The Dog Days Are Officially Over

Yep. August 11th is the official conclusion.

I was going to use the phrase "dog days of summer" the other day and, curiosity getting the best of me, decided to look up the origin of the phrase. To my surprise, it has absolutely nothing to do with our canine friends lazing around and panting heavily during the hottest part of the summer.

The "dog days" are so named because of the conjunction of the Dog Star, Sirius, and the sun in late July. They extend twenty days prior to and twenty days following that occurrence.

And I don't know about where you live, but here in central Missouri, it would spell r-e-l-i-e-f if the conclusion of the "dog days" would usher out the weather we've been having for the past 40 days: since July 3rd, the official commencement of the "dog days", 9 days have topped the 100 degree mark (too HOT!!) and 10 additional days have hit 95 or above. Nineteen days in this 40 day period -- nearly half! -- I would classify as sweltering.

Perhaps now it'll fade to merely HOT. I think I'll wish upon a (Dog) Star...