Wednesday, August 24, 2011

BIG GIRLS A Coming!!!

       (WWLP 22News)
          The people in the header photo, from the Washington D.C. area, look exactly like I was feeling yesterday after I heard about the rare 5.9 magnitude earthquake!...
        (WWLP 22News)
           ...It rattled the eastern third of the United States from Virginia all the way to Rhode Island and New York City!...And Yeah! Holyoke is in there somewhere too! LOL
         WWLP 22News shared photos from the Washington D.C. area (below)...
           ....from Philadelphia....
          ....from Baltimore Maryland...
        .....and from other points in between, of people flabbergasted, and damage done. You can see the rest of the photos if you click HERE.

           So, as you might guess, with a 5.9 magnitude earthquake,...the strongest earthquake to hit the East coast in 100 years!...AND then hurricane Irene, almost at a category 3 {125 MPH winds} and now hitting the Turks and Caicos islands on it's way to the Bahamas..... and then also barreling up the coast right toward us by Sunday night!...the feeling is not getting any better this morning!! *gulp!* O_0
      (WWLP 22News)
         First of all....did I feel the earthquake?!....The answer...I'm not sure. O_0 I 'did' have a strange bout of queasiness yesterday, but I haven't really taken the time to think about whether the timing was connected...I 'do' know that the local news out of Chicopee,...
        ...the town next door to Holyoke,...
      ...was reporting that some people in our area here in Western Massachusetts felt it!...I don't have time to try to figure it out! I'm watching the news and weather, people!! :-]
        I can tell you that there's an almost palpable air that it seems like everybody is feeling. And it's not just from the weather, but the news too! And even though we're all not huddled together in one spot...like the flamingos were yesterday!...I know we can all feel it!
    Speaking of which, the Post Gazette said that the first warnings of Tuesday's earthquake may have happened at the National Zoo. Apparently some of the animals felt the earthquake coming before humans did! 
      The red ruffed lemurs began "alarm calling" a full 15 minutes before the quake hit! And an orangutan let out a guttural holler 10 seconds before the keepers felt the quake...And the flamingos?!...They huddled together in the water seconds before the people felt the rumblings! :-) ...........I think the animals had the idea! Scream, sound the alarm, and then duck for cover!....Preferably not alone! ^_^
     Hubby and I are already talking about huddling strategies involving canned beans, flashlights, batteries, candles, snacks, and an inordinate amount of water!!...My local WWLP 22News said: "...Forecasts for strength and direction of a hurricane this many days out can be tricky and, at times, unreliable. That being said, Irene needs to be watched closely and we will have a much better idea on the potential impact any rain or wind will have on Western Massachusetts in the coming days..."
        The first 'Big Girl' hurricane...so we called her...that we remember coming through the New England area (we lived in Connecticut at that time) was Hurricane Gloria!! She was SOMETHING!!! Oooo! Whee!...Then, not too long ago, we got Hurricane Isabel. She wasn't as fearsome as Gloria, but I did write a poem about her!...Now, I guess we're gonna just have to wait and see what this 'Big Girl' is all about...Oh! By the way, her name is 'Irene'.
       I can tell you something else for sure...whenever she gets here, I'll be right here!!!... Probably in a sleeping bag, with the zipper all the way up, holding a can of pork and beans in one hand, and a can opener in the other. But I'll be right here!!! I'm not moving!!.....*said as I'm shaking in my boots!* LOL...But that might just be another tremor from the earthquake.......*sigh* O_0


Me And Isabel

She's round and likes to travel,
and goes where I'd like to go.
She loves warm weather and water;
and her size doesn't bother her flow.

She packs a lot of power-
But its peaceful to look in her eye;
And, like me, she gets lots of attention
when she goes meandering by.

Beach-combers hate to see her coming,
because she loves to kick up the sand.
She can be kind of destructive-
(But that depends on where she lands).

I love comparing myself to her,
even though I have nothing to gain
by seeing myself-point-by-point,
compared to Isabel-The Hurricane!

12 comments:

  1. Stay safe my friend!! I understand your fear. That earthquake was felt here yesterday! I didn't feel it, but some people did!
    Take all the precautions to prepare for the hurricane. Hopefully it'll change paths. Take care.

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  2. I thought that I hadn't felt it, and I was feeling cheated, until I started really thinking about it last night. Right before I saw it happening on Twitter I was sitting on my sofa and got a little dizzy. Sooo...maybe I felt it, too?

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  3. CinLynn, I'm trying to do just that Bead!! 'Stay safe' I mean. I have to keep checking the weather channel. There's few things more frustrating than watching a hurricane that's headed in your direction wobble back and forth! LOL Maybe it'll go out to sea before it gets here!...I know. Wishful thinking. ^_^

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  4. Elle, Uh huh! Sounds like you just might've!!

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  5. Please be safe! The worst part is not knowing how severe it is going to be and if will actually hit your area. My fingers are crossed that Irene will change her mind, take a sharp right and head out into the ocean.

    On a different note ... aren't animals amazing how they can sense an earthquake? I've heard stories about cats and dogs acting especially strange before a quake hits.

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  6. My daughter is in Charlottesville (27 miles from epicenter) and said she hardly felt the earthquake. But I think Wmass is going to feel Irene. I'm stocking up on water and batteries.

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  7. Julie, Don't worry. We'll be doing everything we can to stay safe. Too bad we don't have some animals though! They are amazing!!!...But like you say...the worst part 'is' not knowing how severe it is gonna be! It's a wait and see game. I just saw the forecast though and YIKES!! They're saying: "We can not stress enough how important it is for everyone to prepare to be safe. This could get to a category 5 and be the worst that the east coast has seen in decades!"...Not making me feel better. O_O

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  8. Jansjems, Yeah, my hubby has family in North Carolina too. Strange how those in close proximity weren't feeling it the worst! You'd think they would!...I guess it's sorta the same as being in the eye of a hurricane, huh?!...And yeah, we're gonna get it I think....and bad!! O_O We're stocking up too. You be safe too!!!

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  9. Anonymous8/24/2011

    oh no, sorry to hear about this. stay safe.

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  10. I felt it at my dining room table all the way in Toronto! I thought I was losing my mind for a bit, the table was shaking and no one was moving their feet or erasing something or pounding on it like usual. I actually thought I was dizzy!
    Wow!

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  11. Kamana, Thanks! We're working on safety precautions right now!

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  12. Lisa, I saw on TV that some people in Canada were saying that they felt it! I didn't see exactly where. But that earthquake really made itself known, didn't it?! O_0 And lots of people complained of dizziness. I just got a little queasy in the stomach...Now a hurricane is coming! *smh*

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