Little known facts about earthquakes:
1) Dogs suffer from diarrhea before an earthquake. (More on that here. Or here, if you want a more reliable source.)
2) My dog has been having the most horrendous gas, gas so significant that I have commented on it, and I don't like to discuss such vulgar topics. But people, this gas ... it clears your sinuses.
3) This, plus the recent quakes in Utah and LA, leads me to believe the earth is acting up and there will be another earthquake reaching as far as Saint Louis.
I've been in one of these Saint Louis earthquakes, when I was first married. It was June of '87, and I was trundling around our first apartment, waiting for Gary to get back from evening class, when a big-rig truck went through our parking lot.
"Dang," I thought as the rumbling went on, "What is a semi doing navigating through our apartment parking lot?" I went to the window to see. Oddly, even though there was no semi in the parking lot to be seen, the rumbling continued.
"Well, that's just strange. Perhaps they're trying to drain the lake." There was a gorgeous lake in the middle of my apartment complex. "Well, let me go see." I no sooner headed to the other side of the apartment to look out the lake window when the glasses began rattling in the cupboards. I don't know what instinct told me that constant shaking of the earth signals a semi in the parking lot, while rattling glassware signals an earthquake. I immediately screamed, ran around in a tight circle, then ran under a doorway. I got there just as the rumbling and shaking stopped.
Of course, I immediately called Mom.
She didn't pause to say hello. "Five - point -three, " she said casually. And she called it.
I don't remember the June '87 earthquake. I would have been, what?, about fourteen? The only one I can recall must have happened in the early eighties because I was quite young. I was sitting on the couch watching tv with my mom when the rattling started. She said, "Are you shaking the couch?" No, why would I be shaking the couch? No sooner than she said that, things began falling off the shelves. Then it stopped.
Posted by: Kathy | August 13, 2007 at 05:17 AM
I was in the meat market on South Grand and the refrigerated cases started shuffling on the floor and the plate glass swayed in and out and I crouched down and held the floor so I wouldn't fall.
Posted by: JO | August 13, 2007 at 07:57 AM
You don't like to discuss vulgar topics? Since when? This whole blog is one singular, giant unit of vulgarity. It shouldn't surprise me, it is, afterall, a reflection of you.
Posted by: Troll | August 13, 2007 at 09:11 AM
It is a well known fact to us midwesterners... you know, those of us who mock the people of California and how they are all going to be part of the ocean one day when "the big one" hits?
Posted by: sue | August 13, 2007 at 11:05 AM
I remember sitting on my mom's bed and hearing her bell collection start ringing. That's the most earthquake I've experienced here in St. Louis. Remember when Iben Browning predicted the Big One? I was a senior in high school and we rescheduled the winter pep assembly so we wouldn't all be in a big open gym to die an earthquake death.
Also, you must check out Rebecca's favorite line of night time books: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/002-2191261-2508069?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=walter+the+farting+dog&Go.x=6&Go.y=9
Posted by: Caroline | August 13, 2007 at 12:34 PM
Troll, her entire blog is not vulgar, just enough of it to make it worth a daily read.
I recoomend that anyone who finds farting dogs funny, (who doesn't) to read James herriot's novels. In those novels is a story about Cedric, the farting boxer. It;s a kicker.
Posted by: Zayrina | August 13, 2007 at 12:59 PM
I seem to recall a tremor in St. Louis about 30 years ago. I, too, thought a large truck was driving down my street, but it was about 1:00 a.m. and there was no truck. It was eye-opening.
Ahhh, Troll, where have you been keeping yourself, my saucy, little crouton?
Posted by: Meriwether Lewis | August 13, 2007 at 07:35 PM
Kathy – I’m sure there were other quakes, just that’s to only one I remember. The other times I probably wasn’t around any glassware, so I would have blamed it on trucks.
JO – Wow – I heard the epicenter was Southern IL, so you would have been closer than I.
Troll - “Unit?” Snort. You said unit.
sue - Well, the last New Madrid big one evidently reversed the flow of the Mississippi and caused an island or two out here.
Caroline - Yep, I was on the earthquake safety committee for our company at that time.
Zayrina - Aw. I loved James Herriot. Really, my dog never f ... fa... far ... never breaks wind. As it turned out last night we had a windstorm with 60mph winds, so that’s what he was warning us about with his Wind Alert System.
Meriwether Lewis - Sigh. Poke the troll at your own risk.
Posted by: TheQueen | August 13, 2007 at 09:05 PM
Dear Queen, I guess I shouldn't be surprised your humor would stoop to the level of Beavis and Butthead. Just more proof of how silly and vulgar you and your blog are. Cornholio.
Dear Meriwether Lewis, I am not a crouton. You however, seem to think you are some sort of gift to Trolls but really what you are is a self absorbed, ego centric, buttinsky. I wonder what the humans have to say about a guy like you? Oh wait-I know what they say-that you are missing a paddle or two. Gah! I can't even believe
I spent time answering you. BTW-it doesn't really matter what kind of geek you are, computer or otherwise because really, in the end a geek is a geek. Don't you have something to go explore?
Posted by: Troll | August 13, 2007 at 10:25 PM
I would, mon cheri, but Sacajawea has my paddles, the little minx.
I miss my paddles.
Do you canoe, my salsa-esque Troll?
Posted by: Meriwether Lewis | August 13, 2007 at 10:51 PM
Troll - Ha. You said "buttinsky."
Merriwether - what is it with salsa and croutons? Are you a chef?
Posted by: TheQueen | August 14, 2007 at 11:35 PM