Earthquake

It has been a while since I've felt an earthquake. But last night changed all that. We stayed here, at Lake Tahoe, in order to do so some winterizing, cover the patio furniture, meet with the furnace man to have the furnace serviced, etc.

Sometime after going to bed I felt the bed shaking - I grabbed my husband, thinking he was having some kind of seizure, (although he has never had one), or thought maybe the dog was doing it somehow. It was a pretty good shake. My husband appeared to be fine so I didn't think anything more of it when this morning he mentioned not seeing anything in the news about the earthquake last night. Earthquake? Is that what all the shaking was about?

Living in Reno, we're used to tremblers. I've felt quakes that literally rocked the furniture, but it hasn't happened in many years. We know that earthquakes have been swarming in recent months. I read that there were over 150 small ones right under our house. But we've never felt one at Lake Tahoe. It reminds me of this post on Mountain Tsunamis. They are possible here in the mountains, reminding me to make sure that our emergency plan takes into account that we spend a great deal of time here.

Most of us live in areas that have some kind of danger, lets face it. If Washington DC, and New York City can have an earthquake, despite being in an area of low seismic activity, then they can happen anywhere. Even if you're not sitting on a fault line, you are still residing on the earth's crust, and there is movement going on right underneath.

It reminds me to be thankful, once again, for each day, each minute, each blessing. This warm little house is a gift, and so many are without such luxury. My thoughts are with those in Turkey right now, those who were not so lucky as to just have had their bed shake.

Update: It was a 4.7 located 35 miles west of Reno.

Gratitude

Do yourself a favor and find a quiet ten minutes to view this little film. I'm posting the address so you can open your computer to full screen. Enjoy!

TedXSF

New Economy & Clothes

We go to Oregon quite often to visit family, so I generally save any shopping for when we head in that direction. Oregon doesn't have a sales tax, and Nevada's continues to rise. Which brings me to an annual event my daughters and I share. Fall shopping for warm clothes. Both Portland and Tahoe require such expenditures. Some things just wear out by the end of the season, and warm boots take a beating in the snow and rain. I purchased just what was needed, and so did the girls. Basic layering t-shirts and a sweater or two, to spiff up last year's winter jeans and skirts. I looked at all of the things people probably wouldn't buy this year, and thought this economy is not going to improve through consuming. I think those days are over. People are being very conservative. Our country, and maybe the world, needs to retrain and retrench.

My younger daughter needed a few things in order to segue from college hippie to working girl. Baby steps with that one - she doesn't feel the need to dress up for much. But she actually seemed pleased when I took her shopping, explaining that going to work with holes in your leggings should be a thing of the past. That, no, it was not okay to save all of her good clothes for going out at night, and wearing the worn ones to work. (She doesn't work with the public, except by phone.) It was time to think about moving up from her basic job and maybe into a more interesting position in the company. Hers is one of the few companies actually growing in this economy. That if she wanted a different car, that held friends and camping equipment - she would have to improve her income. Parental units are pretty much finished with their responsibilities. She knows she is lucky to have a college education minus student loans. She is lucky to have a job that has health insurance, including eye care and dental. She is lucky to have the possibility of upward mobility. Her dream of farming may have to be on her own time, however, starting in her own yard. Travel will have to wait until she can take a leave of absence, but she is lucky to work for a company that will allow her to leave for three months and come back! In other words, it is time for her "to paddle her own canoe," as my father used to say. She graduated into a new world. A new economy less forgiving, and not at all conducive to moving around looking for just the right fit. More like the world her father and I knew when we graduated high school. The Vietnam war was raging and inflation was double digits. Gas lines were long, and finding a good job was a blessing.

I actually think she was listening.

Hmmm... Maybe we are entering a new era, she and I. She is growing up, and I am learning to let go. Maybe, just maybe, we did a good job raising her. She is capable and prepared. Smart and industrious. She is loyal, honest, and works well in a team environment. Good workplace qualities. She always earns an additional bonus at the end of each month, given to those making few errors.

In a country where one in ten Americans are out of work, an estimated 15.1 million and growing, I'm grateful. And more importantly, I think she is, as well. At least for the moment. And isn't that where we're supposed to be living?

