Kansas is Closed

Taken Friday, January 5, 2024

It's been awhile since we were all that interested in the cancellations banner, running at the bottom of the local news. Back when Jill and Brent were home, that's the way we discovered if school had been canceled for the day due to snow.

 

Today, we were supposed to have an important appointment with Mrs. Kylie Meyer's second grade class at Stafford Elementary School. As I was writing this Monday afternoon, I imagined that I'd be perched in front of my TV screen Tuesday morning, watching the cancellation notices. 

 

But, in this day and age, I learned via Facebook last night that school was canceled for today. So, Farming: Then and Now - as told by Randy and Kim Fritzemeier - will have to wait for another day.

 

 

It seems that Kansas is closed today for all intents and purposes. But, I also know that those who care for cattle and other livestock will be out there, still getting the job done. (I won't miss climbing into the feed truck today like I used to do. My brother already sent a photo of feeding cattle this morning. Tye and Todd also moved some hay bales to our farm yard before the storm ever started.) I know electric crews, road crews, law enforcement officers, health care workers and lots of others have been hard at work in terrible conditions.

 

 

Back to our school gig: Every year, Mrs. Meyer does a similar unit. She invites different businesses and organizations to talk to her students. The class spends some time doing research at the Stafford County Museum. Besides learning a little local history, the students also learn about contrast and comparison and other cross-disciplinary concepts. 

 

Several years ago, I developed a Power Point presentation using photos that my mom and dad compiled in a family history book they made for each of their grandchildren. Those helped provide the "then" part of farming. And, truth be told, both Randy and I have plenty of "then" stories of our own from our time growing up on our respective family farms. Besides the old-time photos, I added lots of photos from our own farming operation. 

 

When we do get to go to school, Randy says he'll tell the students about the snow days of our youth. I know they didn't happen often. And, as I've thought about, I remember a time when the roads were drifted shut. My dad took us the 3 1/2 miles to school at Byers, driving across farm fields. And the dress code was different back then, too. If we girls wore pants, we still had to wear a dress over it. Man, I really am old!

 

Taken after sunset on Monday, January 8, 2024. Yard light on the windmill in our backyard.

 

A disclaimer: All the photos in this blog post except the one immediately above were taken last Friday. We got some snow then, too, but we didn't have the wind to go with it. 

 

 

Photos from the latest storm will have to wait.

 

 

But last Friday, we had a much kinder, gentler exposure to winter. 

 

 

So Randy and I spent some time in the yard and then drove around for our own version of Eyewitness Weather.

 

 

The wind that is usually so prevalent in Kansas seemed bedded down for a long winter's nap .. or, at least it was taking the day off. (It was back with a vengeance yesterday and today.)

The only other living thing we saw at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge was a deer, who didn't seem particularly concerned about intruders to his domain.

I wish this was better focus ...

We were surprised not to see or hear any birds on the refuge at that time.

I'll probably get some photos of this latest snow at some point. But, then again, maybe I'll read my book for awhile.