Friday, July 23, 2010

Dog Days






Well, we are in the midst of another heat wave. But of course it is summer, so what can you expect? Today is supposed to set a two year record, with a heat index of 105 degrees. Yesterday it was about 98, and we got behind this poor pooch in traffic. He kept hanging farther and farther out the window, trying to suck in every bit of wind. You can see his ears are pinned back from the wind. But as the saying goes, it's a hot wind that blows no good! Because we were driving, quite a few of my pictures were too blurry to post, but you should have seen the miserable, panting look he gave me when he turned to face me. In ancient times, the star sirius rose at the same time as the sun during these hot days, and the Romans thought this bright star was making it hotter, so every year at this time, they sacrificed a brown dog, like our friend in my pictures, to appease the anger of the star. This is how the term "Dog Days" came to be. Silly Romans. But we are promised a place where the climate will be perfect in every way.



"Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Rev. 7:16

15 comments:

DawnTreader said...

That's interesting. I don't think I ever heard the expression 'dog day'. In Sweden we have a word of different origin for this time of year; a direct translation would be 'rot month' because before we had fridges etc it was a month when food quickly turned bad and people got sick. But we never had the Dog connection mixed into it, as far as I know. Probably because we did not have the same influence of Roman culture up here in the North, as in Britain and southern Europe.

Kilauea Poetry said...

Oh no..that's awful! I had no idea? These are some pretty good shots of this hot dog you know! Poor thing! Our dog loves to stick her head out the window too, but ends up in my lap! You have my sympathy.. A few years back we had a heat spell in July which was hottest on record- it turned one of our avocado trees- full of avos (half ripened) to shriveled prunes!! Very disappointing. This summer it hasn't been very hot at all but its the first time we haven't had a snow fall in years! Well your sunset is perfect for this post and the verses are so hopeful- very uplifting! Nice work! Have a wonderful weekend-

SquirrelQueen said...

Growing up in the South I heard people taking about Dog Days as early as I can remember. I had never really thought about the origin of the term, thanks for the info Ginny.

We have had a mild summer so far but looks like we will be back in the triple digits by Sunday.

Reanaclaire said...

is that your dog, Ginny? my Labrador is also feeling the heat these days.. keep coming into the house for the coolness...

Melanie said...

I've often wondered where that expression came from. Now I know!
It has been horribly hot, but that is summer!

From the Kitchen said...

Oliver is glad that, instead of being brown, he's white with black spots! And, that he spends 99% of his time in air-conditioned comfort! I've always heard about the "dog days" of summer and never knew why they were called that. Keep as cool as possible!!

Love seeing "my" mountains in the background of your photo!!

Best,
Bonnie

MadSnapper said...

great shots of a beautiful dog. I can see his feet reflected in the mirror. you did good to be bouncing along. never heard that one about the dog days. in the south dog days of summer, means it is so hot even the dogs do nothing, that all they do is lie down in a shady spot. I like that better than the sacrifice one. the heat seems to be making records all over the world. our past 2 summers have been record breaking and we don't have our showeres to break the heat. we are HOT here for sure and don't forget the humidity YIKES

Glenda said...

Wow, Ginny! You taught me something new again today; I didn't know where the term "dog days" came from. It's extremely hot here in Louisiana, too, but we are expecting rain from Bonnie this weekend.

Have a blessed weekend!

George said...

I can certainly sympathize with that poor dog. Today is the hottest day we've had so far. I don't think I'll complain when Betsy starts wishing for snow in a few months!

Anonymous said...

We are certainly having a hot summer so far. I learned something new today about the Dog Days of summer. I am hopeful that a cooler few days are around the corner (and with rain, too!).

RoeH said...

I've heard dog days but always thought of them as the last August hot days of summer for some reason. I wish dogs wouldn't lean out into the wind like that. I'm always afraid they will fall out if the car breaks hard. :((

S. Etole said...

I had wondered where that expression came from ... always learn something new here!

Scott Law said...

Those are fun photos of the dog in the wind. In your comment to me yesterday you asked about my header. It has actually been there since the first of July. I've been trying to change headers the first of each month. The key word is "trying". Several people who commented on my "Monochrome Lake" post for Phun Phriday! wondered how it was done, so I posted a tutorial on it today. If you're interested just click here. Thanks for dropping by and your comment.

srp said...

I put one of those cool down bandanas on my Daisy today. She didn't even want to go out to do her business, it was so hot and so humid. Poor baby!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

If July is THIS hot, wonder what August will bring???? Yipes!!!! When George and I got in the car after having dinner at the Outback Steak House, the temperature in Cookeville, TN at about 6 p.m. was 100 degrees.... GADS!!!!

Hope the doggie didn't fall out..
Hugs,
Betsy

The Big Cow - Easter 2024

 The Big Cow is all dressed up and ready for Easter. And he has brought along some of his friends as well!