The Dog Days of Summer and The Urge to Sploot

In last week’s Woolgathering Podcast, I mentioned the Dog Days of Summer, and then immediately admitted I didn’t know the origin behind that phrase, which I understood to mean the really hot days of Summer that occur towards the end of the season. 

So, I eventually remembered to ask Patrick, who loves to look up answers to my questions, why these hot days are called the dog days. I was envisioning the reason had something to do with dogs and squirrels splooting to keep cool.

It turns out that like many of our calendar concerns, the origin dates back to the Greek and Romans who were connecting the presence of the Sirius constellation with the hottest days in the Northern hemisphere. 

From Wikipedia: 

“[The Dog Days] were historically the period following the heliacal 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.”             

I love that lethargy, fever, and bad luck were thought to be prevalent during this period. 

I know that we are technically beyond the Dog Days, but I find myself, in these last weeks of Summer, wanting to sploot onto a cool surface while I nurse my hayfever induced lethargy. 

And, my dog, Lucy, is the queen of resting and cooling herself on the basement floor. She is like a siren beckoning me to just give in and sploot until the first frost. 

How are your allergies? Do you experience lethargy during this time of the year?