The dog-days of August have come early this year.  It’s hot and dry.  The air conditioner labors to cool down the house, while the body longs for a fresh breeze.  No one is in a hurry these days.

We are use to being in motion.  Rest and leisure are sins in our culture, especially when businesses are cutting back and pushing for more productivity.  “Be busy, stay busy, act busy” has become the workers’ mantra.

Yet, God is inclined to idleness.

After creating the world in 6 days, God created the Sabbath, and has rarely pressed the pedal to the metal since then.  A thousand years in God’s sight is but a day! (2)

A constant cry of God’s children is, “How long, O Lord!”

God proceeds at a resting pace as we run frantic, begging for rest.

Perhaps A. B. Simpson was correct when he wrote:

Often there is nothing as godly as inactivity on our part, or nothing as harmful as restless working, for God has promised to work His sovereign will. (3)

Like most Americans, I was raised on the Puritan work ethic.  Simpson’s counsel does not seem right.

If God is for us, as Paul asserts, and if God wins, as God reveals in His revelation to John, then perhaps we need to trust God, be content in His provisions, and slow down.

If we would trust God more fully, would not contentment and rest come more easily.  When we trust God we drop the entanglements and perplexities of life into God’s hands and leave them there. (3)

He is the Creator of heaven and earth.

Perhaps it is time to Let God be God, and place your life into His hands.

+ + +

1. Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest: Selections for the Year (Grand Rapids, MI: Oswald Chambers Publications; Marshall Pickering, 1986).

2. Psalm 90:4

3. Reimann, Jim; Cowman, L. B. E. (2008-09-02). Streams in the Desert: 366 Daily Devotional Readings (p. 263). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

it is perfect for holding my 3×5″ index cards…

my attempt at creating an earthquake card did not work out…

 but I did want to share some of the other cards I created recently…

with a short description of what went into each…

I so enjoy putting bits of this and that together…

playing with scissors and glue never gets old…

it seems my blog has turned into part of my memory…

you may notice that there are underlined words in most of my posts…

I try to add links to provide further info and of course give credit where credit is due…

there is a handy tool on my sidebar marked “Looking for Something” … typing in a word or two oftentimes takes me where I need to go…

for a clearer view you can click on the pictures…it helps sharpen them…I should really take the time to get out the tripod…

here goes…

Citra Solv background…scraps of paper doily and graph paper…copy of a TAP transfer piece I made with beaded and stitched silk frame…Goddess stamp …

Citra Solv background…stamping…gold Krylon pen…scrap paper from garden catalog…faux leaves and flower colored with Sharpie…center brad…gold napkin for bottom trim…the image was in a cigar box with some pages I cut up for text…not certain where she is from…

mini me…age two in Germany on a paint scraped and doily gesso background…German book text (thank you Margaret I finally got brave enough to rip those nice pages) …text washi tape…and rubber stamps from Catslife Press…really Loving the “Remember to Play Everyday” freebie stamp from them…

another Citra Solv background…some you hardly want to cover up they have such great colors and design…the Polish postage stamps really inspired me on this one…a Debbie Warren free microscope size image trimmed down with a little more graph paper at the bottom…

I had scanned a piece of green and black collaged background paper that I created some time ago added a little gesso stenciling with a plastic doily…along with my favorite Paper Whimsy sun face…dotted piece from a recycled envelope…black rubons and the word “luminous” cut from a paint sample…

another piece of my scanned background glued onto my pink index card…I decided to print it larger which made it a little different and interesting…my favorite “Art Helps Me Breathe” stamp again from Catslife Press and the fan stamp enhanced a bit with my white Signo gel pen…

our house is on high ground here in Northern Virginia…

still not sure what to expect with Hurricane Irene…

they are throwing the “historic” word around again…

we are hoping for just a tropical storm here in the Washington DC area…

it will be nice to say “Goodnight Irene“ after this weekend…

sending best wishes for everyone’s safety…

may each of you stay out of harm’s way…

OXO

they are calling it significant…

historic…

a once in a lifetime earthquake event …

approximately 800 of this size earthquake occur around the world each year…

but NEVER on the east coast of the United States…

the 23rd of August here in Northern Virginia was a beautiful clear blue sky day with very low humidity and temperatures comfortable enough to have the windows open…

a bit unusual and certainly nothing like our recent heat wave or our typical dog days of August…

I was tending to my son’s window full of houseplants…

one plant was very leggy and falling over…

I found a plastic covered wire stem for it to hang on to and was just about to put the two together…

