Recently I saw a spot on the Weather Channel that said we are entering the “Dog Days of Summer”. Hmmm. This summer has been so hot that I do not know when these specific days started. And in fact, where did this saying originate? And what are some things we can do make these hot days easier to cope with?

Okay first I figured out that this period of summer was named after the brightest star, Sirius which is the alpha star of Canis Major and is referenced to as the “big dog” star. Ha! And along with Sirius meaning scorcher we can see why Sirius is defined as the Dog Star. All the movement of Sirius comes into place right now, this time of year.Well some of this was news to me. I mean yeah, I knew Sirius, the big dog star, had something to do with this time of year but somewhere in my misinformed past I thought it had to do with real canines getting lazy from the hottest part of the summer. Don’t know where that idea came from but hey! There it is.

Okay now that I know that hot equals Sirius aligning during late July through August I need a late summer “pick me up” so I decided I need to do something about this hair on my head for starters.  I need a good conditioner and a hair cut followed by a facial. That will boast my spirits.

Then I decided I needed some ice tea and a good book to read. Nothing I can do about all this heat but stay out of it. My cousin recommended  a Ken Follett book called The Pillars of the Earth. Another good summer read is Greedy Bones by Carolyn Haines. Both books are short if you having trouble concentrating from the heat. But if you want a longer, deeper book to keep you disconnected from the heat try a historical novel like American Lion: Andrew Jackson in The White House.

Okay so I got facial lined up, I am getting a haircut and I got a good book to read. Now I need to cool down….and dream of Fall. What about you? What are you doing to stay relaxed during this grueling hot summer period of the Dog Days of Summer?

Yesterday was National Relaxation Day. Yep, we have such a day. Here are few tips that were offered on how to enjoy it and I think we can use these for the rest of the summer too!

Here are a few ideas:

• Call a long lost friend, just to say hello.
• Take a leisure walk, enjoy the sights and smells of the outdoors.
• Have a great and healthy meal.
• Have a cool refreshing drink
• Take a nap.
• Watch the clouds and daydream.
• Anything that will put your mind, body and soul at ease.

If you would like to learn about other Unusual Health Holidays visit Odette’s homepage.

(Cited National Relaxation Day from: http://www.examiner.com/health-and-beauty-in-hartford/national-relaxation-day)