OK. Here it is, March 1, and the wind has whipped up many gales these last few days.  

Can you imagine the hunkering down that the passengers in a Conestoga wagon did while drifting from the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, beyond the bison, and throughout the Valley's floor? 

On days like this, I can't help but think about the pioneers and their remarkable resilience during the westward expansion. Sod homes, built from the thick prairie dirt, still stand in some places. These pioneers, as western movie star John Wayne affectionately called them, had to battle the wind while they cut out chunks of sod for their homes on their claimed land. 

While digging, cutting, and stacking, pioneers felt the wind whipping around their hats or headscarves and into their eyes, noses, and mouths. The sandy dirt worked between their teeth, and when they did have grub, sand crystals salted their potatoes. Like us, they looked out to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and to the San Juan Mountains, two prominent mountain ranges in our region and wondered when the heck the Wind Mariah would stop already. 

The wind has its helpful properties: when you need a whole acre planted in a jiffy, just throw the seeds to the wind. That's not practical, but I still pull up alfalfa plants that journeyed this far. The wind gets the seed spread. The wind carries nature's homemade scrubby trees right to the yard. Arts and crafts hobbyists can turn the scrubs into decorations for that wagon wheel coffee table. Those tumbleweeds are ripe for trimming with crow, hawk feathers, silky bows, and ribbons. Look out, here comes the wind again! 

The wind can get your grilling started in a hurry, too. Short of breath? Wait for the wind to stir up those briskets. As the ides of March beckons, the choice griller starts the briskets, bastes it, and strikes the match. Yikes! A huge gust throws the chef's hat into the lilacs. Be careful the fire doesn't jump onto the dead lawn as the marinated chicken legs grill.  

Sometimes, I notice that I have had a dry facial expression without any use of water while outside enjoying the sunshine. There's no need to travel to Niemen Marcus' cosmetic counter for a facial or to schedule a Mary Kay or Avon facial. The luxury is done with pure sandy dirt rubbed by Mother Nature into your grimy face pores. Since we don't have to drive to town or Pueblo for a spa day, the wind helps us conserve gasoline and water. 

Don't forget the natural mosquito control that the wind offers. The biting insects and carriers of whatever can't even land on flesh when the mighty wind prowls. The wind is that God-given flyswatter to move gnats, ants, and 'nits along.  

Other positive properties of wind include the notion that the wind is little kisses from God. My aunt used to say that of freckles: "Freckles are angel kisses," she would tell me. I can add some natural mayonnaise to the face when I go inside. And voila! I have a facial that would have cost $100 somewhere else.  

In North Dakota, the wind blows at hurricane force — a category 10. Even tornados compete with the wind for top billing. I can always tell who is from North Dakota by how they bend at the waist at about 30 degrees and charge into the windy battle. There's some strength to that because the head becomes a battering ram to part the invisible squalls.  

Yes, it's the Weekend, and whether we are shopping, plowing, planting, landscaping, fishing, grilling, snacking, photographing, driving or tying the lattice to the rabbit fence, we will contend with the mainstay of the Valley: wind. It's a constant companion in our daily activities, keeping us connected to the rhythm of life in our community. 

Nelda Curtiss is a retired college educator and long-time local columnist. Reach her at columnsbynellie.com or email her at columnsbynellie@gmail.com.