This is Montana after all

The snow that fell during a blizzard early last month has pretty much disappeared across most of the state.

Except here.

The streets in town are still icy and a covering of settled, hard snow blankets the landscape.

I used to take pride in that distinction when I lived in Cooke City. Early snows there tended to hang around until spring, and folks quickly embraced winter, firing up the snowmobiles and dusting off the skis at first chance.

But I no longer live in Cooke, nestled in a mountain valley at an elevation of more than 7,500 feet. I live in Malta where the nearest mountain range is mi...