A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....08-11-04...The Dog Days of Summer

Mama_Bear

[Mama_Bear]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

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The Dog Days of Summer are almost behind us. For some it will be a reason to celebrate, for others (like me) it is a time to lament the passing of the summer season.

"While the dog days have made many us feel like we're swaddled in fur, the period is actually named after Sirius, the Dog Star. Sirius rises with the sun when summer is at its hottest. The dog days traditionally run from July 3 to August 11.

The ancients believed extra heat generated by Sirius in conjunction with the sun caused this sizzling spell of weather. Sirius is the brightest star at night, after all.

But Sirius, which is found in the Canis Major (big dog) constellation, is some 50 trillion miles (80 trillion kilometers) from Earth—too far away to influence temperatures here.

In Roman times the dog days—or dies caniculares in Latin—were associated with intolerable heat, lethargy, disease, and, appropriately enough, mad dogs." James Owen for National Geographic News July 16, 2004

What was the highest summer temperature ever recorded in the United States?

A - 114 degrees Fahrenheit
B - 124 degrees F.
C - 134 degrees F.
D - 144 degrees F.

Answer >>> C - The highest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. was in California's Death Valley. The temperature reached 134 degrees. The hottest record on Earth took place in El Aisisa, Libya. That temp was 136F.

When does summer officially start in the Northern Hemisphere?

A - June 19th
B - June 21st
C - June 22nd
D - It varies

Answer >>> D - It varies. The summer solstice doesn't always occur on June 21. In 1896, summer began on June 20. It won't begin on that same date again until 2012.

It's not just the heat. It really is the humidity! When the thermometer reads 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the humidity stands at 60%, how hot do you really feel, according to the National Weather Service's heat index?

A - 116 degrees F.
B - 126 degrees F.
C - 136 degrees F.
D - 146 degress F.

Answer >>> C - According the heat index, 100 degrees F at 60% relative humidity will warm the human body as much as heat at 136 degrees F at 0% humidity. When the Heat Index gets above 90 then it's time to take some precautions. About 175 people die in this country every year due to excessive heat.

What is the official definition of a heat wave?

A - Two or more days of 90+ degree weather.
B - Three or more days of 90+ degree weather.
C - Any period of unusually hot weather.
D - A period of 48 consecutive hours when the air temperature is 15% or more above normal.
E - There is no "official" definition.

Answer >>> E - There is no universal "official" definition. The National Weather service has set no temperature or duration to define a heat wave. The American Heritage dictionary defines a heat wave as, "a period of unusually hot weather."

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 08-09-04 Military Monday 08-10-04 God Bless the USA ~ Lift Every Voice (Rerun)

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[LadyX]

{{{ Hugs back to yew, Pippin }}}}}

Looks as if my side of South Carolina might be getting some "huffs and puffs" from the two storms that are about to converge and head this way!!
Cuzzin dixie, too...

Was late to the thread because I was battening down the (screened porch) hatches all afternoon...took the wicker furniture and assorted things out to the storage house.
That will make the cleanup afterward easier.

[Pippin]

You be careful in that storm, Maggie! <p. I'll be praying for you and all in SC and GA and FL!

[LadyX]

How about this picture??

"One step closer to my baby, dude,
and your fate will be 'sealed!'"

[Mama_Bear]

Oh gosh, I hope you all don't get hit too hard.

[JustAmy]

106 ... Whewwww

Dog Days have hit Fresno!! When will Cat Days get here?

[Mama_Bear]

"One step closer to my baby, dude, and your fate will be 'sealed!'"

LOL! Cute and clever you are!

Another cool cute polar bear picture. I just can't think of a clever caption...

Isn't that baby just adorable? And SO tiny! Mama looks a bit tuckered. LOL

[Mama_Bear]

Dog Days have hit Fresno!! When will Cat Days get here?

Or, better yet, polar bear days. ;-)

[LadyX]

In this one, the mama seems to be saying,
"When I say 'NO!!' Junior - - I MEAN IT!!"

"You're big enough to catch your own fish."
"See how skinny I'm getting?"

[Lakeside]

So sorry the dentist hurt you. At least the worst is over. Novocaine is just sometimes not enough! The gas doesn't work on me--it's as good as nothing at all. I'd go for general anesthesia. Or is that over kill? Hmmmmmm

Percodan is goooood. You'll be better in no time. That is until it wears off....

I'm not from Wisconsin as in 'native' but lived there for seven years. It's my adopted home state and the only place I've been homesick for when I moved away. However, here are some things to cover when you feature Wisconsin:

#1)Da Packers
#2)Da Packers
#3)Da Packers
#4) cheese
#5) green and gold
#6) Lambeau Field
#7) a two week deer season that is a statewide holiday
#8) ice fishing
#9 Leinenkugel's beer
#10 Spring break-up

Seriously, the state is absolutely beautiful once you get north of those liberal bastions of Madison and Milwaukee.
There are The Dells (although it's gotten a bit "touristy"). Door county is that penninsula of land that sticks up into Lake Michigan on the east with Green Bay on its west. It has orchards and quaint little towns with bed and breakfast places and camp grounds facing the Bay. Little eateries specialize in serving boiled fish dinners prepared in large kettles over an open fire right in the dining patios. Yum.

Then there is Bayfield in the uttermost northern Wis. where you can take a ferry tour around the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. Breathtaking!

