed with freezing rain around noontine, as i went outside to shovel the sidewalk. i also went across the street to get some groceries to make some lunch and later dinner. i came back home and made an omelette (filled with ham, garlic, onion, cheese, and capers). the snowstorm seemed to be tapering off, but by the afternoon it seemed to have regain its strength, with near white-out conditions and the occasional flash and rumble of lightning and thunder. eventually the snow stopped and i went out one more time to shovel the walk again, beating my other neighbors to the punch (it helps that i work from home). the final accumulation seemed to be 6", just a baby blizzard for us seasoned new englanders. i took a hot bath while reading the latest issue of entertainment weekly, then when evening came, i made some rigatoni with vodka sauce for dinner.