Hot diggity dog!

Are you like me, and wondering how the phrase 'the dog days of summer' originated?  Maybe its' the nerd in me but I was curious, and so this is what I discovered. There is a constellation of stars named "Canis Major".  Canis Major is a latin phrase meaning greater dog.  And the brightest star that makes up the constellation is the star named Sirius or the 'dog star.' Sirius is the brightest star found in the sky during the winter months.

Now the ancients believed that Sirius was so bright that it actually produced enough heat to help warm the earth. Here is the kicker, during the summer months, Sirius rises and sets in alignment with the sun and the ancients believed that Sirius added to the heat produced by the summer sun. And that is how the phrase 'The Dog Days of Summer' was borne.

As a result, some felt that the combination of the brightest luminary of the day (the sun) and the brightest star of night (Sirius) was responsible for the extreme heat that is experienced during the height of the summertime. Other effects, according to the ancients, included droughts, plagues and madness.

Not exactly painting a rosy picture. As far as the garden is concerned, 'the dog days of summer', translates into a crape myrtle that hasn't bloomed in two years; more watering; and spells of downright crankiness.

I hope you can embrace this time of the year. I'm just so darn grateful to have enough heat that the crape myrtle is going to bloom this year. Woof!

Cheers,

Laura