Saturday, November 10, 2012

Sleep! Sleep! Wherefore art thou?




Last night, I didn't go to bed.

Okay, so some of you will be shocked by someone not going to bed at night.  Please, don't be.  I find writing at night to be free of telephone interruptions and unnecessary conversations.  Everything is quiet, the world is at rest, and my mind can wander where it needs to in the realm of my strange journeys into the unknown.  In other words, I can continue on my book without having to say, "Yes, dear."

My wife arose early to get to her opening shift at the pharmacy.  I needed a break anyway, so we conversed politely and discussed the Indiana University basketball game Friday night, and the day's upcoming football offerings.  Yes, my wife has developed into more of a sports fan than I ever have been.  I'll watch my I.U. games in basketball and football, but that's about it.  She watches those, as well as her favorite, Alabama, also in the same sports.  Plus, she enjoys watching the University of Kentucky play, hopefully, just to see them lose.  (And, you all think I'm the sadistic one!)

So, she leaves for work and after a couple of hours, I hit the hay around 9 a.m.

At 12 noon, the phone rings!  Of course, by the time I reach for it, the other party had already hung up.  I check and find they've left no messages.  Okay, let me turn over and get back to sleep.

I believe I'd just drifted off when all hell broke loose!

Suddenly, the house starts shaking!  No, not just a little bit.  I'm talking walls moving and pictures falling.  The roof was pounding like someone was running on it, aluminum storm doors rattled as if they were being physically shaken, and a case of cd's slid off their perch and hit the floor!  This continued for about 15 seconds, and then silence.

Of course, I got up to check things out.  We've just had the privilege of acquiring new neighbors, and my first thoughts were "Meth Lab explosion!"

I ran into the living room to see my two cats sitting with their ears in the "alert mode" and saying, "Hey Rich, what the hell's going on!"  

Telling them I'd be right back I ran out the door and spied my neighbor's house sitting as normal.  In fact, the entire neighborhood was the same as I'd left it three hours prior.  (No, no one had built a high rise since I'd been sleeping!)  

After checking the news on the web (and answering a few comments on the hubs and blogs), and finding nothing, and talking to one of my other neighbors for a few minutes (only to prove I hadn't lost it as many would expect), I decided to go back to bed.

Ring! Ring!  (That's written sound effects for a telephone.)

It was my grandson telling me my daughter and her family had arrived back in South Alabama to live, again.  They travel the U.S. for different jobs and never find one that will suit them.  (I think that's my daughter's way of saying, "We got run out of town again, Dad!")  (Just joking.)

I end the conversation and think, "Now, I can get some sleep!"

That's when I hear the truck.  There is a truck backing into my yard, right by my bedroom window!  "You gotta be kidding me!"  Nope, I'm ready to say the hell with it, and this motor that sounds like an electrical generator starts up.  That does it!

I get up, walk to the living room, and find the cats sitting with their ears in the alert position again!  "What's going on, Rich?  What's that noise?  Tell us, please tell us!"   I again confirmed I'd let them know when I got back inside.

As I walk out my door, there's this individual revving up the motor in the back of a trailer, between my house and my new neighbors.  At first, he smiles.  Then, he see's I'm not smiling.  I almost believe I saw fear in his eyes.

"Do you just back into a person's yard and start disturbing the owners without even knocking?" I asked, almost calmly, but not quite.

Turns out, he's only going to be about a half hour as he installs a fence separating their back yard from mine.  "Good!  That way I won't have to look at them!"

Ten minutes later, my wife comes home.  Instantly, she's filled in on the day's activities.  Having questions I couldn't answer, I go back to the web and find this:


4.3 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Kentucky

"A 4.3-magnitude earthquake struck eight miles west of Whitesburg, Ky., early Saturday afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The epicenter of the shallow, light earthquake was 0.7 miles deep under the Appalachian Mountains town of Blackey, near the Virginia border, the agency said.


There were no immediate reports of damage in the eastern Kentucky area."


When we had kids in the house, we kid proofed the house the best we could.  When we lived in Alabama, we hurricane proofed the house the best we could.  When we moved to Kentucky, we tornado proofed the house the best we could.

Now, all I have to do is figure out how to Earthquake proof it!

Aw, the hell with it!  The world's ending next month anyway!

I'm going to bed and get some sleep so I don't miss it!

17 comments:

  1. Richard, soe scary stuff happening lately and I never believed in this end of the world stuff, but hey I guess you never know. Seriously your meth lab comment left me in hysterics, so much so that Kevin had to ask me what was so funny. I told him that you had to know Richard, lol!!

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    1. Janine - My gosh you're fast! lol Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes (both in Guatemala on Tuesday and here in Ky today), I'm even beginning to wonder. You'll have to excuse Kevin at times, sleeping on the couch leaves one somewhat groggy. : ) Thanks for commenting!

