Valerie Bertinelli posts swimsuit selfie to celebrate the end of summer

Valerie Bertinelli is one big smile and one swimsuit.

The Indulge The 64-year-old author shared a poolside selfie on Instagram to talk about her excitement about the end of summer.

“August 11th. The last dog day of summer. I didn't know what that actually meant for 64 years, so I looked it up,” Bertinelli wrote in the caption.

Their research found that the dog days occur 40 days around the rising of the constellation Sirius (known as the Dog Star). “The dog days of summer are the 20 days before and the 20 days after Sirius becomes visible in the east, when the sky is still dark just before sunrise,” Bertinelli said.

“And it's damn hot,” she added. “Anyway, I'm waiting patiently for the autumn equinox. 😜”

Despite their disdain for summer, the Valerie's home cooking The graduate looked happy on her towel, wearing a polka dot swimsuit, a straw hat, tortoiseshell glasses and a glittery Apple Watch.

Bertinelli recently celebrated an exciting event: he was alcohol-free for six months.

The celebrity chef posted the milestone on Instagram on July 1. She also told PEOPLE how her life has changed since she got sober.

“Even though life is difficult sometimes, and I know how challenging it can be, it makes it easier for me to figure out what I need to do and how to get my life together more quickly,” she told PEOPLE in July. “I feel good when I wake up in the morning. I'm not groggy. I'm not tired. I'm not wondering, 'What did I do last night?'”

In her April cover story for PEOPLE, Bertinelli said she had cut back on her alcohol consumption because she “didn't need anything to boost her happiness right now.”

“I just feel high on life,” she said at the time. “Recently I went out to dinner with a friend and had ginger ale in a wine glass. And it felt like I was celebrating.”