July Blog Chain

Once again it's time for the Absolute Write blog chain!

This month's prompt:
Dog Days of Summer

In other words, the hottest and most sultry part of summer. Etymology lesson here. As always, can be prose, poetry, play, fiction, nonfiction.

And once again things are just zipping along. At the speed by which people are posting their stories, you'd almost think they were enjoying these blog chains. LOL

Please take the time to read the stories from the other links in the chain, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. And feel free to leave a comment! Everyone loves comments. :-)

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The Dog's Day of Summer

Today started pretty much the same way as all my days start. The alarm was set for 7 a.m. so I made sure I was up and ready to go by 6:30. And I am not quiet about it. I take bets with myself as to which member of my family will complain the most. It's a little thing, but it makes me happy.

While waiting for the rest of the family to stir themselves, I check out the back yard to make sure nothing untoward happened during the night. I do a circuit of the yard, check out the gardens, and even check under the row of big pine trees to make sure no little woodland creatures are lurking there.

Hearing the call for breakfast, I join the family in the kitchen and we have the usual race to see who finishes first. I win, of course.

The kids are off school for the summer but that doesn't change much around here. One of them is barricaded in his room with his music turned up way too loud, another is glued to a game console. They were so cute when they were little. I can't help but wonder what happened to them.

The girls decide to spend the day at the mall and promise to bring me back something special. That's sweet of them, but they really don't need to. It's not that I don't appreciate their gifts, it's just some times their choice of what's appropriate can be a little . . . off.

There's really not much to do until lunch time and I try to coax one of the boys into going for a walk with me. Exercise is important you know. However, I'm overruled with a chorus of "It's too hot out." I head out the back door by myself and I have to agree. It is hot out. The dog days of summer are upon us. I don't know why they call them dog days, dogs don't like the heat any more than people do.

I haven't been outside long when I spot the cat from across the street skulking through the tiger lilies. I'm not a big fan of cats in general - except for Tigger, who lived with us a few years ago - and I absolutely loathe that grey and white menace from across the street. I think he knows it too. He sneaks into our yard and pees on the screens at the back of the house and leaves dead birds on the sidewalk.

Naturally I chase the little bugger out of our yard. Unfortunately our path takes us through the garden, which I'm sure I'll catch hell for later. But whatever it takes to get the job done, right? Anyway, I'm so intent on catching that damned cat that I don't see where we're headed until I slam into the wooden fence. Damn, that hurt! And I almost had the little bugger too.

I stay where I am, catching my breath for a minute, glad the rest of the family wasn't around to see it. Chasing that cat is downright exhausting, so I decide to take a quick dip in the pool to cool off. Heaven. Absolute heaven.

I'm not really supposed to be in the pool by myself, ever since the "incident" last year, so I only stay in long enough to lower my body temperature by a degree or two and then decide to have a nap up on the deck.

I must have been more tired than I realized because the next thing I know I can hear the van pulling into the driveway and then its doors slam. The girls are home. I've been sleeping long enough that I'm dry again and I go back into the house to see when supper's going to be ready.

"Hey Max, where are you? I got something special for you."

It's the tone of voice that gets to me. All that unbridled enthusiasm. I really should know better, but I fall for it every time. I jump to my feet and follow the sound, only to stop dead in my tracks when I see the scarf being held out.

"Isn't this the cutest thing ever? It's to celebrate summer. You'll look so adorable in it!"

I look at the scarf with the cartoon beagles on it and heave a sigh.

They say every dog has his day - today was not mine.

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Participants and posts:

orion_mk3 - http://nonexistentbooks.wordpress.com ~ link to post
Ralph Pines - http://ralfast.wordpress.com ~ link to post
articshark - http://www.drslaten.com/blog ~ link to post
Sunwords - http://susannedoering.wordpress.com ~ link to post
Diem_Allen - http://mindovermistakes.blogspot.com ~ link to post
U2Girl - http://ancatdubh.org ~ link to post
robynmackenzie - http://www.iwanttobeawesomewhenigrowup.com ~ link to post
Lady Cat - http://radomwriterlythoughts.blogspot.ca ~ You Are Here
MsLaylaCakes - http://www.taraquan.com ~ link to post
pyrosama - http://matrix-hole.blogspot.com ~ link to post
Angyl78 - http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com/ ~ link to post
SuzanneSeese - http://www.viewofsue.blogspot.com/ ~ link to post
Diana_Rajchel - http://blog.dianarajchel.com/ ~ link to post
HistorySleuth - http://historysleuth.blogspot.com/ ~ link to post
AshleyEpidemic - http://www.soipondered.wordpress.com/ ~ link to post
SRHowen - http://srhowen1.blogspot.com ~ link to post