Friday, April 18, 2008

rockin' the house


Some of you may have heard/felt the 5.2 earthquake that hit the Midwest (U.S.) in the wee hours of this morning. Yes, the Midwest has a massive fault line running right through the center. A fault line that nearly cracked the U.S. in half approx. 200 years ago in 1811. Image above is the document requesting federal assistance to the territory, arguably the predecessor to FEMA. Fascinating if not unsettling.

And while a big quake isn't funny at all, the responses at 4:00 a.m. today that I've heard thus far are something to chuckle about. Unchartered territory for most of us who have heard of the threat of the fault but feel safely snug in the heartland. I, for instance, sat straight up to hear the repeated banging of our gate at the top of the stairs (keeps the kiddo from tumblin' down) only to have my slumbering husband simply grumble "earthquake". Unaffected, nonchalant, bothered and oblivious, he lived in California for many years. Not a big help in easing my mind. All abuzz today others thought their retaining walls were falling, dogs were wrestling and giant trucks were barreling down the street. As I sign off this Friday I invite you all to share your thoughts from 4:00 a.m. today, if in fact you even woke up. Oh and please do leave your blog, site, shop or favorite St. Louis url so that readers can take in other events of the day. A fun way to self-promote and bond with other Midwesterners who made it through.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

i started going into the basement because the only thing on my radar is the potential for tornadoes. as i was running downstairs my husband was holding our little one yelling "not the basement, the hallway!" the basement is the last place one should be during an earthquake!!

xxoo

Ria said...

The roles were reversed at our house. My husband woke up to make sure our pipes were not about to burst. I barely woke up and mumbled "earthquake." Having spent 13 years living in the Pacific Ring of Fire has probably de-sensitized me as well. When I confirmed in the morning that it was, in fact, a quake my husband replied, "No sh___!!!"

http://www.checkmytag.com/community.html

Anonymous said...

It was a strange early morning wake up call indeed. I thought our dog Sami was scratching herself by the side of the bed. I yelled her name and then realized she wasn't in the room. The bed was rocking (and not for the reason it should)! A few pictures fell. I grabbed one kid and Dave grabbed the other. Since I never experienced a quake before, I said "do we go downstairs to the basement or get in the tub?" Dave said "neither, you get in a doorway." Thank God he was sane!

The kids were rubbing their eyes wondering "what are we all doing in this doorway?"

Needless to say the boys never really went back to sleep so it's been a long day! We are glad to be safe and sound. Hope you all are too.

pve design said...

all a bit unsettling. hope you are all ok!

Oh, Mrs. Currier had 3 children to my knowledge and I find her work even more beautiful because of this!
She exudes such order and beauty in her work!

secretleaves said...

I'm clueless. At first I thought my cats were fighting on the bed but then quickly realized they were not on the bed and it came to me that we were in the middle of an earthquake. Did I get out of bed, go to a doorway, check pipes? No, no and no. But I lived despite all of my ignorance.

We visited several shops the next day and the quake was a good ice breaker. And as a side note: we got an order from the lovely ladies at Roots. Yea!

www.rootsantiques.com

www.secretleaves.com

Ann