Alright, friends. We’ve talked about the small stuff: wobbly standing, cranky muscles, puffy ankles, itchy rashes, and sunburns that make you look like a tomato. Now we need to talk about the two villains that actually deserve your fear. Not panic, fear is useful. Panic is not. Heat exhaustion an…

Alright, friends. We’ve talked about the small stuff: wobbly standing, cranky muscles, puffy ankles, itchy rashes, and sunburns that make you look like a tomato. Now we need to talk about the two vi…

Alright, friends. We’ve talked about the small stuff: wobbly standing, cranky muscles, puffy ankles, itchy rashes, and sunburns that make you look like a tomato. Now we need to talk about the two villains that actually deserve your fear. Not panic, fear is useful. Panic is not. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are the heavy hitters of the Dog Days. One is a serious warning. The other is a life-threatening emergency. Knowing the difference, and what to do about each, could save your life or your neighbor’s. Heat Exhaustion (The Warning Shot) Heat exhaustion is your body screaming, “I am…

 Let’s talk about two things that will ruin a perfectly good summer day faster than a sudden thunderstorm: heat rash and sunburn. One is a prickly little nuisance. The other is a fiery betrayal of your own good sense. Both are avoidable. Both will make you miserable. And both are very, very funny…

 Let’s talk about two things that will ruin a perfectly good summer day faster than a sudden thunderstorm: heat rash and sunburn. One is a prickly little nuisance. The other is a fiery betrayal of …

 Let’s talk about two things that will ruin a perfectly good summer day faster than a sudden thunderstorm: heat rash and sunburn. One is a prickly little nuisance. The other is a fiery betrayal of your own good sense. Both are avoidable. Both will make you miserable. And both are very, very funny in retrospect (but not at 2:00 AM when you can’t stop scratching). Heat Rash (a.k.a. Prickly Heat) You’ve been outside. It’s humid. You’re wearing that nice cotton shirt, but the collar is a little snug. Or you’ve been sitting in your favorite patio chair with the plastic weave that doe…

You’ve been productive. Good for you! Maybe you watered the garden. Maybe you took a gentle walk around the block. Maybe you decided that today was the day to scrub the front porch steps because that moss was starting to look like a shag carpet. You come inside, feeling proud. You sit down in you…

You’ve been productive. Good for you! Maybe you watered the garden. Maybe you took a gentle walk around the block. Maybe you decided that today was the day to scrub the front porch steps because tha…

You’ve been productive. Good for you! Maybe you watered the garden. Maybe you took a gentle walk around the block. Maybe you decided that today was the day to scrub the front porch steps because that moss was starting to look like a shag carpet. You come inside, feeling proud. You sit down in your favorite chair. You go to stand up five minutes later, And your calf seizes up like a fist. Or your thigh cramps so hard you yelp loud enough to frighten the cat. What in the name of all that is holy just happened? You’ve met heat cramps. They are not polite. They do not send a warning card. …

Let’s talk about a very rude trick the human body plays during the Dog Days. You’re sitting outside, enjoying a gentle breeze, maybe watching a squirrel steal birdseed. You’ve been out there for a while, feeling fine. Then you stand up to go inside for that glass of iced tea you’ve been drea…

Let’s talk about a very rude trick the human body plays during the Dog Days. You’re sitting outside, enjoying a gentle breeze, maybe watching a squirrel steal birdseed. You’ve been out there for…

Let’s talk about a very rude trick the human body plays during the Dog Days. You’re sitting outside, enjoying a gentle breeze, maybe watching a squirrel steal birdseed. You’ve been out there for a while, feeling fine. Then you stand up to go inside for that glass of iced tea you’ve been dreaming about. And whoosh. The world tilts. The sky gets sparkly. You grab the arm of the chair and think, “Did I just stand up too fast, or am I suddenly a character in a cartoon?” That, my friends, is heat syncope. Fancy name for a simple problem: your blood vessels, in their infinite wisdom, …

Well, here we are. The calendar has flipped past the Fourth of July, the hummingbirds are drinking like they just ran a marathon, and your favorite rocking chair on the porch has turned into a griddle. That’s right, friends. It’s the Dog Days of Summer. Now, before you go looking for Duke or Ge…

Well, here we are. The calendar has flipped past the Fourth of July, the hummingbirds are drinking like they just ran a marathon, and your favorite rocking chair on the porch has turned into a griddle…

Well, here we are. The calendar has flipped past the Fourth of July, the hummingbirds are drinking like they just ran a marathon, and your favorite rocking chair on the porch has turned into a griddle. That’s right, friends. It’s the Dog Days of Summer. Now, before you go looking for Duke or George lounging in their kiddie pools, let’s get one thing straight: this has nothing to do with actual dogs. No matter how much your basset hound is flopped on the tile floor like a fuzzy throw rug, the “Dog Days” aren’t named for him. Here’s the fun trivia to impress your grandkids (or bo…