Gone to the Pigeons!

There are pigeon's nesting on my balcony. For weeks I'd noticed two pigeon's rummaging around and kept shooing them away. They were making a right-old mess on my balcony, but then for whatever reason the pigeon's moved the nest from the floor to this planter pot. Yes, I still tried shooing them away, but then one day I noticed an egg. The next day there were two and the mama and papa pigeons were taking turns sitting on them.

A quick Google of the internet reveals that these birds are a headache and to not be sucked in by the eggs and promise of cute little fledglings.... but admittedly I caved and now am counting the days until they hatch. Can't wait actually. Kinda excited too!


Funny thing is that I've been going to the pet shop for years, wishing I could have one but knowing I can't. Dogs, cats, fish and even birds. I love having pets but it's just not possible in my current living situation and with the life I lead and schedule I keep. So in a small way these little nesting pigeon's are the perfect pet! They feed and care for themselves and I get to enjoy watching them. I find it quite fascinating, really, that they trade off on the sitting duties or that the male with come and go in the afternoons with more items to build the nest. It's pretty cool...

On the other hand, my balcony is really small (about 5'x5') and so I refuse to give it up to the birds. In fact today I did a deep cleaning of it and even planted some lavender and rosemary into the planters... all the while the poor traumatized pigeon hunkered down on her eggs watching me with a wary eye but refusing to fly off. Amazing. Though she better not get too comfortable because as soon as her babies are grown and fly away into their own lives, I will be fully reclaiming my balcony and flowers will be promptly planted in what was her nest. :)

In the meantime, though, I'm going to enjoy watching the new life hatching on my balcony.

The Smell of Summer in Skopje

Freshly cut grass in the early mornings. Hamburgers sizzling on the barbeque. Damp towels drying in the sun. These are some fragrances that always signaled the arrival of summer for me growing up in the Sacramento Valley. Tea. That is the perfume that heralds the official arrival of summer for me here in Skopje.

Tea? I'm sorry, what? Did I really just say that?

When I'd ask the local baker or taxi driver about the силен мирис (strong aroma) filling the summer air the response was always, "Leepa. For tea."

Tea? I'm sorry, what?

Totally confused and convinced that I wasn't communicating well, I took a picture of the trees to show them. Several, actually. "Becky" at the local burek shop just looked at the images, smiled and said with a twinkle in her eye, "Yes, Karolinche. These are the Липа trees... we make tea from them."

Who knew! For some reason it never occurred to me that tea wasn't just made from herbs and such but from actual tree blossoms. She was totally bemused by my mystification but I was happy to learn something new about this special city and culture.

The Linden (aka Tilia) trees line the streets here in Skopje and their heady scent is reminiscent of gardenias, lilacs, lilies or other florist favorite. It envelopes you and its bouquet gets into clothes and hair and stays with you long after coming indoors.

Yes, summer has arrived here in Skopje. And next winter when the ice is thick on the ground and the sky heavy with snow, I'll only have to wrap my hands around a steamy mug of linden tea, close my eyes and breathe in deeply the lovely warm scent of summer and smile.

Perfumed Football Edition - Ready for World Cup

It seems even the toilet paper companies are excited about World Cup starting this weekend! I'm sorry, but this just made me laugh! I especially liked the "Football Edition - Perfumed" in the lower right corner... but I'm not so sure I'm eager to open it as the package beckons... I mean, what exact perfume would a football edition have?? The only thing that comes to mind is dirt, grass and, er, sweat! But then pushing that aside there's the complete irony of a perfumed football edition to begin with. Then again, I suppose it does makes sense, though, appealing to both the gals (perfume) and guys (sports of any kind). But really, we're talking about TP of all things! lol. I just love this place. :)

Скопје

While walking through the center yesterday, after having lunch on the Kej (along the river) with some colleagues and out of town guests, I caught sight of this sign. Sure, the center square is all a mess as the city is in the middle of a transformation with new buildings and statues going up all over. YET... as I came across this sign I thought to myself, "I do love this city," this place that has been home to me for several years now. Everywhere I go carries with it some cherished memory of the time spent here and the people I've spent that time with. I've not blogged much lately, but that sign got me to thinking: perhaps it would be fun over the next few posts to share with you just a few of the things I love about the people, place and culture here.... because, like the sign says, "I love Skopje."

Yep! I must admit that I do! =)