Tomorrow Marks The End

The end of the 'dog days of summer' comes tomorrow. Tomorrow is August 11, 2026 and that's the last day of those hot and sticky 'dog days of summer'. So cheer up homie, summer is almost over. Almost can have so many and varied meanings. A way out here in the Mojave, all the little chillins are back in school and I'd bet the little darlings are just happy as happy can be about that. Sure sure ... Anyway the 'dog days of summer' are officially from July 3rd until August 11th and has much to do with the "rising of Sirius the Dog Star' and the star makes it's observational appearance beginning July 3rd of any year and ends when the Dog Star is no longer visible and that's on August 11. Any and all of this 'Dog Star' prattle is contingent on astronomical timings and how bright is our sun and various latitudinal vis a vie longitudinal dealies and so while the official last day of summer is predicated on the 11th being in August, that may or may not mark anything close to the end of summer's blazing heat and burning details that are in fact quite the opposite of dog days winding down. Out here in the Mojave, we really don't experience any actual ending to summer. As fall evolves into winter we do at times get a little rain ... very little ... we get loads of mild days that you can actually visit the Valley of Fire and not get cooked alive. November/December is an excellent time to visit VoF, cooler temps bring out the bighorn sheep and the lizards keep on living that lizard life, and you might even see some burros that are cause for celebration as the burros are a rare sighting indeed.The cooler season increases your chance of seeing a desert tortoise ... I've never had the pleasure of seeing a desert tortoise alive but I have a couple of desert tortoise carcass's. Ravens predate on the young desert tortoise, snatching the young'uns off the ground, gaining some altitude, and then letting the tortoise drop so's to break open the tortoise shell. Damnably vicious and mostly callous but this is the wild desert and there are some damn strict rules for living in the desert. Anyway after raven has dropped a tortoise to split the guy open, the raven at times can't find the tortoise the raven dropped and that's when I get the chance to give tortoise a proper funeral and mausoleum. Those mausoleums are unmarked as I don't want some out of towner fucking with a dead tortoise' resting place. I mean young tortoise was trying to make it's way in a damnably cruel and vicious desert hierarchy and to get snatched by a raven for a game of dropsies is stretching the circle of life to a rather thin understanding. Anyway, we are creeping slowly into fall and won't be too long and it'll be time for that Xmas shopping drill. Bet folks can't wait for that ... now for Monday machine art.

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