Life of Wry

Some back lit Dr. Seussian plantage, down Putah Creek way.

The arboretum was pretty today, but definitely in transition.  I’m still pretending we’re in the dog days of summer, even though school’s now started and some of the trees are clearly exhibiting fall behavior.

By the way, know where the term dog days of summer comes from?  The Romans associated hot weather with the star Sirius. Sirius happens to be the greek word for scorching.  Sirius is also called the dog star because it’s the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, Large Dog.  (Sirius is also the brightest star in the night sky.)  So… hot days, scorching, Sirius, dog star –> dog days of summer.  Dog Days are the hottest, most sultry days of summer in late August.

That’s how we get there.   So says Wikipedia.

Also from Wikipedia: Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time “when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, Quinto raged in anger, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies” according to Brady’s Clavis Calendarium, 1813.

Anyway, where was I before I went down that rabbit hole….  oh yeah, Dr. Seuss and his funny trees.  I saw one today in real life.