Posted July 22’nd 2013:
As we teeter on the edge of the dog days of summer, I bathe in the appreciation that once again I will have survived to see the start of the Days of Sirius. It’s a time that, for me, is a favorite season and time of year. Some like it hot. I do. Simmer my bones at eighty nine or ninety Fahrenheit, and count me happy.
Wikipedia’s expert on such things, writes that the dog days of summer historically marked an evil time, brought on by Sirius, the god of hot. The ancient Romans sacrificed dogs to Sirius, to appease him and ward off the heat. I say, bring it on. Turn it up!
The dog days officially start on July 24’th, and end on August 24’th. These dates mark the old calendar version of things, but recent almanacs place the start-point date in early July, and the end-point date in early August. The old Roman “dog days” schedule is more appropriate for the southern United States, as those weeks hold the hottest days of the year in the southlands.
The Wiki description points to Clavis Calendaria, from 1813, and takes a dog days quote from it. I liked it well enough to repeat it here, plus or minus my paraphrase:
"The sea boiled, Wine turned sour, Dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid ... causing to man - burning fevers and hysteria..."
Musings 