2bflying - It sounds like you have the building experience to do anything you want. Considering your field conditions, maybe go all out with an STOL type bush plane.

Give it operational leading edge slats, split or fowler flaps, a sturdy landing gear and keep the weight low. You can scratch build it fairly easily and will probably only need to draw the airfoil and make a few copies to work out the slats and flaps. That could keep you occupied for a little while and give you a great plane to fly in any conditions including snow.