Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 13 June 2021

Sunny but rain threatening. OH out to lunch!!!!  Without anyone peering over my shoulder to make comments, I have been rummaging in my wardrobe. Some items that have seen better days (& don’t fit either) are in bin awaiting today’s rubbish collection. Some jumpers in bag for Animal Welfare’s doggy bedding. I made a mental note that I do NOT need any new jumpers for years & years. But <sigh> I do like designing and knitting them. Oh well, back to using up leftovers and knitting for charity. Now I have about an hour left of aloneness. What to do. . .

Just a thought

Wealthy are those who have delighted in the bluebird’s song and made friends with the flowers. (Susan Marie Ulrich)

EARTHQUAKE!!!

This afternoon, I heard a boom and then a rumble. My house and property shook. The quake's epicenter was just down the road from me to the southwest. Close!

The quake is preliminarily thought to have been "Moderate" with a magnitude of 3.8 and an intensity of 5. I know that out west it would be considered a minor quake unworthy of much attention. But east of the Rockies, our geology is markedly different. Also, this quake was thought to be shallow. So it felt fairly powerful, not only by me but other residents in my area. People are a little unnerved because the sound (the boom and the rumble) was different than folks have experienced. I've been in two earthquakes before (a 5.4 and 5.7), but they didn't have the noise like this one.

I initially thought that one of my tall, old-growth trees (especially the Locust tree along the creek) had fallen. I didn't immediately think about an earthquake. I rushed outdoors in a panic to see whether the tree had fallen on the house across the creek. I was elated when I saw that all my trees were still standing.

Folks posted on our local chat sites to find out what happened and discuss it. Many noted that the quake has caused the cicadas' little tunnels into the ground to collapse! I checked and mine did, too. We're wondering whether the baby cicadas will be strong enough to maneuver under ground after they emerge from the eggs!

Annette: You probably think I'm making this story up, because we'd just recently mentioned insurance policies and home threats, including earthquakes. LOL!!!

Apologies to folks on this thread who are Facebook friends. I had a lot of anxiety right after the quake and wrote a long Facebook post about it. LOL!!!

The earthquake was big. It was felt all over west central Indiana, into Illinois, and all the way south to Kentucky. Oddly, it was widely felt up north in Chicago, Illinois, on Lake Michigan. Some areas of Indianapolis also felt the quake, as did my home town of Lafayette. The U.S. Geological Survey has updated its data all evening. I think the data now indicates that it was 1.9 miles below earth's surface. The data now places the epicenter at Bloomingdale, Indiana, not far from me.

Gave blood donation no 25 yesterday and thought of my friend while doing so. She would have needed a lot!!

DIANE - it must have been terrifying - after all, who knows what will happen after the initial bang... Will you get aftershocks?

I can't believe it's Friday either- we lost track of the days on our break. Now I have stuff I must get done before the weekend, including the dreaded ironing before it gets too warm today. No sign of rain here, although it darkened a bit yesterday afternoon.

Diane, what drama!! Not sure how excited/worried/scared I would be in those circumstances. I saw your FB posts but was cheered by the fact that you would be able to track what was going on, by looking on the Web. I wonder if there will be more shakes and shudders. I suppose that if some of the cicadas can't get back underground, it might be a good thing for there to be a smaller population in future.

Pat, I hope your roses are all going to be alright. The old fashioned ones are indeed the best, as they usually smell divine.

Dibnlib, well done on your blood donation score. I was so glad to hear how well your friend is doing, now.

AQ -- Having a clear out makes you feel better. Says I - - I have a lot of clothes as some are different sizes! My m in law used to knit and crochet blankets to be sent abroad, and lots of people in her village gave her wool to keep her fingers busy. She felt the need to be doing something when watching tv. Glad your OH has resumed his occasional lunch out.

Lindy - Your mention of your mother in law knitting blankets for overseas charities reminded me of my mother. Actually, I started it, knitting jumpers for SSAFA and then for Mother Teresa. My mother joined me and overtook me in the production stakes. She used to design really smart jumpers and cardigans based on things she had seen - one year she based her output on the clothes worn by Wimbledon players! She said she could imagine her designs on children running around in Calcutta!

Diane - That must have been terrifying for you. I have never experienced a 'real' earthquake, just an odd 'heave', mainly in Greece, where they seem to happen quite frequently. Hopefully there won't be any after-shocks - and also hopefully, they won't knock out your internet.

Torrential rain again this morning - I don't think the gardeners will be complaining at the moment, but give them another couple of days and they will be saying everything is too wet! We have a big event at church tomorrow so hoping for no rain, at least for a few hours in the afternoon ...

Have a good Friday, everyone.