Thank God it’s Monday, again. I always look forward to every Monday. They’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you. Therefore, have a happy Monday.
We’re quickly approaching the middle of summer, now. This week, we continue to endure The Dog Days of Summer, which is always observed July 3rd through August 11th. According to Wikipedia.org, The Dog Days refers to the hottest and most humid time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere – which is mostly throughout July.
Many Michiganders appreciate hot summers – especially after our long, northern winters. However, we must be careful for what we wish. The unbearable, dogged heat of “The Dog Days” continue to badger us, with practically no relief in sight. It’s so difficult to get any “work” done during these hounding “dog days”.
This is the kind of sweltering heat that makes me want to sell my stove in my next yard sale. For five weeks, I’ve been going through my cookbooks for meals to make in my microwave, air fryer, or crock pot. My husband will do the grilling, as he enjoys the heat. But the AC bills are making many of us wish for the “Polar Vortex” to make a brief return visit.
JULY equals SUMMERTIME, which is practically synonymous with GRILLING! Hence, we’re continuing to celebrate National Grilling Month AND, likewise, National Picnic Month. We’ll probably continue to do so throughout August, too!
Just about everywhere, especially on weekends, I can smell backyard cookouts – with sizzling burgers, chicken, hot dogs (it’s also National Hot Dog Month) bratts, or steaks. The yummy scents drift throughout the neighborhoods. Sharing grilling ideas and creations on social media, tagged with #NationalGrillingMonth, is very much encouraged, now.
“Dog Days” is a term we often hear. Many of us assume that it refers to how much dogs lethargically lie around on these extremely hot, intolerable days. But “the dog” is actually an ancient celestial reference to Sirius (aka: “the dog star”), which shines brightly, during the day.
The ancient Greeks supposed that the daytime appearance of Sirius, which is also part of the Canis Major (aka: Greater Dog) constellation, along with the sun, contributed to the extreme heat and high temperatures. When Sirius breaks its sync with the sun and returns to the night sky, it’s considered to be a sign of the end of “the dog days”.
According to a great article by Christopher Klein at History.com, “Why Are They Called ‘The Dog Days of Summer’?” (no date available)…
“… it’s a throwback to the time when ancient civilizations tracked the seasons by looking to the sky. The ancient Greeks noticed that summer’s most intense heat occurred during the approximate 40-day period in the summertime when Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, rose and set with the sun…”
According to FarmersAlmanac.com’s article, “Why Are They Called ‘Dog Days Of Summer’?” (by Farmer’s Almanac Staff; updated July 11, 2022), the exact dates of “the dog days” vary by latitude. Currently, in most of the U.S., it’s around July 3rd through Aug. 11th.
Interestingly, the Almanac also reports that, in ten thousand years or so, Sirius’ coordination with the rising and setting sun “will fall back so late on the calendar that future civilizations in the northern hemisphere will experience ‘the dog days’ of winter.”
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in her syndicated column, No Laughing Matter (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI)
(Published in the Port Huron Times Herald; Aug. 18, 1977)
SUMMER CAN BE FUN – BUT NOT FOR MOTHER!
IN AS MUCH AS this is an election year, I wish the governor would include me in a kind of relief program to cover mothers of children who are on vacation for the summer.
After two weeks of muddy blue jeans and wet towels, my Biz Bag turned in a letter of complaint and left for Yellowstone. And the refrigerator door has not closed since school did.
‘With Avon, you get personal service’, they tell me on TV. Well, since the kids have been home on vacation, my Avon lady asked me to pick up my order… in a locker at the bus terminal.
Of course, summer has not always made me feel like a wart on a hog at bay. In the days of my energy, I could spend a languid afternoon with the entire family at the beach and frolicking through the sand, could sally forth to the Good Humor truck, with brood in tow, while each one took 20 minutes to decide which flavor they would take.
I know you won’t believe this, but I could then bring myself to embrace a child with all of the tranquilized sweetness of Doris Day and plead: ‘Please, Michael, tell Mommy where you buried Daddy!’ I wouldn’t have minded so much except Daddy was carrying the money for the Good Humor man in his swim trunks pocket.
And it was completely unreasonable to expect the Good Humor man to accept one of the children as collateral – or ALL of them for that matter – until we could uncover Daddy.
For these are the same children who follow you through the souvenir pavilion, commenting candidly: “Look, Mommy, that lady has her wig on crooked.” And “doesn’t that man have funny looking knees?”
At moments like these, I know I was never meant for motherhood. It can be very depressing. But gone are the days when I approached summer vacation with the children as if I had the unfailing cheer of Betty White and Ralph Edwards.
I wasn’t meant to spend my life serving Kool-Aid and Crispy Critters to swarms of children who embark on our porch like occupational troops in the Berlin Airlift.
