Dog Days

They call it “la canicule” or “little dog”, a heat wave that comes with the appearance in the night sky of Cirius or the Dog Star.

In other words, the dog days, when canines just lie around and pant and scratch their fleas.

Except for the pampered Pekinese at the restaurant, who whimpered and yapped the whole time. Nor was it the heat but another dog, about ten sizes larger, with a coat like a Persian rug, flopped out beneath another table.

It was going to take a lot to shift him, but the whimpering and yapping did it in the end. He yanked himself to his feet, toppling over the table and sending a cascade of plates, glasses and cutlery crashing to the patio floor. It nearly ended in a fight, and not between the dogs.

So much for a romantic evening under the stars. Perhaps that very bright one over to the west was Cirius. Closer to hand, the hot dry hills withdrew into the night.