*photo of TV screen soon after the tremor…they were calling it 5.9 at that time*

at 1:51pm…

in the kitchen…

I found myself hanging on for dear life to the handle of our stove…

I watched as our quarry tile floor seemed to roll and undulate under my bare feet…

there was an eerie roaring sound…

the open windows reflected light as they buckled in and out…

a bookshelf shuttered fluttered and rattled …

I cringed wondering what would hit the floor …

and what was coming next…

one little plastic doll was the only thing I heard drop …

as quickly as it came…

it ended…

lasting just under a minute where I was…

as soon as I could get my fingers steady enough to push buttons I called Mr Magpie who was working in College Park, Maryland where they felt about 10 seconds of the same quaking …

after that brief phone call the lines were clogged for awhile…

it certainly was a surreal experience leaving me shaken and teary eyed thinking of those in recent REAL earthquakes …

wondering after just a minute of quaking here how they could survive the terror of something much more violent and devastating…

there are no signs of damage at our home…

many people will forever remember where they were when this earthquake hit…

a couple things I learned and am reminded of:   our two story wooden house with vinyl siding on a concrete slab is much more elastic than I could have ever imagined …

everything can change in the blink of an eye…

Mother Nature can be fierce…

there is so much to be grateful for…

* * * * *

many thanks to all of you sweet friends who checked in to see how we are doing…

it was comforting having the computer still working …

we did not lose power at all …

hoping each of you are safe and well … OXOXO

p.s. with reports of devastating earthquakes around the world  this year … I found myself at a loss for words to express what was in my heart…reminded that people deal with things on a daily basis that we might never be able to fully comprehend

… even my quote is on the long side today…

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”  ~Leo Buscaglia

]]> http://doggymom.com/2011/08/18/the-dog-days-of-august-and-other-sayings/ Thu, 18 Aug 2011 09:14:45 +0000 DoggyMom.com http://doggymom.com/2011/08/18/the-dog-days-of-august-and-other-sayings/ We’re in the Dog Days of August (northern hemisphere), or so my mother always said.  So where did this saying come from?  Well, it always referred to the hot days of summer when the heat tends to be greatest and with little breeze or wind.  And the dog connection came from the belief that Sirius, the Dog Star,  was responsible for the weather because of its close proximity to the sun.

What are some other common dog sayings?

Dog and Pony Show  used when you are putting on a display to convince people of a product or service; it comes from the traveling circus days when dogs and ponies often shared the show ring

Like a Dog with a Bone when someone won’t let go of a subject, and referring to the possessiveness of dogs when chewing on a bone

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie which means not to talk about things that have caused problems in the past – clearly referring to the surprise you may get when disturbing a deeply sleeping dog!

And of course The Top Dog referring to pack order and the person who is the highest in rank or importance

St. Louis Manager Tony LaRussa has been known to lobby his front office for talent around the trade deadline, but has mysteriously not done so this year. However, they were still able to acquire SS Rafael Furcal from the Dodgers and SP Edwin Jackson from the Blue Jays. Also, with Albert Pujols showing his super-human healing ability by only being on the DL for the 15-day minimum after suffering a small fracture in his wrist, it seems as if the Cardinals feel that they match up well with division opponents while their squad is at full strength. It will be a very interesting series because I feel that it will set the tone for the rest of the year within that division; it will also be fun to watch if the inexperienced Pirates squad can stand the heat of the dog days.

After Chris Carpenter and Zack Greinke squared off in Game 1 of the series last night, the Brewers took the opener by a score of 8-2, increasing their division lead to 3.5 games over St. Louis and 5.5 games over Pittsburgh. Game 2 tonight will bring Jamie Garcia and his 10-5 record, 3.14 ERA from the Cardinals to face Shaun Marcum, who has been successful in his first tour with the Brewers, building a 10-3 record and a 3.33 ERA. The finale will feature the newly-acquired Edwin Jackson vs. Randy Wolf. This will be a great series at Miller Park and is a great start to the dogs days of August.

Hazy sunsets in Amish country are the norm in August.

By Bruce Stambaugh

These are what I call August’s golden days. If I only referenced orangey sunrises and the hazy, citrus sunsets, that moniker would apply.

August is so much more than lovely solar appearances and disappearances. It is always full of golden moments that make golden memories.

I realize my reflections are provincial. In a world full of disease, disaster, dismay and hostilities, not all would share my august perspectives. However, I cannot deny what I have observed and experienced in this transitional month in Amish country.

In calling August golden, I mean to take the broadest definition possible. Everywhere you turn, deep, rich yellows and golds appear. August is golden, too, in that it is good, providing success and satisfaction as the harvesting begins.

Mowing and stacking the oats into shocks is the first step in the harvesting process for the Amish.

August is usually a hot month in most of the northern hemisphere. Even the poor people in Moscow, Russia, where temperatures have seemed more like Dallas, Texas, have been especially suffering.

True to form, hot and humid have been the bywords in Ohio, too. Those who have had to work out in these blazing elements would argue for sizzling and sultry as better descriptors. But no matter how we describe the daily dog days of August, the benefits surely outweigh the negatives, no matter how muggy.

One wagon heads to the barn while the other returns to the field to be loaded again.

My Amish neighbor’s circle of friends purposefully gathers the air-dried, ripened oat shocks wagonload after wagonload. Their water thermos got a workout, too. With their cooperative efforts, the impressive stand of honey-colored sheaves had disappeared by day’s end.

