August 11, 2010

         Poet T.S. Eliot famously wrote, "April is the cruelest month/  Breeding lilacs out of the dead grass...."  I'm not sure I ever quite understood that--breeding lilacs out of dead grass would be pretty cool if you knew how to do it.  And I've always liked April--flowers and spring and all that.  Anyway, Mr. Eliot is way wrong this year.  August is the cruelest month.  Or maybe July.  We're all melting here.      The Weather Bureau says that here in Washington we've had, so far, 47 days when the high temperature was over ninety degrees.  The average is 29 such days.  And summer isn't nearly over yet.  We have half of August to go and then most of September.  I remember the old "September Song:" "And the days gentle down...." No.  No gentling so far this year.  None.      There's a nice roof area in my apartment building--good place to relax, chat, have a burger or a beer.  Not this year, thank you.  Those pools on the roof may not be human sweat, but you can't be sure.  Anybody melted up there?  I won't go look.  I have a balcony too--last sat out on it in... was it April?      Washington always has hot summers, but I've lived here more than forty years now and this is the hottest one I can remember.      I know time passes.  I read that the the NFL will start playing exhibition games in a week or two--if players can stand it.  But for now this whole city can sob with the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, "I'm melting!!!!"   It's just true.
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