EARTHQUAKE !!!

This trip to the west coast has certainly been eventful. And no, I'm not just talking about all the fun things we've been doing.

I'm talking about the one BIG event that seems to be exclusive to the west coast. Something I've heard about for years. The dreaded ground shaking....EARTHQUAKE !

So I'm sitting in the backyard of my brother's home. It's morning. Enjoying my breakfast and a cup of coffee. Under a pergola. Two cats lazing at my feet. Beautiful day. Bright, clear blue sky. Warm, bright sunshine.

Suddenly a strange rattling of the pergola above me. Simultaneously the cats both spring a few inches into the air and run to the back door, crying to be let in. Strange. I look around. Nothing seems amiss. Can't figure out what caused the noise overhead. What spooked the cats?

Puzzling. But I shrug the shoulders, continue on with my breakfast and sip my coffee. I open my phone and surf the web until I find the day's news. And there it is....headline..."Earthquake Shakes Southern California"... what!?! When? I didn't feel anything. Shouldn't I have felt the ground move under my feet? Shouldn't there have been people screaming, running out of their homes? Mass hysteria? Sirens blaring?

I don't know. I've never been in this situation. I'm not a native Californian. This isn't something I've lived with. What am I supposed to do? To feel?

It slowly dawned on me. I DID experience the quake. It was in the shaking of the pergola. The strange behavior of the cats. It only lasted about 15 seconds. THAT was it. The EARTHQUAKE. 5.1

Wow. How crazy was that? Now don't get me wrong, I'm really happy the quake didn't cause any damage or injuries. But I think its cool that I can now add this to my list of fab stuff experiences. Like the tornado in Nebraska. The blizzard of '78. Batting down the hatches during a New England hurricane. The emergency landing at Dulles airport.

You just never know what lies around the corner in this life. Just got to be ready!