The dog days of summer
By Mary Pannabecker Steiner
Yesterday morning I asked my husband if he thought the dog's bug bites/rash were making him feeling crummy or if it was just the heat. His response?
"Well, it IS the dog days of summer." Groan.
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He then proceeded to explain to me the origin of the phrase, "dog days of summer". When he was in college, one of his journalism profs told the students that it was called "dog days" because during the hottest summer days, newspapers struggled to find interesting things to write about. So they wrote editorial comments on why dog owners should leash their dogs.
Okay, this sounded plausible but since my husband sometimes makes up stories just to entertain me, I'm still skeptical. I thought about checking it out on the Internet, but it was too hot.
Here's the thing. When we get into one of these horribly hot weather ruts, it's really easy to blame everything on the heat. Stomach is upset? It's the heat. Headache? It's the heat. Everyone - including the dog - is grumpy. It's the heat. You get the idea.
Thanks to daughter number 1, who unearthed our inflatable wading pool from the garage "attic", we have solved this problem - at least temporarily. Last night, after spending another hour moving garage sale items from my mom's condo to her garage, we were hot and sweaty but didn't want to waste an otherwise perfectly good evening. So we filled up the little pool and did what we used to do when our babies were tiny and going to the pool after a day of work seemed way too hard.
Ike, the Icon dog, still is not sure he likes this idea. But we thought it was fun.
Stories Posted This Week
Saturday, June 28, 2025
- Community Pool closed June 28
- Weekend Doctor: About Rotator Cuff Repair
- WOAL Swim Champs in Wapakoneta July 11-12
- '60s Survivors Band plays fifth annual free concert
- Bluffton Lions to bring all-abilities playground to new Legacy Park
- July 2025 programs and services at Bluffton Public Library
- Save the date: July 17 Garden Club is all about herbs
- Bluffton Vacation Bible School, July 13-17 at Bluffton Y
Friday, June 27, 2025
- Foundation launches Rooted to Rise initiative
- Eight vehicle injury crash IR 75 in Hancock County
- Bluffton Mayor commends Safety Services on June 26 injury accident response
- What's in your weekend?, June 27-28-29
- Go wolfhound to Bluffton
- Letter: Ask for veto of HB 96 library provision
- ODNR Offering Hunter Education Instructor Classes
Thursday, June 26, 2025
- Bluffton safety services respond to multi-vehicle accidents on I-75
- Travel opportunities update from Bluffton Senior Center
- Send July 2025 Community Calendar items to the Icon
- National Night Out is August 5, planning is in final stages
- Bluffton Senior Center activities schedule for July 2025
- Does your business have summer hours? Post them on the Icon
- Bluffton, Ohio ranks 4th in Ohio for bike network quality