Tuesday, July 29, 2008

THAT got my attention!

That's what I don't like about earthquakes. Out of the blue with no warning. When this one hit this morning, there was a tremendously hard jolt and then my desk chair start "bucking." It did that five or six times, and then it changed to a violent swaying back and forth. My desk is under a window that looks out into the hallway, and that window was bowing back and forth like an old saw and the wall was banging against my desk.

I pushed my desk chair back quickly and hard. I rolled all the way back into my file cabinets. I tried to stand up but the floor kept moving on me. I stumbled my way out into the hallway, and it was five or six feet before I got my legs under me. That's when this little old lady kicked into turbo! I went running down the hall as fast as my little thunder thighs could carry me out into the production office. All of those California natives were under their desks! I stood there for a couple of seconds watching the desks dance around and the blinds swinging back and forth.

And then it stopped.

The plant workers were all looking around and looking up. And then there was one of our maintenance guys - who was on the roof checking something. I've never seen a kid shimmy down a ladder as quickly as he did!

I've been in SoCal for 14 years, and I have never felt one this violent before. I was really shaken by it all. My legs felt like Jell-O all afternoon, and my heart still feels like it's missing beats. Yeah, I'd say I've got a good case of the old Southern lady "nerves."

I just got home and all is well downstairs, except Daisy has this wild, wide-eyed look about her. Upstairs things were slightly rearranged. The pictures on the walls are askew, and some books and antique darners and textile bobbins came tumbling off the bookshelves and onto the floor. A stack of DVDs on the nightstand were on the floor, and a couple of bottles fell off the vanity in my bathroom.

Things to remember for the next quake:

~ Duck and cover. Crawl under the desk instead of trying to run out the building.

~ Put Daisy in the kennel every morning. I wasn't too worried about her being hurt because she was in her kennel today. Put a leash for Daisy in the QuiltMobile.

~ Put a flashlight at all strategic locations in the house - by the doors, at the top and bottom of the stairs, in the garage.

~ Keep a pair of shoes by the bed.

~ Seriously consider moving!

15 comments:

InfinityQuilter/Knitter said...

Glad to hear you're all OK. I guess I won't grumble about our snowy, cold winters. I'd rather have snow than earthquakes.

rachel griffith said...

i've been hearing about this quake...

i'm SO glad that you are safe.
how scarey.

Kim said...

I'm glad you're fine--other than a few frazzled nerves! That's one thing I like about Sacramento; I grew up in the Bay Area where we had earthquakes all the time, but I've not experienced one in Sacramento in the 23 years we've lived here--knock on wood!

Vicki W said...

You can move to Virginia and quilt with me - we get plenty of warning when hurricanes come through! So glad you are OK!

Yvonne said...

I'm so glad to hear that you are okay....that is so scary. If you don't want to go to Virginia, you could come here to Massachusetts....we don't even have hurricanes, just an occasional blizzard. :)

Anonymous said...

You weren't here for the 1994 Northridge quake? That was the last really bad one we had. I've lived here for all my life and experienced them all, but that one was the worst. I lived right near the epicenter of that one. They sure wake you up though don't they?

Jeanne said...

Hi sweetie!
We're all OK here -- dogs a little skittish too. I had to evacuate down the stairs from the 11th floor of the courthouse -- my knees are still objecting!
Stuff has fallen down all over the house, but nothing broken.
Whew -- enough fun for one day!
Hugs - Jeanne

Marla said...

Just glad to hear you are OK in such a serious situation.....even if your post did make me laugh! You could move here...at least hurricanes give us PLENTY of warning!!! (we just ducked away from Dolly here....)

DPUTiger said...

I lived in LA for 8 years. We had a couple of little rumblers while I was there, but nothing significant. I will always remember my first quake (was in the office and a co-worker's wife yelled "bill? are you under your desk? bill?" right after the ground stopped moving).

I will also ALWAYS pick tornados or hurricanes over earthquakes. At least you get some warning with the first two!

Glad you're OK. I was on instant messenger with a friend at UCLA when the quake hit. She's fine too!

Anonymous said...

Glad you're fine, Iowa doesn't get too many earthquakes, just tornadoes and floods. Did you know you're on Sawdust and Cowpies today? He must have felt your quaking thought you'd need a pickup. Is this the same guy who made the cool buttons?

Granny said...

I like the last one -- seriously consider moving! Glad you're safe.

Connie said...

Ya know, South Louisiana only gets those pesky hurricanes and with those you get oodles of warning time. Plus I bet a special big brother would welcome you with open arms. Stay safe!

ILY

julia said...

Hi Vicky,
I'm glad to hear that you're o.k.! I never experienced an earthquake but just by reading your report my heart beat much faster...scary! My fingers are crossed that it won't happen again (soon).
Hugs, Julia

The Calico Cat said...

Glad you both are o.k.
Ms. oblivious to everything but the baby bump is only hearing about the quake now...

Candace said...

Hi Vicky,
My husband and I learned in our Certified Emergency Response Team classes that it is very important to keep a 3-day survival kit (including items for your pets) somewhere safe in case you are forced out of your home. I keep one under my desk at work as we are in a steel-framed bldg. There is some info on this site: http://www.disasterstuff.com/ and I'm sure you can contact your local red cross or fire department on how to make one. Glad all is well with you - I can't survive without a dose of your blog every day! Cheers,
Candace