"Dog Days of Summer" ...... in December?

Boy, it's hot! The "dog days of summer" are upon us. You know, the type of day when the heat just drags you down, like it does every ...... December? These kind of days are usually encountered in August, not in December! But, in South America where the seasons are the opposite of the USA, we're now getting into some hot weather. So hot, that the ice cream trucks, er .. I mean peddlers, are roaming the neighborhoods. They blow this little whistle, which is really more like a cheap, out-of-tune, plastic version of Zamfir's pan flute. I kept hearing someone blowing a whistle and thought it was some kid playing with it when I noticed it getting closer. When I looked out the window, I saw the Paraguayan equivalent to our North American "snow cone" man (ice cream, whatever your choice)!