Dog Days of Summer . . .

Dog Days is the name for the sultriest period of summer, from about July 3 to August 11. Named in early times by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean, the period was reckoned as extending from 20 days before to 20 days after the conjunction of Sirius, the Dog Star, and the sun. And once the evening sky turns ebony black and the stars begin to shine, see if you can spot the constellations and find Sirius. And check out this site for more great details:

http://blog.dictionary.com/dog-days-of-summer/

Hence, what a great time this would be to stay indoors, the air-conditioner humming away as it keeps you cool and gives you a bit more energy to tackle some things that should be done before the new school years starts, along with all those holiday celebrations.  And what exactly do I have in mind? Well of course, creating your Family Museum!

As my past posts suggests and gives how-to advice on creating the museum, sometimes it seems overwhelming, especially with all this hyped-up movement to downsize and de-clutter, getting rid of the stuff that no longer has a need or does not matter anymore. However, sometimes the things that do matter may get lost in the shuffle, and that is why you need to be thoughtful and careful as you organize your stuff, separating the not-keep and the-keeps. As the old motto says,

“A place for everything and everything in its place.”

Therefore, here are some ideas for the preservation and storage of family heirlooms, for example photographs. Invest in archival art storage boxes that will keep photos looking their best for years to come. There are several sizes of archival boxes and larger ones can accommodate greeting cards, letters from loved ones, newspapers, and all sorts of paper odds-and ends that should be kept.  Visit this site for everything you need. http://www.dickblick.com/archival/storage/

Another way to save pictures is to upload your pics onto CD and DVD discs to play on computers and TV’s. That’s a great way for many people to share your memories. Now, there are differences between the discs and to make sure you use the correct one, here is a website that will give you all the info you need:   http://www.differencebetween.info/

And speaking of dogs, another fabulous way to save photo memories is by making an online photo album. I recommend Snapfish because I have created many of these photo albums. The program is easy to navigate and they offer many types of albums and other photo gifts. This is a picture from the album of our dearly departed Sophie Peach. On hot summer days and every day of the year, she loved to take a car ride. Here she is waiting for us to get in the car and go, go, go! Check out this website for more info: http://www2.snapfish.com

In any event, when starting to organize the keepsakes, go steady and take your time. After all, it took many years to collect, so don’t rush the process. And if you display your heirlooms or not, because it is a fact that many homes do not have the space for a museum, there are still many ways of creating a space that can be designated as your family museum. Past and future posts will tell you how-to.
Enjoy the dog days of summer and look at the stars as often as you can.
.