I take it back.

Yesterday I posted on my list of things I don't like but wish I did: Twitter. Today I'm taking it back and I'll tell you why.

Last night was a little chaotic around here. Quincey was out at a business dinner, and I've come down with whatever Elly and Quinn have had all week and am not feeling well. (As I write this, I'm in my bathrobe and have a big quilt over my lap..just can't get warm!)
Charlie is entertaining Quinn by putting her on her lap and sliding down the stairs. Charlie finally decides she's done and Quinn crawls off to play. Within seconds she comes tumbling down the next flight of stairs. I look up to see her rolling down the stairs and Charlie screaming at the top. I automatically assume that Charlie has been roughhousing with her and is somehow responsible. I react. Poorly.
I HATE when the kids get hurt. I get really upset. Once the baby was calmed down the kids told me what happened (which was simply Quinny trying to crawl down the stairs..Charlie had no part of it except to be standing there when I looked up). I apologized to Charlie for freaking out and told her I knew it wasn't her fault.
Charlie chose to remain upset. She said she was leaving.
"Charlie, I know you didn't do it. I already apologized. The baby is fine. Don't be so dramatic."
She didn't leave. Well, not then anyway.

A little while later after putting the baby to bed, Max was at the table on the laptop, Eloise was on the floor playing with dolls, and Charlie was...where was Charlie?
I searched the house. Nothing. I questioned the kids. Nothing. I ran outside and looked up and down the street. Nothing.
Also, there was this terrible noise repeating over and over. It was loud and swooshy and I'd never heard anything like it. There are train tracks nearby..Has a train crashed into a car and is dragging it down the tracks? It was sooo loud. It had to be something serious.
But no matter..I was looking for Charlie.
Up and down the streets I looked. No Charlie. I went up to the school. No Charlie. Playground. Nothing. And my search is getting more difficult because whatever that noise is is now affecting traffic around my house as the streets are all blocked off by police. I can see now a white plume spraying up in the sky at intervals and it's what's creating the noise. I still don't know what it is, and I go home to see if Charlie has shown up.
She has. She was hiding in the side yard behind the gate. I'm not mad, though, because I'm concerned about what's going on.
I turn on the news to the local stations. Nothing. I turn on the radio. Nothing. I go online to the news websites. Nothing.
I go to TWITTER.
Twitter is all a buzz over what appears to be a GAS LEAK. They were evacuating the neighbourhood!

Max says very casually, "Soo..we're going to die then?"
Charlie gasps and throws her hands up over her ears and shuts her eyes.
"NO, SILLY!!" I reassured.

We continued to watch Twitter to know what was going on. Thank goodness for twitter! It's amazing to me that the city nor the news was capable of informing us what was going on and that so many people were relying on something like Twitter for information and reassurance.

So, Twitter, I apologize. You are useful, and I love you :-)

Here's a video (not mine). You can't see it very well, but you can hear THE SOUND which - not knowing what it was - was the scariest part.

Comments

[Mike]

Wow. Where was it happening? I don't recognize the location from the video. Glad everybody's okay and that Charlie isn't lost.

[Pat]

Mickey told me about this today. It was a release valve by DS Mackenzie venting to prevent an overload. On the news tonight they reported that no gas actually escaped and no one was in danger. Sounds like the end of the world. Glad Charlie was safe. She likes to scare you like that occasionally to keep you in line.

[JQ]

That is so weird -- and poorly timed.