Allow me to introduce you to Public Enemy Number One 'round these here parts:

The blooming birch tree

In the past three days, I have watched no less than two dozen news reports about how our "unusually heavy snow" this Winter and "unusually warm Spring" have "combined in a perfect storm" to make this the

"WORST ALLERGY SEASON EVER
EVER
ever
ever
ever
ever..."

And folks, I don't even watch the news on television. These have all been special reports broken in to prime time and mid-day programming. Not to make light of the suffering of all those of you who actually have serious allergies; I sympathize with you. But I think the media might, just might, be making a little bit too big a deal about this. Either that or they should take all those missiles in the Air and Space Museum and aim them at this tree outside its front door.