Shake, Rattle and Roll

There I was late last night, snuggled up under an afghan in the study, watching a DVR'd episode of Big Bang Theory, my Cavalier Connie at my side . . . when BOOM. And BOOM. And BOOM BOOM BOOM again!

It felt and sounded as if something were pounding the house. Noisy, percussive, and unnerving as all get out. Everything shook from the impacts.

It lasted just seconds, and afterward I checked outside, inside, and downstairs in the boiler room for what could have caused it.

Well, it turns out it was an earthquake, a 3.0, and it was centered quite close to us. That explains the pounding! (My husband never woke. He gets up at 4:20 in the morning; not much wakes him overnight.)

This house has surely weathered more severe shocks in its 176 years. Damage seems to be limited to the state of my nerves, and some thin cracks above the crown molding in the back guest room, nothing a bit of caulking and paint can't cure.

Meanwhile, more snow. I took this out of my kitchen window; it's hard to see but the snow is still falling:


And then stepped outside to take this:Our back yard goes up from our house, and it crossed my mind last night that some of that hillside was tumbling down and burying the house. Thankfully, no!

Stay warm and dry.

PS... my daughter Alida, who moved to southern California in August, is amused that we have had an earthquake, and she has not. Ah, that Ramapo Fault, New Jersey's answer to the San Andreas.