I'm not going anywhere

My good friend Mike is an immigrant. He comes from Minnesota.

I don’t hold it against him. I’m not from here either, although I’ve been here so long I’ve nearly forgotten where I came from.

Mike, like most of the Minnesotans I know, fits in well in Montana, especially in winter. While the rest of us are complaining about the cold, Minnesotans embrace it. They skate, ski, snowmobile, and fish through the ice, all the while remaining cheery and upbeat.

Mike stayed with us at our cabin on Fort Peck Lake last week to ice fish for a few days. He was out at first light to check tip-ups on...