Well, it’s 11PM and we’re in the teeth of the storm!
–Or is it the gums?

I just flipped on the news and have been informed by damp reporters in shiny rain gear that it is, indeed, raining. The wind reportedly is “howling.” Some boats are being “jostled.” “Two” people have checked into a shelter in Barnstable; one of them may have stubbed his toe. Otherwise, no reported injuries. People on the Cape are lined up on the beach in their lawn chairs and cars eating cheese and crackers, waiting for the show: Hurricane Earl!!!

Wait just a minute. Earl is no longer a hurricane. Earl began petering out this afternoon, from category 3, to 1, to mere tropical storm status and every meteorologist in town knew it. But that didn’t stop every major TV station from sticking to its pre-fab story, ramping up the drama to support that story, and even pre-empting regular programming to provide non-stop coverage of what they KNEW was going to be a non-event.

Do they think we’re idiots? We had more rain last week! This is not only irritating, it’s lying. I know I’m naive. I still cling to the quaint notion that we should be able to count on THE NEWS to report the facts and not spin a story for maximum drama. The last time I checked they weren’t giving out Tony’s for the weather report. Once again, they made a big muddy mountain out of a soggy little mole hill.

My forecast for tomorrow? The news is all wet.