The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Two? Or four? That is the question It was Tuesday morning, actually Tuesday at 11 a.m., and two totally separate things happened to me. One: I was just returning to the office after a photo assignment at the local seniors' centre and on the way back, heard the guy on the car radio ranting how we're gonna be lambasted with freezing rain by `mid-afternoon.' Two: I ran into Tom Reynolds of The Weather Network in the parking lot. I make a point to never ask Tom what the weather is gonna be when he's out in public. I figure that's like asking a lawyer a question about legalities outside his office, or an accountant about what my RRSP options are. There is a time and place to ask those questions, and the parking lot of the local mall ain't the place, so Tom always gets a courtesy pass from `weather talk' with me. But those two very isolated and unrelated incidents-- meeting Tom and the radio forecast-- got me thinking. From the beginning of time, people have stared into the sky to ponder the universe, or to appreciate its many hues and colours and the moods and emotions it evokes. Me, I look at the sky to see if it's gonna rain... or not. I've come to the conclusion that my batting average is better than watching TV or listening to the radio to find out what the weather is about to do. Besides, do I really need to know what the weather is doing in Toronto, Niagara, or anywhere else in the whole of southern Ontario? Nope, all I worry about is the driving conditions between me and my arm chair at home. Perhaps it's my farm background, but that's how I handle inclement weather-- I deal with it once it actually gets here. After all, if you tune into the weather stations on TV or the radio and they tell you it's gotta rain cats and dogs, or dump snow on us, what are you really gonna do about it? A TED BIT Ted Brown Send it back for another opinion? Change your life plans? Nope, ya just deal with it, plain and simple. Now if they're forecasting a huge storm of earth-shattering capacities, I may think twice before heading out on a major road trip, but for the most part, I just wait and see. I refuse to let the electronic weather wizards push my buttons, `cuz many times they're not even close. Besides, they sensationalize it too. How often have we heard about a `major winter storm' coming in, `with expected accumulations of 5 to 10 centimetres of snow'? Immediately, the whole world is galvanized into `storm watch' mode, and they develop white knuckles as they slide behind the wheel. Take a moment to think about that people. How much snow is 5 to 10 centimetres? About 2 to 4 inches; maybe up to your ankles. If that much snow causes you to freak out, I'm of the opinion you really shouldn't possess a valid Ontario driver's licence. When I headed out of the office Tuesday night, and peered up into the sky and surveyed the icy conditions of the streets and the roads, there was only one thought that went through my mind as I unlocked my vehicle. Do I use two-wheel drive? Or four?