Mercury Rising

Day 190:

As they say in the Low Country of South Carolina, Conor, "it dun got close today!" A Gullah reference to the heat of the Summer... The meaning behind the expression that the Sun actually got close to the Earth and thus hotter than usual...

Yes Boy'O, today was a scorcher!  Heat index of 105!!  That's a wee bit warm for us Irish blooded Americans; especially in June!  Just a bit early for the Dog Days of Summer to be upon us...  Especially considering The "Dog Days of Summer" being an age old reference to the latter half of the season, specifically late July and all of August.  In the modern era it's referred to this for two reasons...

1st - Canis Major is the constellation containing the brightest star in the sky, Sirius.  The Sirius star also happens to be considered the nose of Orion the Hunter's lead dog.  Of course, 'Canis' is a word from latin to what we today know as 'Canine', or as it's more commonly known, 'Dog'.  Hence, the Dog Days of Summer.  What's more, we also know the origin of your name, Conor, as meaning "Lover of Hounds"... The Gaelic 'Conor' clearly being taken from the Greek 'Canis'.

See how that all came around, Boy'O?

2nd - Modern day America adopted the term as an exception to an otherwise long standing rule... "No dogs allowed!" is what you would normally hear if you ever tried to bring your furry pal to the old ball game! I'm talking about baseball, of course!  Though stadiums began to make exceptions during the hottest Summer days in the hopes of raising attendance at the ball park during the great depression of the 1930s.  This privilege is far less extended now-a-days, Conor.  Though to be sure, it would be a really great time to head off to the old ball game with you and the mutts in tow...

Tangent, but since I mentioned it I thought maybe I should explain the origin.  Never the less, it got HOT today, Son.  Hot for Northern Virginia, hot for June, and even if it were the Dog Days of Summer, today's temperatures would STILL be HOT!  To keep you cool Mommy and me stripped you down to nothing but a diaper and the relief you experienced was all over your face!

Yes, Boy'O, you went NUTS!  Squealing and kicking and laughing and smiling... Just good, good fun to see you feel that sense of relief and that reaction... I'd never seen anything quite like it before.  Mommy either.  Yet another first in a long list of many...

Tomorrow a few Summer 'thunder bumpers' are all set to roll through here and take the temps down a few notches... And just in time for the weekend.  Though it'll still be warm enough to get you into the pool, Son.  And if I do anything this weekend, that'll be it.

Stay cool, Lion Heart.  For tomorrow holds yet another first... I'm sure of it.

I love you, Son.
Dad