A few years...

http://www.terragalleria.com/index.html

I am beginning to believe that having a few years on your "playlist" is not so bad. I started to really think about age a few years ago, never really minding my aging body and face. Some might argue I'm being too lackadaisical about the whole thing, and should do more to stave off the ravage of time. But, for the most part, I get what aging is all about.

We see things differently when we are not focusing all our attention on ourselves. Let's face it, when you are in your teens and twenties, it's all about how everything affects you. It's not a bad thing, don't get me wrong. It's natural, and part of the process. There is energy, excitement, drama. We have our whole lives ahead of us, and we are reckless, drunk with the ripeness of it all. The early part of our lifespan is designed to set the stage for what's to come.

The mid years are all about everyone else. We work, plan, cook, clean, do yard work, budget for college years. If you have children, this stage is anything but about you. But even if you don't have children, it's about your career, bosses, spouses, families, significant others. We constantly compare ourselves to others, to those that we admire, we strive to climb the ladder of success in whatever field we choose, to be the best that we can be. We also accumulate. Usually too much of everything.

By the late-mid years, my tag, not the social scientists, you realize it's not all about you, and yours. There is more of an understanding that others matter, that life is better when it's simpler, and the need for things diminish. Now it's about remaining healthy, active, and mentally nimble. Time to care about the little things in life. A nice meal with someone you love is a beautiful gift. A small home is cozy and comfortable. Flowers are to be admired, almost irrationally. Walks are not something you have to fit into your busy day, but are a main staple of the day. Life is slower, but sweeter.

It is this point in life that you realize it won't stay this way. You know enough to know that the only constant in this world of ours, is change. You know that you probably will face some physical problem, or twenty, in the years ahead, so you are grateful for what you have. The realization that life is precious, and should be savoured, like a fine wine on a summer evening. That the season will change and the leaves will fall, and winter is just around the corner. But the summer and fall are noticed, and dearly appreciated.

Did we have Christmas?

We've been told that time moves with more rapidity as we age. But it is now bedtime on Christmas Day and I have no idea how it can already be over. I never did get with it. For the first time in my life, it was if I just skipped the holidays. Weird.

The day was excruciatingly beautiful. Two feet of snow on top of about six inches. I don't remember a more beautiful Christmas Day. But in all other aspects - it was just another day. We did not have our traditional breakfast, complete with my husband's family Christmas coffee cake. We spent the day hanging pictures, putting stuff in cupboards, washing the construction dust off of just about everything in the house. We fought over where the pictures would be hung. For some reason, my husband HATES change. God forbid that the cabin picture go over the fireplace, and not behind the table! I think he needs something more to do... good thing ski season is starting. Our dinner was a normal dinner, even though I had planned a really nice chicken marsala. By the time it was time to cook, I went with something I didn't have to read the recipe. No Christmas china, no silver, no centerpiece and crystal. No loud, happy family asking for the potatoes to be passed. It seems without the kids we are not as inclined to "do Christmas." Or is it just this year? The economy has tanked, shopping is no longer fun, the kids couldn't make it due to the weather, and we have no idea what to expect in 2009. Our country has been let down by so many. My husband has a job interview first week of January for a job he is not excited about. Hmmmmmm - I wonder why we don't feel all jolly.

I have felt extremely grateful for all that I have, however. I am thrilled with the updated 30-year-old condo that is currently our home. I am soooo grateful that my daughter is still here to enjoy her baby's first real Christmas. (Even though half of Christmas Day was spent in the emergency room with ongoing post surgical issues.) But I worry about everyone that is so much worse off than we are. I worry about our friend that just lost her husband of almost 40 years. I worry about our friends whose business is failing, as is the health of the man of the family. I worry about the workers that have made this transition in our home, and whether or not they will have work in the new year. It is something on their minds, that's for sure. I worry about my brother who told me today that he knows he is going to get a cut in pay, as he is the last one in his company without one. So maybe rather than beating myself up for not getting with the Christmas spirit, I will just skip this one. It seems I'm not the only one feeling less than happy today. Happy Birthday, baby Jesus. And Merry Christmas to everyone!