Winter is the Great Equalizer

With all the snow this winter it’s getting hard to tell who’s new to Montana and who’s not.

Almost everything’s covered.

That lump in the snow might be carefully planted shrubbery or it might be a pile of old tires. Only spring will tell.

That expanse of the snow-covered yard may well hide a groomed lawn of exotic grass or just as likely, an untended dirt patch sprinkled with dog droppings.

Winter, with its accompanying blanket of snow, is the great equalizer.

To an extent.

Large, ostentatious houses —snow-covered or not — are typically an indication of newcomers, especially if...