Dog Days

Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time. "The Sea boiled, the Wine turned sour, Dogs grew mad, and all other Creatures became languid; causing to Man, among other diseases, burning Fevers, Hysterics, and Phrensies." according to Brady’s Clavis Calendaria, 1813

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Sirius, the Dog star, should be ascending soon and in conjunction, the prime of the summer swamp heat. As a kid, we had no a/c in the house at all. My bedroom was upstairs in a sort of finished ½ attic that had two windows. The summertime sun beat on the roof all day long and turned it into an oven. Though as a kid, my cardio was in great shape so I could bear it. Yet it was still uncomfortable and sucked. The old tale of turning the pillow to get it's “cooler side” was true, as I did it as well.

In '74 my Dad bought an a/c for our room. I bet the thing weighed 90lbs as it was an all metal construction needing a little platform outside the window to support it. After that, my Dad moved into our room most of the summer, denying us our secret delights of having fun there w/o the parents interrupting with a “cut that out!”

I don't know why but I can recollect heat waves, the bad ones. There's one memory, as a kid, when we had a cold front blow through. My parents were rejoicing at that fact. It was hot but not that bad, but I was a kid with great cardio and apparently they were suffering. Want to know how bad the air was then, before the Clean Air Act? When that rain hit, my parents and I commented on the smell. It was a bit like sulphur. “The rain is washing the air out.” my Mom said. Ugh, that's how filthy it was.

When I was 15 there was a Goliath of one that wouldn't quit. It was the kind of heat where even the bugs give up and go quiet. The weather would tease us with thunderstorms from cool fronts that petered out before they pushed off the coast. All that did was dump more water on the ground and you could watch it steaming as the sun came back out again. Gee, thanks. I can remember walking from room to room in this house, hoping I'd find a cooler one. My brother and I escaped it by going into the cellar, which was cooler but it had the faint smell of mildew because of the stagnant air there. No matter, we hung out there watching Dick Cavett on a small black and white.

1988 was a bitch. I was working in western Cranston then and I would pass a “time and temperature” sign near the entrance to Rt 37W on my commute. For about 20 days, all it read was above 90 degrees. That finally broke at around 2 AM on that last day. How do I know? The wind was rushing so hard when the cold front passed, it woke me up. When I went around the house opening all the windows as wide as I could, the upstairs one made a whooshing sound as I got it open. All that heat was rushing out. Weird...

I did finally get a/c for my bedroom back in '96. I would come home from work and strip down and lie spread eagled on the bed, in glory as the cool air spread over me. Once I was cooled enough, I'd get up and not always dress immediately. Why should I? I was alone in my house. A problem arose due to the fact I usually kept my doors open in summer for the air. One time, I was coming down the stairs at the same time the mailman was coming up the short two steps to my mailbox at the front door. We both saw each other clearly, our eyes met then quickly diverted. I knew he saw me. HE knew he saw me and I think we both made a mental note to one another to pretend it didn't happen.

As turned away at the bottom step into the living room I thought; “Ah well, chalk this one up to my list of embarrassing moments!” Luckily for you T. it wasn't you on the route that day back then!

So again it comes, the Dog Days. Tonight I'll be up late, reading as I've always done in this heat. I'll hear insects, the rustling of neighborhood cats, opossums and God Knows What Else on four feet out there in the dark. An occasional teen or two will walk down the street, preceded by their talking and then illuminated by their iPhones as they walk past my window. I might step outside for a bit, patrolling the yard and see that pink illuminated sky Pawtucket always has in the humid haze above it. I used to be barefoot for these walks, until I stepped on a big, fat Leopard slug. They're the size of your index finger and make a definite GOOSH when you step on them. I wore sandals after that.

Then I'll yawn too much and realize it's time for bed. I'll turn on the a/c, kneel and pray to it then off to bed.