The Oxford Dictionary tells us that "dog days" are:
- the hottest period of the year (reckoned in antiquity from the heliacal rising of Sirius, the Dog Star)
- a period of inactivity or decline
It's felt hot here the past couple of days and apparently there's more heat to come. This morning I resorted to tacking up lengths of fabric across the windows (please don't ask why I might have lengths of fabric on hand) to block out the intense sunlight and keep the kitchen and sunroom a bit cooler. These makeshift "curtains" lend the place an urban hillbilly kind of charm, which is not too far off its usual shabby chic vibe. Really, I find this weather provides the perfect excuse to do not much of anything, except sit around in the shade, rescue a few vegetables from the overgrown garden, and wait for the coolness of evening to descend.
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| our first sunflower to blossom thus far -image slightly altered for artistic purposes beyond my control- |
Sometimes life's a bitch, and sometimes it's just doggone agreeable.
Woof.
(more about how I met Harry the Dog in a future blog. Siriusly!)
It's wonderful for those of us with many years of antiquity to know that there are times of great warmth late in the season. I would have said "heat" rather than warmth but, with your doggie reference, I did not wish to risk misinterpretation.
ReplyDeleteLynne, We must be on the same track... when I got up this morning and felt the heat coming through the kitchen windows, I ran for sheets and tablecloths to cover them up...(for the first time this year... in fact only the second time in the ten years we have been there).. Glad I'm not inland...
ReplyDeleteNice Hot Dog!!
Maybe hurricane Earl heading your way will cool things off ?! Hope you didn't bark your shins running around tacking up bohemian curtains. After the cloth on the inside it will be the plywood on the outside ... ?
ReplyDeleteJust don't be sipping too much of those furbidden fruits to cool off... though with dogs appearing in sunflowers now, it may be too late for that admonition...
Can't wait to hear about Harry...
Wooffing back at ya ! Now I gotta woof and hoof it off to work.... those straightjacket orders won't wait... business is BOOMING... crazy people everywhere... and getting crazier... happily we have this nice quiet asylum here for just us bloggers... where we can drool quietly away during the dog days...
:-),,, (drops of drool from corner of mouth...
DCW,
ReplyDeleteBeing a woman of a certain age, I have been very familiar with many bouts late season warmth.
Gwen,
ReplyDeleteIs it the Maritimes way, or just oddball artist types? Or maybe having a house with a view. The lack of curtains, I mean. It's always about 5 degrees cooler out here than in Moncton. It must be unbearable in town: yet another reason I'm happy not to live there. We're on a hill and usually get some sort of breeze, which also helps. The backroads are stifling, though. I still prefer the heat to snow!
Owen,
ReplyDeleteThere seems no heat relief in sight for the next several days. But I guess with lunatic hurricanes booming in the Atlantic, one never knows what sort of madhatter weatherforce might show up in the backyard or glass of iced tea.
Alas and alack, I have no chilled alcoholic beverages on hand and would die of heat protstration if I tried to hoof it to the local liquor station and home again with a sixpack strapped to my back.
Harry the Dog had a bit of drool coming from the corner of his mouth as well, so you're in good company. I must say, I'm very impressed by your art-making abilities with punctuation marks!
PS. Owen
ReplyDeleteHeat protstration is a severe, alcohol-deprived form of heat-prostration. Something I'm sure the Sagittarian has never experienced.
If only sunny days in Britain could be a curse. Alas, it rains once more over my already damp head.
ReplyDeleteI think I read somewhere that dogs sweat through their mouths, so Harry the Dog wasn't drooling, he was sweating it out.
ReplyDeleteWith temperature during midday still above 35C surely a felt entry - however it is luckily said to cool down a bit ... haven't seen snow and alike in years ... with lessons starting soon, I might be able to get me some Gin at last, which might help as well. Wishing you a great start into the new month.
ReplyDeleteShirl,
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting. I thought it was because he was expecting that I had a treat hidden about my person. Apparently, he has fans who do bring him treats. But I guess he'd be able to sniff them out, the treats...so I guess sweat it was.
