To paraphrase Bob Dylan, we don’t need a weatherman to tell us how hot it has been these past few weeks.
Still, even we were surprised to learn that the past 21 days have set a record for the hottest 21-day period in Boston history.
The combination of the extreme heat and the lack of rainfall has browned our lawns and dead-headed our flower beds, although the abundant sun has given us a bumper crop of tomatoes, which we water by hand in their pots on our patio.
We realize that the onset of the high heat and humidity these past few weeks is not everyone’s cup of tea.
But for those of us who crave this kind of weather, summer finally has arrived.
Our fondest childhood and young-adult memories are of languid summer days; as if perhaps the heat seared them into our brains.
Playing in summer basketball leagues in the early evening, when the heat was radiating off the asphalt courts and we would end up drenched in sweat — well, that was the best.
Admittedly, we do not have the same tolerance for summer heat and humidity — especially the humidity — that we had when we were much younger.
On the other hand, the feel of a hot breeze on our face brings us back to the carefree days of our youth like nothing else can.