Dog Days

So, like, last week I was in and out of the pool very 20 minutes trying to cool down from the heat. The other day we had the solar blanket on the pool and the heater going. The water was 90F. It was like swimming in a toilet. The smart-alecky love of my mid-life says "I wouldn't know. I've never swam in a toilet." Well me either. And nor would I want to. But it's like I'd imagined how it would be. It's an idiom. Or an analogy. Yeah that's it. Sheesh, it's hard to explain some things to French people. I should have just said, "Sacre bleu, l'eau est tres chaud, n'est-ce pas, cherie?" But me, being an English major and all, we just don't talk like that. In other languages, I mean.

All this to say it's hot out there. Well, after all it is the dog days of summer, isn't it?

Did you ever stop and wonder why they say that? I mean after you stop and wonder who "they" are? What a funny expression. I mean why don't they say the elephant days of summer? Or the giraffes of summer? Or, I know, the hippopotamuses of summer. Mosquitos of summer would certainly be appropriate. Deer, horse and house flies would work too. Why dogs?

Well it has to do with the sky. Yeah, I Googled it. Google. You know that thing that replaced the Encyclopedia Britannica? Canis Minor (the little dog) and Canis Major (the big dog) are constellations. Who knew they named constellations after dogs? Suck that up you cat lovers - and you know who you are. Yeah, and the brightest star in Canis Major is Sirius which happens to be the brightest star in the night sky. No shit. I'm Sirius.

I can see puppies but I can't see any dogs.

Me, I'm going with hippopotamuses of summer. Hey, ever seen me in a bathing suit?

Speaking of which. Time for another dip in the pool.