Maybe I'll just Photoshop out the drool for his next close-up. Don't you think he looks like he's smiling? Probably just sweating, I guess.
Robert,
ReplyDeleteI hope I have not set you on a path of self-destruction and alcoholism with my promotion of Gin & Tonics! I don't think I could survive a climate of 35+ degrees C. day after day. Surprising that you are able to tolerate it, being so well-acquainted with real winters. But then, adaptation is often a question of necessity rather than simple choice. In which case, gin would help, yes. Enjoy your last few days of freedom from lessons.
Warden,
ReplyDeleteI nearly missed you there-- couldn't quite make you out through all that rain falling on your head. Nice that you came over to dry out a bit, though the humidity here is pretty high. We'd best Scotchguard your uniform to try and prevent mould from setting in.
Well, I do have a degree in the art of using common punctuation marks to draw pictures....
ReplyDeleteLook, I even know how to make a cat for Harry to chase... ain't that the cat's meow !
=^.^=
There ! Done ! Do I get an "A" ???
And what's this about you and Saj and "prostitration" ??? Sounds vaguely dubious, but I shan't say any more than that...
:-)
Owen,
ReplyDeleteFor your amazingly punctuated cat I will give you an A++! But I will have to give you a C- for misspelling my misspelling.
=^&^=
meow
wow, i didn't know that, about 'dog days', how interesting - and the Sirius connection, also!
ReplyDeletebut this sounds just perfect, lucky you that you can allow yourself this luxury :-)
"except sit around in the shade, rescue a few vegetables from the overgrown garden, and wait for the coolness of evening to descend"
Roxana,
ReplyDeleteYes, it is indeed a luxury I have allowed myself...at some cost, I must say, such as a complete lack of any sort of financial security. But at least I am aware of the preciousness of these moments and savour them while I can.
oi, I heard all that!
ReplyDeleteAnd I resemble those remarks!!
Not really a dog person, they're too needy for me and all that tail wagging plays havoc with your drinking arm. Mind you, I do have a nice recipe for a Salty Dog...
Saj, what about the famous Chinese cookbook....
ReplyDelete101 Ways to Wok Your Dog ?
Woof !
Run Harry, Run ! We won't let Saj salt your hide !
BrOwen - haha, brilliant idea. Harry looks too slow tho'....
ReplyDeleteSaj, BrOwen--Sibs!
ReplyDeleteYour shenanigans are going to have the SPCA coming down hard on my blog! I'm going to be in the doghouse for sure with canine lovers everywhere for these sorts of puppies littering my comment box.
Wok this way with a salty dog: a new whining and dining experience.
Visiting from Owen's blog. I am intrigued with the image of the dog within the photo of the sunflower. Would make a nice badge to wear in summer.
ReplyDeleteTechnoBabe,
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming all the way over from Owen's blog, and braving that ferocious dog he had posted there to do so. Old Harry here is pretty mellow, standing there in that mellow yellow sunflower. I am intrigued by your idea of turning the image into a wearable badge! I used to have a badge collection, as a matter of fact.
Classic canine capers, well responded Lyn! I'll creep back into my dogbox....
ReplyDeleteSaj,
ReplyDeleteI know I can't keep a good dog down.
What on earth does that saying mean, anyway? Hmmm...I feel a new Maxim of the Week coming on...
dis, tu as l'air de bien délirer avec cette chaleur et je constate qu'owen aussi, comme d'habitude :-)
ReplyDeletehâte d'entendre parler de ce chien harry !
I'm afraid that I long for autumn now and the first feeling of the crisp cold days of November.
ReplyDeleteKarine,
ReplyDeleteMaybe just a little delirious with the heat, but not barking mad at least. (Je ne sais pas comment le dire en français.)
Mme. de Farge,
ReplyDeleteNovember is much more knitter-friendly, it's true.
Ouap! Ouap! Ouap!
ReplyDeletexoP,
ReplyDeleteDown, boy!