It was an interesting awakening this morning. Having started out in my bed, I had moved to my chair in the living room for the remainder of the night. At almost four o’clock exactly my eyes popped open as things started shaking and rumbling. Now, we have had earthquakes here before, but they have been tiny little twitches. Granted that the one we had today was nothing compared to Haiti, California, and other places, it was still the largest I have experienced in my lifetime (although 1968 was close).

With the snowfall we just had, I at first assumed that it was a huge snowplow going by the house, but it was much louder and stronger than any vibrations I had ever felt because of a snowplow. When the pots and pans hanging on the rack in the kitchen started to chime I knew that it was an earthquake. The amazing thing to me was how long it went on. The previous quakes I have felt took maybe three seconds to pass. This one went on for at least seven or eight seconds, perhaps as long as ten. I kept expecting it to stop, but it kept on going.

Apparently the center of the quake was near Sycamore, Illinois – approximately 30 miles away from my house. Gratefully there doesn’t appear to have been any major damage anywhere and no one was hurt. I turned on the radio and the television but they were still in their normal programming. At 4:30, WGN put their normal 5:00 a.m. show on early to report about the earthquake, so at least I only had to wait a half hour for confirmation of the event.

It amazes me that there were many people who slept through the whole thing. I’m not sure how they could do that because it sure woke me up in a hurry. Our number one normal disaster worry here in northern Illinois is tornadoes. Let’s hope that earthquakes don’t become number two on our list or, worse yet, number one.