The dog days of summer have arrived: that hot, humid time of year when all your get-up-and-go got up and left. "The hot days of dog days," some call them... and it's a fitting name, especially this year (heat wave, we're looking at you)!
Although the dates vary a bit depending on who you ask, most people now view July 3 through August 11 as the official dog days of summer. Historically, this time period was connected to the rising of the dog star Sirius (the brightest star in the sky) around July 19th, and occurred either right before or right after that significant event.
Plants, animals, and people were all rumored to be affected by the pull of this star during that timeframe, leading to many of the sayings we still associate with the dog days of summer.
Sayings like "Stay out of creeks and ponds."
Most likely, this is for several reasons: during a dry spell, the water stagnates and breeds bacteria (see the next saying.) Conversely, during a torrential summer rain, there's a danger of flash flooding.
"Wounds don't heal."
Infections are common and cuts and scrapes are slow to heal during July and August. And probably for that reason, "Never have your teeth pulled."
"Snakes go blind," maybe because they've had several big spring meals after a long, lean winter and are preparing to shed their skins.
Or how about "Watch for rabid animals" and "Snakes strike at everything."
Some of these old sayings fit with our experiences and some do not.
But regardless, you won't hear us complaining when things begin to cool off in September, because "this hot weather isn't fit for buzzard bait!" :-)
Did you hear any of these growing up? What else did your folks have to say about the dog days of summer? Don't worry though, there's still plenty to do around West Virginia even without going wading.
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