Dog Days was also a part of the Christian calendar and was included in both the lexicon of the King James version of the Bible. as well as several editions of the the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. I never thought about the church recognizing something that I always thought of as just an informal, almost slang term for the worst of summer. In fact, I guess I erroneously thought of the phrase as a Southern one. We have all those other dog phrases such as "that dog won't hunt" for something unbelievable and "going to see a man about a dog", which means you have something to do that you're not going to talk about.
Back to the Wikipedia definition--I especially liked the part about Dog Days being "stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress." That is how I feel during this hottest of weather. I dread going outside and it seems much more difficult to accomplish anything even inside where I can use air conditioning to recreate conditions on the South Pole.Maybe heart shaped watermelon would help but my question to you is...
How do you deal with the Dog Days of summer?
I go out early in the morning to take care of the animals and then again late in the evening. I also lounge at the pool until I can't stand not being in the air conditioning. I always heard when I was growing up on the farm that if you got a cut during Dog Days that it wouldn't heal until those days were over. Made me really careful. I also heard the tale that if it rained on the first day of Dog Days that it would rain for the next forty days and vice versa. Just thought it was interesting. Great Post Stephanie!
ReplyDeleteI've just been staying indoors as much as possible during the heat of the day. I try to run my errands in the morning or late afternoon. I think the stagnant part is true. My brain sure feels stagnant lately.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn
I stay inside. Along with the dog days of summer comes the wasp days of the season. I'm so allergic, I don't even want to risk a sting. So I hang out inside, go to the gym, and pray for a bit cooler weather.
ReplyDeleteYou should have seen me mowing the lawn a week ago on the riding mower. Chuck said he could see me zipping so fast and was amazed at the speed I was mowing. Well, I was scared witless. Dodging wasps mating in the air and sucking water from the ground. I must have looked like a fool ducking and dodging the things.
Did he not hear me scream? Yes, but he figured I'd be okay. My hero. Sigh.
Cheryl, I agree with you that getting out early is one of the best strategies for dealing with the heat. I had never heard that wisdom about the rain or injuries. Good information to have!
ReplyDeletePM, staying inside is my favorite way to deal with the hotness!
Christine, good to see you agree with me.:-)
That is a funny image! Thanks for sharing it!