Dog Days of Summer

Tags

Canis Major, Dog Days of Summer, GLVWG, Writing

From: Astronomy.com

Dawn Sooy, GLVWG Secretary, remarks about the constant heat during the last few weeks.

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            My two dogs and I have just returned from a short walk. I took a deep breath of relief when I entered the house, the air conditioning slowly cooling my body. For some reason, the phrase “Dog Days of Summer” passed through my mind, so I decided to look it up.

Wiki has the following description, “The dog days are the hottest, most uncomfortable part of the Northern summer. The American weather and farming annual, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, explains that the phrase ‘Dog Days’ conjures up the hottest, most sultry days of summer,” I can attest to that definition, and I am sure many of us in this area are struck by the heat when leaving the house.

Another interesting fact is the ancient Greeks associated this time of the year with Sirius, a star in the constellation that today refers to as Canis Major, literally the “greater dog” constellation.

May publications refer to the “Dog Days of Summer”. To mention a few:  Homer in the ‘IIiad,’ John Webster’s 1613 stage play ‘The Duchess of Malfi,’ Charles Dickens in ‘A Christmas Carol’ and Richard Harding Davis ‘in The Bar Sinister.’”

So sit back, enjoy your pool if you are lucky, or grab a popsicle from the freezer. These days won’t last forever and soon we will be shivering in cold weather.

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Dawn grew up in Eastern Pennsylvania and has experienced the four seasons this state has to offer. She received a degree in Computer Science and worked in that field until 2014. Her interests are writing, reading, and fishing.

She is married to her husband, Bob and between them, they have four children. Recently her granddaughter had a baby and now enjoys the name Great Grammy Dawn.

Dawn has published five short stories, the most recent, “Dancing in the Moonlight”, is published in the GLVWG anthology Write Here – Write Now.  This collection is available for purchase through Amazon.com.

You can find Dawn at her Facebook Page, and coming soon, her new WordPress author site.

 

 

Meet Gisele Leck, GLVWG Publicity Chair

Tags

Gisela Leck, GLVWG, GLVWG Publicity, Write Stuff, Writing, Writing Groups

Gisele Leck, GLVWG Publicity Chair, offers ten great reasons to join us at the beginning of our new fiscal year, September 24.

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10 Great Reasons to Come to our Saturday Morning Meetings:

1. It’s only once a month.
2. No rush hour traffic.
3. Hassle-free parking.
4. No need to bring quarters since parking is free.
5. Free coffee.
6. Legitimate excuse not to study, do laundry, mow the lawn, etc.
7. Writers sharing their successes.
8. Writers sharing their failures.
9. Guest speakers who inspire.
10. People who get why you are writing.

September’s speaker is author Chris Redding, who will present a morning session on “How to Make Money Before You Hit it Big”. Hope to see  you there.

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Gisela grew up in Southern Germany before making the United States her permanent home. She studied at the University of Texas at Austin as well as the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis where she earned an M.S.W. Gisela lives in Bethlehem, PA, and teaches sociology at a local college. She loves writing, has contributed to GLVWG’s Anthology, and has finished her first novel. Her interests are many, including reading, acting, hiking, rowing, traveling, going to the movies, and trying out new recipes.