As I was driving home last night I saw a sun dog
Again!
Once I got in the yard I learned that there were two.
They were right. That night the temperatures dropped back down to 1*
We topped out at 20* today. I think I need to get my head around the fact that it is January.
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 
Its cold here too….brrrr!
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Here’s how dumb I am. I had to look up ‘sun dog’. And I lived in the Dakotas for eight years where they say they occur often. Neat, though. 🙂
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Yes, it is still January but we’re enjoying a bit of warmth for a change.
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I don’t remember seeing those when I was young. It seems only in the last decade that I ever noticed them, and now they are really common. I moved from California to the southeast about then, I don’t know if that has anything to do with it or not.
~Faith
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Good morning Linda
Please excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is a “sun dog”.
Obviously people in the Dakotas know, but I’d be surprised if anyone in Australia except ex-US citizens would have a clue.
HB
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Megan-Keep repeating…spring is coming, spring is coming
Lucy-You will notice on a couple or so posts back on my blog I had to ask my readers what one was. I had never noticed one before. They are neat! Like a winter rainbow of sorts. I wonder if the reason I’m seeing them is because I have a camera attached to my hand? 🙂
Linda-A January thaw! Oh, joy! I hope it makes its way to us soon!
HB-A sun dog or sundog (scientific name parhelion, plural parhelia, from “beside the sun”; also called a mock sun) is an atmospheric phenomenon that creates bright spots of light in the sky, often on a luminous ring or halo on either side of the sun.[1]
Sundogs may appear as a colored patch of light to the left or right of the sun, 22° (or more) distant and at the same distance above the horizon as the sun, and in ice halos. They can be seen anywhere in the world during any season. In Europe and North America, they might be seen as often as twice a week but they are not always obvious or bright. They are best seen and are most conspicuous when the sun is low.
Linda
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Well -I have learned something new today. SUNDOG and with an explanation that I could understand. When teaching I would explain to my preschoolers that learning something new everyday was a positive and even they could teach “Miss Julie” Believe me when I say “out of the mouth of babes”.
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An amusing insight into the Australian “way of seeing things”.
Not sure if it is all true, but let’s say 99.9% is pretty close to the psyche!
“HB”
Douglas Adams, of “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” fame, gives an amazing insight into Australia – prepare yourself!
Australia is a very confusing place, taking up a large amount of the bottom half of the planet. It is recognizable from
orbit because of many unusual features, including what at first looks like an enormous bite taken out of its southern
edge; a wall of sheer cliffs which plunge deep into the girting sea. Geologists assure us that this is simply an accident
of geomorphology and plate tectonics, but they still call it the “Great Australian Bight” proving that not only are they
covering up a more frightening theory but they can’t spell either!
The first of the confusing things about Australia is the status of the place .Where other landmasses and sovereign lands
are classified as continent, island, or country, Australia is considered all three. Typically, it is unique in this.
The second confusing thing about Australia is the animals. They can be divided into three categories: Poisonous, Odd, and
Sheep.
It is true that of the 10 most poisonous arachnids on the planet, Australia has 9 of them. Actually, it would be more
accurate to say that of the 9 most poisonous arachnids, Australia has all of them. However there are curiously few
snakes, possibly because the spiders have killed them all.
But even the spiders won’t go near the sea. Any visitors should be careful to check inside boots (before putting them
on), under toilet seats (before sitting down) and generally everywhere else. A stick is very useful for this task.
At this point, we would like to mention the Platypus – estranged relative of the mammal, which has a duck-bill, otter’s
tail, webbed feet, lays eggs, detects its aquatic prey in the same way as the electric eel and has venomous barbs
attached to its hind legs, thus combining all ‘typical’ Australian attributes into a single improbable creature.
The last confusing thing about Australia is the inhabitants.
First, a short history:
Sometime around 40,000 years ago, some people arrived in boats from the north. They ate all the available food, and a lot
of them died. The ones who survived learned respect for the balance of nature, man’s proper place in the scheme of
things, and spiders. They settled in and spent a lot of the intervening time making up strange stories.
Then, around 200 years ago, Europeans arrived in boats from the north. More accurately, European convicts were sent, with
a few deranged and stupid people in charge. They tried to plant their crops in autumn (failing to take account of the
reversal of the seasons when moving from the top half of the planet to the bottom), ate all their food, and a lot of them
died.
About then the sheep arrived, and have been treasured ever since. It is interesting to note here that the Europeans
always consider themselves vastly superior to any other race they encounter, since they can lie, cheat, steal, and
litigate (marks of a civilised culture they say) – whereas all the Aboriginals can do is happily survive being left in
the middle of a vast red-hot desert, equipped with a stick.
Eventually, the new lot of people stopped being Europeans on Extended Holiday and became Australians. The changes are
subtle, but deep, caused by the mind-stretching expanses of nothingness and eerie quiet, where a person can sit perfectly
still and look deep inside themselves to the core of their essence, their reasons for being, and the necessity of
checking inside your boots, every morning, for fatal surprises. They also picked up the most finely tuned sense of irony
in the world, and the Aboriginal gift for making up stories. Be warned.
There is also the matter of the beaches. Australian beaches are simply the nicest and best in the entire world. Although
anyone actually venturing into the sea will have to contend with sharks, stinging jellyfish, stonefish (a fish which sits
on the bottom of the sea, pretends to be a rock and has venomous barbs sticking out of its back that will kill just from
the pain) and surfboarders. However, watching a beach sunset is worth the risk.
