Welcome to Dog Days
at the “dog’s” shoulder.
Well, here we are in the Dog Days of summer, the hottest, muggiest time of the year.
Why are they called Dog Days? Wikipedia says, “They were historically the period following the rising of the star system Sirius (known colloquially as the “Dog Star”), which Hellenistic astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck. They are now taken to be the hottest, most uncomfortable part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
“In Homer’s Iliad, probably composed in the 8th century BC, Achilles’ approach toward Troy, where he will slay Hector, is illustrated through an extended metaphor about the baleful effects attending the return of Sirius:
Priam saw him first, with his old man’s eyes,
A single point of light on Troy’s dusty plain.
Sirius rises late in the dark, liquid sky
On summer nights, star of stars,
Orion’s Dog they call it, brightest
Of all, but an evil portent, bringing heat
And fevers to suffering humanity.”
I don’t know about evil portent, but I know it’s been hot, and we’re not near done with the hottest days of summer.
In some parts of the world where it’s hottest, people traditionally take a break in the middle of the day to get out of the sun, go inside, eat and rest. They call it siesta in Spain and Latin America. (It has a different name in Greece, but it’s unpronounceable.)
I remember that my grandfather, who was a farmer for most of his life, believed in siesta, though he just called it naptime. On the farm, he and his family started the day at dawn, worked hard all morning, ate their biggest meal at midday, (which they called “dinner”) and then rested during much of the afternoon, staying out of the sun and heat until 4 o’clock, or so, when they returned to the fields. My grandpa had a bed in the coolest, darkest corner of his basement dedicated to afternoon naptime. And everybody knew not to look for him from the time he finished dinner until he re-emerged after naptime. (I also remember that his snoring filtered through the whole house.)
I’m thankful that I live in North Georgia and not in Phoenix, where the mercury has surpassed 110 degrees Fahrenheit for something like 25 days straight. Yes, some people have it worse than we do, but that doesn’t make it any cooler on my front porch.
So, do I have any wise advice for getting us through the sluggishness and discomfort of Dog Days? You bet I do. Let us listen to our bodies: drink water when we’re thirsty; take a break when we’re overheated; stay inside in the air conditioning between noon and 4:00 PM, if possible; and pray for those for whom it isn’t possible, because heat can be dangerous.
And plan to come to NPC’s Ice Cream Fellowship, once we get enough churners to commit to making ice cream for us.
Afternoon naps may be helpful, too.
Blessings,
Teresa