Shakeout and stuff

First I need to apologize because you couldn't see the image on yesterday's post. I forgot to enable external linking, and since the image was already in my cache I didn't realize it wouldn't show up for any one else. I also saw the image in the e-mail subscription version and didn't realize anything was wrong until I came back to do a new post today and realized the image wasn't showing. It's fixed now.

I've had a few people inquire about my baby owls. They have all fledged, but surprisingly enough the youngest has decided to stick around! He (she?) roosts in that same palm tree in front of the house every day. Some evenings one of the others will stop by for a little chatter before they go off hunting for the night. I love peering up into the tree and seeing that cute little face peering back down at me, but it means we still have to clean up owl pellets (yuch) on a daily basis and you don't want to park on that side of the driveway if you know what's good for you. He must have mastered the art of hunting because he certainly appears to be eating well! He/she has officially been christened "Coconut Butt". Don't laugh - see, before I realized I had baby owls I was peering up into the palm tree to see what was going on and something caught my eye that looked like a coconut. Wait, I thought, this type of palm tree doesn't grow coconuts! When I looked closer I realized it was a baby owl butt. I guess every time I spotted him with his back turned to me, I must have made some comment about his butt looking like a coconut because Bill came home the other night and asked how Coconut Butt was doing.

Are You Ready to ShakeOut?

With 22 million people living and working in southern California, a major earthquake in the region could cause an unprecedented catastrophe. What we do now, before a big earthquake, will determine what our lives will be like after. With earthquakes an inevitable part of southern California’s future, Californians must act quickly to ensure that disasters do not become catastrophes. With this in mind, the Earthquake Country Alliance has organized the Great Southern California ShakeOut, a week of special events featuring a massive earthquake drill at 10 AM on November 13, 2008.

The ShakeOut drill centers on the ShakeOut Earthquake Scenario, a realistic portrayal of what could happen in a major earthquake on the southern end of the San Andreas Fault. Created by over 300 experts led by Dr. Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey, the scenario outlines a hypothetical 7.8 magnitude earthquake originating near the Salton Sea, which would have the potential to devastate the region.

With a goal of at least 5 million participants, the ShakeOut drill will be the largest in U.S. history. To participate, go to www.ShakeOut.org/register and pledge your family, school, business, or organization’s participation in the drill. Registered participants will receive information on how to plan their drill, connect with other participants, and encourage a dialogue with others about earthquake preparedness. There are many ways to take part, but at the least participants should “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” at 10 A.M. on November 13. It all begins with registering, which is free and open to everyone.

For more information, visit www.ShakeOut.org and be sure to visit the official ShakeOut Blog at greatsocalshakeout.blogspot.com.

I registered today and placed a banner ad in my sidebar so hopefully more people will join in what will be the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history. We (Bill and I) are probably better prepared than a lot of people in terms of emergency and survival gear, but there's still a lot more we should do, and the experts have been pretty vocal about expecting a devastating earthquake to hit this area in the very near future. Since I last reviewed our kits when the wildfires were ragingnearby last October, at a minimum I need to change out the water, probably change out some of the food supply, and make sure our paperwork (insurance policies, etc.) are the most current. And although we have a fairly decent Plan A, if we can't meet back at the house we don't really have an agreed upon Plan B. It's a little harder with all of our family on the other coast.

If you live in Southern California please click on the banner ad to visit the Great Southern California Shakeout website. Even if you don't register to participate there is a wealth of information on earthquake preparedness available for families, businesses, schools and other organizations. Help spread the word!

Nothing after the jump.