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August 23, 2011


There I was, shopping in Walmart.  I needed a dish pan, because filling up our cavernous sink is a chore.  I wanted to try the ammonia and ziploc bag technique to clean our burners, and maybe a pan.  I wanted a cheap pitcher, and to look at storage for the craft room. 
Walmart was all screwed up due to reconstruction.  Temporary entrance, all the windows boarded up, everything all over the place.  Plus they had recently rearranged all the aisles, so nothing was where it should be, and the ceilings seemed to be much higher and farther away.  I felt very disoriented.  Walmart's previous layout had been logical, and made sense.  Now it didn't!

I was looking at ziploc bags, trying to figure out what size they actually were, when the shelf started shaking and I heard something rumbling.  Must be doing something weird with their construction.  Funny, I didn't see any equipment big enough to make that noise.  Huh.  Still shaking and wobbling.  Harder.  Is someone moving the shelf?  obnoxious kids?  Stop moving, shelf. *touches it*. Still shaking and rumbling.  Earthquake?  No, Can't be. Could it?  and then my common sense started yelling at me.


WHATAREYOUDOINGYYOUCANTSTOPABIGSHELFFROMFALLINGOVERANDITMIGHTSOGETOUTOFTHEAISLENOW! 


I hurried out of the aisle into a wide open space, and soon the shaking slowed down and stopped.  Walked back a few paces.  A wide eyed lady asks me,"was that an earthquake?"  I said, "No! we don't get those here!"   I went back to looking at ziploc bags, but by that time thought, screw it, go home.  Then the lady came back, carrying her phone. "It WAS an earthquake! Everybody's talking about it!"  THEN the Walmart employees began combing the aisles, telling us to leave the store so they could check for damage.  So I dropped the dish tub and the bags and left.  All sorts of cranky old women were yelling at the employees to let them check out up front.   We heard a little bit of a beeping warning, but no real alarm.  Kinda sad. 

I went to my car and started making calls and listening to the radio, along with everybody else, then went home and checked the house over carefully.  A broom had fallen over, and a plastic LED candle in the guest room.  Yay for the house being sturdier than we thought!  
 
My mom was fine, and had my grandmother and nephew with her. One aunt had to rush down 12 flights of stairs, my sister had to deal with 5.  My cousin slept through it all, or was driving and didn't notice.  totally surreal. 

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