Monday = Earthquake Day?

Next week will tell. I'm kidding. We don't feel earthquakes every Monday. Last Monday, however, was the biggest one *we've* ever felt. Usually they're between 3-5 on the Richter Scale. Last week was 5.9.

I'd gone to bed. Silas was with me, and Colin had fallen asleep on the couch. I was almost asleep when I felt the bed moving and I wondered if Ethan had come into our room and was being all bouncy and jiggly on the bed. I glanced up and he wasn't there and that's when I heard our pictures and ornaments rattling. I've never experienced that. I lay there, completely frozen, until it was over, about 30 seconds later. Most earthquakes we've felt are only a few seconds long. This one shuddered for what seemed like ages. It woke Colin up, too, as our wood stove has a tall pipe that extends through our roof and it was rattling quite loudly.

I lay there for a long time after, thinking how the quake wasn't even as scary as the fact that I felt "frozen". I didn't even move to protect Silas, who was lying right next to me. A friend from California, much more "seasoned" when it comes to earthquakes, told me that if it were "the big one", I'd move. I would instinctively protect my children. I'm going to hope (illogically, of course) that if/when "the big one" hits, all four of us are in the same room.

Today, while I sat here at the computer, nursing Silas to sleep for his nap, we felt another, 5.8 this time. Ethan was playing in his playroom, right next to the room I was in, and it started with a huge jolt, that felt like something large had hit the side of our house. I watched the computer screen shake back and forth and then the long shuddering after, like last week.

After it was done, Ethan came out of his playroom, HUGE grin on his face. It was officially the first earthquake he has ever felt and it apparently amused him immensely. "I felt my floor shaking!" He was pretty excited.

So, slowly, we are becoming more "seasoned" ourselves. Feeling some bigger quakes. Seeing as we live on a fault line, it's to be expected. And while I'm not exactly worried, it may be time to finish working on our "earthquake kit", if we're stuck in an emergency. We have started buying some things for it. However, HERE'S my big question: What if "the big one" causes our house to collapse, and providing we are all safe, our "earthquake kit" has been buried and we can't get at it? Hmmm...