"A good forecaster is not smarter than everyone else, he merely has his ignorance better organised." --Anonymous

Hello Thursday. It's February 19, 2015 and I welcome one and all. Sure, it's a little on the chilly side, but, let us all pause and be thankful the weather people were wrong again. No. I do not delight in knocking the weather forecasting folks. It's just one little tiny thing that is a tiny little pet peeve of mine. Last week we were told at about this time we were supposed to be experiencing some low to mid twenties, you know, wrap the pipes freezing temperature type weather. Thus far, we haven't hit those original projections and I am glad about that. We have disclaimers on just about everything these days. Why not have one that can be played before the weather forecast? Here's how they typically lead into their talking points: "This is what will be happening over the next several days." People take action based on these projections. Maybe they could play the theme from the old Dragnet series and use my modified take off on the one they always included with that show: "Ladies and gentlemen, the forecast you are about to see is the truth as best we know it, given the fact that it could change even as you are viewing it. Because of this, the names of the presenters have been changed to protect their identity and to hide their guilt." You think maybe I should trademark that one just to protect any future royalties? Not a bad idea. I'll think about it.

Maybe that's why many of them use good looking ladies. Distraction, distraction, distraction. You remember: "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." You do know that I am just joking around. Or, at least to some extent. Some. Maybe not much more than a jot and a tittle. (Look it up.) Okay. Let us move forward. Or, maybe more applicable, let us move on. I will say that I found it pretty interesting in watching the Weather Channel long time reporter Jim Cantore go berserk over the thunder-snow, four or five snow lightning strikes in a row while he was on the air. He acted like a kid who just bolted out the door of the school to play in the snow. He couldn't stop jumping up and down. He said people could have their $500 million jackpot but he would rather be a part of a real thunder-snow event any day of the week. I heard someone suggest that maybe he should be fired for being so unprofessional but it seems his video out on YouTube has gone viral and people love it, and him. Just Google his name if you are interested in seeing a weather person get all giddy. At least he's into his work, so to speak. And, he was definitely correct in predicting snow because it was coming down like crazy.

I do have respect for those who do their best to provide weather planning information to us. Perhaps it is all the hype and other stuff that surrounds the weather presentation business that keeps me a little uptight. And, it does make a good conversation topic since the old saw is true, 'everyone talks about the weather but no one does anything about it.'  A lady I went to school with more than 50 years ago put up this little revelation on her Facebook page the other day: "Yes I am a senior citizen.....I'm awake many hours before my body allows me to get up and I'm beginning to realize getting old is not for wimps!" I well remember when someone saying something like that would have produced a smirky shrug of indifference. However, time marches on, and when I read that one I could immediately identify with the sentiment. I know. I would say one could repeat over and over again that you are only as old as you feel, but, sadly, I think that was her point, and that is the point. Here's one to cheer us all up: "Today is the oldest you have ever been, And, the youngest you will ever be again." I have no clue how to explain that one but it sounded good so I threw it in there for good measure. Take care and may God bless us all. Amen.  ...More later.