Wasting Time Worrying about the Kalamazoo Blizzard That Wasn't

Yes, we all know there are times when we can have too much information. Sunday was one of those days. It all started out when friends started sharing posts from some local TV weather forecasters warning us that "parts of the viewing area" could get up to 10 inches of snow. That kind of stuff gets people's attention, and eyeballs. I"ll admit it, it got me, too.

This was one of those "tweener" weekends, not quite bad or cold and not quite nice enough to spend all day outside. So when friends started sharing these snow-mageddon posts, I've got nothing better to do - my significant other had a tough reaction to shot #2, plus she had to pull overtime, too - so I started interacting with Facebook friends, and also, in the back of my mind, going down the checklist of stuff I need to do ahead of Tuesday afternoon (when this supposed blizzard was going to arrive).

As I normally do when my virtual friends begin to panic about inclement weather, I quote my pal at the Weather Channel. This was one of the two most important things he taught me: "Any forecast beyond 36 hours is a guess." Once again, he turned out to be genius with that. So I was able to calm a friend in Delton with that one.

This is when things started to turn around and get better. One of the local weather people said this blizzard forecast was from the European model. Well, we all know the European model is like the Soviet judge at the Olympics.

Still, I went to bed Sunday night thinking Tuesday is going to be a long day. Then, I woke up this morning at 4:30, and, what? The storm is tracking south, apparently, and we're facing two inches. Two inches is an annoyance, not a blizzard. "Go back to your homes, folks. Nothing to see here."

But a friend went "there". Where? He spent most of Sunday mowing the vast property where he lives in Van Buren County, then wrote the perfect meme. "Mow Today. Shovel on Wednesday. #puremichigan."