Dog days

I think we are always in search of someone or something which will tell us  exactly what to expect.  Even when it happens, we know it was only a possibility.

Today is the beginning of the dog days of summer, 40 days of especially hot and humid weather with little rainfall, according to the Farmers' Almanac.  (Garrison Keillor, The Writer*s Almanac, for July 3)

Do we really get 40 days of this?

Does anyone even read the Farmers* Almanac anymore?

Rather

Is there preference for the back page

Of the newspaper:

The weather map which shows us

Seven days at a time,

The map of weather cells,

highs and lows which vacation

Across the country,

Usually west to east?

Charts with arrows

Drawn by someone who has studied weather

Seem somehow

More accurate.

Yesterday*s hotness was arrowed and drawn

For Friday.

The Farmers* Almanac by turn

Promises us forty days

Of this.

According to whichever farmer is responsible

Yesterday*s weather

Was early.