Earthquake, Address, & Mantle Clock

We had a 6.5 earthquake yesterday at 3:45pm. I was listening to music on the balcony so I didn’t hear the windows rattling. I was shaking my leg in time to the music so, at first, I didn’t feel the building shaking. The epicenter was about twenty-five miles east of here. It was the third medium sized earthquake I’ve felt since moving here in October.  

 

6-4-13 6:58am Tues. (1)

      Leona and I went to the Beitun government office to change our official address. We then went to the Immigration office in Feng-Yuan to change my ARC card address. It will be ready to pick up June 18. While we were in Feng-Yuan we had lunch on Temple Street.

After lunch, we looked around for a transparent wall clock that I was thinking of putting on the glass above the door to the wash room. Leona knew of a few nearby jewelry stores that sold watches and clocks. We went there and saw some beautiful mantle clocks. It got me thinking that maybe we should have a mantle clock for our fireplace. The clocks we saw were shiny golden, imported, and too expensive so we gave up the brief hunt.

We were riding out of Feng-Yuan and had agreed to look for a clock in America when I noticed another jewelry store with clocks in the window. Leona stopped the scooter and we went over to look. There was one mantle clock in the window that appealed to both of us. There was nothing shiny about it except the clock face and the pink French design on the wood case was subtle and cool. The owner, a short sixty-year-old dude with a high ‘George of the Jungle’ hair lick came out when he saw us looking. He was a fourth generation old-timer shop owner, great grandmother sitting on the side welcoming us. Outside and inside, four or five draped bird cages hung with birds chirping inside. I couldn’t help but notice how he and the elderly matron had jaws that made them look birdlike.

We went into the store and inquired about the Japanese Lexel clock. He tried to show us a more elaborate model but we wanted this one. He went through an assortment of batteries and put them into this modern retro clock; none of them seemed to work. The clock has a nice ding-dong-ding-dong Tower of London chime though. Finally, he seemed to find new batteries and deemed the clock ready for sale. It was a one-of-a-kind with no box so he put it in a colorful nylon tote bag and handed it to Leona. She paid the 3,500NT ($116us) price and we left.

When we got home, we put the clock on the fireplace mantle. It looked so good! There was only one problem; the clock was running too slow! There was something wrong with it. I suggested we call the store and let them know we wanted to return it. Leona said she wasn’t given a receipt and didn’t know the name of the store, only the location! She was ready to ride her scooter in the sweltering heat forty minutes back to the shop. I forbid her from doing it until tomorrow. She let it go and went to washing the floors. I got ready to go to American Eagle but, before I left, I held the clock and gave it a few whacks with the palm of my hand.

After teaching, I came home and looked at the clock on the mantle. I noticed the clock had the same correct time as on my wristwatch. I was bewildered because when I left, I thought it didn’t work. Leona said she didn’t know what happened but I must have done something to fix it. I told her that I had whacked it a few times. Apparently, that did the trick! It now works fine.