Tom Purcell: Dogged by dog days of summer

It’s been hot outside the past few weeks. The grass is turning brown. The hornets are angry.

The dog days of summer have arrived.

The origin of “dog days” actually has nothing to do with canines lazing on the porch because it’s too dang hot to do anything else.

According to National Geographic, the phrase dates back to Roman times and originally had nothing to do with dogs.

The “dog days refer to Sirius, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, which means ‘big dog’ in Latin and is said to represent one of Orion’s hunting dogs,” reports the magazine.

Over time, the term has strayed from its original meaning and most people think it refers to lazy, unproductive summer days.

Regardless of the meaning, we are being dogged by some serious summer doldrums at the moment.

I’m a fresh-cut fruit lover, but I am finding it hard to buy it with the inflation rate chugging along at more than 9% over the past 12 months — a 40-year high, reports Forbes.

Even a year ago, a medium bin of fresh fruit ran about $5.50 and I usually would buy two. Last weekend, a bin at my local market was priced nearly $13.

I couldn’t bring myself to spend more than twice as much for something that used to be so affordable.

Then the gas company threatened to shut off my service.

I have been paying the budget amount every month for years. It had been $80 a month for years. I never look at my gas bills. I set up my electronic banking account to automatically pay that amount every month.

I didn’t know that gas has shot up to a 14-year high, says CBS News, because gas production is down.

I didn’t know that my budget amount is now $135 a month or that I was behind nearly $400 on my gas-bill payments.

The 2020 Tacoma I got a good deal on a few years ago is one of the best purchases I ever made — except that it gets 16 miles to the gallon and it costs $100 to fill the tank every two weeks, whereas $40 filled it just a few years ago.

Some people have to drive far to their jobs — they live out in the country, maybe, where they can afford bigger homes for their families — and they have to be taking it on the chin.

I heard a story about one fellow who was spending more in gas to get to his job than he got in take-home pay.

How are they feeding their broods with grocery bills shooting through the roof — as their utility bills keep going up?

These are real problems that should be the primary focus of our political leaders. Leaders are supposed to solve problems, especially the ones they cause.

But there is a scary sense throughout the country that nobody is at the helm.

God love President Biden, but the nearly 80-year-old fellow is clearly not robust enough to manage the world’s most difficult job.

Who, then, is running the government? Who is taking the lead to quell inflation?

Despite the tepid efforts of our leaders, inflation is not going away any time soon, according to The Hill.

Whatever the origin of “dog days of summer” we’re being dogged by economic pain that is going to get plenty worse.

That means that the dog days of autumn, winter and spring are just ahead.