I Missed the Earthquake!

Uncategorized 1 Minute

How do I know I missed the earthquake? Lise talked to me from Denmark and asked me about it less than half an hour after it happened. Neighbor Shawn had texted Lise, so that was her news source.

I did hear an unusual sound and thought it might be the heating system turning on. I was walking from the kitchen to the laundry room, which is why I didn’t feel the house shaking. Shawn couldn’t believe I missed all the excitement. I asked her if she heard a sound with the quake, She answered, β€œYes! I heard at first, what I thought was a huge gust of wind rattling the windows. Then it became louder and stronger and when I looked out the window, no branches were moving so I knew it wasn’t wind. Then it still became stronger and there was no mistake! Izzy [the dog] freaked out!!”

Neighbor Joyce contacted all the women on the street, saying we might already know the quake measured 4.1 South of Knoxville, Tennessee. She first thought it was a really big truck on the street.

Maybe I’d already had enough excitement for the day. I woke with vertigo, my head swimming as I got out of bed. It never lasts very long, so I planned to walk as usual. There was a bobble with one knee, feeling like it wasn’t exactly straight when I got dressed. I took the old cane with me for support. Some of the time I held the cane off the road, and the rest of the time I put it down with every other step. If I looked a bit odd, that was nothing new. People here are used to me.

Unknown's avatar

Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

Published

44 thoughts on “I Missed the Earthquake!”

    1. I went over to Shawn’s house for a few minutes this afternoon. When I was leaving and she was holding the door open for me, she suddenly exclaimed over a plant in her foyer. “That plant was on the table this morning. The earthquake knocked it over!”

      Liked by 1 person

      1. oh goodness..they are terrible..we were right under the one that took out Canton Ms. Years ago.we were on the south Ε΅est corner of the square and saw it over head..one minute the huge magnolia trees around the courthouse where there and then they weren’t. We managed to park the car and ran over down powerlines to get to my Grandparents house on the other side of the square.They were standing on the front porch watching the destruction all around.. The house across the street folded up like a house of cards….They were in good shape

        .no power for a while which was a situation because they were devoted coffee drinkers..I helped out with this by using a fondue pot and caned heat…we had to go south and then back north to get to our place..I don’t ever want to go through that again.

        .

        Like

  12. It sounded like quite an eventful day, but also one where things went okay and alright. Lovely to hear the earthquake didn’t cause damage, just a surprise. ‘If I looked a bit odd, that was nothing new.’ You are you, Anne. Glad people are used to you and as Ally said, you have a sense of humour πŸ™‚

    Like

    1. If there is another earthquake, I hope I will be aware of it. We are all grateful there was no damage. This area is not known for earthquakes, unlike some areas of the world. We don’t usually get hurricanes here, either. Hurricane Helene devastated huge areas that are still recovering.

      Like

      1. Earthquakes are so surprising it can be hard to be aware they are happening. Where I am here in Australia we don’t usually get earthquakes. I’ve always been so surprised when they happened πŸ™‚

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I grew up where there were many small earthquakes. Here in the mountains of North Carolina, earthquakes are not common. I am aware of three in the last 10 years, and they were small.

          Liked by 1 person

  14. We definitely felt it here in Henderson county. The windows rattled and the floor shook. I thought at tree had hit the house, but a check outside revealed nothing like that happened. I know a road in TN that our car clubs use was damaged.

    Like

  16. I had no idea Tennessee had a seismic “area” where earthquakes are common (I looked it up). I’m sorry you didn’t get to feel it (quite the experience), but glad you are okay and nothing was amiss after. 4.1 is nothing to sneeze at.

    Like

  17. Anne, we had an earthquake here in the south Jersey area when my grandsons were small. Like many of you I heard it first, and reached for the music cd player to turn it down only to feel the house shake. It was one of the oddest things I ever experienced. It hasn’t repeated itself here and of that I’m glad. Once in a lifetime is enough for me. I hadn’t heard there was an earthquake in your area.

    Like

  18. Wow, I can’t believe you missed the quake! Shawn’s description makes it sound so intense. I’ve never experienced one, but I imagine it would freak me (and my dog) out too. Meanwhile, I’m here just waiting for the rug cleaners to finishβ€”definitely not as exciting as an earthquake, but at least my floors will look good!

    Like

  19. In my lifetime, I have experienced a couple earthquakes. The first one at college walking up the hill to class. I noticed everyone outside in pajamas asking if they had felt the earthquake. I had not. The next one in a different state I felt a slight rock as I sat in a chair reading. I had to read the newspaper to learn it had been an earthquake. So, Anne, I understand how you “missed” the quake. I am glad it was not stronger to even noticing it. oxox

    Like

Comments are closed.