The "Dog Days" Are Here...!

A little bit of mundane stuff for you this morning!

Seems like a lot of weather items are on folks' minds, so here's a little more!

Dog Days Begin

The phrase "Dog Days" conjures up the hottest, most sultry days of summer. The Old Farmer's Almanac lists the traditional timing of the Dog Days: the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, coinciding with the heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius.

The rising of Sirius does not actually affect the weather (some of our hottest and most humid days occur after August 11), but for the ancient Egyptians, Sirius appeared just before the season of the Nile's flooding, so they used the star as a "watchdog" for that event.

Since its rising also coincided with a time of extreme heat, the connection with hot, sultry weather was made for all time:

"Dog Days bright and clear
Indicate a happy year.
But when accompanied by rain,
For better times our hopes are vain."

I don't know about you, but I have a feeling that the Dog Days are going to be really, really HOT! Know what I mean?

Now, how about some coffee or tea in the kitchen? Still raining outside!