It is warm here. People have told us that it has been “unseasonably warm” but I wonder if that is simply because it is our first summer here and we don’t know any better. It has been mid to upper 90’s for more than the past week. It gets down to the 70’s at night (which is a pleasant change from Phoenix). Needless to say our windows are always open and our little oscillating fan is trying to move the air.
Something that I have found somewhat strange is that people here don’t seem to drink nearly as much water as we are used to. At lunch, people drink one small cup of tea or compote (juice-like beverage) and that is it. I rush home from the cafeteria and get out the water. When I have had people helping me, they have never seemed to want any water. If I were them, I would be dehydrated in an hour.
It has not rained since the 18th of April and things are really looking dry. We have read and heard that Donetsk does not get a lot of rain in the summer and the grass is always brown by mid August. Strangely that is already the case now, on June 1. However, with the “unseasonably” warm temperatures and a cold front on the way, it seems that we may actually get a thunderstorm. The garden will welcome any moisture that it gets. I have been watering a lot with a watering can and it would prefer slightly less use.
Dave