I always find it a miracle that once the sea of grain is cut and shocked, a carpet of bright green immediately replaces it. The hardy clover thrives all the more once it has the ground to itself.

There are other kinds of gold in August, too. The Incredible sweet corn arrives almost simultaneously with the transparent apples. It’s husking, cutting, cooking and freezing corn one day, making tartly sweet applesauce the next.

Heirloom tomatoes ripen on the vine.

The growth of the heirloom tomato plants my wife and son planted in late May is so
prolific, the plant runners get tied daily. Their yellow, red and green-striped fruit add to the festivities.

A house wren leaves the nest after feeding her brood.

The noisy tan house wrens worked frantically to satisfy their last brood of the summer. Their hungry youngsters consumed an amazing amount of worms, caterpillars and insects.

When the little ones began to greet their parents at the entrance to their birthplace, it’s nearly time for them to fly. In our case, the babies were there before church, but not when we got home. The grandsons and I found them learning to forage and hide in the brush pile under the pines near the hammock where other golden moments were made.

Monarch and swallowtail butterflies joined the goodness of the month as they enjoyed the nectar of the milkweed and wild and domestic flowers. Both the black and yellow-billed cuckoo birds announced their arrivals as the tent caterpillars hatched.

The much publicized but often under performing Perseid meteor showers still managed to send enough bright streaks though the new moon sky to extend the month’s goldenness 24/7.

Next week the full moon will strut its stuff, casting a golden glow across landscapes, rural and urban alike. Ready or not, summer vacation has yielded to elongated yellow buses and excited, golden voices of children beginning a new school year.

All things considered, August is a positively golden time of year.

Playing on a hammock in the cool shade serves as a diversion from the August heat and humidity.

Muggy, hot, and uncomfortable.

I remember asking my mom about the meaning of that funny phrase ”the dog days of August”.  She said it was a time of the year when everyone gets kind of lazy from the unrelenting heat and humidity.

I thought about August having this reputation, but when you look at the liturgical life of the Church, the picture couldn’t be more different.  Just look August’s feast days:

August 2 – St. Eusebius and St. Peter Eymard
August 4 – St. John Vianney
August 5 – Dedication of the Basilica St. Mary Major in Rome
August 6 – The Transfiguration
August 7 – St. Sixtus and companions
August 9 – St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
August 10 – St. Lawrence
August 11 – St. Clare
August 12 – St. Jane Frances de Chantal
August 13 – St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus
August 14 – St. Maximillian Kolbe
August 15 – The feast of the Assumption of Our Lady into heaven
August 16 – St. Stephen of Hungary
August 19 – St. John Eudes
August 20 – St. Bernard
August 21 – St. Pius X
August 22 – The feast of the Queenship of Mary
August 23 – St. Rose of Lima
August 24 – St. Bartholomew, apostle
August 25 – St. Louis of France, St. Joseph Calasanz
August 27 – St. Monica
August 28 – St. Augustine

Hardly dogs at all!!!  I mean look at the powerhouse of Saints we remember in August. 

This got me thinking….We can often feel like we’re in the dog days in our spiritual life – difficulty praying, crabby, committing and confessing the same sins over and over again, making no progress – just sitting there hot and sweaty looking for shade with our tongues hanging out. 

I say there is shade all around us in the “cloud of witnesses”(Hb 12:1) we celebrate in August.  Take a moment to check out the list above. 

Do you have a favorite on the list?  Turn to him or her and pray for their intercession for you to grow in your spiritual life. 

Can you picture the Transfiguration?  Can you see Elijah, Moses, and Jesus?  Do you hear the voice from the cloud say “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”(Mk 9:7)  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to hear what Jesus is saying to you so that you can hear his voice and “listen to him.”

Do you thirst for knowledge of the Truth?  Pray to St. Augustine and read his writings.

Do you need courage to face enemies and those who persecute you?  Pray to St. Maximillian Kolbe or St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and ask them for courage and wisdom they had to show in the face of the Nazis.

Are you praying for a wayward child? Unite your suffering and hope with St. Monica who prayed for years for the conversion of her son, the great saint, Saint Augustine.

Do you want to be closer in your walk with Jesus?  Call on St. Bartholomew, the apostle, to show you how to follow Him.

Notice, too, that during 3 of the 4 weeks, we have a Marian feast day.  I liken this to the proverbial, “I’m bored,” I used to give my mother when the summer seemed so long and I had no initiative remaining in my limp body.  We should bring Our Lady along with us on those hot, sticky days and ask her to help us to unite our hearts with hers and to make everything, even the slightest drop of sweat, a prayer.  Change the passivity into an active lifting of the heart and mind to God.  Instead of “It’s too hot to…”(fill in the blank), think, “It’s never too hot to say I love you.  I love you, Lord! Help me to know your love for me today.”

The ever-present heat and humidity closing in on all parts of your body – even making your hair react– can serve as a reminder of the ever-present love of God surrounding us.

Here’s to the dog days of August!  Anne

For your further prayer, one of my favorite psalms:  Psalm 139 reminding us of God’s unfailing presence in our lives.