I am drenched, I am saturated, I’m pervaded, and permeated, sodden; I’m soaked.

And no I’m not talking about the more than twelve inches of rain we have had in the past six weeks or so.

It is the television media. A sure sign of getting old is watching too much news and weather, right? Right now I feel ancient.

I have had more than my fill of wildfires and floods, Balloon Boy and Swine Flu. It’s not that I don’t care about any of these things but I’m sick to death of them all. If you watch a thirty-minute local news program you are bound to see weather at least two times and stories such as Balloon Boy more than twice. Recently during a local news program it was interrupted with ‘Breaking News’. The Breaking News was a house fire in Colorado. C O L O R A D O people. Really, really?

What reaction is appropriate to breaking news in Colorado when I live in Mississippi? Do I change my travel plans? Do I call someone I know? Do I untangle my water hose in anticipation of flying embers? Do I delay dinner to ruminate the news?

Do I really need to know that there is a house fire out west? I don’t think so.

And then of course many of these stories are repeated on the national news following the local news. You get the same stories the same reporters and the same boring sound bites.

Somebody help me please.

And what about the Swine Flu? Today they are reporting that some pig somewhere has the Swine flu. Do tell.

Now let me take a moment to say that I am not diminishing the effects of the flu to anyone that is or has suffered but do we have to have hourly repetitive updates? I don’t even know anyone with the Swine Flu. It is not a pandemic in my little world.

I gotta be honest I’m really tired of hearing about it everyday. And if I’m one of the unfortunate ones to contract it I will be even more tired of hearing it I’m certain.

Dear Don likes to watch the news in particular because he says we need to be informed.

I agree we do need to be informed. Just not overwhelmed or deluged with a flood of pointless information when  ‘just the facts’ will suffice.

So I guess starting today I will turn off the news, lay down the remote and walk away. I’ll try to live in the state of bliss, naively unaware as to the condition of the world, my country or my community. This form of rapture is something I will cherish and hold dear. I my friend will live in my own little world. So if you feel the need to contact me I will be at 87 Ignorance Drive, Bliss Mississippi.

You get the picture.

(Contact Sherry at swhcsc@wildblue.net)