This is what we put up with here in Wisconsin in the springtime:

Early in the week…..

…and a couple days later.

I remember a snowstorm on April 24th when I was a little girl.  I recall the date because it was my big sister’s birthday.  I also remember that particular storm because an elderly gentleman showed up at our door that night.  His car had gone into the ditch out in front of our house and he had trudged his way up our driveway in a blizzard.  I watched as my mother helped him into the living room and tenderly took off his wet shoes and socks.  I remember being fascinated by his socks; they had batteries built into them to keep his feet warm.  I’d never seen anything like that.  My mother warmed up some supper for our unexpected guest and made up a bed on the couch.  It was a bit unsettling going to bed that night, knowing that a stranger was sleeping in the house.  I don’t remember him leaving the next morning or getting his car pulled out of the ditch or ever hearing from him again.

 Mostly what sticks in my memory is how my mother made an old man feel so welcome and comfortable in our home during an April snowstorm.