Quote of the Day (William Cullen Bryant, on a Sultry Day)

“It is a sultry day; the sun has drunk

The dew that lay upon the morning grass;

There is no rustling in the lofty elm

That canopies my dwelling, and its shade

Scarce cools me. All is silent, save the faint

And interrupted murmur of the bee,

Settling on the sick flowers, and then again

Instantly on the wing. The plants around

Feel the too potent fervors: the tall maize

Rolls up its long green leaves; the clover droops

Its tender foliage, and declines its blooms.”—American poet-journalist William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878), “Summer Wind,’ in American Poetry, The Nineteenth Century, Volume One: Freneau to Whitman (1993)

The chief characteristic of the weather here in the Northeast since the start of July has been humidity. Even major storms such as the one we just experienced only seems to clear matters for about 24 hours. Let’s see how much longer this lasts.