Out There: Stories from the Woods

Okay, that title officially makes me hungry for hot dogs.

You may have heard the term “dog days of summer” which we are now encountering. It is the period from July 3 to August 11. When you read this, we will have survived the dog days! But…where does this idiom come from, and what does it have to do with dogs?

The dog days of summer really only describe the most oppressive period of summer, between July 3 and August 11 each year. This year has certainly proved that!

But what about the dogs? Whose dogs? How many dogs? Where did they come from and where did they go?

It actually all deals with the stars. According to ye old Farmers’ Almanac, which is probably set to release the winter 2021/2022 forecast any day now, the phrase is derived from fact. The Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius (not the satellite radio), the brightest visible star from any part of Earth and the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog. Sirius = Dog Star.

In the Summer, Sirius rises and sets with the Sun, so on July 23 specifically, it is in conjunction with the Sun, and because the star is so bright, the ancient Romans believed it actually gave off heat and added to the Sun’s warmth. They referred to this time as “dog days.”

So the term “dog days of summer” came to mean the 20 days before and the 20 days after this alignment of Sirius with the Sun.

But it doesn’t end there, of course!

This awful heat we endure is a direct result of the Earth’s tilt. During summer in the northern hemisphere, the tilt of Earth causes the Sun’s rays to heat at a more direct angle and for a longer period of time.

What does this mean? Long, hot days.

So during this time, plan to take your beach vacation. Go and have an adventure in the National Parks. Visit a cave – I hear there are a few around these parts.

Tips to keep you cool in the summer, or for the rest of summer 2021:

Use your portable and ceiling fans. I have been lugging mine around my house, cooling down the office when my wife and I are working, or taking it into the family room where we watch television late at night.

Take an ice cold shower. My wife and I do not yet have central air conditioning so these ice cold showers have come in handy during these nasty heat waves. Plus it will save you money on electric or gas bills to heat your water!

Avoid cooking on the stove, or baking. This may not be too reasonable of an idea, but it’s true if your kitchen is south-facing like mine. Turning on the burner to boil water just about boils the entire kitchen. Cold cut sandwiches for dinner never hurt anyone.

Close the curtains! We typically have a 10 – 15 degree difference in the house than outside just by keeping the curtains closed during the day (but we open the windows in the morning to draw that cooler air in!)

Hang out downstairs. Hey – heat rises. If you have a finished or semi-finished basement, you may want to set up the air mattress on those worst nights of summer. We, thankfully, have a window unit air conditioner to keep the bedroom cool for sleeping.

Lastly…use light bedding. The snowflake fleece bedding may be a reminder of cooler days and frigid nights, but it’s not doing you any good sliding across your skin in the mid-August heat.

Fall is on it’s way and so are cooler temperatures. Trust me.