The Blizzard by Betty Ren Wright & Illus by Ronald Himler

I discovered this book at our library last week. I am a little bit of a sucker for a good midwestern Blizzard. Not sure why, but I just am. 

This is a sweet, quiet book.

In this book, Billy is pondering the unfairness of birthdays. His sister's birthday is in the summer, so cousins can always make it. His birthday had to be in December, which means that once again, his cousins can't make it out from town because the weather is supposed to be bad. 

I feel his pain. I am a February birthday. I had a cold or the flu on my birthday for 3 consecutive years which meant no party. 

A dejected walk to school. 

Aren't these watercolors lovely? 

By recess time, there was a good snowstorm going on. 

A while later, in blew someone to tell the teacher the school was to stay there overnight because the weather was so bad. 

Our intrepid teacher, Miss Bailey didn't have blankets or food for overnight visits, so she decides to go to the closest house, which is  Billy's. 

Human chain so none of the littles would get lost in the wind and snow. 

Billy's mother greeting her unexpected guests.

Billy letting his father know they have company.

(I adore barn pictures.)

After everyone helps with the barn chores (barn chores are ever so much more fun when you have friends over. I speak from experience.) they settle into a big supper in the snug and cozy house. 

A large supper with all your friends, the prospect of a sleepover ahead, and a lot of snow to explore tomorrow. 

Life is pretty good all around. 

And suddenly it is a party. A birthday party!

After everyone is snug in their beds, stacked in like cord wood, Billy's dad asks him if maybe December birthday's might not have their compensations. 

Billy concedes that yes, they just might. 

Thunderstorm by Arthur Geisert

I have always geeked out over the weather. As a farmer's daughter, the weather WAS a big deal. We used to call the local radio station to get weather reports. Sometimes we would pay extra and call across the border to Ottawa for more precise reports.

My weather app might just be my most frequently used app on my phone.... I secretly think I may have missed my calling as a meteorologist.

We are about to get a thunderstorm I believe. Or at least a rainstorm. According to the weather anyway. 

This book follows a thunderstorm across the plains. It starts one Saturday afternoon in July. 

At the bottom of each page is the day, date, and time. 

I love the precision of that! 

We get to see farmers getting ready for the storm--unloading one more load of hay before it gets wet. 

And then grabbing the clothes off the line before they are too wet to put away. 

I love all the details! 

What does a farmer do when it storms? Not much. Besides catch the leaks and watch the rain. 

We had dairy cows when I was a teenager, so even when it rained, there was still work to do. But summer days were mostly dedicated to getting hay in. Hay was important. It would be translated into a milk check that fall and winter. Without it, dire disaster, we would have to buy hay. And with the milk prices of the late '90's, that would be ruinous. I remember riding down the road at a breakneck pace one day around lunch time to get the last load of hay under cover before the rain hit. (If hay gets wet, it can start to ferment and decay faster, heating up and potentially burning down a barn. Not a good situation.) We could see the rain, following us up the road from the neighbor's farm. It hit us full force just as we were backing the wagon under the shed. It was a downpour. That afternoon, we didn't do anything. The entire family, all ten of us, came to a standstill. Some of us took afternoon naps, the highest luxury for early morning milkers. Some of us played games, read books. But we were all quiet, watching the rain. Waiting. 

I am sure that happened more than once when I was a kid, but for some reason, that day is the only one that I remember.

Storms were a big deal.  

Tossed flowers

Stormy skies, the storm moving on to another farm.

Developing into a tornado

The sky dark and looming

Chaos

The aftermath.

And already, neighbors were busy putting things to right on other's farms and houses.