Tennessee Living

About the Author - Pettus L. Read

Pettus L. Read is editor of the Tennessee Farm Bureau News and director of communications for the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation. He may be contacted by e-mail at .

It had been a hot one that August night back in the early 60s when Uncle Sid received a phone
call at four-thirty in the morning from a neighbor down the road. The old white frame farmhouse
that he and Aunt Sadie had shared for a lifetime didn’t have all the modern day conveniences that
we have today and it was always suspected that during the “dog days of summer” you would have a few nights that were not very pleasant. That night was one of those and Uncle Sid had spent the night turning his pillow on a regular basis to locate the cool side to rest his head on.

There was no air conditioning, no central units and the only way they had to move the hot and
humid air around the house was with a GE oscillating fan that had been in the family since their
now grown children were babies. With all the windows pushed to the top of their sashes, you could hear the frogs outside crooking in a melody that seemed to make the air even more stagnant. Uncle Sid had even moved down to the foot of the bed to get some air from the open window. The sheets of the bed had felt like they had “come in case” just like tobacco hanging in the barn does before you strip it to sell. 

However, around three o’clock, the early morning air had cooled enough for the old man to
finally get to sleep. But, with the ringing of the huge black dial phone in the hall, his sleep had been broken and he headed to the phone stand table to answer what he assumed would be bad news.

With a trembling voice he said, “Hello?”

Immediately on the other end of the line Uncle Sid’s neighbor Burney Leary spoke with a very
loud voice saying, “Your dog has barked all night and I want you to make him stop!”

Now fully awake, Uncle Sid remained totally calm and answered Burney in a low voice, “I’m
sorry Burney, thank you for calling and bringing that to my attention. Goodbye.”

After the call and explaining what all the commotion was about to Aunt Sadie, Uncle Sid went
back to bed and slept a fairly restful sleep. But, the next morning at four-thirty he called Burney
and when Burney answered in somewhat of a frightened voice, Uncle Sid said, “You know Burney, I don’t have a dog. Goodnight.”

Much like Uncle Sid and Burney’s long hot night confrontation during the summer’s “dog days,”
those hottest and sultry days of summer get a lot of credit for strange things happening. They
usually fall in the northern hemisphere between early July and early September, but the actual date is often open for debate.  “The Old Farmer’s Almanac” sets the date for Dog Days as the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11.  It says it coincides with the ancient helical (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius.  The ancients believed that the star was the cause for hot and sultry weather. They also believed it was an evil time when dogs grew mad, the seas boiled and man turned feverish.

I’m not to sure when the Dog Star rises around here, but I do know that most folks call the last of
July to about the middle of August the Dog Days in Tennessee. It is usually about the hottest time of the year for us and this year seems to be holding true to form. Most dogs during this time
become lazy to avoid overheating and man seems to do the same thing. If you work outside, you
can become “dog tired” during the Dog Days from the heat. But, you do learn real fast during this
time of the year that you can drive a car with two fingers due to a hot steering wheel and don’t put
sunglasses on too fast after first getting in a hot car if they have been lying on the dash.

But, there are some good things to do during this hot time of the year. Check out a local
Tennessee farm for some great farm raised fresh produce. During the Dog Days there’s nothing like a good fresh Tennessee tomato sandwich or honey straight from a farmer’s bee stand. It’s easy to find a local producer, too. There is now a listing of these farmers through the Tennessee Farm Fresh program that promotes local and fresh products from Tennessee’s farmers. Just go to www.tnfarmfresh.com and check out their directory to find a Tennessee farmer near you.

Avoid the Dog Star and stay cool. Dog Days will be over before long and fall is just around
the corner. And, so is the time for some good Tennessee cider and sorghum.You can find those
through Tennessee Farm Fresh too! 

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Magazine:
Tennessee Home & Farm, Summer 2010 Edition Edition

Headline:
Dog Days of Summer Started With a Star

Summary:
Avoid the Dog Star and stay cool. Dog Days will be over before long and fall is just around the corner.

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