Dog Days of Summer - Sorry a few days late

 

I don’t know if the term was coined by the Farmers Almanac – yes I buy one every year – or if it has some other origin. When I was a kid my Grandfather always said that during dog days snakes always shed their skin and are blind and more likely to bite than run away. To be honest other than identifying local snake species and knowing whether they are venomous or not I have no idea about their other functions. I know they eat smaller stuff and are good for our environment and I don’t kill non poisonous snakes. But, I don’t know anything much about their anatomy or functions. Although, I do find a lot of snake skins here at College Hill Farm in July.

Now Dog days runs from July 3^rd through August the 11^th. It has nothing to do with dogs on earth but dogs in the heavens. Canis Major is the Greater Dog Constellation and the brightest star in that constellation is Sirius – actually the brightest star in all our sky except for the sun. During “Dog Days” this star appears in the same sky as the sun. Thus when Sirius can be seen in the early morning or late evening light with the sun still out we are in the Days of the Dog.  On July 23rd Sirius aligns with the sun in the northern hemisphere. Ancient peoples thought that the extra heat that we got was from Sirius adding to the suns heat.

As a kid I never paid a lot of attention to heat. We always were outside, in the creek, in the garden, on the mountain or at the lake. But as an older person this heat has been playing hardball this year. Every year lately has been the hottest year on record. This year will be no exception. I started my garden later and the sun, heat and humidity have been brutal this year. Normally in June we don’t hit a 90+ degree day until June 14^th and we have like five 90+ degree days before July. This year has been different. We got our first 90 degree day on May 30^th. Since then we had 16 days of 90+ degrees. With Multiple Sclerosis this takes the wind right out of my sails even if I stay in most of the day.

I am not the only one. The garden suffered this year as well, because in June we were behind in rainfall by 3 inches. As a matter of fact, it only rained in June this year at College Hill Farm on 2 days. Then in July it stayed rather wet and humid. During Dog Days this year we have had 26 days of above 90 degree highs. However, you expect it to be hot during this time. Normally for us we only have about 14 days of above 90 degrees and heat indexes over 100 for only 3 or 4 days. That was not the case this year.

So to say things on the homestead have been moving at a snails pace would be an understatement. Like the old hound dogs on the porch we haven’t been moving “lestin’ we had too.” But, late August into September generally brings a little relief in the mornings and I will be able to get back to working on the building projects on the homestead. I also hope to get to harvest a little corn in the next couple of days. A bear has been around and is helping himself to some of our apples and corn. Left me some calling cards telling me - this is his/her territory. So I need to be on the lookout and just not be dumb.

So, when the heat tells you to slow down – do it! I have to or else it renders me incapacitated for days. I can work through the heat today, do good, and feel fine. But, for the next 4 or 5 days I am so exhausted I can’t get out of the bed. So I have to plan my days based on the weather forecast as best as possible to get maximum results. This year that has been harder than ever before. I am reminded every day in the Dog Days of Summer that I am no spring chicken anymore. It also reminds me that Homesteading and Life are a Marathon Not a Sprint – Slow Down and Enjoy the Ride!