Woke to 53F again this morning and it’s shaping up to be another beautiful day in the Heartland. Windows all open and it’s almost chilly in the shack. Nice! Timmy Horton’s in a big mug and puffing on Bluegill Lake in an old Savinelli Freehand with my old buddy Marshall Tucker asleep at my feet.

Today is officially the end of the dog days of summer:

The phrase “Dog Days” refers to the hottest days of summer. The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists the traditional timing of the Dog Days: the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, coinciding with the heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius. The rising of Sirius does not actually affect the weather (some of our hottest and most humid days occur after August 11), but for the ancient Egyptians, Sirius appeared just before the season of the Nile’s flooding so they used the star as a “watchdog” for that event. Since its rising also coincided with a time of extreme heat, the connection with hot, sultry weather was made for all time.

I’ve been listening to the CW activity churned up by the SKCC Weekend Sprint on 40 meters. I’m a longtime member (3383T) who is more accurately, a long time dormant member. I played in the K3Y back in January but that’s about the last time I plugged in the straight key. As someone who frequently laments the lack of CW activity, I ought to do better. I’m going to make a point of spending at least an hour a week on the straight key.

For now, there’s more work to be done in the yard. I need to get a couple more stumps removed before the landscaper arrives tomorrow morning and these will be in his way. I can’t believe I ordered this work and agreed to remove them myself instead of letting him do it. A silly call on my part months ago when I scheduled the service, but now I need to just get it done and this project completed.

Maybe after one more cup…