Ah, the Dog Days of summer! The ancients thought the brilliance of Sirius, the Dog Star, gave an extra kick to the sizzle of ol’ Mister Sun ‘round this time of year. While they both shine from a similar part of the sky, the “problem” is as it usually is: much closer to home. Bugger.
Sirius glitters brightest in the heavens. Space.com
Today had an an actual dog involved, though. What an excellent spark to start the week…some might even say stellar. (Everyday is #PundayMonday!)
Letters from Josh
8/8/22 Vol. 93
Howdy, folks! I hope you smell better than I do. Our mothers were right. The company we keep makes all the difference. The sun was just peeking over Long Mountain as I was huffing and puffing back home on the morning jog. (OK, so it was more of a walk, but it was still tiring.) “What to write in the letter? Hmmm.” The mental gears were sluggish. Suddenly, I heard another panting. A pink tongue greeted my ankle. YIKES! PLEASE DON’T EAT ME! was the immediate thought. “Uh...heyyyy buddy!” A friendly black lab, probably about two years old, jumped up to say hello. Dogs are..growing on me, calling out bravery and horse sense. Given the fact that I find wiener dogs intimidating if they bark loud enough, this is a slow process, although it appears promising. “Good boy!”
Oh, was he appreciative of the gift of a summer morning ramble. Judging by the smell, he had breakfast, and a slight disagreement with a skunk sometime before that. Now it was time to play with his uncertain human friend in the stupid red jogging shorts, who now also smelled vaguely of skunk.
“Let’s go check out the double wide! Nope, this isn’t home, but that shrub is my domain now. The man in the jogging shorts looks confused, but then again, so many humans did nowadays. No matter, a run will make him feel better. Faster...FASTER! There he is, laughing. What if I jump him? Ha, he looks scared. Oh snap, a drain pipe! I wonder what’s in here? Something? Maybe? I smell a ‘possum! Whatever, the man is getting away. Time to run! He seems to labor at his running, like he doesn’t notice the sweet air and the crows calling from the pines. I’ll show him how to have fun. Like this, man, like this! Easy does it. Hey, I smell a lady dog. Peace out, bro! Watch out for the cats with the white stripe. They’re grumpy.”
And so my new buddy didn’t follow me all of the way home. His brief company was worth the slight “cologne.” The spooky blues song Hellhound on my Trail (Robert Johnson) was playing in my mind, but I had to chuckle at the contrast with this summer pal who obviously knows how to live an August day. I reckon he’s trying to befriend a cat right about now.
In a bit of space news that’s guaranteed to tickle your funny bone (and make all of us think more carefully), did you hear about the new Webb telescope image? The head of France’s atomic energy commission shared a photo of the star Proxima Centarui in unprecedented detail, which quickly went viral. All good, except the “photo” was actually a piece of Spanish sausage from the snack tray at a party. “In view of some comments, I feel compelled to clarify that this tweet showing an alleged snapshot of Proxima Centauri was a form of amusement.” he wrote. “Let us learn to be wary of arguments from authority as much as of the spontaneous eloquence of certain images.” Well played, and instructive, sir!
Have a great week, folks, see if you can snag some Perseid meteors, I’ll keep an eye out for roaming dogs, and we’ll chat next week!
- Josh