Earthquakes in the heartland!

Yesterday was an interesting day. We started out with an earthquake at 5:38 am. I was sleeping deeply, and awoke to the sound of the mirror on my dressing banging against the wall. Being the sort who is a bit groggy until after a cuppa, my initial paranoid thought was that we were under attack (interesting to note how strongly the 911 attacks affected my subconscious.) Then I thought about thunder, but when I looked outside I could see stars, which meant there was no thunderstorm (clouds would be required, natch.) I then listened to see if there was a suite of gravel trucks on the road (several of our neighbors work hauling gravel in huge dump trucks and will sometimes travel together on a job.) Nope. No trucks in sight or earshot. But the dog was agitated, so I got up to investigate further.

DH was already out watching the local news, and it confirmed my conclusion, earthquake! Seems over in IL (although they initially thought IN) there was a 5.4 quake. The local news stations were all atwitter about it, it's all they carried for the morning (at least, for what I watched of it, I don't watch tv during the day.) Later that morning as I was sitting here at the computer working, I felt the aftershock. First in my feet, as the house trembled, then I noticed my computer monitor wiggling and doing the Hootchie Kootchie! I shouted, and the dogs began to bark. I logged onto my favorite local chat site www.cincymoms.com and checked in with the gang, sure enough, another quake! Smaller this time, only 4.8, but big enough to be felt all the way over here in the Bluegrass. Yeehaw!

I emailed my BFF (former college roommate and friend for life) in Los Angeles, and she, being rather used to them by now, commiserated. She's originally a New Yorker born and bred, and says it took some time to become as blasé about them as her neighbors. I also read that there have been a number of quakes off the coast of Oregon in the past few weeks which scientists have been monitoring, but are not sure what the activity means. But for us here in the heartland, it was a novel and exciting occurrence, we just don't get earthquakes around here very often!