With an inch or two of slush forecast to bollix up Saturday's yard chores, the city of Minneapolis may be blessed with perfect timing as it offers a weekend-long marathon recap of the City Council's 2012 budget hearings.

Thrill to the drama of pension cost projection charts. Weep as health officials say their proposed will cut health care appointments for poor people. Cheer for the proposal to keep the city's levy flat.

So pop the popcorn and gather up the afghan. The simulcasts on Minneapolis cable channel 79 and the city's web site start at 7 a.m. Saturday with the always lively budget presentations of these departments: intergovernmental relations, human resources, neighborhood and community relations, finance and communications. The cavalcade of hearings continues all day and all night Saturday and Sunday before concluding after the public works episode starting at 2 a.m. Monday. Public service announcements will provide filler between sessions.

There's a complete schedule available online. Even better, the whole schmear repeats on the weekend of Nov. 26-27. You can even watch on your smart phone.

If you're hooked by the budget deliberations and want even more, there are two more chances to get your budget fix. You can even get off your couch and speak up.

There's a public hearing on the budget and the property taxes that result from it on Nov. 30 at 6:05 p.m. That's before the council's budget committee makes final revisions to Mayor R.T. Rybak's proposal on Dec. 6-7. Then there's a final hearing at 6:05 p.m. on Dec. 14 before the council adopts the budget that evening. Both hearings are in the council chamber at room 317 City Hall.