No, you haven't moved to London. It just feels that way.
Better count on adding some time to the morning commute today. The area has been blanketed by a heavy fog and a steady mist and drizzle. Which gives it something in common with all day Sunday and most of Saturday.
In the couple of hours when it was not misting, on Saturday morning, I managed to get the lawn done.
After that the wife and I piled into the car and headed to Harrisburg for the annual PNA Keystones Awards banquet.
One of the things we love to do while in the state capital is walk along the Susquehanna River. You can actually traverse a pedestrian bridge over to City Island, where of course I had to peek into Metro Bank Park, where the Nationals Triple A team plays its home games. My wife was less than amused, since I do this every time we visit Harrisburg.
Most years we've been lucky weather-wise. Walking along the river on a gorgeous spring day is a delight.
This spring has been a little less than delightful Actually, it's been miserable. Not only was it cloudy and misty, there was a chilly wind blowing along the river. So much for any thought of breaking out the shorts.
Sunday never did improve much. We drove all the way home in a drizzle. Once back at the homestead, any thought of doing anything outside soon gave way to the realization that this blanket of misery was going nowhere.
I decided to console myself with the Sunday paper. That's when my mood brightened considerably.
Not because the sun came out. Not because it stopped raining and my trip to the driving range was saved.
No, this weather-related story came courtesy of Drew Becher. If you don't know him, he's the president of the Philadelphhia Horticultural Society. This week they announced that instead of their normal $1 million in profits, this year's show actually came up in the red, to the tune of a $1.2 million deficit.
And Becher thinks he knows why.
He's blaming the TV weather forecasters.
I love this guy.
As anyone who knows me realizes, one of my biggest pet peeves has been the way local TV stations handle the weather, especially in the winter at any hint of possible snow.
I have been hypothesizing for some time now that this kind of grandstanding has moved past the normal weather hype and was going to start having real economic consequences. You can read one of my screeds here.
Obviously Becher agrees.
He cited a constant drumbeat of possible snow as one reason why 225,000 fewer people went through the turnstiles this year, that's down 17 percent from 2012.
Becher points the finger at forecasters who were beating the drums hyping a potential major snow event much of the Flower Show week. In fact, the region only got a dusting. But Becher says a lot of groups canceled their plans.
I feel for the guy.
I don't expect anything to change when it comes to the weather. I will continue to complain about it. Summer remains a rumor.
And I don't expect TV to change the way they handle it, in particular snow. The fact is weather equals ratings, especially in the winter. I think we all need to realize that.
But at least for one organization, the bloom is off the rose, so to speak, with the forecast.
I know how they feel.
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