Nor'easters

As a kid summering in Maine (about as Nor'east as you can get), these were indeed nasty storms. We knew what to do - make sure the boats were tied up securely, hunker down, and wait it out putting a jigsaw puzzle together. No sweat.

But with blithering sorts giving all manner of weather "reports," to our ever panicky public, the message becomes translated as "the sky is falling! the sky is falling!" and all go into hoarding overdrive, as we did on Thanksgiving this year.

Now, I recognize Hurricane Sandy was a hard hit, but Nor'easters have been wary foes for generations. Today, panic ensues (a ratings bonanza for weather people), videos of panic show up on TV and YouTube, and lines form immediately at gas stations. "Hunkering down" is apparently unacceptable - there is shopping to be done.

Curmudgeons? Kings of the hunkering.