Summer, Treats and Dog Days by Brenda Whiteside

Several of this months topics sparked a thought. The first thought was to have some ice cream, which I am doing right now. Ice Cream Month? Ice cream deserves much more than just a month. And anyway, I prefer ice cream in the winter. My mom told me if you drink a hot drink when you're hot, you'll feel cooler. She's full of good ol' wives' wisdom like that. So maybe I prefer ice cream in the winter to make me warmer. But I don't think so. Drinking hot while you're hot doesn't work. 

Sunset over the orchard

I like Share a Sunset with Your Lover Month. Sunsets are usually very romantic. I say usually because sunsets are also very relaxing. It's a nightly ritual at our house. After dinner, we all seem to migrate to the back patio to watch the sun go down. Since there are several of us, including three dogs, romance really doesn't have a chance. This time of year, the sun sets equally over the vegetable garden and the orchard at our house. Arizona does get some magnificent sunsets which we can thank all the dust in the air for that. We've started the monsoon season too so there are usually billowing clouds for the sun to slant rays on, through and around.

My dog, Rusty, rolling in the grass

And speaking of dogs, The Dog Days of Summer Month has a nice lazy sound. I have always associated this term literally with dogs and being lazy in the sun. I know, clueless. So I looked it up. The star named Sirius (the Dog Star) in Canis Major is quite visible in the night sky in the summer between July and August. This is usually the hottest time of summer in the northern hemisphere. Dog Days are named for the appearance of the Dog Star on the eastern horizon. I think I like my totally wrong, unscientific and nonsensical definition better.

Happy July and all the reasons to celebrate!

Visit Brenda at www.brendawhiteside.com.

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She blogs on the 9^th and 24^th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com

She blogs about prairie life on her personal blog http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/