Tuesday, April 29, 2008

I Felt the Earth Move Under My Feet

So tonight, I am lying on top of my bed, curled up under my favorite quilt, reading a book. My bed is up against a wall, and my pillows are propped up against the wall. All of sudden, the wall feels like jello, and the bed feels like a water bed. I am not kidding. It was over so fast I wondered if I had just imagined it. Mike was on the computer in the other room, and all of a sudden he runs in and asks if I felt that. Yes, I most certainly did feel that.

According to earthquake.usgs.gov, there WAS in fact an earthquake in northern California tonight, a 5.2 magnitude to be exact. It was, however, 35 miles east of where I am, which is essentially the middle of nowhere. No damage has been reported, just shaking. Of this, I can personally attest.

It's a bit exciting and a bit frightening, really more frightening than exciting. This was my first earthquake experience, and frankly I'd like it to stay that way. It was so light that the hutch full of Mike's glass art just made a racket, but nothing fell or moved around. So, yeah. Earthquakes. Guess I really do live in California. Being surrounded by cows, sometimes I wonder.

2 comments:

Charmingly Feisty said...

That sounds really bizarre. I'll take your word for it that it's not something I really want to experience.

I just read today that there have been an unusual number of earthquakes in Nevada this week... and there was that earthquake in the midwest last week. Perhaps I should stop reading the news before I think something weird is going on.

West Coast Midwestern said...

Well, I don't know what normal is in terms of earthquakes, but I don't think they belong in the Midwest! Well, I think we could all do without them actually.

So in the local newspapers for the past few weeks there have been a lot of ads about how to prepare yourself for an earthquake since the huge one is inevitable within the next 3 decades. It's making me really paranoid, and now I want to get a generator. We have already stocked our cupboards with water and dry goods, just in case.