Dog Days of Summer

We’re enjoying the dog days of summer, feasting on garden produce, wake surfing, and sweating (profusely!) toward the culmination of the icehouse rehab. Fresh blueberries for desert tonight, and summer squash, cucumbers, red and green romaine lettuce accompanied a grilled salmon. The garden provides. The lake is warm, and today was sunny instead of rainy, so we’ve been able to throw ourselves fully into the decadence of the dog days of summer.

Fun term, but what the heck does it mean?

The term “Dog Days” traditionally refers to a period of particularly hot and humid weather occurring during the summer months of July and August in the Northern Hemisphere… the Dog Days are associated purely with the time of summer’s peak temperatures and humidity.

(Source: Almanac)

Hot? Check. Humid? Check.

This period of sweltering weather coincides with the year’s heliacal (meaning “at sunrise”) rising of Sirius, the Dog Star. Sirius is part of the constellation Canis Majoris—the “Greater Dog”—which is where Sirius gets its canine nickname, as well as its official name, Alpha Canis Majoris. Not including our own Sun, Sirius is the brightest star in the sky.

(Source: Almanac)

In the photos above, Carley, Rosslyn’s very own dog star, enjoys a little garden time and a postprandial snooze. One could do worse than the dog days of summer!