Every Day is Kansas Day for Kansans

Old and new wind energy on the plains

New and old wind energy peppers the plains of beautiful Kansas
Whoopee – it’s Kansas Day! And this born and bred native is going to take advantage of the opportunity to brag on my home state.

For those of you who don’t live in The Wheat State, we joined the Union on January 29, 1861 as a free state after a lot of violence and chaos with neighboring Missouri. And every year, I get super jacked up to celebrate the birthday of this fantastic state I love. I’ve actually sort of been celebrating this whole week of Kansas’ birthday, because honestly, every day is Kansas day for Kansans. That’s just how much we love it here.



The sun and the moon both visible on the plains of Kansas
I think it takes a special kind of person to love and appreciate Kansas. Rolling hills covered in native grasses, wide open skies, roaming buffalo, spastic weather and the completely enthralling feeling of being able to see a vast nothingness for miles are just a few of the exceptional facets Kansas has to offer.  
Hay seasonWindmill during a sunset in Kansas
 

I love everything about this place: the emptiness, the scenery and, most importantly, the cathartic feeling of inhaling two-lungs worth of fresh, wild air that is untouched by the side effects of a metropolis. I love this land so much I have permanently altered my body to reflect my Kansas roots.

Cattle race across the plains before a summer storm in Kansas
 

I know I’m not the only prairie dweller to experience these feelings. I have friends in the Dakotas, Nebraska and Oklahoma who feel the same way about their home states as well. We aren’t crazy for preferring the vast emptiness of the plains over the hustle and bustle of the city – we’re just a different breed of people. And, as we all know, the world needs all kinds of kinds.

Kansas plains
 

So here’s to you ole girl. May your Flint Hills remain inhabited by bison, your winds blow strong and uninhibited by skyscrapers and your heritage continue to be rooted firmly in wheat and beef.

Kansas is the centerpiece on our mantle right now – a gorgeous silver sunflower platter.

Always a Kansan,

~ Buzzard ~