The Princess and the Tremors

"You know I felt one more earthquake after you went to bed last night" Wookie told me as I drove her home from school.

"You are the princess that can feel the pea!" I said slightly amazed.

She told me she felt six total. I felt or rather "heard" four - they manifested themselves as slight rattles in the house. No sensation of movement like the larger earthquakes I experienced living in the Philippines and Alaska.

Wookie noticed the first quake sometime after dinner.

"Did you feel that!" she said excitedly

Jules did. I didn't. I had been napping half on the love seat.

After we went to bed I heard what sounded like the cat playing under the bed. The window blinds rustled slightly. I thought I had taken the cat out before I shut the bedroom door. I couldn't be sure. For a moment I thought maybe it was a tremor. I really didn't want to get out of bed to toss the cat out.

Then I heard movement from Wookie's room. She was making a beeline to Jules' and my room. No doubt in my mind then - it must have been an earthquake. Or we had two cats.

Wookie made her way to my side of the bed in the dark.

"Dad! Did you feel the earthquake! I'm scared" she said.

"Yeah, but it was a little one. Maybe it was an airplane  or truck that drove by" I replied

"No! it was an earthquake!"

"Well, let's see if there is anything on the internet" I said getting out of bed.

I found a seismograph web site. The nearest station was on the North end of Antelope Island. Probably in the visitors center I thought. I pulled up the chart and it took me a few minutes to figure it out. First it was recording in Mountain Standard Time one hour off from our Daylight Time. Then I realized each line covered fifteen minutes - four lines to the hour. Sure enough there was needle movement in the middle of the third line below the 21:00 mark. Converting to Daylight Time it happened at 10:38.  There also appeared to be a 10 minute delay.

"Look at this squiggly line. It shows an earthquake at 10:38, just a little while ago." I pointed it out to Wookie.

"See, I was right" she said. "You said it was an airplane!"

Shortly afterward we heard slight rattling throughout the house.

"There is another one Dad!" as she grabbed my arm. This happened two more times, each with the same accompanying arm grab from Wookie.

We waited and refreshed the seismographic plot. Sure enough, three more squiggly lines appeared, starting around 10:55.

I convinced Wookie that a bunch of smaller earthquakes released pent up energy making it less likely a large earthquake would happen soon, then I went to bed.

The next morning I printed off the plot at work and showed Emma. She had also felt the 10:38 earthquake but she didn't feel the three others.

"Huh!" I thought, when I saw the last set of squiggly lines at 11:50. There was one more tremor after I went to bed for the final time. I didn't feel it.

But the princess did!

In Like a Lion...



Less than a week ago, I was writing about the largest snowfall of the season. Today we enjoyed a slightly cool spring day. It was nice enough to enjoy a walk through the neighborhood without a sweater.



Winter Wonderland Last Week





Spring Today







I don't think the snow fort will last till April



Where do you find a cat with no legs?

The same place you left him.



Stitch McDuck



March Snow

Are those my safety glasses?

Wookie and I like snow.

"Look at all the snow Dad! If you go out to shovel I'll help."

She never got around to shoveling, which is just as well. We had about six inches of wet snow tonight and it was heavy. The plow came by and left huge balls of snow in its wake. Wookie rolled one over to the front yard to make a snowman. I shoveled the snow from the driveway next to the snowman under construction; she'll use the pile to make a snow fort. This may be the last year she'll want to make snow forts. Maybe it won't melt until April.

Wookie also likes to ski, but I've never learned, so she has only done it twice - both times arranged by Rachee, the only other sibling who skis. I thought about taking some lessons, but I think my bones are too brittle. I'll stick to snow shoeing.

Friday Night Ritual

A couple of Fridays ago, Wookie calls from Gertrude's house: "What time are you coming?"

"I'll pick you up at 10:00 pm"

"How about 10:30" she replies

"No, I'm picking you up at 10:00"

"Helga gets to stay later, why can't I stay till 10:30"

Exasperated, with a raised voice "Because I'm not planning to stay up till 10:30!"

"Hold on, let me turn the phone off speaker" she says

Me "!"

I pick up Wookie, at 10:00 pm; coincidently, Helga is getting picked up at the same time by her Dad.

Check Please!

As you've probably heard by now, Jules worked this Valentines, so we had our Valentines date Saturday. It was quite the romantic evening. We spent five minutes on dinner at our favorite steak restaurant and the rest of the evening touring Ogden emergency rooms to sew Jules hand back together.

One of the things I admire about Jules is she is very decisive, but Saturday it worked against her. Somehow she flipped her steak knife off her plate and quick as a flash she reached out to grab it. The knife sliced a one inch long gash in her hand. The restaurant staff provided a temporary bandage. I got the meals boxed and paid the check.

We arrived at McKay-Dee the same time a gaggle of police arrived with a suspect/patient – and they wanted additional security. We headed up to Ogden Regional instead. They were advertising an eight minute wait on a billboard we passed.

Five stitches! Jules can tell you about the first stitch she took without pain killer.

I have to admit, earlier I was thinking "If Ogden Regional doesn't work out, there's always Walgreen’s and butterfly bandages". I'm glad we stuck with the emergency room.  

Baby It's Cold Outside

Best remoldeling decision we've made so far? Thermostat in the bedroom.