I always found that, just as I was about to walk the gangplank of gloom, a cheerful neighbor (probably the mother of ONE) would enumerate for me all the blessings of having the children at home and prescribe how to enjoy them while they’re small…
[That] is exactly like trying to tell me the only way to save money in Las Vegas is to step off the plane and walk directly into the propellers. I mean, how can anyone live with children, who think all it takes to open a limeade stand is the garden hose and a sack of lime…
[Children] who now slam the same door all summer they left open all winter; who, for the entire 87 days of summer [vacation] will ask questions like: “Why can’t we go see ‘Fritz The Cat’? It’s a cartoon – isn’t it?” And “Why do you have that twitch in your neck, Mommy?” Or “Can I put a band aid on this worm?”
If a summer relief program is out of the question for mothers like me, I personally feel that the least the governor could do is declare me “A Depressed Area!”
Summertime is fun, despite the brutal heat. And August happens to celebrate Family Fun Month. Today is also National Waterpark Day. Perfect for these dogged “dog days”.
During the summer months, while the kids are out of school, many families enjoy a variety of outdoor events together –festivals, camping, fireworks, beaches, pools, water parks, biking, hiking, boating – the list goes on and on.
Additionally, yard sales have been on the rise all summer, along with the heat. By the way, National Garage Sale Day is coming the second Saturday in August. Coincidentally, the Thumb Coast’s “M-25/M-29 Yard Sale Trail” (a BIG event in this area) is the same weekend – August 8th to 10th.
The second week in August is also National Bargain Hunting Week, which is followed by National Thrift Shop Day. The “Sale Trail” covers over 150 miles of yard and garage sales, antique flea markets, festivals, and local entertainment venues around the “Thumb Coast” of Michigan – from Sebewaing to New Baltimore.
I look forward to it every summer, whether I’m a buyer or seller. A wide-variety of interesting information on garage/yard sales can be seen at Encyclopedia.com. Similarly, The Evolution Of The Yard Sale infographic, at DailyInfographic.com offers an interesting picture, showing the origin and evolution of the classic American yard sale.
How To Set Up A Garage Sale, by Dave Kushner (June 8, 2021), offers some more great advice; going into details about starting with a clean sweep, making a game plan, setting up shop, pricing to sell, and reaping the rewards. He makes it sound so easy, compared to Mom…
According Lauren Hamer’s article, Items That Bring In The Most Money At Garage Sales (Oct. 16, 2017), big-selling items include small kitchen appliances & dishware, tools, exercise equipment, jewelry, coats & clothes, camping gear, hunting/fishing gear, artwork/frames/décor, furniture, and games/toys.
Correspondingly, these items attract a lot of bargain hunters. However, if they’re not priced right (and you’re not willing to haggle), they probably won’t sell. For a successful yard sale, you have to be willing to sell your stuff cheap.
There’s a “golden rule” for yard-sale-pricing, suggesting about 10% of the retail value, depending on its condition. An item that has never been used and is still in its original packaging can sell for significantly more but not for its full retail value – maybe 40-50% of it.
LAST THOUGHTS…
Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my memories of my mom, her memories, and other related things. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at therecipedetective@outlook.com. You can also find me on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
IN CLOSING…
In honor of TODAY, being National Milk Chocolate Day, and this is still National Ice Cream Month, thus, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for “Chocolate Ice Cream Bar Coating”; as seen in… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 258). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition)]. As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share it.
P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…
July observes… National Baked Bean Month, National Culinary Arts Month, National Horseradish Month, National Independent Retailer Month, National Blueberry Month, and National Peach Month – among other things.
Tomorrow is… National Lasagna Day, National Lipstick Day, and National Chicken Wing Day.
Wednesday, July 30th, is… National Cheesecake Day and National Father-in-Law Day.
July 31st is… National Avocado Day, National Raspberry Cake Day , and National Mutt Day. Plus, as the last Thursday in July (for 2025), it’s also… National Chili Dog Day.
Friday kicks off August, which observes… National Dog Month, Get Ready For Kindergarten Month, Happiness Happens Month, International Peace Month, National Back to School Month, National Brownies at Brunch Month, National Catfish Month, National Crayon Collection Month, National Goat Cheese Month, National Golf Month, National Panini Month, National Sandwich Month, and Romance Awareness Month.
August 1st is also… National Raspberry Cream Pie Day, National Girlfriends Day, and Respect for Parents Day. Plus, as the first Friday in August (for 2025), it’s also… International Beer Day and National Water Balloon Day.
August 2nd, is… National Coloring Book Day and National Ice Cream Sandwich Day. Plus, as the first Saturday in August (for 2025), it’s also… National Play Outside Day (which is the first Saturday of EVERY month), National Jamaican Patty Day, National Mustard Day, and Mead Day. Additionally, [for 2025] it’s also the start of.. Twins Days, which is always the first full weekend (Saturday-Sunday) in August.
August 3rd, is… National Georgia Day, National Watermelon Day, and National Grab Some Nuts Day. Plus, as the first Sunday in August (for 2025), it’s also… American Family Day, National Friendship Day, and National Sisters Day.
Additionally, as the start of the first full week in August (for 2025), it’s also the start of … International Clown Week, Simplify Your Life Week, National Farmers Market Week.
Have a great week!
…30 down and 22 to go!
