Happy Labor Day Weekend!!!!

Hey everybody.........

Little Edie and I are off for another fun and relaxing weekend with Polly, Duane, Percy and Agnes. Pictures and video to follow. Have a fun, safe and relaxing weekend. I can't believe summer is coming to an end. It went by so fast.............

The Dog Days of Summer

Everyone knows that the “dog days of summer” occur during the hottest and muggiest part of the season. Webster defines “dog days” as:

1 : the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere

2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity

But where does the term come from? Why do we call the hot, sultry days of summer “dog days?”In ancient times, when the night sky was unobscured by artificial lights and smog, different groups of peoples in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars. The images drawn were dependent upon the culture: The Chinese saw different images than the Native Americans, who saw different pictures than the Europeans. These star pictures are now called constellations, and the constellations that are now mapped out in the sky come from our European ancestors.

They saw images of bears, (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), twins, (Gemini), a bull, (Taurus), and others, including dogs, (Canis Major and Canis Minor).

The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius, which also happens to be the brightest star in the night sky. In fact, it is so bright that the ancient Romans thought that the earth received heat from it. Look for it in the southern sky (viewed from northern latitudes) during January.

In the summer, however, Sirius, the “dog star,” rises and sets with the sun. During late July Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the dog star.

The conjunction of Sirius with the sun varies somewhat with latitude. And the “precession of the equinoxes” (a gradual drifting of the constellations over time) means that the constellations today are not in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome. Today, dog days occur during the period between July 3 and August 11. Although it is certainly the warmest period of the summer, the heat is not due to the added radiation from a far-away star, regardless of its brightness. No, the heat of summer is a direct result of the earth's tilt.

Don't Cry For Me Argentina

A dog sheltered a newborn baby abandoned by its 14-year-old mother in a field in rural Argentina until the boy was rescued, a doctor said Friday.

A resident of a rural area outside La Plata called police late Wednesday night to say that he had heard the baby crying in a field behind his house. The man went outside and found the infant lying beside the dog and its six newborn puppies, Daniel Salcedo, chief of police of the Province of Buenos Aires, told CNN. The temperature was a chilly 37 degrees, Salcedo said.

The dog had apparently carried the baby some 50 meters from where his mother had abandoned him to where the puppies were huddled, police said. "She took it like a puppy and rescued it," Salcedo said. "The doctors told us if she hadn't done this, he would have died." "The dog is a hero to us."

Dr. Egidio Melia, director of the Melchor Romero Hospital in La Plata, told CNN that police showed up at the hospital at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday with the baby who doctors say was only a few hours old.

Though the infant had superficial scratches and bruises and was bleeding from his mouth, he was in good shape, Melia said. The next morning, the child's mother was driven by a neighbor to the hospital and told authorities the 8 pound, 13 ounce infant is hers, Melia said. The teenager was immediately given psychological treatment and was hospitalized, he said. She has said little about the incident.

The child has been transferred to a children's hospital in La Plata, 37 miles from Buenos Aires.

Peete & I Play Ball

Here's Peete and I playing ball. He loves to play ball. He's so patient and so gentle. I'm trying to teach him to catch. Sometimes he gets it, unfortunately.......not in this video!

Sacred Sunday Morning

I have a rule. If I can help it. I don't do anything before noon on Sunday. No housework, no regular work, no nothing. My favorite way to start the day is to make a good pot of coffee, serve myself a lovely breakfast and put the whole thing on a fancy tray. Just like getting room service in a great hotel!! Then I take the whole thing outside on the patio and I enjoy my leisurely breakfast and coffee along with my Sunday paper.

Well, I'm not the only one who enjoys this routine. This past Sunday I stepped away for a moment and Little Edie took over my spot. She brought her toy too (see the brown rabbit on the right?). And so what if she jumps all over the paper, tries to eat my breakfast and licks out of my coffee cup? Now we have Sacred Sunday Morning together. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy Birthday!!

Hey everybody!! Sorry.....I've been away for a while. Well.....away from this blog. I wish I could say I was off somewhere fabulous enjoying the summer but alas.....I've just been working really hard!

However, today, I am back!! I am back because today is a very special day. It is my big boys birthday!!! Jake. AKA Javier di Napoli. NFC. My Jakey Lover.

Jake turns 13 years young today. Jake, Little Edie and I had a little party with tuna, some treats, some toys and lots of love. Edie jumped on him and nipped at his tail. Good times were had by all!

Happy Birthday Jake!! I love you!!!!