Earthquake!

This afternoon I experienced my first Alaskan earthquake. It was just a couple seconds long and nothing fell off the shelves but it was enough to get my blood pumping! I had forgotten that earthquakes are fairly common up here. Had I not experienced earthquakes while living in Japan, I probably would have been pretty shaken up. Those of us in the office enjoyed sharing our "first earthquake" experiences. None of us had ever been in a bad one. In fact, I really need to give thought as to what to do should a major earthquake hit. I have no way of getting outdoors quickly enough. I guess I'll just have to manage with the old standby of standing in the doorway and praying that it isn't strong enough to take down the building.
One of my greatest fears while living in Japan was that a big quake would hit while I was far from home and separated from my children. I don't know how I'd stand not being able to get quickly home to them. At least with the popularity of cell phones I'm more likely to at least be able to get in contact with them in an emergency- provided of course the cell phone towers aren't knocked out.
Speaking of disasters, we all remembered 9-11 today in our own way. Many of us chatted about our experiences that day and how it changed us and our lives. For me, it was the first time I felt vulnerable to world-wide turbulence. I always felt very safe here in the US, as though it would never, could never happen here. I don't walk around expecting danger everywhere but I also am more aware of my surroundings than before. I'm sorry my children haven't been able to grow up as I did with no war and no soldiers dying. I knew nothing of war for America while growing up. It was all in the history books for me, not in the daily news reports. I'm sorry for the innocence lost on that day for all of us.
Switching to lighter news; I had my first experience of traffic delays from Moose IN the road. I see moose nearly every day but today a Mama and her calf were crossing the road and taking their sweet time. How AWESOME is it that such a magnificent creature is so abundant here. Also, the people here have such respect for them. They just slow down and wait for the moose to cross. No honking horns or obvious frustration, it's just part of Alaskan life. In fact, I know people who've been trapped at home because a Moose was at their front door and wouldn't move. Moose are HUGE and you don't dare try to run around one. Perhaps moose are the secret to the different way of life around here. At any rate, I love the attitude of people here. It's quite contagious. I wish I could let you all experience it too.
Come on up and visit. Alaska is a magnificent place!