I was writing this week’s “Writers’ Mailbag,” and I mentioned being curious about the saying “dog days of summer,” so I looked it up and discovered it was in reference to the Ancient Greeks and the star Sirius. Evidently Sirius can be seen in the summer in Greece, and the name Sirius means “dog star.” The sighting of Sirius back in ancient times signaled the arrival of hot, miserable temperatures . . . thus our calling mid-summer the “dog days of summer.”
Which then got me thinking about the old 60’s band Three Dog Night, so off I went to find out the origin of that phrase . . . I was unable to find out exactly WHEN that phrase became an idiom in our language, and there is some dispute whether it originated with the Eskimos or the Aborigines, but its meaning is not disputed. Back in the old days, before central heating, a really cold night called for desperate measures, and one such measure was to have your family dog sleep with you. A cold night meant one dog; a very cold night meant two dogs, and an extremely bitter cold night was a three dog night.
And for those curious about such things, the lead singer of Three Dog Night was Chuck Negron, and the band hit stardom in 1967.
Speaking about summer, can you guess which Major League Baseball Team holds the record for most wins in a single season? It’s the Seattle Mariners, perennial losers and the only team in the Major Leagues to never play in a World Series. In 2001 the Mariners won 116 games.
Oh how the Mighty have fallen!
Life really is fascinating!
Random musings on a Friday morning . . .
My mind then went back to my first dog, Sugar, when I was four. Sugar ran off, and when I was five my parents got me a little rat terrier named Pixie, and Pixie was with me for the next seventeen years, a constant companion during my formative years and yes, she slept with me many nights whether it was cold or not.
And then we jump forward forty-seven years to my next dog, Maggie May, our new puppy, and hopefully Maggie and I will grow old together.
Random thoughts for sure, but I guarantee you that some of those thoughts will eventually be in short stories or a novel down the road.
The mind of a writer . . .
Bill
“Helping writers to spread their wings and fly.”
Billybuc
Artistry With Words 
Definitely enjoyed this and being able to walk along in your mind for just a bit this morning. So thank you for that, Bill. Now wishing you a wonderful Tuesday and week ahead, too 🙂
No problem, Janine. Thanks for walking along with me.
Wonderful musings Bill. I had looked up the dog days before with the same curiosity as you, but I’d never heard of the three dog night – it makes a lot of sense!
Thanks Andrea! It’s really useless information but I love it anyway. 🙂
Hi Bill – Well, I will be doggone, another successful jaunt with artistry with words. Happy Tuesday.
Happy Tuesday Mike! Thanks for being here.
Bill
Interesting stuff there, I didn’t know that about that stuff about where the sayings come from, mind you, I never heard the saying “Three dog night”. but then again, I suppose dogs do work hard, that’s why we ‘work like dogs’
Blessings for the week.
Now you have me wondering about the origin of “work like dogs,” Lawrence….Sled Dogs, I wonder?
Or other “dog” phrases: Dog eat dog, raining cats and dogs, sick as a dog, let sleeping dogs lie, puppy love, dog tired…so fun!
Three Dog Night. I LOVE that! I’ve already envisioned myself working in the office this winter and proclaiming, “Y’all, it’s a three dog night!” and then strutting off with a knowing smile. HAHA.
Your mind is as random (and connected) as mine is. Hehe. Such fun for writing stories. In my most recent flash fiction, some of it was imagined, some of it I made up as I wrote, and some of it included things I want to happen. Then you can put it all together. Thank you, by the way for making it back over to my blog. I had scheduled it, and then didn’t get a chance to go back until the afternoon and saw that the comments were turned off. Every once in awhile that happens when I use the “front end” to start a blog post and forget that the site automatically does that. Don’t know why, but I have to remember to turn them back on and I sometimes forget. LOL. All that to say, thank you for making two trips over there. I appreciate you, Big Bro. More than you know. 🙂
Lil Sis, thank you! Of course I made it back over to your blog. That’s what Big Bros do for their little sisters. lol It’s always a matter of making sure I see the notification. I get so busy that oftentimes I skip over an email because I just don’t see it. And time seems to be compressing more lately and making it that much easier for me to miss notifications. Anyway, I’ll be there unless I just get careless.
I feel somewhat relieved as I can chase down random thoughts for hours and glad I am not alone. My favorite is when a business I know nothing about asks for advice or some writing. First whole day is spent randomly looking up words and phrases to become an “expert” 😉
I love it, Eric,and no you are not the only one to chase random thoughts.
I found all sorts of dog expressions and idioms here https://barkpost.com/discover/origins-strange-dog-expressions/. I particularly love the one about someone very dishonest being “as crooked as a dog’s hind leg”!
I know that some people tut-tut about homeless people having dogs. They say things such as “Why have a dog when you can’t afford to feed yourself?” Answer: for company and warmth. I’m sure there’s many a dog that has snuggled up to someone sleeping rough in the winter and stopped them dying of hypothermia.
A great post, Bill, ’cause you know I love dogs 🙂
Wishing you a happy Tuesday, my dear friend.
Thanks for the website, Sarah my friend. Dogs are the sanity in each of us.They are the stabilizer during hectic days. How can one look at a loyal dog and see anything other than love?
Absolutely, Bill. They are pure love 🙂
Great ideas, much of new parlance, thanks. Meanwhile influenced by your good advice, as a first step I copied photo of Maggie May.
I look forward to your second step, Michael my friend. Thank you and peace be with you and your family.
I love your random thoughts, Bill. I can clearly see the path from one topic to another, sparking memories and more randomness.That’s the sign of a creative, active mind.
Hi Sha! It’s nice to know my random mind is appreciated by people. It can be scary going it alone. 🙂