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Sunday, August 9, 2009

Can't See Them, But Thinking About Stars . . .


like Sirius, the Dog Star. I used to think the dog days of summer referred to various canids lying around panting in the summer heat. Too hot and humid to get much done, so might as well lie down with them. But, noooooooo. It's actually when Sirius, the dog star (the brightest star in our sky), is most visible. 

For the Greeks the Dog Star's presence heralded the hot, dry summer, caused men to weaken, and apparently made women horny. It also brought on "a malign influence:" astrololetos, also known as being star-struck (this makes no sense to me as there were no celebrities back then, or were they swooning over Apollo and Zeus?). Or maybe they were star-struck over Sirius. I understand they even had a coin imprinted with their lauded dog, rays emanating out from its visage. 

Ironically, it's very much NOT feeling the anything close to flower-wilting August where I live. It feels like serious back to school and time to dig out your sweaters. Already I am nostalgic for that heat wave of yesteryear. How quickly we forget . . . 


2 comments:

Joannie Stangeland said...

Caused men to weaken and caused women to feel horny? I sense a lack of balance, and I also pictured a pack of dogs panting and sleeping. But I'm stuck in the gray days, with a light rain.

Martha Silano said...

It sorta cracked me up how, in classic form, women are undaunted by heat and humidity, more than undaunted--energized! While men are on the verge of expiring.