Summer has made it’s presence known this week in Texas. The oppressive heat leads to expressions like this from canine friend Maggie. For years I have been throwing around the phrase “dog days of summer” with no clue about its origin. The Romans noticed that the hottest days of the years happened to coincide with the appearance of the “dog star” Sirius which is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major. They believed the appearance of this bright star contributed to withering heat. The Greeks were likely the first to use the term dog days and you will surely recall this reference from your most recent reading of the Iliad by Homer. Sirius rises late in the dark, liquid skyOn summer nights, star of stars,Orion’s Dog they call it, brightestOf all, but an evil portent, bringing heatAnd fevers to suffering humanity. I was surprised to find that dog days appear in the first copies of the King James Bible
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