Insight: Enjoy the snow

Jackie Mundt, Pratt County farmer and rancher

All across the state, Kansans have been enjoying or perhaps dealing with the snow for more than a week. I have heard countless people remark that there's been more snow than we have had in years. It definitely feels like the longest snow streak we have had in the 12 years I have lived in Kansas.

There are a lot of people who hate snow. It is cold and messy. It can be dangerous and inconvenient. Others see snow as beautiful, helpful and fun. For me, snow feels like home and is a great source of joy.

My love of snow comes from the childhood adventures and joys I experienced growing up in Wisconsin. There are so many ways to have fun in the snow: sledding, tubbing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, skiing, ice skating, snowball fights, building forts, making snow angels and snowmen.

On snow days, my older brothers and I couldn’t wait to suit up in snow gear and claim spots to build snow forts in the ditches of our driveway. We would spend hours designing elaborate defenses and letting our creativity run wild as we’d create our snow forts in preparation for the inevitable snowball fight.

Some of the best memories we made as a family were in the snow. I remember wandering around for hours in a snowy forest like Clark Griswold in search of the perfect Christmas tree only to cut down the first one we had considered. Many winter weekends were filled with long hours in convoys with dozens of snowmobiles trail riding through the beauty of the North woods. My siblings and I would be so mad because no matter how much of a head start we got, my dad always beat us to the bottom of the ski hill on the fastest skis in the world.

Snow wasn’t only fun and games. There were many sibling bonding moments and character-building opportunities shoveling snow, getting hit by a snowball in the face or a surprise attack with snow going down your shirt. We learned to navigate the dangers of driving on ice and snow and how to avoid frostbite or other physical injuries in the snow.

My snow days are often less focused on fun as an adult. Snow in the forecast means prep work to get animals to a good place to wait out the snow, putting out extra feed and prepping water tanks for the cold. Instead of racing out to build a snow fort, my days are spent navigating snow drifts or icy roads, checking cows, clearing snow and any other unavoidable chores that will take a little longer because everything goes slow with extra layers.

There is also a different level of appreciation of snow’s value on the farm as it is the moisture we need for the coming crop year in a convenient, slow-release form.

Waking up to the winter wonderland of pristine snow will probably never get old for me. I relish the peaceful moments as the world slows down. My soul fills with a nostalgic joy that comes from so many happy memories. My mind fills with the underlying excitement of not knowing what adventures the day will bring.

Snow can be seen as an inconvenience, but I hope that it was filled with great moments. I hope that it brought you a chance to slow down and rest for a moment, that you experienced beauty and nourishment, that children played in the snow and families created memories.

"Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.