As a result of all this hardship, dirt, thirst and wombats, you would expect Australians to be a dour lot. Instead, they
are genial, jolly, cheerful and always willing to share a kind word with a stranger. Faced with insurmountable odds and
impossible problems, they smile disarmingly and look for a stick. Major engineering feats have been performed with sheets
of corrugated iron, string, and mud.
Alone of all the races on earth, they seem to be free from the ‘Grass is Greener on the other side of the fence’
syndrome, and roundly proclaim that Australia is, in fact, the other side of that fence. They call the
land “Oz”, “Godzone” (a verbal contraction of “God’s Own Country”) and “Best bloody place on earth, bar none, strewth.”
The irritating thing about this is they may be right.
There are some traps for the unsuspecting traveller, though. Do not, under any circumstances, suggest that the beer is
imperfect, unless you are comparing it to another kind of Australian beer. Do not wear a Hawaiian shirt.
Religion and Politics are fairly safe topics of conversation, (Australians don’t care too much about either) but Sport
is a minefield.
The only correct answer to “So, howdya’ like our country, eh?” is “Best (insert your own regional swear word here)
country in the world! It is very likely that, on arriving, some cheerful Australians will ‘adopt’ you on your first
night, and take you to a pub where Australian Beer is served. Despite the obvious danger, do not refuse. It is a form of
initiation rite. You will wake up late the next day with an astonishing hangover, a foul taste in your mouth, and wearing
strange clothes.
Your hosts will usually make sure you get home, and waive off any legal difficulties with “It’s his first time in
Australia, so we took him to the pub”, to which the policeman will sagely nod and close his notebook. Be sure to tell the
story of these events to every other Australian you encounter, adding new embellishments at every stage and noting how
strong the beer was.
Thus you will be accepted into this unique culture.
Most Australians are now urban dwellers, having discovered the primary use of electricity, which is air-conditioning and
refrigerators.
Typical Australian sayings:-
* “G’Day!”
* “She’ll be right mate.”
Tips to Surviving Australia:
* Don’t ever put your hand down a hole for any reason WHATSOEVER.
* The beer is stronger than you think, regardless of how strong you think it is.
* Always carry a stick.
* Air-conditioning is imperative.
* Do not attempt to use Australian slang, unless you are a trained linguist and extremely good in a fist fight.
* Wear thick socks.
* Take good maps. Stopping to ask directions only works when there are people nearby.
* If you leave the urban areas, carry several litres of water with you at all times, or you will die.
* Even in the most embellished stories told by Australians, there is always a core of truth that it is unwise to ignore.
My Kindest Regards,
“Someone”
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It was 54 today… we have not got that cold weather…yet…
you never know
So sorry about your dog. What a hard thing.
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Daryl sees them every once in awhile. He has actually seen one complete ring around the sun and the second one was a partial ring. Quite amazing he says.
On my perch in front of the computer I only get to see the ones you show. 🙂
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Maybe your sun dog was Checkers on his way over the rainbow to see his family. ☺
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Thanks for the explanation. I had never heard of a Sundog before. Sorry that it is a harbinger of very cold weather.
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You captured the sundogs very nicely! Now for the important stuff Happy Birthday to You..Happy Birthday to you!! I hope you have a wonderful day filled with all of your favorite things and people:)
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Yes, I try to remember that it is winter and only Jan. Nice pictures you took!
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I only learnt recently about sundogs from reading your blog and some others. Amazing what one can learn by blogging. It is not just a social network. Lucky you to see two
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HB-Thank you for the insite to the people of the land down under! A bit of humor for all to read!
Leenie-I wish I had thought of that to tell Linkin…she is really missing her dog. Thank You.
Kath-Sara from The Crazy Sheep Lady site had a really neat one in Kentucky. I am finding these really fun to look for.
Pam-You are much, much warmer than us. The eastern side of the mountains seems to have more extreme weather than us, really warm, more snow, tornados, we stay pretty much consistent once it starts.
Enjoy the warmth…it won’t last.
Lisa-It really doesn’t make it any easier though. In a week the consignment farm sales start. That is the signal that winter is coming to an end for us. Gosh, in one week! We are getting closer!
Julia-She was a cool dog. Dogs just don’t live long enough. Thank you.
Michele-What is cool about it is the sign is there! We often forget that the weather will tell us, but we never look. I had not
Heard of a sundog either, not until last week. Neat isn’t it?
Far Side-Thank you so much! I really am enjoying that fact that I am now 61 years of age…only 1 more year to go until I can retire. I feel like I’m about to start Kindergarten!
Diane-That is what I like about blogging….getting to know others around the world AND how there neck of the woods operates!
Linda
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I did not know that these were called sun dogs and I did not know about the temperature that goes with them! Hope you stay warm! blessings,Kathleen
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Faith-I think I see more now because I always have a camera with me and I’m looking for stuff.
Julie-My grandmother on my mother’s side taught 1-3 graders. She had many lovely stories, also.
Linda
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Happy Birthday, MOM!
Hope you get what you wish for…..
Tina Marie
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wow.. amazing .. we’re getting a brief weather reprieve here… a balmy 36 degrees… i’m actually shedding a couple of layers of clothing .. Keeping them very very close tho 🙂
blessings
gp
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eggs-We are finally warm here today. Someone said close to 40 YEAH!
Cindy-We’ve warmed up today…I’m so excited. Almost 40 someone said!
Tina Marie- Thank You!!!
CSL- Thank you, I know you more than understand.
Linda
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