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  3. never done the 'earthquake thing', most other natural disasters ('cepting tornados) it's got to be interesting.
    ...this coming end of the world seems to be developing a certain...*festive* air?! I hear an increasingly diverse demographic of people refer to is... all with a certain, 'oh yeah! the world ends this December'

    What's odd(er) is that the 'whatever' attitude does not seem to be based solely in a disbelief in the event, more of a 'end of the world? better be good'

    I suspect that I am understanding the average person less with each passing day, thank god for the blogosphere! lol

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    1. Clark - Good to see you! I use the "end of the world" strictly as a joke. I know the Mayas were ahead of their time in many areas, but predicting the day the Earth will end is a little beyond even them. It's like any other current event, a comedian will play on it until it's over, and then move on to the next. I do, like you, find many that aren't quite sure what will happen that day. There have been so many "Wolf" cries in the last 50 years, the townspeople don't want to believe, but remember the old fable and wonder. I am concerned about the weather patterns that have developed as of recent, thanks to our disregard of our natural resources, increasing ocean levels and ozone layer. Man has abused so often, maybe it's Mother Nature's time to return the favor. Thanks for commenting!

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  4. That's craaaazy Rich! Can we blame climate change on that too? I'm ready to earthquake proof our house here in NY, because every year we seem to get hit with something...I want to be prepared! Funny post as always!

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    1. Emily - I think I'm going to blame it on all the obesity in Kentucky! One more Big Mac and the whole state's going to cave in like a giant sinkhole! lol It really is crazy. You'd expect an earthquake on the West Coast, but not Kentucky. To be honest, I was surprised that y'all didn't get hit with the tornadoes that normally accompany a hurricane. That was a real blessing! Many Thanks!

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  5. Lol! I could just picture you running back and forth for all the disturbances! This is why most of us sleep at night. :) I've never experienced an earthquake. I bet that must be frightening (but it did sound kind of funny).

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    1. Amy, And people call me the mean one! lol Rub it in, rub it in! :) Seriously though, I've been through hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and even had a 65 foot wave hit a ship I was on, but the earthquake was a new experience. It's weird because by the time you figure out what it is, it's over! I was happy to get rid of one of the pictures that crashed to the floor anyway! Many Thanks!

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  6. Alas, some nights, we're just not meant to sleep. However, this night was unusual. Who knew that there was an earthquake in Kentucky, but then again, we're also in the Appalachian range, right on a fault, supposedly...

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    1. Cyndi - So true, so true. The news has stated the last one like this was in 1980, years before I got here. Since the one yesterday was in Blakely, what you're saying makes complete sense. Many thanks!

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  7. I hate to break it to you...but sleeping during the day is just not as effective as night. That being said, I would hate for you to lose your ridiculous sense of humor so carry on without your strange antics.

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    1. Julie - I sincerely appreciate your concern. My wife works either from 7-4 p.m. or 3-11 p.m at the pharmacy. Most of the time it's the late shift. Which means I'd have to suffer through Today, Rachel Ray, The Young and the Restless, and part of Ellen while I tried to write. Sleep is a much better alternative. I've heard that one sleeps better in the dark, yet, my room is lit up day or night (Snake heat lamps) so darkness is never available. Thus, if I ever want to get my book done, I've decided the night time is the right time to write, and daytime to sleep. Besides, how else can I maintain my insanity? lol Good luck today!

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  8. I'm sorry - I laughed the whole way through your post, especially at the part where you were talking to your cats (and here I thought I was the only one!), but stopped when I read about the earthquake. That's crazy! Glad you're okay...and I hope you catch up on your sleep without the neighbours or the phone waking you. I don't know how people work at night and sleep in the day - I honestly don't. They must have earplugs in or something. Great post!

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    1. Melanie - Good to see you smile! I do talk to my cats, and they talk back. Drives my wife crazy as they won't talk to her. Faletame will come over to my chair at the computer and meow a certain way, and I really know what he wants. What's crazy is I'll look at him and ask him a few questions, and he'll answer me each time. Then I'll tell him to go over and give my wife some attention and he does. After a minute or two, I'll say, "That's enough" and he jumps off of her lap and comes back over to me. Strange, but true. I just told Julie above the primary reason I sleep during the day (it's too long to write again and take up space, lol), but it can be trying at times. We'll see how things go today, in about an hour or so. Many Thanks!

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  9. Nice one Rich! I'm so glad I popped in and read your latest post here. I enjoy reading your hubs and now blog posts :D I hope all's well with you and your wife despite the earthquake. And then, there's your funny ending line that the world's ending next month anyway LOL! ^_^

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    1. Rosyel - Since I wrote this, I've actually heard of three more earthquakes occurring throughout the world. It makes one wonder if something might actually be going on. Only the Mayas know for sure! Many Thanks!

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