A sunflower stands tall during the Dog Days of Summer, 2011. Texas experienced a severe drought that year.
It’s hot here in Texas. Triple digit hot. We were blessed to be able to enjoy a few days of afternoon rain showers earlier in the month, but they have parted. And with the heat, the Sarahan dust has returned. It’s the dog days of summer.
I’ve heard about the dog days since I was a child, but I never knew how the term came about until recently. Historically, the dog days began with the rising of the star, Sirius. Greek and Roman Mythology associated the star with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, bad luck, and mad dogs. By the way, Sirius is known as the Dog Star. In modern times, dog days are the hotest and most unconfortable part of summer in the northern hemisphere.
And now that you’ve had a little history lesson, it’s time for this week’s writing links.
From Story Empire:
- Write What You Want – Joan Hall
- On This Day – Harmony Kent
- https://wp.me/p7OGru-1bYWriting Question – P. H. Solomon
From other writing sites:
- How Characterization Creates Chemistry – Romance University
- The Structure Template That Saved My Career – Fiction University
- Ways to Benefit from a Conference You’re Not Attending – Writers in The Storm
- Focusing Your Novel With a Journalist’s Trick – A Writer’s Path
- Avoiding Grammar Confusion – Just Publishing
- SSL Security and Social Share Counts – Nicholas C. Rossis
- Creating Tension Between the Lines – Kill Zone
- The Odds of Advertising Your Book – A Writer’s Path
- Can Creativity Pass Through Generations via DNA – The Kill Zone
- Research: How Deep Do You Go – Romance University
- How Writers Can Relax – A Writer’s Path
29 Responses
I had no idea about dog days! Fascinating–thanks for sharing 🙂
One of those things I’d always wondered about. I love learning about folklore and weatherlore.
Reblogged this on Nicholas C. Rossis and commented:
Dog days and writing links, courtesy of Joan Hall
Thanks for the reblog, Nicholas!
A pleasure! Thanks for including my post 🙂
Like you, I’d heard the term but didn’t know its origins. Thanks for that useful tidbit! Have a great weekend. We have it hot and humid here too … they keep forecasting thunderstorms that don’t arrive, lols … I might have to do a rain dance 🙂
Harmony, if I could dance, I’d probably do one. But its a typical Texas summer (except for the Sahara dust). I can’t complain because I don’t really like cold weather. Have a wonderful weekend!
Reblogged this on s a gibson.
Thanks for the reblog!
So many things we hear growing up but we never stop to ask what they mean. Now I know. Thanks!
I’ve been to Dallas a few times. All of my trips were in the fall. This Western Oregon would have melted in your summer heat. We’re a tad wimpy out here. 🙂
We’re lucky in that we can find almost anything on the Internet. I love looking up historical information.
You are right, Joan. It is HOT here in Texas! I’ve also heard the term “Dog Days of Summer” my entire life and never knew where it oriented. Thanks for sharing and stay cool!
Doing my best to stay indoors, Jan. You stay cool too!
I love looking up the history behind things. I’d looked this one up before but had forgotten. Thanks for the reminder. And the great links.
And take small comfort in knowing we’re sweltering here right along with you! (Even have the stupid Saharan dust. Go figure.)
You know how I love trivia, folklore, and weather lore. Yes, it’s hot here but I’d take it over a cold, wet winter. I don’t like the cold.
I don’t, either. I’ll always take a harsh summer over a harsh winter.
Yes, this is terrible! I think the temps are the highest they have ever been since I’ve lived here (and I’ve lived in TX at two different times in my life). Thanks for the links, though:)
This is probably going to go down as one of our hotter summers. I can think of a few in the past – 1980, 1998, and of course the dreadful 2011. But it’s Texas. Thanks for stopping by today!
Something about mad dogs get’s my imagination running. Stay cool, even if it’s inside.
I’m staying indoors as much as possible, Craig. Your comment about mad dogs made me think of the Joe Cocker album, “Mad Dogs and Englishmen.” Haven’t thought of that one in years.
I’ve earmarked a Joe Cocker song for a future Lizzie story.
Cool!
Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Blog.
Thanks for the reblog, Kim!
Am here on the Texas Gulf Coast, thirty miles south of Houston and thirty miles north of Galveston. It is triple digits here, too, and that’s air temperatures, not “feels like” temperatures. We are having to water our plants every evening, and still we can’t give them a deep enough drink. Guess we will have to start watering mornings too. We usually stay cocooned inside from about 10:00 a.m. on, and we have forgone our evening strolls after supper, for it is still 90 degrees at 8:30 or even nine. We have TRULY hit the dog days of summer, and BTW, I never knew where that expression originated. Thanks for the interesting information.
I can only imagine how it feels for you. We have humidity but not like it is on the gulf coast. We’re doing pretty much the same thing – staying indoors during the hottest part of the day. Thankful for airconditioning.
Take care!
Teehee. I had forgotten how the dog days of summer term came about, but I remember researching that in the past. Would you believe it is unseasonably chill right now in my neck of the woods. We had a storm front move through yesterday that had me putting heat on. At least today it’s warmer, although still gray and dreary. I did see national weather last night and noticed you’re over 100 degrees in Texas. The temperatures they showed were insane!
It’s 105 as I write this with a heat index of 110. The A/C is working overtime but we’re staying cool inside. The good thing is the humidity levels are lower, which helps. This isn’t as the summer of 2011. There were only three or four days during July and August where we didn’t reach triple-digit highs. This heat wave isn’t forecast to last that long.
WOW!!!