If You Build it, Rain Will Come

This Autumn has been an especially wet one here in Skopje and my taxi-driver this morning informed me as to why that is. The conversation went something like this:

"How do you like all this rain? We are like London now."

"Oh, it's wonderful. I actually enjoy it very much." [Yes, I did say that and actually mean it!]

"Well, it's because of the two new lakes that we have all this rain."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes! We've had Lake Matka for many years, but now they built two new lakes on the Treska River."

Thinking to myself: I've seen at least one of them and it's not much more than a glorified puddle. And the Treska isn't big like the American River... or the Sacramento... For my Folsom Lake friends: Lake Matka is a tad bit bigger than one of the lakes in Hidden Lakes Estates... ie: a stone-throw-and-a-half across and maybe a quarter mile long.


But I responded, "Really? Honestly, I have a hard time buying that. There's more rain all over, not just in Skopje."

To which he replied with authority, "Oh yes, but it's true! My father is a meteorologist and he did a study on this and he told me this is why we are having more rain. Before 5, 6 years we had maybe 175 days of rain and now we have about 200, but with the new lakes we will have more like 260 days of rain this year!"

"Oh, so that's why they built the lakes?"

"Yes!"

So there you go! "If you build it, Rain will come!" =)

Even the Trees are Confused

October 1st. The city heat gets turned on in 14 days and in years past we've been wishing it were already turned on by October 1st. This year has been so different. Skopje is actually seeming to have a Fall. Shocking because the common sentiment (aka joke) here is that Macedonia has only two seasons: winter and summer.

Just like last year our end of summer church potluck in August came a day after record high 100+ degree weather and in just 3 days it was already about 30 degrees cooler. But then, unlike last year, it got warm again. Sure, it never got over 100 again, but it's been consistently warm and humid.

So here we are at the beginning of October still (shockingly) wearing short sleeves despite the fact the first day of Fall is a week or so behind us. And all this has apparently completely confused some of the trees because they're blooming like it's Spring! Seriously, the site makes me laugh out loud, because it's just so, for lack of a better word, chudno! (Translation: strange.)

Poor trees. They're so confused. But I sure don't mind. It's kinda fun to see the beautiful blooms and bright green signs of life in contrast to all the orange and red signs of death (or winter hibernation).

To be honest, though, I'm not ready for the deep chill of winter to descend yet. Just not quite prepared to put away the capri's, flip-flops and the warmth of the sun on my face. =)