Dog Days of Summer





Pictures of the Star Sirius - The Dog Star, Sirius, and its Tiny Companion

NASA, H.E. Bond & E. Nelan(STScI); M. Barstow & M. Burleigh(Univ. of Leicester); & J.B. Holberg(UAz)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It's been quiet around here lately. The entire summer, in fact. I haven't posted a blog since the end of May. It isn't because I haven't been busy, I have. And while I have danced and played and whiled away the days of summer, I simply could not bring myself to sit down at the computer and compose. Even on those days when it's been too hot to get out and do anything, I preferred to spend the time on my couch, watching TV or reading in the cool darkness of my home. Now while there are those that will accuse me of laziness, apathy, and/or procrastination, I have a solid excuse for my nonproductivity. I have been under the celestial influence of Sirius.

"Dog Days" (Latin: diēs caniculārēs): are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. The name comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, in close proximity to the sun was responsible for the hot weather. In the northern hemisphere, the "Dog Days of Summer" usually fall between early July and early September.

Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" according to Brady’s "Clavis Calendarium, 1813". The Romans would sacrifice a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius.

Nowadays the dog days define a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress.

So, there you have it. I was forced to make a choice: sit back and wait out the season before returning to my sane self or sacrifice a brown dog. I chose the less bloody option. The neighbor's dog doesn't know how lucky he is. (I can just imagine the police interview: "No officer, I can assure you it was not me the witness saw climbing over the fence with a dead dog slung over my shoulder. What? No, absolutely not! No one was dancing naked in the backyard at midnight waving a mullein torch...")

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ghost Hunt - Summit Tunnel No. 6, Donner Summit

Image
My friend and fellow ghost hunter Mona grew up in Truckee, California. She has interesting (and eerie) stories to tell. Truckee began as a supply stop along the transcontinental railroad that was being built in the 1800s. It has a compelling history. Many buildings built back in the 1800s still stand today, and ghost stories abound. Mona had caught some interesting pictures while exploring the Summit Tunnel No. 6, one of the most difficult portions of the railway built. She asked if Paula and I were interested in joining her to investigate the tunnel further. Not knowing much about the history of this area, I went online and found out more about this incredible feat of engineering. A HISTORY Constructing a railroad 88 miles over the rugged Sierra Range between Newcastle and Truckee, California, took 12,000 men 3 years and 2 months (February 1865 to April 1868). The Sierra crest, the most challenging section, required 14 tunnels to maintain a maximum grade of 105 feet to the mile.
Read more

American Flats

Image
Just west of Goldhill Nevada on State Route 341, lies American Flats; and the remains of the Comstock Merger Mines cyanide mill. Time and wind have reduced the mill to strangely beautiful skeletal remains. The crumbling reinforced concrete monoliths (there are eight of them), rise out of the desert like post-apocalyptic temples, whose clandestine devotees leave cryptic messages and painted images as offerings to the silent, long dead gods. Some regard the ruins, complete with falling concrete, unprotected drop-offs, flooded tunnels and subterranean vaults a public hazard; others see it as an important piece of Comstock history. History   Circa 1925, courtesy of BLM  Gold and silver mining began in American Flat after 1860 when the Comstock discoveries extended beyond the Gold Canyon ravine. By 1864 American City had become a town and its citizens tried to secure the territorial capital from Carson City. Promoters at American City offered $50,000 to the Nevada
Read more

Humboldt City, Nevada

Image
Here it is, the end of another beautiful summer. What better way to end the season but by spending a few days investigating a Nevada ghost town? Paula and I tossed around a few possibilites. We've been wanting to get out to Leadville, and Unionville sounded pretty good too, but in the end we settled on Humboldt City; and what a great choice it turned out to be. Humboldt City is located some 33 miles east of Lovelock, Nevada. The town is situated in a spring fed canyon at the base of the Humboldt Range, nestled among old strands of cottonwood. Remnants of firepits, and adobe and stone buildings dot the landscape. It is a quiet oasis in the middle of the Nevada desert, and one is struck by the quietness of the place-during the day, that is. The mining settlement of Humboldt City was founded in 1860. Within its short lifespan of 9 years, over a 1,000 silver discoveries were made in the Humboldt City area before its abandonment in 1869. Louis Barbeau was the first miner
Read more