My old stomping grounds was near Lake Wissota near Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls. We were surrounded by dairy farms and apple orchards which had belonged to certain families for generations.

In the winter Lake Wissota would freeze over and that's when the fun began. Folks took their ice fishing VERY serious. And NASCAR had *nothing* on us. In January cars with studded tires raced ON the frozen lake around a snow plowed, banked oval track. Top that!(grin). In the meantime snowmobiling reigned supreme. The countryside was crisscrossed by paths devoted to that sport. They even had their own miniature road signs along the way.

Summers are short but great. The cooler temps made gardening a delight and everyone planted flowers everywhere.

The running joke defining Wis. summers was:
Two weeks of poor ice fishing/bad snowmobiling
followed by hot weather for two days.

Fall was probably my favorite time of year. It was when the leaves turned riotous colors and the apples ripened in the orchards. Many families made their traditional trips to orchard country to buy fresh apples, home made apple pies and a caramel apple or two. The orchards were also the place to pick out the perfect Halloween pumpkin right off the vine.

Concerning the state bird, seal, flag, tree or flower, you are on your own Mama B. I haven't a clue!

[Mama_Bear]

LOL! Polar bears are so photogenic!

Ain't nobody messin' with this mama's baby!

[JustAmy]

I would like to join this Mama Bear!!

That looks sooooo refreshing.

[Mama_Bear]

Concerning the state bird, seal, flag, tree or flower, you are on your own Mama B. I haven't a clue!

LOL. That's the easy part for me. But I love getting information from people who have lived there and have an attachment to the state. Wisconsin is one of the few states I haven't visited and I know nothing about it.

Thank you so much, ((((((((Lakeside)))))))! I have copied and saved your post. It will be a big help when I profile Wisconsin. (So ya' think I should mention da Packers? ;-) LOL)

[Lakeside]

"...are they Polar Bear Days??"

Yooouuuu betcha! (another Wisconsinism)

You take care, Lady, and don't get blown away or rained out! Hurricanes are sooo inconsiderate....

[LadyX]

Betcha didn't know Arctic hares can stand up straight!!

When we lived in Fairbanks, the first year was west of town near the airport. It was two blocks from the Chena River next to wild woods, moose and caribou and wolves and foxes, etc. crossing the yard to get to the river to drink and then went back to their habitat.

There also were hundreds of these hares hopping past the edge of the yard, utterly unafraid of man.

Unlike Florida where my two boys spent most of their first years, they were 8 and 9, and Mommo did not caution them to "look out for snakes" (there being NONE in Fairbanks) when they played outside - but "watch our for bears and wolves and moose and caribou" - - and truly meant it!

Sadly, my beloved little mostly-terrier, Shadow, was let out at 10 one night before bedtime, and never returned....hate to think what fate befell him out there.

Maybe Weinie has met him at Rainbow Ridge, though!! Nuzzle him for me, Weinie - - -

[Mama_Bear]

Yes, that even looks good to his heat lover. Enough is enough! LOL!

[Mama_Bear]

Betcha didn't know Arctic hares can stand up straight!!

I sure didn't. Funny little character.

Sadly, my beloved little mostly-terrier, Shadow, was let out at 10 one night before bedtime, and never returned....hate to think what fate befell him out there.

Oh, that is so sad! We lost a couple of cats that way, one on Christmas Eve. She never came home. I was devastated and swore then and there I would never have another outdoor cat. It's too hard to lose them, never knowing what happened.

[Mama_Bear]

And NASCAR had *nothing* on us. In January cars with studded tires raced ON the frozen lake around a snow plowed, banked oval track. Top that!(grin).

Sounds like a fun! :-)

[LadyX]

Not to worry about me with huricanes, Lakeside.
I was born in Miami, Florida, living in its suburb of Coral Gables until I was 9 1/2...then moved up to Melbourne, near the Cape.

When I was little, we often had the power go off when hurricanes came by - - it was my chore to fill the tub with water to use for the commode - had flashlights and lanterns galore - and we children alternated plotting the latest coordinates given over the battery-operated radios on our map sheet with playing board games and cards by lantern light!
It was exciting to get to stay up LATE! LOL

I went through dozens of them in Florida - 4 in South Carolina - 2 in Virginia - 3 in North Carolina, etc.

Also was in Ohio for the Blizzard of '78, the 2 fronts of it converging on my bedroom window with 70 mph winds at 1 in the a.m.!!
Was by law confined to my apartment for 4 days so they could clean up the streets from it and the THREE snow storms of the prior week.

Going back a bit, I was in Fairbanks in March of 1964 when the Good Friday Earthquake happened - the strongest one ever in North America.... it, and the many strong aftershocks REALLY got our attention, and we were cut off from communications with the Lower 49 for 3 days.

Okay - I *might* have been accused by some as - well - being a precipitating factor in disasters??!!

I, however, DENY - DENY - DENY I am endowed with calamity power..:))

[Aquamarine]

We had one storm blow through this evening, probably need to go take my chimes down before they get blown to the top of a mountain.

If you haven't already featured Alaska here you may want to work on that one next since it's so hot in Fresno. Would make you feel cooler just looking for pictures to illustrate with.

[Darksheare]

I, too, must deny calamity heck powers.
Usually I say, "It's NOT my fault!"
Keyword usually says it is..