Features

My journey this week is near the end of the long days of August which has five Sundays. Most of my week was spent enjoying the great indoors. Judy, my wife, spent time on researching. Two interesting articles she found explained why “dog days” is part of our vocabulary — 1. On NPR’s Short Wave, with Emily Kwong and Maddie Sofia, “the constellation Canis which contains the brightest star Sirius (called the Dog Star) is forever associated with the heat of summer. 2. Mr. Rusty Chinnis, who writes a fishing column titled “Reel Time” for AMSun. com says, “‘Dog days’ is a common term among fishermen signifying the long, hot days of August and September when fish can be hard to find and catch, making the early morning hours or night the best fishing time for savvy anglers.” As a retired pastor, I recall August as having a hard time keeping attendance up in church… another type of “fishing.”

Newly released Census data indicates that the US population is becoming increasingly diverse.

August 24 is National Waffle Day: A whole day to celebrate the wonders of waffles. While the dinner table might be where families catch up and share stories of their day, breaking bread at breakfast time can be just as enjoyable. That’s especially true when families take the time to create homemade breakfasts, such as the following recipe for “Orange Whole-Wheat Waffles with Yogurt and Fresh Berries” from Susie Cushner’s “Sunday Brunch” (Chronicle Books).

Dr. Bruce Smith became a Rotarian 30 years ago in Fairbanks, Alaska. Currently, he’s the president of the Rotary chapter in San Marcos during the service organization’s centennial year.