Sunday, September 4, 2016

I Felt The Earth Move Plus A List Of Thankfuls

Every week, without fail, I think about what I'll include on my weekend Ten Things of Thankful post. If I'm smart (and I'm not often), I even take notes on my phone so I won't forget anything. No notes were taken this week, however, as I had a pretty good list going in my head, and then, early Saturday morning, I was shaken from my sleep by a FREAKING EARTHQUAKE and every mental note got shaken right out of my rattled brain.

Mind you, this was not my first earthquake. When you have live in southern California and you have been through the 7.1 magnitude Northridge earthquake, then this one we felt Saturday morning was not that big a deal. UNLESS YOU ARE IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI, WHERE WE AREN'T SUPPOSED TO HAVE EARTHQUAKES.

Note: the most active seismic area east of the Rockies is located along the Mississippi River in southeast Missouri. More than 200 earthquakes a year are recorded in the area, although they are too small for humans to feel; the last Big One was in the early 1800s and caused the Mississippi River to change its course.

I was still asleep when the shaking woke me, and it took me a few seconds to process the situation. My first thought was that one of the cats was on the bed, violently scratching an ear with a hind foot, but once I remembered we were (a) at the lake house and (b) cat-less this trip, it began to dawn on me that it was an earthquake. With windows rattling and floor shaking (along with my knees), I walked out into the hallway at the same time my kids came out of their room and my husband came down the hall from the living room. The kids were wild-eyed. "WHAT WAS THAT? WAS THAT AN EARTHQUAKE?!" 

Yup.

The news reported a 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Pawnee, Oklahoma, north of Oklahoma City, and while the WHY of the cause of these earthquakes is still being debated, they are definitely man-made. The state averaged one earthquake over a 3.0 magnitude per year from 1978-2008, then oil prices went up and fracking increased, and in 2015 alone, there were 890 earthquakes above a 3.0. 

Sooo, anyway, I forgot what was on my list of thankfuls after all that, but I shall make a new one, starting with no damage for us, just a good scare, and no injuries reported anywhere for this earthquake. Now to normal stuff:

2. Our volleyball team was pounded twice this week by worthy opponents. In other words, they played teams that were REALLY, REALLY GOOD, not that our team is bad or anything. This doesn't sound terribly thankful, but the thankful part is Emma played very well at both games (all season so far, in fact), and I'm really proud of how well she is doing. 




3. Open House at preschool this week! Tuesday morning was the day my Primary class (3 year olds turning 4 over the course of the year) came to visit. It's a big class, with 13 enrolled in it, but it should be entertaining!

4. Wednesday was open house for my Pre-K class, and let's just say it's going to be a lively year!

5. My Shark Navigator vacuum cleaner. 

6. The pet hair remover attachment for the above vacuum cleaner.

7. Propel Fitness Water. Grape, berry, peach or cranberry-l
ime, please.

8. Impromptu frozen custard date with my husband.

9. Buy one, get one free coupon for the frozen custard.

10. A weekend of cooler temperatures, giving us a hint of fall and thoughts of pumpkins and leaves and other wonderful autumn things.

How was your week? Did your world rock, either literally or figuratively? 




Ten Things of Thankful


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10 comments:

  1. yay i'm first

    sounds a like a great week - bonus no one getting hurt..

    congrats on your daughter's volleyball success -

    My son is going into high school 1st year on Tuesday and part of the soccer team -

    i want to be that mom too on the the sidelines watching and cheering :)

    i only felt a earthquake one yes on long island i am not sure the magnitude but it was enough for all of us at work run out of the building and hubby calling me from Queens where he works to see if i was all right

    such a weird feeling when the earth shakes - i couldn't get my balance for a couple of days.

    yes fracking needs to stop....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FRIST!
      My daughter has had a hard time of it in volleyball. Long story, but she has not been treated well in spite of her talent. Now that she has Senior status, things are a little better.
      Good luck to your high schooler! Enjoy the soccer games, although I'm not sorry my kid played an indoor sport and not an outdoor one! :)
      Little earthquakes are fun-scary. Big earthquakes are terrifying. This was of the fun-scary ilk.
      Fracking is bad, bad news.

      Delete
  2. I've experienced just one earthquake, waking up in a an apartment building in Germany in the middle of the night with the bed shaking and the dishes rattling in the cabinet. My husband thought I dreamed it until we went to town and others were talking about it. I am grateful no one was hurt. Fracking is insanity!

    I loved the cooler temps here this past week too, even though it came with lots of rain and that instigated allergy outbursts. Summer has been miserably hot here in West Texas this year, and we welcome a day in the 80's or below. I love Fall!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did you not feel the one on Saturday where you were? I thought you might have.
      Today, it was 93. Summer is not over. But it won't be long. My little maple tree in the front yard already has some orange leaves on it.

      Delete
  3. The biggest earthquake I felt (though we were living about 100 miles from the epicenter) was not in California, but in Washington. We moved to the Pacific Northwest just before the Northridge earthquake, so missed that one, but were in Washington for the Nisqually earthquake, which was a 6.8! Like you, at first I didn't think it was an earthquake. We lived near the railroad tracks, and I thought a train was going by. Once I figured it was an earthquake, I was just hoping that my 1920 house would survive. It did, but I was glad we weren't closer to the epicenter. It felt like a 5, at most, where we were--probably closer to a 4.5.

    So glad you are OK, and I'm looking forward to hearing about your preschool adventures this year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When they aren't very strong or very near, there is something scary-fun about an earthquake.

      I have a feeling it's going to be quite a year!

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  4. HOORAY to the frozen custard and time with your husband.

    I'm kind of scared by the earthquakes, seeing as they're WHERE I'M MOVING TO! But...I shall hope they continue to be unsettling but not devastating. Ugh!

    A lively pre-school year? I FEEL BLOG POSTS IN THE OFFING! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And hooray for coupons!

      Yeah, you're not going to like earthquakes.

      Lively, I fear, will be putting it mildly!

      Delete
  5. We got an earthquake in Maine a few years back. It was nothing drastic, but it did take me a bit to register what was happening. If I hadn't been on the phone with my brother who was located 40 minutes south and was experiencing the same thing, it might have taken me even longer. I'm not a fan of earthquakes.

    WeekendsInMaine

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  6. That earthquake was felt here (all the way in Nebraska) too... but everyone in my house slept through it. :( Bummer... our first earthquake and we missed it!

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