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| All shook up! |
Earlier today, I picked up an old diary that I kept periodically. This particular diary began with January 1, 1984, the Orwellian year. In 1984, there was not yet much evidence of Big Brother, but 21 years later with the advent of the Patriot Act, we are well into the predictions of George Orwell. However, that's another story.
What I wanted to share with you was an entry in that diary from Easter Sunday, April 22, 1984. I had just celebrated my 51st birthday two days earlier, and Mary had celebrated her 50th the next day. What a belated birthday surprise we got that Sunday evening. I was downstairs in the rec room and Mary was upstairs in the bedroom when I heard a loud noise. At first, I thought she had fallen. I was quite scared because she was still recovering from a fall down the steps at church on December 4, 1983. In that fall, she broke her arm in six places. Again, that's another story. Here is what I wrote in my diary:
We had a strong earthquake at 8:38 PM. The whole house shook for several seconds. There was a loud crack as it hit. Although I first thought that Mary had fallen upstairs, I quickly realized what it was. You could hear the continued rumbling as the wave receded into the distance. It was much like the rolling of thunder. |
For those of you living in earthquake prone regions, this probably seems insignificant. However, for those of us living in the village of Conestoga, Lancaster County, PA, this was a rare and terrifying event.
As an aside, I also had an entry on that day that my son Jim and the girl next door, Sherry Rittenhouse, had announced their engagement that afternoon. Although it was an earth-shaking announcement to us, I don't think that is what triggered the earthquake. They planned to get married on May 25, 1985, which is what they did. In two more weeks, they will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.