…. summer days drifting away to, uh oh, those summer nights...

The term "dog days of summer” dates back to the ancient Romans who noticed that Sirius, the major star of the "Big Dog" constellation, rose with the sun from July to August. Sirius is the brightest star in the nighttime sky. The Romans assumed that the sun and the star were in an alliance to create the "days of great heat." Katz notes that animals on his farm share an interesting way of accepting the heat by gathering together in the shade and not moving which is a departure from humans in the United States, who just go about their busy lives. (Dog Days, Jon Katz).

But y’all, I’m Southern; and, we do slowdown in the summertime. In fact, it’s therapy-approved for me considering my therapist thought I needed to literally stop and smell the roses… one of the many reasons I became a gardener. I am still very active in the summer and I like to think that I do embrace the summer heat. Without the heat and the sun, I wouldn't have such beautiful flowers including the lovely hibiscus I've included in this post. And to have such flowers, I have to prune, prune, prune which means I'm outside pretty often.

1. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen… I don’t care what they say that a certain SPF is enough. I look for the highest amounts partly because I am on a medication where I can’t be in the direct sun for prolonged periods of time (as in 10 minutes is pushing it).
2. Parasol and hats… my parasol is a TOPTIE Anti-UV Sun Umbrella, Triple Folding UV Protected Parasol because I mean business when it comes to sun protection.
3. Appropriate makeup- Urban Decay’s Super-Saturated Ultra Intense Waterproof Cream Eyeliner; Physicians Formula’s Mineral Wear Talc-Free Mineral Makeup including the *Oh So Radiant! Powder SPF 30* which goes on top of my moisturizer that has SPF 20; I also just transitioned to Benefit’s creaseless cream eyeshadow. I use the color Always a Bridesmaid which is pearly lavender. I also use their they're real! mascara beyond mascara which is waterproof.
4. Take morning walks or find the shaded spots in the cemetery. While I’m planning my tour, I have joked that mine will be the shade tour (i.e. I’ll only give facts and tidbits about those graves in the shade). 
5. Wear cotton! 
6. I actually let my hair grow in the summer and wear pigtails and buns.
7. Limit my necklaces to a few lighter pieces. 
8. Iced coffee, iced tea, lemonade with ice! But nothing beats a cool shower washing off all the bug spray and sunscreen.

Summer is going by too fast! I’m trying to hang on just like this morning’s Morning Glory bloom.