This first week of June is the time of year when people are generally very happy—school is getting out, weddings are happening, the weather is the most beautiful of the year. (My opinion.) All the greatest people in history celebrate June birthdays. Spring is here and summer is nigh.

This is also a busy week historically, as disasters go. On June 1, 1638, the first earthquake recorded in the U.S. occurred at Plymouth, Massachusetts . 250 years later, California got its first seismograph at the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory Science and was thus able to tell us exactly what it was that scared the heck out of us for 13 seconds. In 1692, Port Royal, Jamaica,  was hit by a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. In just three minutes, 1600 people were killed and 3000 seriously injured. A large portion of land, on which the city was built, was washed away. An F5 tornado caused tremendous damage to Topeka, Kansas in1966.

This is the spot in the post when I write that behind it all, disaster lurks and our watchword is "preparedness ." Well, sure—we all know the fable of the ant and the grasshopper. Only fools enjoy themselves on a beautiful day when they SHOULD be checking their stash of batteries, bottled water and canned chili . Fools like me.

We can also make the best of things. June is National Accordion Month  and I urge everyone to get in the spirit—when you're truly prepared, you can really enjoy yourself with a light heart.

(HUGE thanks to Berkeley Seismological Laboratory for images and access to materials)