With heart and humor, grace and gratitude, the stories in Thunderstorms & Tiny Turtles will break your heart one minute and leave a grin on your face the next. Jane Schmidt documents the bonds between nature and humans and the cycles of life and death with sometimes provocative, often inspiring tales of her rural Wisconsin home and her suburban childhood. The challenges of loving an aging parent, coming to terms with family alcoholism, and sharing the sorrow of a sibling’s descent into Alzheimer’s weave through these pages as fluidly as do unruly dogs, country-girl fantasies, and the everyday struggles and triumphs of a long-term, eleven-mile-distant relationship. With a thirst for learning and an attitude of wonder and thanksgiving, Schmidt finds love and laughter even when at her lowest and encourages us all to live life loudly.