Maggie's Farm

A cousin and her family moved to Montana 40 years ago. Several years later, her husband got laid off, which would have been the perfect opportunity to move back home, but they liked where they were, and found ways to work it out. While the landscape in Montana can be breathtaking, even in the plains, the people are what make Montana what it is. There is an old saw about many Latin American countries which goes like this. "God gave XXX country a beautiful land and an abundance of natural resources. To even things out, he gave the country its people." [Lest I be accused of chauvinism, I will point out that locals in many countries have related me this joke.] Such a joke does not accurately describe Montana, as it doesn't describe its people.

There are certain consequences for living in Montana, such as the winters. Montana winters are not for the faint of heart. In many parts of the country, Montana included, the cold snap during the Xmas of 1983 broke 100 year old records. My Montana cousin told us that the butane that heated their house wouldn't flow because of the 55 below temperature. Somehow they got through it.