Historically, the dog days of summer are the hottest, most uncomfortable days of the season, which have been associated with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, and bad luck.

As luck would have it, we experienced unprecedented rainfall earlier in the week, which brought about a late-summer greening, and also oppressive humidity.

This weekend, amid the dog days of summer, we also observed National Dog Day, a day to recognize the dogs that need to be rescued each year, either from public shelters, rescues or pure breed “farms.” The organization that established the day in 2004 produced an emotional video to draw attention to the day (spoiler alert: you WILL be moved).

Of course, at Cloud 9 and at Hampshire, EVERY day is Dog Day, but we took time on Friday to post pictures and deliver treats in a way to mark the day.

Our late-summer weekender also seemed like an ideal time to explore our newest television options, which have expanded beyond our expectations–thanks to Roku Live TV.

Our Roku device gives us free access to more than 300 live television channels, including news, sports, movies, and popular TV shows. The good news for us is that we can now access programs from Bon Appétit, Architectural Digest, and America’s Test Kitchen. We also discovered Freevee, Amazon’s premium free streaming service, which allowed us to gorge on “Pati’s Mexican Table.”

Admittedly, we don’t go camping to watch TV, but it’s nice to know that if the weather prevents us from spending much time outside, we have plenty of viewing options to keep us entertained inside.

We’ve particularly enjoyed watching “Well Equipped,” a show featuring the Epicurious design and usability guru Dan Formosa as he evaluates kitchen gadgets.

We’ve also enjoyed watching Season 8 of “Escape to the Chateau,” on the Peacock app. Having followed the misadventures of Dick Strawbridge and Angel Adoree as they bought and renovated the 19th-century Château de la Motte-Husson in Martigné-sur-Mayenne, France, for their weddings and events business, we were pleased to discover that we didn’t have to wait for public television to bring us up to speed…we could experience immediate gratification through the streaming app.

We often encounter other campers who spend money needlessly on satellite service for TV and internet. Our advice: don’t do it. There are plenty of over-the-air and streaming options that deliver more content than you could possibly consume. All you really need is a good cell signal, which is why we support establishing reliable wireless coverage nationwide.