The dog days of summer. An interesting turn of phrase describing the hot, humid days of the summer when days seem to just drag on. The phrase itself originates from the rising of the “Dog Star” Sirius. For me, since I neither like summer nor dogs particularly, it is a fitting name for these days.
When I was younger, summer was the best time of year. It was a time off from school. It was a time I could swim in neighbor’s swim club. (It sometimes helps to be friends with people who own a public swimming club in the summer and an ice skating rink in the winter). It was time free to play with my friends all day if I wanted to. When I was in college I even got to work summers at that same pool club. They were hot and humid and surely considered dog days, but I didn’t mind.
Then I grew up. I was never one that traveled a lot. I didn’t mind being there, just getting there was not fun. I bought a house, got married and had a son. Now summers became a different routine. Yes, as a teacher I was off from school as I had been as a child, but now I had to continue taking workshops and courses to improve my teaching, which I didn’t mind since I like learning. But I also had to mow lawns and trim bushes and pull weeds. Then there was the constant battle with deer and mosquitoes and ticks, over who had the right to stay outdoors and who had the rights to our flowers and garden produce. And I didn’t have a pool or any neighbors that had pools that would allow me to come over and swim.
The only thing I looked forward to was the sounds and sights of birds and animals.
I don’t mind ocean beaches, but the beach by my house was on the Sound and was rock covered. No fun on the feet, not to mention the algae, jellyfish and other assorted things in the waters of the Sound. Not my cup of tea (and I do like tea)
I prefer the Cat days of early Spring and late Fall. The days are cooler but not bitterly cold. I’m more likely to want to go out and do things, like take walks and do things outside (even mowing). My curiosity is aroused by what nature has in store for me. What plants will grow? What colors will appear? My mind tends to jump from thought to thought without being dragged down by the weather. Winter is not bad either. It’s a lot quieter then. No mowers and leaf blowers, no edgers or tree and hedge trimmers. Just quietness, especially when it snows and before the snow blowers and plows come by. I do miss the sounds of animals and birds, but it is a small price to pay for the solitude I get during those seasons.
So I live with the dog days of Summer and August. As the time drags on I can look forward to the days ahead, when again I can enjoy the day.
